The blogger chapter of ThrawnOmega's blog has come to a close, but the good times are far from over. This blog is pulling up stakes and going over to Wordpress. I'm doing this for a few reasons:
1. Easier to customize the look and more options.
2. Can set up auto-tweets for when I post (need to do that yet).
3. Easier to add media (pics, video, etc) to posts.
4. Better dashboard.
5. I like the stats page better.
Please update your subscriptions, bookmarks, feeds, etc. as needed. The new site is easy enough to remember... as it's http://thrawnomega.com. Seriously, you can't mess that up.
Best of all, NOTHING will be lost in translation (except maybe my hit counter). All 300+ posts have been ported over, so you can continue to read or reread favorite posts, or anything in the back catalogue. As always, thanks for sticking around and enjoying games as much as I do. Plenty more to come!
Monday, April 18, 2011
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
It'll Be A Grind! Surprise?
I've heard a lot of good things about Dynasty Warriors 7, so I took the plunge and picked it up, despite nightmares of Orochi 2 grinding and the fact that I didn't really like DW6, despite the fact that I'm a big fan of the series.
DW7 is, thankfully, far better than the last installment. The gameplay feels more old-school, along the lines of DW4 or 5. I like that characters can use two different weapons, as this has allowed me to use alternatives for characters whose main weapons I don't like (like the fan). The new story mode structure is a welcome change, though Conquest mode has held almost all of my attention so far. It's cool to choose the order you do battles as you progress across a sprawling map of China.
The one thing that hasn't changed, however, is how time-consuming the achievements are. With the new uber-easy "Beginner" difficulty, 1k-ing this game looks to be utterly simplicity, if you're willing to invest the time. (Note: I'm not stooping to playing on Beginner until it's hyper grinding time)
What makes this game take so long? Well, you have to beat every character's legendary battles in conquest mode to unlock them as a playable character, and unlock one of their wallpapers. That's not so bad since you need to clear every stage for another achievement anyway. However, you must also make every character your sworn ally, which involves helping them across a few missions before they'll join you. With that done, you then have to max out their bond with you for an achievement and some of their voice data for another. That means using each officer again for multiple battles (I did find a level that can be consistently done in under 1 minute, which will speed along THAT grinding session).
The last voice data comes from unlocking all the skills for a character, and this has to be done with every character. This can only be done by playing as that character and killing officers. WHile there are skills that can speed this along, and it could be combined with leveling up someone's bond, I'm projecting this game in the 60-80 hour completion time range right now. I'm going to do what I can to minimize the grinding time,but we'll see. I love you Dynasty Warriors, but make your achievements more organic and less of a grind...
DW7 is, thankfully, far better than the last installment. The gameplay feels more old-school, along the lines of DW4 or 5. I like that characters can use two different weapons, as this has allowed me to use alternatives for characters whose main weapons I don't like (like the fan). The new story mode structure is a welcome change, though Conquest mode has held almost all of my attention so far. It's cool to choose the order you do battles as you progress across a sprawling map of China.
The one thing that hasn't changed, however, is how time-consuming the achievements are. With the new uber-easy "Beginner" difficulty, 1k-ing this game looks to be utterly simplicity, if you're willing to invest the time. (Note: I'm not stooping to playing on Beginner until it's hyper grinding time)
What makes this game take so long? Well, you have to beat every character's legendary battles in conquest mode to unlock them as a playable character, and unlock one of their wallpapers. That's not so bad since you need to clear every stage for another achievement anyway. However, you must also make every character your sworn ally, which involves helping them across a few missions before they'll join you. With that done, you then have to max out their bond with you for an achievement and some of their voice data for another. That means using each officer again for multiple battles (I did find a level that can be consistently done in under 1 minute, which will speed along THAT grinding session).
The last voice data comes from unlocking all the skills for a character, and this has to be done with every character. This can only be done by playing as that character and killing officers. WHile there are skills that can speed this along, and it could be combined with leveling up someone's bond, I'm projecting this game in the 60-80 hour completion time range right now. I'm going to do what I can to minimize the grinding time,but we'll see. I love you Dynasty Warriors, but make your achievements more organic and less of a grind...
