Summer Games Done Quick is here and this set of charity speedruns is supporting Doctors Without Borders. It's Doctors Without Borders largest fund raising event and you should join in the fun.
Check out the incredible runs through the schedule link below and make sure to watch and donate.
DotEmu & Tribute Games released a three part behind the scenes documentary about their upcoming brawler Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge. The first doc video talks about how they came to make the game and approach it from a design perspective, part two focuses on game design and part three is the art of the game.
It’s a great behind the scenes look at the game and each part isn’t too long. I found myself wanting a bit more which is all good as the game launches tomorrow. I imagine I’ll write my thoughts on some point after I play it so check back for my early thoughts. So far the game seems to be getting nearly universal acclaim, which is an awesome thing to hear.
Clocking in at over 90 minutes the XBox & Bethesda Games Showcase was jam packed with gaming goodness. The standout announcements were more information about Redfall, Forza Motorsport, Overwatch 2 (now Free to Play and launches in October), Ark 2, Minecraft Legends, Diablo IV (launching in 2023), Flight Simulator free Halo update & Starfield.
It was a really fun event to watch but there were almost too many games to process and by the end some games ran together in my mind too much. That said, I am excited about a few games and we got a few news bits that were new.
Diablo IV Necromancer Diablo IV showed it final character in the Necromancer. So far no characters in Diablo IV are original and that's disappointing. I'm not saying the characters we are getting won't be incredibly fun but it would have been nice to get some new class in Diablo. Say what you will about Diablo III but it introduced a few new characters at launch and it's expansion. We also got a 2023 launch year for Diablo IV which is exciting.
Minecraft Legends There isn't much more information available about Minecraft Legends except whats in the trailer. That said, the official website has this information about the game.
"Discover the mysteries of Minecraft Legends, a new action strategy game. Lead your allies in heroic battles to defend the Overworld from the destructive piglins."
Minecraft strategy game? I'm totally in.
Starfield Possibly the most anticipated game in the upcoming XBox release lineup, Starfield dropped a ton of gameplay and information. While not trying to be dismissive, Starfield seems like the best story aspects of Fallout and Skyrim and are adding an entirely new space flight and dogfighting system along with the ability to travel to and explore over 1,000 planets! This game looks huge and while I was watching it with friends they noted that this looks very similar to No Mans Sky. No Mans Sky with a Bethesda coat of paint sounds awesome to me and I hope that you can go beyond upgrading the ship you start with and maybe purchase or steal other ships. Also, it would be totally awesome to get your own starbase somewhere, or build a base on an asteroid or a small moon.
With that, I'm curious what more Bethesda has to show off about what Starfield will be. I would have thought Starfield would launch with some form of Multiplayer mode and I wonder if they are going to reveal that at some point?
Azurephile Super Member
wrote on 06/13/2022 at 01:04am
I have Ark 2 info with a new second trailer (the first was released some time ago)! It's linked in my Ark post, which is right before this one.
I read about Minecraft Legends and I'm really not sure about it. While I like RTS games, it's difficult to imagine Minecraft as one without just being a Minecraft skin. I'll have to wait and see it. Minecraft Dungeons didn't appeal to me as much as I thought it would. (It's like a Minecraft Diablo game.)
It seems like we could possibly get some posts written detailing these. Starfield sounds interesting, I'm interested in learning more about it. I could easily write about Ark 2. I'm just not sure the interest is there (or rather here. I'm certainly interested.).
Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member
wrote on 06/13/2022 at 06:14pm
It needed more hugging sims. WHERE WERE THE HUGGING SIMS?
Azurephile Super Member
wrote on 06/15/2022 at 08:11am
"Fallout in space." "What if Fallout and No Man's Sky had a kid?" That's the way I see it, though I'd say more specifically Fallout 4.
Guns in space. Not all of those are laser guns. I THOUGHT shooting a gun (with bullets) wasn't possible in space, but a quick Google proves I was incorrect. Still it's not like laser guns are any more logical, yet we buy into the fantasy.
I wish he didn't give a 30-40 hour campaign estimate. I feel this way often when I see people mention hours of gameplay. I grew used to spending 100+ hours on a game, so when I see <100, I get disappointed. However, that doesn't include all the exploration and side quests. 100+ seems like an easy enough milestone to reach. When I do see I've spent 100 hours on a game, I feel like I got a good amount of entertainment out of it. (Now I'm seeing games with 3,500+ hours I've spent on Steam.)
30-40 campaign is pretty generous considering there will probably be hundreds of side quests to pad that out to well over 100 hours I imagine
Azurephile Super Member
wrote on 06/16/2022 at 12:01am
Yeah. While writing that, I talked myself into accepting it. No Man's Sky, I'd say is definitely different in that way. Heck, I've never made it to the center. I even began to feel like it's pretty much impossible. I got tired of jumping all the time.
I’ve gone to the center a couple times, but honestly it doesn’t feel worth it with everything else they added
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 06/16/2022 at 04:18am
If there are 1,000 planets in Starfield and those planets are procedurally created and at least marginally fun we should have content for ages.
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 06/16/2022 at 04:19am
Hopefully the planet creation algorithm is as good as the one in Terraria. And if they add bee keeping, I’m fairly certain it will be my game of the year.
Azurephile Super Member
wrote on 06/16/2022 at 04:21am
LOL! Jon, you're the bee's knees! Did you (plural!) see what he said about how some is procedural and some is crafted? Also that we can't just land anywhere we want on the surface like No Man's Sky? I think it'll be ok and make sense.
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 06/16/2022 at 04:25am
> Did you (plural!) see what he said about how some is procedural and some is crafted?
I just read that interview. I hope they get the generation algorithm right. I wonder if you personal galaxy will be different or if they will generate the same 1k planets for everyone?
You know… question of the ages kind of video here. I’m sure the results of the video will in no way surprise you.
“ Top Gun: Maverick is finally here after years of waiting, so how does it stack up against the other Top Gun 2? You know, Top Gun: The Second Mission for the NES! Which is better? The game? Or the movie? That's the battle we're going to settle today!”
Diablo Immortal launched on iOS, Android and PC today and I've been playing it a couple days now due to a sneaky launch for folks that per-registered for it. I didn't pay money, just clicked a per-registration button a handful of months ago and it all worked out.
Diablo Immortal Is Good, In Fact It's Really Good
Diablo Immortal is so good I'm actually surprised it's as good as is it. It's a tale as old as time too, company makes free to play mobile version of game and game kinda sucks. But in my time with Diablo Immortal up to level 20+ the game has been nothing short of really good.
My biggest fear would be that Diablo Immortal wouldn't feel like a Diablo game on a phone but they've nailed the controls and things work. It's a hybrid between the best control controls of Diablo III and PC and feels great to touch. Occasionally the fight will get away from me, but a few taps and I'm in control again and slaying with ease.
I'd figure there would be zero story to speak of but not only is there a story present, it might be better than the story in Diablo III. Don't get me wrong, I love campy stuff and Diablo III serves it's story with such camp you might as well be playing the game in the woods. That said, it often is a bit much and the bosses constantly mustache twirling and threatening you gets old fast. Diablo Immortal's story is lighter in that it's not dialog heavy, but much is done with the art, scenery and sparse voice acting that make it better. Frankly, Diablo IV could take notice here, less is actually quite a bit more.
So They Just Took a Huge Feature From Diablo IV
Because of the always online nature of Diablo Immortal they swiped a pretty big sell of Diablo IV in that you can see folks running around and it's really easy to party up if you want. It's not annoying and folks often ignore you but you can pop over and help someone fight some monsters if you want and it totally works. This was also a huge feature of Diablo IV and it's here no big deal.
I'm really excited for Diablo IV and I bet how they will handle this will feel better but... is Diablo Immortal competing with Diablo IV a bit? Which leads me to my next point...
Will Diablo Immortal Be The Most Popular Diablo Game of All Time?
Diablo Immortal is incredibly easy to download and play. I bet most people have phones than can play this game and if you like the franchise, it's easy to download and play. And with that, I wonder if this game might be the most popular Diablo game ever? Frankly I think hack and slack games with loot make a ton of sense as free to play games and ... will Diablo Immortal be huge? From what I've played of it so far, it has all the right stuff to be I just hope it's not so eclipsing it dwarfs Diablo IV because I really want to play it.
Diablo Immortal's PC Port Is Superb
When Blizzard announced a Diablo Immortal PC port I was very happy. I'm also happy to say the PC port is superb but not perfect. It's great to get a bit more screen size and use the mouse as Euclid intended. That said, the mouse can get lost and it's not obvious what's going on when it does. I bet they will sort that all out because already it's so awesome to go from your phone to tablet to desktop seamlessly.
Hopefully Diablo stays Immortal
I'm only 20+ levels in and so far I've felt zero free to play bullshit. Not saying that's not coming, I just haven't seen it yet. Hopefully the game allows me a reasonable time through it to experience the story and some other characters without paying it a mint but I understand that's not always how it is.
With that, based on what I've played I hope Diablo stays Immortal and we get even more added to it. Games like Call of Duty Mobile and Clash of Clans are still going strong and have incredibly large fans. Hopefully Diablo Immortal does well because so far, it's a lot of fun for free.
I am liking it so far. I have played both mobile and PC and prefer PC. I loved that you could use the same controls that you’re used to if you played D3, and customize things pretty easily. The PC port is good, but you can tell it’s in beta because I get some random tanked framerates and glitchiness that I’m sure will be worked out. You can tell that it’s a mobile port though since everything is so zoomed in, and they wanted to keep the exciting enemy density while also zooming you in like that for mobile screens so it gets very busy sometimes. That’s not a dealbreaker though, I was just playing a 48 v 1 boss fight in FF14 last night and D:I’s screen busyness is nothing compared to that. Plus the text is HUGE, again presumably because it’s a mobile game stretched to a desktop monitor. I’d like more customizations, which may come later.
I think it’ll be fun to play through the story and level characters and such, but the endgame grind that I loved in Diablo 3, pushing higher and higher greater rifts etc, will be tainted in Immortal by the free-to-play economics of the game.
I’m thinking you’re right that it’ll do really well which is good and bad in some ways. I really hope the success of their microtransactions (there will be a lot of success here) doesn’t inform decisions about their mainline titles.
Azurephile Super Member
wrote on 06/04/2022 at 08:58pm
@Travis Yeah it says "beta" still in the top right corner and pretty much every where else. It's confusing, I wonder why they haven't changed it.
I feel like I've spent a good bit of time with it already and I've seen some tech issues. I had a major FPS drop. I'm running at 2560x1440@165hz w/ VSync and Gsync on, so I do see 165FPS. I've had two NPCs who didn't show a walking animation while I was following them. Also, sometimes I don't hear a voice over, I just see the text box during an NPC conversation. I'd say that one happens more frequently than any other I've experienced. I think these are minor issues that don't greatly distract from gameplay and could probably be resolved easily (my assumption there at the end).
Unfortunately it says my phone isn't compatible. I see some people got this erroneously, however I did some Googling and I don't think my phone meets the system (mobile) requirements.
I'm reading a GameSpot regarding tips for beginners. Maybe we should try to make a warband. I've seen different servers, but they only show how many friends are on a server if they are, but not which friends are on which servers. It looks like we're all spread out.
I'm level 34 now, very close to 35, which is my new questline (reach level 35).
I pretty much agree w/ Jon's assessment of this being a great Diablo game. I mean, I do see some flaws. I mentioned technical issues I've come across, but I also feel like everything is just so spread out in the menus and such. There's a lot of it. I'm not complaining really, but I am glad for the red markers showing me things I need to look at. Otherwise I see somethings here I really like. In a way I'm still talking about all that menu stuff. If feels like there's so much you can do within the menus. It can look overwhelming, but it's also cool to be able to do a lot of that stuff. I also like that you can upgrade a piece of armor and be able to transfer the upgrades (and gems if applicable) to the new piece of armor you want to replace it with. I think it's kind of a QoL treat.