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Thrawn vs. Xylo: March 2011
Another month gone, and time for another update in the score war. And hey, I actually scored some points this month. Here's how things looked at my last update, on March 1st:
Raw Gamerscore:
Thrawn: 149,254
Xylo: 146,349
Lead: Thrawn by 2,905
TrueAchievements:
TA Totals:
Thrawn: 208,427
Xylo: 215,190
Lead: Xylo by 6,763
And now, for your March 31st standings, as of 5:18pm
Thrawn:152,350
Xylo: 148,704
Lead: Thrawn by 3,646.
Change: Thrawn +741
Really, considering I broke out Backyard Football '10 for a cheap 1,000 points, I have to call Xylo the winner for the month for keeping his lost progress under 1,000 points.
TrueAchievement Numbers:
Thrawn: 212,961 (off 151,960 score)
Xylo: 219,637 (148,704) <-- Xylo's is still accurate
Lead: Xylo by 6,676
Change: Xylo -87
Xylo did lose a little ground in the TA war, but not much. Sad day that I only ate 87 points out of that lead, but oh well. I'm sitting at 940 in Mafia 2, with just 3 achievements left to get until I have the original 1000, and then I'll download and complete one DLC pack at a time to finish the game. It was an interesting month!
Raw Gamerscore:
Thrawn: 149,254
Xylo: 146,349
Lead: Thrawn by 2,905
TrueAchievements:
TA Totals:
Thrawn: 208,427
Xylo: 215,190
Lead: Xylo by 6,763
And now, for your March 31st standings, as of 5:18pm
Thrawn:152,350
Xylo: 148,704
Lead: Thrawn by 3,646.
Change: Thrawn +741
Really, considering I broke out Backyard Football '10 for a cheap 1,000 points, I have to call Xylo the winner for the month for keeping his lost progress under 1,000 points.
TrueAchievement Numbers:
Thrawn: 212,961 (off 151,960 score)
Xylo: 219,637 (148,704) <-- Xylo's is still accurate
Lead: Xylo by 6,676
Change: Xylo -87
Xylo did lose a little ground in the TA war, but not much. Sad day that I only ate 87 points out of that lead, but oh well. I'm sitting at 940 in Mafia 2, with just 3 achievements left to get until I have the original 1000, and then I'll download and complete one DLC pack at a time to finish the game. It was an interesting month!
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Over-Extended
It feels SO nice to have a day off. Since Saturday, I've worked 47 hours, and I have just today and tomorrow off before I return for another 36 over three days. Not trolling for sympathy here, just stating a fact.
When I have off, I've heaped too many projects upon myself. I'm attempting (not very well) to make a gaming website, I want to launch a podcast, I've resumed working on my novel (which is currently in the planning stages), and two other projects I'm not going to discuss over the internet. I've put too much on myself, and made my back catalogue ever-larger over the last few months.
It's time to refocus.
My novel and the podcast are going to take priority over the site, and I'll fit work into that in when I can. There's only so many hours in a day, unfortunately. Story writing has been my passion since grade school, and I'm determined to get my novel done to prove to myself I can. Right now, I'm using three programs to make it happen: PersonalBrain for universe building and mind-mapping, SplashNotes for plot outlining and structuring, and yWriter5 for the actual composition. I recommend writers check out each of those programs. Together, they've been a big help so far.
One the gaming front, I'm going to attempt something that goes against the grain of my famous game ADD. I'm going to try to buckle down and plow through one or two games at a time until they're maxed out, then continue on. As always, my unfinished back catalogue is frighteningly large, and I want to try to put a dent in that. It's good for my wallet and my completion percentage. I'm playing some Assassin's Creed II now because I rented it, but after that, the first two targets of this focus are going to be Homefront and Mafia II.