I may have more to say about this later. (And so I've updated this comment.)
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 06/05/2022 at 01:12am
> Unfortunately it says my phone isn't compatible. I see some people got this erroneously, however I did some Googling and I don't think my phone meets the system (mobile) requirements.
You could try downloading it anyway and trying it? It might work, but... be quite slow? That said, the PC port should help you out. I hope over time it improves some, it's good but could be a bit better. I also hope the PC port is a base to port it to consoles. This would be another great F2P addition to the XBox, Playstation and Switch.
Azurephile Super Member
wrote on 06/05/2022 at 02:44am
>You could try downloading it anyway and trying it? It might work, but... be quite slow? That said, the PC port should help you out. I hope over time it improves some, it's good but could be a bit better. I also hope the PC port is a base to port it to consoles. This would be another great F2P addition to the XBox, Playstation and Switch.
I thought about that. I had to side load the Windows 10 Phone Link app so that I could get that working (and I love being able to text w/ my keyboard!). I'm not too concerned though. I don't have much interest in mobile gaming these days and I really hate cell phones.
I've seen plenty of technical issues. It's playable and good enough, but I'd still like to see these issues resolved. I did see an Activision Tech Support character in-game. I thought that was interesting. Maybe I should get back into my habit of trying to resolve issues or report them as bugs if they seem to be.
Oh, I need to join a Warband Raid for Lassal. It requires 8 people. I haven't had any luck getting this done yet. My current objective is to "reach level 40," I'm just a few levels away.
Azurephile Super Member
wrote on 06/05/2022 at 02:55am
Aw dang, you cannot transfer characters between servers. I'd love to see us all together in the game and play together if we can or want to. If anyone would like me to join them, please feel free to let me know and tell me which server you're playing on. Let me know what your class is, too, and I'll think about what kind of character to create on your server.
Azurephile Super Member
wrote on 06/06/2022 at 08:03pm
"Who knew playing with others would be so fun?!" Yes, that is a quote from silly me. I must agree with the general sentiment I see in chat, I'm really enjoying this game! The game guided me to join a Warband Raid for Lassal. Luckily, I managed to accomplish that (oh and I'm 51 now). Then it guided me to join a clan. I'm now in the Death Eaters and we're full now. When I left late last night/early this morning we were only a few signets away from becoming a Dark Clan. We may have already accomplished that today. I partied up w/ others and had so much fun running around playing w/ my new clan mates and friends I made (I got two friend requests). I've been constantly learning more about the game and it's exciting. I like this game so much more than D2!
I wonder why it's FTP. This seems as good, if not better, as D3. I understand they'll get money from microtransactions, but couldn't they make even more by charging everyone at least $20-30?
People would balk at the level of micro transactions in a game that you have to pay any money for. You’d need around $100,000 to max out your character. There will be a few whales who pay that too.
Azurephile Super Member
wrote on 06/07/2022 at 01:23am
Yeah, you're right. I guess I'm just thinking of people like me that might never even buy anything. I guess the ones that do buy things make up for those who don't. Wow that's a lot of money!
I'm glad you shared that link, mostly because it told me when the story takes place, which is something that's kind of crossed my mind. I assumed it was just it's own separate Diablo world and story.
The Death Eaters are a Dark Clan now! :)
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 06/09/2022 at 03:17am
I'm excited to read a post by someone that spent that much in Immortal. 100k is a lot and with the biggest Orb pack costing $100 that's 1k taps and, I'm sure, that has to happen over years.
With that, Orbs do purchase platinum which can do the in game auction house but on my server all you can get with that are lower level gems because everyone is holding the higher ones.
If folks CAN spend 100k in game, I'm not sure how but I'm sure it's possible.
So far I've dodged every pay thing and currently am spending nothing. I imagine for some they've already put in 25k.
RIP
Azurephile Super Member
wrote on 06/09/2022 at 05:51am
I don't know what Orbs are. I visited the auction once or twice, but wasn't interested. I think I wanted to sell some gear, but couldn't (was learning). I used my platinum to open up chests in Iben Fahd's Sanctum, which you'll have access to after talking to Cain and Charsi at a certain point (around level 60).
I haven't paid for anything. I don't want to. I'm not interested in buying anything. I'm having fun and enjoying the experience. I'm paragon 2 or 3 now I think. My warband sucks, because no one wants to party up to work on campsite monster kills, but my clan is awesome. Sometimes world chat is awesome and sometimes not. There was a long discussion about cryptocurrency I didn't get into (not interested). Later chat was being helpful answering other player's questions about the game. I participated I think on both sides.
Lower level gems are worthy, but you can get them with Hilts, too, I'm sure. You combine them to get higher ranked gems, which takes 3 for 1. I need to get some more so I can upgrade. You can upgrade a slotted one, but make sure the other two you need to use aren't slotted, slotted gems won't count (except for the one you're upgrading).
Yeah there was a live stream lately where someone paid 5k on a single stream and didn’t get a single best-in-slot item. With those chances, the incentive to even buy micro transactions is so low I imagine they’ll need to change the rate to get to a sweet spot of people buying things.
It’s really only the endgame where it even matters so if you’re uninterested in the endgame grind, it won’t affect you much.
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 06/10/2022 at 04:28pm
Yeah, I’m just interested in the story and trying out a handful of classes. Playing it got me interested in Diablo III again so I might spin that up again.
Azurephile Super Member
wrote on 06/10/2022 at 07:22pm
Wow. Well once my level got into the 50's or so picking up an item that's better than what I have has been rare or very uncommon. I'm not sure if all of my gear is Legendary, but most of it is. I might have a piece of armor that isn't, but not much more than that, if any. I'm paragon 5 or so now, I think. I'm assuming paragon levels would be the end game, but I still don't want to spend any money or feel like I need to.
Just read about some more gating that I probably won’t notice because I don’t plan on doing the endgame grind. This has made me want to play d3 though :D
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 06/16/2022 at 04:23am
I made it to the start of Act II and I haven’t really played it much after that. I might play it over time to complete it, but while it’s a good game it seems similar to other free to play games. I start it with interest and it wanes very quickly.
Azurephile Super Member
wrote on 06/16/2022 at 04:28am
What level are you about? I'm about 5 or 6 (P), I think. I enjoyed it, but took a break and now have other things I want to do. I look forward to perhaps playing it more in the future and also DIV.
I read they did add Legendary transmutation in D3, but it doesn't act in the same way as DIm. I really loved this feature in DIm.
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 06/20/2022 at 03:30am
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 06/20/2022 at 03:31am
Level 39. I stopped at the top to act 2.
Azurephile Super Member
wrote on 06/20/2022 at 03:37am
Interesting site! I'm not sure when I might return to the game. I'm happy w/ what I got out of it, but other things are popping up (so much released lately!).
Azurephile Super Member
wrote on 06/24/2022 at 05:26am
Wow, here's an impressive article about the microtransaction controversy and how bad it really is. I didn't think much on it, but I think this does a great job of showing that the game is seriously flawed because of this. I enjoyed my time with it, making it to about paragon level 5. I had much more fun than I thought I would and I enjoyed being social in a video game, something I haven't done in a very long time. However, other games updated with new content, which caught my interest. So after a point, I felt pretty much done with DI. I'd like to see this issue resolved. It is a fun game, but this is ridiculous.
I never intend to spend money in these games. I don't have an excessive amount of income to do so either. I would have been ok paying for the game, especially if it did not include these microtransactions. I just hope they get it all right with Diablo IV.
The Epic Games Store continues to give away free games and this months game is something special in Borderlands 3. While the reviews are not perfect, it's garnered fairly universal praise for it's gameplay and improved mechanics. Some took point with the characters and story but if you love Borderlands, this is a solid entry to the series. Oh and it's free.
Sadly, it's not free in perpetuity so head over to the Epic Store and grab it before the deal expires on May 26th!
Switch Sports launched last month and I picked it up the day my kid got sick. I figured if we were going to be inside a lot, Switch Sports would be a great thing to play and be active. Simply put, if you enjoyed Wii Sports and have a Switch, Nintendo Switch Sports is a must purchase. In my opinion, Wii Sports was one of the best video games of all time and the fact that it was a pack-in title was a great idea that caused the Wii to be incredibly popular.
So far, I've only played a handful of matches of Bowling with my son and his far favorite is Chambara (a game where you swipe swords at each other until someone falls over into the water). Nintendo Switch Sports uses the joy cons that operate similarly to the Wii Remotes. I'd say the joy cons are just as good as the remotes but the problem I find is that when the Switch is behind my TV they are way less accurate. It's not a hard problem to fix, I just put the switch in front of my TV but it's a bit annoying and I wish the bluetooth on the Switch was a bit more powerful than it's not for the joy cons. If you have muscle memory built up from Wii Sports, Switch Sports controls are slightly different. It's not a big deal but we found ourselves bowling wrong quite a few times before the new control scheme clicked for us (you don't let go to release the bowling ball).
Any video game that's fun and gets people up and moving is great in my book. Wii Sports was a classic game and Switch Sports really does seem to have taken that game, gave it a great modern coat of paint and put it on the Switch. I've heard Golf is coming as a free update later and that seems like a fun thing to try. I'm surprised it took Nintendo this long to update Wii Sports & Wii Sports Resort but I'm happy they did and the results are quite fun.
I had that problem with the switch Bluetooth in the past too. The two best places for it IMO are just slightly out of range for the Bluetooth to work properly. It’s odd, no other device I have had has Bluetooth this weak.
I didn’t even realize Switch Sports was out honestly! I’m going to have to check it out
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Diablo Immortal is coming to mobile and PC June 2nd, which is good news for everyone. They are billing it as the first MMOARPG Diablo game which, if mostly accurate, seems great. While a lot of mobile games are fun I don't play them long as I burn out pretty quickly on the light mechanics and progression blocking that free to play games typically come with. With all that said, it should be fun to have PC & mobile cross play and the game looks like Diablo III on your phone and if it's in that ballpark the game should be quite fun.
"A battle for the ages draws near. The Burning Hells’ flames flicker and crackle in anticipation, an omen they seek to communicate—Diablo Immortal™ is coming! On June 2, brave adventurers in most regions* will take up arms against the demonic forces of Skarn, Lord of Damnation, as they uncover events taking place between Diablo II and Diablo III.
Community feedback has been imperative to the development of Immortal and has influenced the game in many ways, as you’ll come to see. One recurring piece of feedback we especially took to heart was the desire to play Immortal on PC. Well, we are most pleased to announce this has been made a reality—in addition to releasing on Android and iOS devices, Diablo Immortal will also be free-to-play for Windows PC upon launch in Open Beta.
This is an especially proud moment for us to announce, as Immortal represents a handful of firsts for both the Diablo franchise and Blizzard. Upon launch, Immortal will be the largest Diablo game we’ve released, home to more distinct zones, unique encounters, and satisfying ways to cut down demons than ever before. Immortal is also the first Blizzard game to be built from the ground up for mobile, delivering the same AAA demon-slaying experience you love but to be played from anywhere.
Lastly, Immortal is the first MMOARPG Diablo game—providing the opportunity to socialize, play, and explore the world freely with other players in ways never previously experienced across the Diablo franchise."
And PC? I had no idea. I guess I hadn’t been keeping up with it that much. That cross play could make it a great success as long as the game is fun and not too far into the pay2win category
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 05/04/2022 at 05:24pm
I had been lightly keeping up with it but PC cross play is new information.