With Mafia, the struggle is going to get through how terrible Chapter 14 is. SPOILER ALERT: They make you earn a shit-ton of money to pay off a debt, and there's no fun way to do this. Either rob stores or steal a ton of cars. Both options get boring quickly. Thankfully, Within Temptation released a new album this week, and I plan on using the custom soundtrack feature to listen to it while I grind through this ill-concieved slog.
If you've never heard of Within Temptation, that's too bad for you. Their music is EPIC. Here's a few YouTube links to go educate yourself with, which showcase two of the first three tracks off their new album, The Unforgiving. =) If nothing else, I think my bro will like them, though Within Temptation is MAINSTREAM compared to the stuff he listens to these days. I mean, I purchased my copy from WALMART, who don't have a reputation for the obscure.
Shot In The Dark
Faster
When I have off, I've heaped too many projects upon myself. I'm attempting (not very well) to make a gaming website, I want to launch a podcast, I've resumed working on my novel (which is currently in the planning stages), and two other projects I'm not going to discuss over the internet. I've put too much on myself, and made my back catalogue ever-larger over the last few months.
It's time to refocus.
My novel and the podcast are going to take priority over the site, and I'll fit work into that in when I can. There's only so many hours in a day, unfortunately. Story writing has been my passion since grade school, and I'm determined to get my novel done to prove to myself I can. Right now, I'm using three programs to make it happen: PersonalBrain for universe building and mind-mapping, SplashNotes for plot outlining and structuring, and yWriter5 for the actual composition. I recommend writers check out each of those programs. Together, they've been a big help so far.
One the gaming front, I'm going to attempt something that goes against the grain of my famous game ADD. I'm going to try to buckle down and plow through one or two games at a time until they're maxed out, then continue on. As always, my unfinished back catalogue is frighteningly large, and I want to try to put a dent in that. It's good for my wallet and my completion percentage. I'm playing some Assassin's Creed II now because I rented it, but after that, the first two targets of this focus are going to be Homefront and Mafia II.
With Mafia, the struggle is going to get through how terrible Chapter 14 is. SPOILER ALERT: They make you earn a shit-ton of money to pay off a debt, and there's no fun way to do this. Either rob stores or steal a ton of cars. Both options get boring quickly. Thankfully, Within Temptation released a new album this week, and I plan on using the custom soundtrack feature to listen to it while I grind through this ill-concieved slog.
If you've never heard of Within Temptation, that's too bad for you. Their music is EPIC. Here's a few YouTube links to go educate yourself with, which showcase two of the first three tracks off their new album, The Unforgiving. =) If nothing else, I think my bro will like them, though Within Temptation is MAINSTREAM compared to the stuff he listens to these days. I mean, I purchased my copy from WALMART, who don't have a reputation for the obscure.
Shot In The Dark
Faster
Monday, March 14, 2011
FIRST!
I'll admit that I'm one of those people who sometimes wants to be the first to complete a game. Most of the time I don't care, but every once in a while I'll get it in my head to chase being the first to complete a game. Now, being listed first on x360a does not necessarily mean I was the first to do so, simply that I was the first to do so and post to the completion club that I had. So, I was the first person who cared enough to finish and be listed in the completion club. For laughs and giggles, I thought I'd showcase my few completion club highlights:
1st to 200 Battle: LA on XBLA
I'll admit, I wanted this 1st, once I saw how easy the achievements were. Completed everything but the last 1/3 of the game on normal. Went to see the movie. Came back and finished the game. Posted for credit.
1st to 1000 Darkest of Days
Aided by a free review copy and the fact nobody cares about this game. I even had to play through twice because I was stupid and still was the first to do it, when others figured out you only needed to play through once, and be smart with saves.
1st to 1000 Jurassic: The Hunted
I love me my dinosaurs, what can I say. My Family Video had this game on release day (to my surprise) and I quickly beasted it out. Again, not a game many people care about.
1 of only 4 to finish Deadly Premonition
I wasn't first or 2nd, but only 4 people have come forward to claim completion in the clubs. Probably because of the suffering involved in completing this wonderfully quirky but mechanically shitty game.