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If you didn’t know, back in 1998 I started a band called Roy with my friend Paul. We played a lot of shows in Portland back then and released a few songs and some albums. After a very long hiatus we’re back and I’m posting about the new album here and I hope you are into hearing about it. If not, feel free to skip this for the video game and film stuffs you usually come here for.
Misery Accomplished is an album about achieving your goal and it not turning out the way you thought. Some people might call it a concept album but it might be more appropriately thought of as a reality album. When I started writing the songs for Misery Accomplished a year ago we were mid pandemic and I had no idea I was going to go through a divorce. I thought the concept of Misery Accomplished was for someone else, and in a way I was lauding my political and social thoughts that were for people that had nothing to do with me. Thing is, when my life took a turn for the horrible, Misery Accomplished became something I thought about a lot and only recently realized is the most autobiographical thing I’ve ever created.
A new Roy album is something I’ve thought about for a few years but decided to actually do when my friend Will gave me his old Casio LK-100 keyboard. To-date we’ve only used one Casio keyboard and an acoustic guitar to write all Roy music. A new-to-me Casio keyboard felt fresh and I liked the idea of Roy dueling with Casio keyboards, which is a sound featured on nearly every track on the album. One day when I was with my son I plugged in the new keyboard Will gave me and started writing an early chorus for “If JJ Abrams Rebooted the Little Mermaid.” Finley immediately started singing it with me and it was one of the most fun moments I’ve had in my life. I don’t think Misery Accomplished would exist if he didn’t keep singing the song over the next few days. Finley is featured on the chorus to “If JJ Abrams Rebooted the Little Mermaid” and I hope to do more songs with him.
When I initially wrote the song “Chris Hemsworth Abs” I thought the song was a joke about things other people experience. Darkness? Pain? Grief? It was a song where the punchline was what other people experienced but as time passed I realized it was everything I was going through. During the worst parts of the divorce I listened and played that song a lot. It was a song written by a much happier me and it felt like he was time traveling to sing it to me when I was at my worst. Literal time travel? No. But it’s a song that makes me feel better when things feel like shit.
When we were writing songs for Misery Accomplished Paul decided to take front and center singing and writing duties on two songs in “Mammoth Army” and “Freedom (Freight Train)”. “Mammoth Army” is a song he’s been working on here and there for over 10 years and I’m glad he finally finished it. The song recklessly flies down the track as it musically smashes into everything and to-date is one of the most involved and well constructed Roy songs we have. It feels like a full journey start to finish and it’s nothing like a song I’d write.
I wrote the song “Netflix and Die” on my iPad and didn’t think of it as much more than a funny take on the popular phrase Netflix and chill. But recontextualizing the song for where I am now, it’s a song wondering if I'd ever experience a relationship in the way others do. It’s hard to process the loneliness of a relationship in its ending death march that takes years without end.
Start to finish Misery Accomplished was only eight songs and after the worst parts of life happened we added two more to it. After the song “Misery Accomplished II” the bullshit ends and I take a breath and we wrap the album on two songs Freedom (Freight Train) and Freedom (Hurricane). A few weeks after my wife told me she wanted a divorce, in one of the lowest points in my life I wrote a song and recorded it on my iPhone and sent it to Paul. I was going through some heavy feelings and I wrote something in all of that. I want to be really clear here, I absolutely did not want to put Freedom (Hurricane) on Misery Accomplished. Over the months we worked on the album Paul said I should record it and I went through several drafts of the song, changing it to be a bit more upbeat. He kept suggesting I record a version like I did when I was at my lowest point and that’s what’s on the album. Me at the lowest point I’ve ever experienced writing a song about the only thing that mattered, my relationship with my friend. Paul decided to take that concept and wrote a completely different version of the song called Freedom (Freight Train). Thing is, even though his version came after and is a variation on mine, I think his is a better song. That said, I really enjoy that it’s two perspectives on the same relationship. I think that’s what relationships are or should be, two people saying the same thing in a way where both messages become something better, unique and also the same.
You can listen to Misery Accomplished today on nearly all the music and streaming platforms. Head over to our website to get all the links to Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, Bandcamp, YouTube and more.
I've listened this album several times over the last few days and I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate the music and all that went into it. I'm glad you've persevered in general, let alone enough produce a new album. Anyway, I'll see you all on the 30th!
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 04/20/2022 at 02:48pm
❤️
Azurephile Super Member
wrote on 04/26/2022 at 04:14am
Yay a new Roy album! I can't wait to listen! ❤️ What you've written here and the lyrics of the embedded song speak to me and I just want to say "THANK YOU!!!" This all speaks to me very much!
As for Chris Hemsworth's abs, it's time to write a sequel, check out Natalie Portman's biceps!!! (Thor Love and Thunder) https://youtu.be/tgB1wUcmbbw
I haven’t said anything publicly because I wanted to sit with it for a while.
Your version of Freedom has not left my brain ever since listening to it. I’ve made like 10 people listen to it. It’s so damn good.
The album as a whole is a sort of comedy/novelty type of thing I wouldn’t generally listen to a lot but there’s charm here that makes it stand out.
And I’m impressed with how complex some of the composition is considering it’s two Casio keyboards usually 😂
I think you two would be amazing at writing kids music. Not that your stuff is juvenile but your energy is infectious and Finley singing along kinda proves that (and btw kudos to Finley for being on pitch at his age).
Azurephile Super Member
wrote on 04/26/2022 at 10:27pm
“If JJ Abrams Rebooted the Little Mermaid" we'd see a LOT of lens flares! LOL
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 04/28/2022 at 10:21pm
I've had folks mention writing kids music before, that's not a bad idea at all. When I sit down no kids songs come to mind but I guess I could write a few about ice cream or something.
> And I’m impressed with how complex some of the composition is considering it’s two Casio keyboards usually 😂
The root of all the songs are Casio keyboards and some songs acoustic guitar. With that, we've added some modern keyboard sounds to help back the songs and I think they fit in nicely. If I had 10 Casio keyboards we prob wouldn't need to do that. That's said, it's fun to do something that is very old school Roy but pair with a some more modern synth samples.
Chris Hemsworth Abs made me think about how, when someone is in a dark place, the same advice can be many different things. It can be genuine but unhelpful, it can be mocking / patronizing, or it can be a light to change one's perspective. Sometimes a positive distraction is what it takes to remind us the world is still turning, and Thor's abs are... wait, I'm being told I should watch Endgame. Brb in a couple of hours.
Freedom was so good (both halves). I love the positivity, shining through the heartache, one's own or from someone we deeply care about. Having seen a number of people I care about struggle, Freight Train moves me to persevere on their behalf. Having struggled at times myself, Hurricane moves me to persevere on my own behalf, and has made me tear up a little every time I've listened to it.
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I love playing video games with my son. He's almost 6 recently we got into Minecraft together. I found the physical Switch version of Minecraft on sale for $20 and figured that was a great time to pick up the game and play it with him. He immediately was hooked on the game and we went about building our first house inside a mountain and crafting our area to our mutual satisfaction. Minecraft is a well understood and widely played game at this point so nothing I'm saying is news to anyone but it's fun experiencing awesome things for the first time with your kid. Our cave house was built up to be a small castle of sorts so we can peer over the edge at night and see all the Zombies, Creepers and Spiders that spawn below. We've also built up a quite large wheat field, animal pen and treehouse above it such that we can hear and watch our animals make way too much noise at night.
It's impressive how many little updates have come to Minecraft since I played it first years and years ago now. The Switch version is incredible and Mojang has taken great lengths to not only make the game playable on a controller but actually quite fun. The Switch version is slower than the PC version in terms of loading but once you are in the game things run along quite well.
We don't have grand ambitions for our area but it would be pretty cool to find where the Villagers are staying around us. Since we're on the Switch I can't do a map hack to peek where that might be and I haven't found a way to zero in on where they may be so for now, I think we'll have to just explore a lot around us.
For now, we are having a lot of fun playing the game together, or I suppose I play the game and we talk about what we want to do. At some point when he's older I image we'll play multiplayer Minecraft in our own world but for now it's fun to just share in building our house and world together this way.
Azurephile Super Member
wrote on 03/29/2022 at 05:36am
(Dang it Jon, I hope others are looking at this site with a resolution above 1080p. 1440p lets me see two stories on the front page and I always feel guilty when I notice someone's posted right as I'm about to and their post gets bumped down. Clearly this isn't the first time. LOL)
Wow, what an amazing thing I totally forgot about, playing Minecraft with your son! However, in contrast to your experience, my son is the reason I got into Minecraft. Once I started, I was hooked! We haven't played together much, but I did set up a Java server briefly. I don't know if you're aware of this, but the Bedrock version, which is the one all consoles run, is actually playable cross-platform. So, while you're playing on the Switch, I could join with my PC, and my son (now 18!) could join with his PS4 (for example). I haven't played the Bedrock version very much, but in my experience it seems to run a lot smoother than the Java version. I got my Windows 10 edition when it was offered for free when it was released for Windows 10.
I'm so happy for you that you've entered the Minecraft world with your son! It's an exciting time! It's a fantastic game for people of all ages. It's one of the few games I can think of that actually brings very many people together. As you probably know, it's extremely popular and you know they're still adding content. The next update will include mangrove forest, frogs, and more.
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 03/31/2022 at 07:20pm
Frogs? Can’t wait!
I also didn’t know that all bedrock versions are compatible, that’s really good to know.
Azurephile Super Member
wrote on 03/31/2022 at 07:58pm
Ya know what's funny? My son got me into Minecraft, now he wants to follow in my footsteps and get into Ark: Survival Evolved since it's on PS Plus right now. LOL
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 03/31/2022 at 08:42pm
That’s awesome. I hope he loves it!
Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member
wrote on 04/04/2022 at 04:43am
Liam loves minecraft, but will only play it with Joi at this point in time. If I offer to play, I get a “no thanks.” 🤣
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 04/14/2022 at 12:45am
Doesn’t like the way you build?
Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member
wrote on 04/14/2022 at 10:44pm
He finds me boring. 🤣
Azurephile Super Member
wrote on 04/15/2022 at 03:41am
How so?
Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member
wrote on 04/15/2022 at 07:18pm
I probably don't play right.
Azurephile Super Member
wrote on 05/29/2022 at 12:54am
Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member
wrote on 05/29/2022 at 08:30pm
My son fired up the early 1.19 snapshot release. He is loving it.
Azurephile Super Member
wrote on 05/29/2022 at 09:21pm
Awesome! How old is he? High school graduation for mine (18) is next Saturday assuming he gets his work turned in on time.
Paul Soares, Jr. has a 1.18 playthrough on YouTube I've continued watching. It's making me want to jump in. I may check out the latest snapshot after I see what's on xismavoid's channel. It's been about a couple of months since I last played and I'm worried I'll tire of it quickly.
Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member
wrote on 05/30/2022 at 04:31am
11
Azurephile Super Member
wrote on 05/30/2022 at 06:30am
Wow, yeah Minecraft kids are smart! They know how to get the beta content.
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 06/05/2022 at 01:18am
We haven't found the village around us yet. Wish we could but I think it may be far away.
That said, I wonder if you need to spawn a new world to get this cave content after the patch drops? That said, it looks to add a lot more variety to the game by those undercave biomes. Getting closer to Terraria a bit at a time.
Azurephile Super Member
wrote on 06/05/2022 at 02:03am
If you have "cheats enabled" on the world, you could use the "/locate" command to find a village and /tp there. I haven't used that command, but I keep /tp coordinates in a document so I can just /tp to where I want to go. Minecraft commands: https://minecraft.fandom.com/wiki/Commands/locate
As far as I understand it, you don't need to spawn a new world to get the new content for each update, you need to explore areas you haven't yet discovered. I'm sure I've heard or read that the devs have taken extra care to make sure that updates don't destroy worlds that already exist. The C&C Update extended the height and depth of the world border so they had to take extra care to make sure they didn't break existing worlds.