2nd to 1000 Rogue Warrior
Review copy + lack of public interest. See a pattern here? Horrible game. Glad to have the 1k over with.
2nd (of only 7) to 1000 Warriors Orochi 2
Longtime readers may remember my ranting and raving about how much grinding is needed for this 1k. There's a reason only 7 people on x360a have done it.
2nd for the Original 200 in The Maw, and the River Redirect DLC for it
Downloaded the game early on release day morning and plowed through. I think Hayden beat me because I was also writing the achievement guide while I played =)
So, I have 3 x360a firsts under my belt, and 3 seconds. I'm pretty satisfied with that. I don't know when (or if) there will ever be another. I don't look at a game in advance and say "I will be the first to complete it," rather it's just a sudden impulse with some games to see how fast I can chow down on the points. I usually only care about firsts on obscure games or games I don't like. I'd never chase first on a game like Deus Ex when that comes out, as those games I want to take my time with and enjoy the hell out of 'em.
1st to 200 Battle: LA on XBLA
I'll admit, I wanted this 1st, once I saw how easy the achievements were. Completed everything but the last 1/3 of the game on normal. Went to see the movie. Came back and finished the game. Posted for credit.
1st to 1000 Darkest of Days
Aided by a free review copy and the fact nobody cares about this game. I even had to play through twice because I was stupid and still was the first to do it, when others figured out you only needed to play through once, and be smart with saves.
1st to 1000 Jurassic: The Hunted
I love me my dinosaurs, what can I say. My Family Video had this game on release day (to my surprise) and I quickly beasted it out. Again, not a game many people care about.
1 of only 4 to finish Deadly Premonition
I wasn't first or 2nd, but only 4 people have come forward to claim completion in the clubs. Probably because of the suffering involved in completing this wonderfully quirky but mechanically shitty game.
2nd to 1000 Rogue Warrior
Review copy + lack of public interest. See a pattern here? Horrible game. Glad to have the 1k over with.
2nd (of only 7) to 1000 Warriors Orochi 2
Longtime readers may remember my ranting and raving about how much grinding is needed for this 1k. There's a reason only 7 people on x360a have done it.
2nd for the Original 200 in The Maw, and the River Redirect DLC for it
Downloaded the game early on release day morning and plowed through. I think Hayden beat me because I was also writing the achievement guide while I played =)
So, I have 3 x360a firsts under my belt, and 3 seconds. I'm pretty satisfied with that. I don't know when (or if) there will ever be another. I don't look at a game in advance and say "I will be the first to complete it," rather it's just a sudden impulse with some games to see how fast I can chow down on the points. I usually only care about firsts on obscure games or games I don't like. I'd never chase first on a game like Deus Ex when that comes out, as those games I want to take my time with and enjoy the hell out of 'em.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Gaming Overload. Again.
I've enjoyed the first two of my three days off playing a good amount of video games. In fact, I so over-indulged the last few days that today is the day I now have to get all that "responsible adult" stuff knocked out of the way, unfortunately. On the bright side, it's given me plenty of material for a long-overdue update.
Work has progressed on my gaming site, thegaminglife.org. While it's not a beauty to look at yet, the site is fully functional and has some content on it, at least. If you haven't already seen the review for Battle: Los Angeles, check it out. I also got the forum set up, at tglforum.org. No site gets large (or even medium-sized) overnight, but these moves are steps in the right direction. Bishop has posting access, so future content will be coming from him, as well. Besides cranking out reviews for the games I play, and periodic new pieces, my next major project is to get the Podcast up and running. On the content front, I can't promise new content daily yet, as it's still 99.5% a one-man operation right now.
I've acquired so many games post-tax return, that I could forgo any further purchases for quite a while and still be entertained. For the PS3 I have Killzone 3, Demons's Souls, Cross Edge, Ratchet and Clank, and Resistance. I've recently picked up Mafia II, Torchlight, and Beyond Good and Evil for the 360. Add to this I'm still working Divinity II towards my first RPG completion of 2011, and Bulletstorm, and I have plenty of options to choose from, without dipping into the back-catalouge,which is as large as ever.