Here's a bit more detail: Minecraft worlds are made up of chunks. They are invisible (though you can make them visible) and they contain everything. "A chunk in Minecraft is a procedurally generated 16 x 16 segment of the world that extends all the way down to the" bottom of the world and all the way to the top of the world. (IGN quote) As you explore, new chunks in the world are created. If you started your world with 1.8 then all of the chunks that have been created by exploring are 1.8 chunks. If you want to see the new content you have to explore further into your world so that it will create new chunks, which contain 1.9 content if that's what you're playing after the update.
Azurephile Super Member
wrote on 06/07/2022 at 06:21am
FYI Minecraft Java and Bedrock editions are being bundled together on PC. Players who own either version will receive the other for free in a new update coming. The brief article I just read is worth reading. It helps briefly give you an idea about why there are these two different versions of Minecraft and which is run by different platforms.
I bought my Minecraft codes (one for me and one for Vinny) at Wal-Mart many years ago. When they released it for Windows 10, they gave it away for free to those of us that already owned the Java version. So, that's how I have both versions (and this update will be insignificant to me).
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 06/09/2022 at 03:18am
I saw that. Does the PC version entitle you to an XBox version now? I hope that's part of this update, it's strange it hasn't worked like that before.
Azurephile Super Member
wrote on 06/09/2022 at 05:34am
Yes, but it isn't called "an XBox version." There are two main versions of Minecraft; Java and Bedrock Edition. When I heard about why bundles aren't in the game yet, I was reminded that there is a third version called Pocket Edition. I thought they got rid of it, but it's the one used on tablets and similar touch devices. I used it on the Kindle Fire I had.
The Java Edition is only on PC, because it was originally written in Java, which is incompatible w/ pretty much everything else. So, they created the Bedrock Edition, which is written in C++.
"Parity!" Thanks, you just helped me remember the right term I was trying to use in my Wild Update post (now corrected). I thought it was "polarity," but knew it didn't sound right. LOL! Parity is something the devs are taking very seriously. They want to make sure that every version of Minecraft contains the same content so that there are few if any differences in gameplay.
I'd say each version has it's own unique thing about it. Java is the one with mod support, while Bedrock is the one that has access to the Marketplace.
Both versions and Minecraft Dungeons used to have separate launchers, but they all now use the same one. Currently the Bedrock Edition is listed in the launcher as "Minecraft for Windows," but that's only calling it a different name. I don't know why it doesn't just say "Bedrock Edition."
I like both versions, but Bedrock does seem to look a bit nicer and run a bit smoother. I've been avoiding it since I discovered a nasty bug that AFAIK hasn't been resolved. I (and others) noticed Villagers disappearing, which apparently happens due to chunk borders.
Are you aware of Minecraft RTX? That's a Bedrock Edition exclusive, too.
Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member
wrote on 06/10/2022 at 02:18am
I have played around with rtx. It is cool. Not much more to say about it.
My son flipped out about 1.19 officially releasing. We just built him his first pc for 5th grade graduation and it was available the day his PC was done. Great timing!
Azurephile Super Member
wrote on 06/10/2022 at 04:15pm
Wow that's awesome and congrat's on the graduation. Vinny graduated high school almost a full week ago. I don't know if he's played it, but I did tell him about it and the Ark update coming in a couple days. I checked out the snapshot, but Diablo Immortal is the game keeping me occupied these days (and I'm loving it!).
It's nice to see he's so enthusiastic. I shared a video by xisumavoid where he was talking about how he's seeing so much negativity towards this update and he explained why that could be (really, expectations not being tempered). I can't wait to get an Allay, though I'm worried I'll lose it since I "/tp" so much. Sorry, I'm repeating myself from my post. LOL
Azurephile Super Member
wrote on 06/10/2022 at 07:37pm
How was the RTX? What GPU are you using? I wish I had a good RTX. Luckily, I've decided I actually don't want a 3090Ti. That thing requires extra power connections and a powerful PSU. It's also big and while I read that it has good thermals, it makes everything else hot. I don't have $2,000 anyway. I'm still happy w/ my 3 year old 1660Ti XC Gaming GPU (which I bought a 10 year warranty for), but RTX is something I'd love to be able to do.
I still want a better GPU for Ark, even though I haven't been playing it as much. There's a new map in a couple days though so I'll probably jump back in soon. Some maps (especially Genesis Part 2) still perform horribly. Although the first map runs really well most of the time.
I got a new monitor at the end of last year, though. Now I'm running 1440p@165hz. I like it, I can even get games to do 2K, but that extra resolution has an impact and I'm not sure the better quality is very noticeable. I haven't played much Ark with it yet, but when I did try it out, it kind of seemed crisper.
Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member
wrote on 06/11/2022 at 04:51am
I have a 2070. Rtx was cool, I guess. I am to the point where graphics don’t wow me as much as they used to.
Azurephile Super Member
wrote on 06/11/2022 at 05:30am
I'm jealous, but this is interesting. As recent as last year I think, I looked up how much Amazon still listed my GPU, which I bought from them (2019). It was listed double what I paid for it. Now it looks like that's the price of your GPU, which is more reasonable than the $1,000+. I believe we did finally get a break with outrageous GPU prices in recent months. My previous GPU was a 980Ti and about about the price of yours, but this one was half that and better (of course it's newer). The one I had before that was a GTX690. It was a $1,000 card, I got in an Alienware and was a major disappointment. I wanted it so bad, but I came to learn how ignorant I was about it.
I think I'm reaching your point, too, actually. I still want a better GPU, because I want steady performance. I want to be able to have beauty like RTX. I've been pretty satisfied with most games and don't have much trouble running on "High" settings, but Ark could still benefit from new hardware.