Progress is great in Divinity II, but I have to advise anyone playing the game to SAVE OFTEN. I lost 40 minutes of progress yesterday when I got over-confident and then the game surprised me with a tough confrontation. I've logged close to 20 hours in the game thus far, and I earned the "You're Going to Die, Charlie" achievement that's worth a whopping 1 point. It's nice to have a gamerscore that ends in a "normal" 5 or 0 again, so I plan to enjoy it while it lasts. Once I complete the game, my numbers will be broken again. I blame Infinite Undiscovery...
Divinity II's character system is pretty nice. You can pick any ability you want from four different trees (priest, mage, ranger, and warrior), with the only requirement being that you have to meet the base level requirement for an ability to pick it up. My character is primarily a ranger, relying on bow and arrow to take out enemies. I have an explosive arrow ability that can significantly damage or kill whole groups of enemies. From the Warrior tree, I have Reflect, and ability that at is current level reflects back 44% of damage dealt to me back at the enemy, too. From the Mage line I took a powerful fireball spell, and the ability to charm enemies I got from the priest line. I love being able to mix elements from each class archetype.
After breezing through Battle: LA in one afternoon, the supreme easy of that 200 gamerscore awakened in me a need to bust out some easy points. I found a used copy of Backyard Football '10. I completed it in 40 minutes, which I hear is pretty slow on my part. Now I plan to return the game later today. I realize I just "wasted" an acheivement gem for score contests, but I'm pretty retired from that scene. I play the game I want to play now, and go for all the points I can, except for my periodic dips into "easy score land." With those two completions done, I stand at a whopping 2 points thus far in my annual completion challenge. Hardly impressive, but at least they're points on the board.
With all the stuff I have to do today, I probably won't get to working on my overdue Bulletstorm review, so that's likely a project for Thursday. Reviews are also plannet for Torchlight, Beyond Good and Evil, Killzone 3, and Homefront, so content is coming... I just need to sit down and write it all. Can't announce what Bishop's working on yet... mostly cause I don't know. Bishop, join the forum, and I can give you access to the staff board so we can talk shop =)
Okay, enough rambling for one day. Going to watch Netflix for a bit, then dive into the day's work. I really shouldn't save it all for my last day off...
Work has progressed on my gaming site, thegaminglife.org. While it's not a beauty to look at yet, the site is fully functional and has some content on it, at least. If you haven't already seen the review for Battle: Los Angeles, check it out. I also got the forum set up, at tglforum.org. No site gets large (or even medium-sized) overnight, but these moves are steps in the right direction. Bishop has posting access, so future content will be coming from him, as well. Besides cranking out reviews for the games I play, and periodic new pieces, my next major project is to get the Podcast up and running. On the content front, I can't promise new content daily yet, as it's still 99.5% a one-man operation right now.
I've acquired so many games post-tax return, that I could forgo any further purchases for quite a while and still be entertained. For the PS3 I have Killzone 3, Demons's Souls, Cross Edge, Ratchet and Clank, and Resistance. I've recently picked up Mafia II, Torchlight, and Beyond Good and Evil for the 360. Add to this I'm still working Divinity II towards my first RPG completion of 2011, and Bulletstorm, and I have plenty of options to choose from, without dipping into the back-catalouge,which is as large as ever.
Progress is great in Divinity II, but I have to advise anyone playing the game to SAVE OFTEN. I lost 40 minutes of progress yesterday when I got over-confident and then the game surprised me with a tough confrontation. I've logged close to 20 hours in the game thus far, and I earned the "You're Going to Die, Charlie" achievement that's worth a whopping 1 point. It's nice to have a gamerscore that ends in a "normal" 5 or 0 again, so I plan to enjoy it while it lasts. Once I complete the game, my numbers will be broken again. I blame Infinite Undiscovery...
Divinity II's character system is pretty nice. You can pick any ability you want from four different trees (priest, mage, ranger, and warrior), with the only requirement being that you have to meet the base level requirement for an ability to pick it up. My character is primarily a ranger, relying on bow and arrow to take out enemies. I have an explosive arrow ability that can significantly damage or kill whole groups of enemies. From the Warrior tree, I have Reflect, and ability that at is current level reflects back 44% of damage dealt to me back at the enemy, too. From the Mage line I took a powerful fireball spell, and the ability to charm enemies I got from the priest line. I love being able to mix elements from each class archetype.
After breezing through Battle: LA in one afternoon, the supreme easy of that 200 gamerscore awakened in me a need to bust out some easy points. I found a used copy of Backyard Football '10. I completed it in 40 minutes, which I hear is pretty slow on my part. Now I plan to return the game later today. I realize I just "wasted" an acheivement gem for score contests, but I'm pretty retired from that scene. I play the game I want to play now, and go for all the points I can, except for my periodic dips into "easy score land." With those two completions done, I stand at a whopping 2 points thus far in my annual completion challenge. Hardly impressive, but at least they're points on the board.
With all the stuff I have to do today, I probably won't get to working on my overdue Bulletstorm review, so that's likely a project for Thursday. Reviews are also plannet for Torchlight, Beyond Good and Evil, Killzone 3, and Homefront, so content is coming... I just need to sit down and write it all. Can't announce what Bishop's working on yet... mostly cause I don't know. Bishop, join the forum, and I can give you access to the staff board so we can talk shop =)
Okay, enough rambling for one day. Going to watch Netflix for a bit, then dive into the day's work. I really shouldn't save it all for my last day off...
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Anarchy Master Made Easy
Has that achievement for getting 50,000 points in one wave of Anarchy got you down? Well, my brother, Bionik Kommando, and I have discovered an easy way for a 2-person team to reach the gamerscore promised land. And no, it won't have you reviving each other over and over again.
Set up your match for the Grand Central Station map. In the middle of this map is an electrified fountain that awards the "Make a Wish" skill shot. If one player kicks/slides/leashes an enemy into the air, and the other player uses their leash to pull the enemy into the fountain, both players will get the Team Shocker, Team Yoink, and Team Make a Wish skillshots, for a grand total of 425 points PER KILL, times the two of you = 950 points per kill. While this is less than the amount advertised in this guide, this method requires no guns to be purchased, and you don't have to worry about ammo. It's important, of course, to stay on opposite sides of the well, so you can pull enemies across and into the water. Upgrading your leash reuse ability as fast as possible will make this even easier. Combine Whiplashed and Bossed together for a regular 600 points per miniboss. With these two tactics together, and completing the team challenges as they arise, it's quite easy to get 50,000 points on Wave 20.
This may also be the best way to grind experience, as by the end of our run (in which we never failed a wave), Bionik Kommando and I both gained over 200,000 experience. This is a more fun and easy way to get Anarchy Master than relying on the 50 points per revive, so I recommend giving it a shot.
Oh, and give us a shot when the ease of it blows your mind =)
Set up your match for the Grand Central Station map. In the middle of this map is an electrified fountain that awards the "Make a Wish" skill shot. If one player kicks/slides/leashes an enemy into the air, and the other player uses their leash to pull the enemy into the fountain, both players will get the Team Shocker, Team Yoink, and Team Make a Wish skillshots, for a grand total of 425 points PER KILL, times the two of you = 950 points per kill. While this is less than the amount advertised in this guide, this method requires no guns to be purchased, and you don't have to worry about ammo. It's important, of course, to stay on opposite sides of the well, so you can pull enemies across and into the water. Upgrading your leash reuse ability as fast as possible will make this even easier. Combine Whiplashed and Bossed together for a regular 600 points per miniboss. With these two tactics together, and completing the team challenges as they arise, it's quite easy to get 50,000 points on Wave 20.
This may also be the best way to grind experience, as by the end of our run (in which we never failed a wave), Bionik Kommando and I both gained over 200,000 experience. This is a more fun and easy way to get Anarchy Master than relying on the 50 points per revive, so I recommend giving it a shot.
Oh, and give us a shot when the ease of it blows your mind =)
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