What kind of monitor? Or what res and refresh rate are you playing with and how's your FPS?
Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member
wrote on 06/11/2022 at 04:58pm
Yeah, I was shocked to see how much my card is still going for. I ended up doing a 3050 for my son. It was reasonably priced.
I have a 1080 monitor. I don’t really know my refresh rate and fps. As long as the fps doesn’t stutter, I am happy. 30fps is all you need. 🤣
Azurephile Super Member
wrote on 06/11/2022 at 10:11pm
1080p is still the great standard IMO. As for me, I want a constant 60 and not much lower. Anything much less than that seems noticeable and I don't like it. Some games are really good at 30 and unnoticeable. 30 isn't good enough for Ark, though, not for me.
The Dell monitor I got with my Alienware served me by being my monitor for two PCs. It still works and is perfectly fine, but I wanted to experience this new tech. I wanted to see what a higher res and refresh rate would look like. I also wanted GSync. Honestly, I'm not sure I'm seeing much of a difference. It's hard to tell. I'm happy with what I have now, so I guess that's what matters most.
The GPU is perhaps the one piece of hardware I always wish I could afford to upgrade. LOL I'm not quite where I want to be, but this GPU of mine seems to be still very good even at about $300-400 and being about 3 years old.
You stating that you're at the point where graphics don't wow you as much reminds me of Moore's Law.
Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member
wrote on 06/12/2022 at 05:42am
I tend to play console games more. I do have a 4K/120Hz tv for that. To me the jump from 1080 to 4K is not as noticiable as from 480 to 1080.
Azurephile Super Member
wrote on 06/12/2022 at 07:47am
Cool! My TV is about 12 years old. It helped bring me to HD w/ 1080p@60hz with my PS3. Yeah, that sounds like Moore's Law. Res above 1080 doesn't seem noticeable. 720 seems fine for video, but I don't like much less than that.
FPS above 60 doesn't seem noticeable to me either. <60 is what I notice and don't like. (Although some things are fine at 30. I'm used to seeing that this is a console standard.) I've been able to do 2K w/ this monitor and I'm still not sure of a noticeable difference. I played Monster Hunter Rise this way. It apparently locks the FPS max at 60, maybe it's just something it can't do @ a higher rate.
Azurephile Super Member
wrote on 06/14/2022 at 05:37am
I'm playing on Ark's new map, finally with my new monitor, at 1440p. At times I see FPS over 30 (at one point I saw it was 31), 40's, and 50's. I don't recall seeing it higher, but it could have been. I haven't been keeping an eye on it the whole time. I want that steady 60 FPS, but don't want to change my resolution or tinker w/ settings once again. What I'm realizing is that 30+FPS is fine and I don't think I'm noticing a difference (between this and 60FPS). I'm not sure if I'm noticing a difference between this res and the 1920X1200 I was using before.
Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member
wrote on 06/14/2022 at 03:14pm
30 fps is all you need. Movies are only 24 fps, and we all like it, so think of it as getting 6 extra frames!
Azurephile Super Member
wrote on 06/14/2022 at 04:30pm
That's a good thing to point out. I thought movies and TV were 30 and yes they are totally fine. Thanks man!
Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member
wrote on 06/14/2022 at 08:32pm
TV is 30 fps. Film is 24 fps.
Azurephile Super Member
wrote on 06/14/2022 at 08:57pm
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 06/16/2022 at 04:22am
> 30 fps is all you need. Movies are only 24 fps, and we all like it, so think of it as getting 6 extra frames!
I’d argue the cinematic experience isn’t quite the same as games.
Big reason why is games respond to your input and that effects how they feel. For instance, I bet you’d notice a difference between 30 and 60 and I can sure tell if it’s more than that. For instance 120 fps games on my Series X and TV are really really smooth.
Maybe not everyone can tell, but it’s nice and with movies and such you’re not interacting with it other that watching it.
Azurephile Super Member
wrote on 06/16/2022 at 04:50am
I'm glad we're having this discussion again (I remember asking what you all thought about it). You make a good point, Jon. We experience them differently.
I'm not use to 120, but I can do 1440p@165. I'm sure I get that in Minecraft (without my favorite shader pack). Other games are more demanding, certainly, so my FPS varies. I can push it to 2K, but I believe 165 drops to 60. I'm just glad I finally got a new monitor so I could expand my 1080p@60 experience. I'm still unsure about it. I'm not sure I've figured out HDR either and I'm not sure I like it. I've read complaints that Windows 10 HDR wasn't implemented well.
Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member
wrote on 06/17/2022 at 05:26am
I actually can’t tell the difference between 30/60/120. It is bliss.
Azurephile Super Member
wrote on 06/17/2022 at 10:30am
What resolution do you use while playing normally or most of the time (for games in general)? I'm playing Jurassic World Evolution 2 now (new DLC) at 1440p on some high or very high settings. I'm getting about 30+ FPS and I'm happy with it. 2K wasn't as acceptable. I'm not sure I notice the higher resolutions anyway, unless things get smaller (like text). I think I care more about the flashier side of it all and getting as much performance as I can. I don't like having to make sacrifices, but it's usually manageable. I believe I know Jon's playing with 4K on his XBox.
Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member
wrote on 06/17/2022 at 01:33pm
4K or 1080p. If frame rate fluctuates I will notice that, but if it is steady, I won’t notice.
Azurephile Super Member
wrote on 06/18/2022 at 11:05pm
I believe Jon mentioned this. I'm not sure how I learned about it, probably GameSpot news that I read daily. Anyway there's an announce trailer for Minecraft Legends. I like the "cinematic footage," but I'm not so sure about the "pre-release gameplay." I was happy to see two Allay, one blue. I love them, even though I haven't played w/ them yet. You can see the trailer here (https://youtu.be/1JSjZqV-YK8). I might have more details later.
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 06/20/2022 at 03:32am
I hope they have a lot more details later because I’m not entirely sure what the game is.
My son wants it though 🤣
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