Tyler F.M. Edwards's Blog, page 43

ESO: Home, Home on the Rift

As mentioned previously, I’ve had my eye on the Autumn’s Gate house in Elder Scrolls Online, and I’ve now taken the next step by purchasing it and moving in.

[image error]I’m far enough into the game that I don’t feel too bad about spending so much gold, but it’s definitely been an underwhelming experience.

Turns out furnishing your home is not as easy as I initially thought. Most in-game vendors only sell miscellaneous items like trees, rocks, random trophies, and the like. Basic housing stuff like beds and chairs are surprisingly hard to find.

Furniture crafting, meanwhile, straight up doesn’t make any sense.

Although each furniture recipe is tied to a specific profession, many of them still require skills in other professions, with no apparent rhyme or reason behind any of it. I have a bed recipe for my woodworking I can’t actually make because I don’t have skills in provisioning. Most of my blacksmithing recipes require skills and materials from enchanting. Let’s not forget the infamous Nickel Pie.

It seems the only way to make significant headway as a furniture crafter is to have maxed out every single tradeskill in the game on a single character, a task so Herculean I’m getting a headache just thinking about it. I nearly went mad just trying to train up three crafts on one character.

The drop rates for furniture materials aren’t exactly great, either, since we’re on the subject.

[image error]The best way to furnish your home is probably to just buy the essential items from the cash shops. The good news is that most of the furnishing prices are pretty reasonable (with some notable exceptions). But it’s not exactly great to have the best answer to a game problem be “cash shop.”

I suppose buying what you want off guild traders could also be an option — I haven’t looked into it, so I’m not sure what the prices are like. This does mean enduring the general awfulness of guild traders as a system, though.

It also turns out that the limit on how many furnishings you can have in a house is pretty shockingly low if you’re not a subscriber, so that doesn’t help matters. The interface for placing items is a long way from intuitive, too.

All that said, I’m still reasonably happy with how my house turned out. It’s a bit Spartan, but charming all the same.

With my options so limited, I decided to get creative. I used trees and shrubs to give the illusion that the house itself was alive, grown together from the local flora. Basically I took a Nord home and turned it into a Bosmer home.

Also, I love the yard, even if it’s tiny. The Rift is an absolutely gorgeous zone.

[image error]The real problem, in the end, is that after one day I’ve already run out of things to do with my home. There’s no gameplay associated with it, no reason to go there other than to see the sights, no practical benefit to it whatsoever. What few utilities you can add to homes in ESO require massive grind or a significant chunk of cash to unlock.

Times like this further my belief that I just don’t get player housing as a feature. ESO’s housing seems mostly well-received by the community so far. Meanwhile, SW:TOR’s housing is generally held as one of the worst implementations of the concept around, yet I would take SW:TOR’s system over ESO’s any day of the week and twice on Sunday.

Filed under: Games Tagged: Elder Scrolls, fantasy, The Elder Scrolls Online

Landmark: And the Lights Went Out All Over the World

Landmark is no more.

[image error]Last night, a day that began on a depressing note in Real Life ended with Landmark’s servers closing and a whole lot of melancholy all around.

Unfortunately, I was not able to be there for the very moment when Lumeria went dark for the last time (again, Real Life), but I did make sure to get in a final hour or so of play that afternoon.

I did what I had spent most of my Landmark career doing: I picked a map at random, teleported to it, and wandered around to whatever build looked potentially interesting.

Just in that short time I saw some pretty amazing creations: A surprisingly homey magitech lab, a palace of ice, a charming campground, and an unfinished but nonetheless spectacular castle full of nightmarish architecture and crackling electricity — surely a den of evil.

[image error]And that, really, is what was special about Landmark. You could go to any map, walk in any direction, and in no time flat you’d be sure to find something beautiful, fascinating, or awe-inspiring. The traditional wisdom is that if you give players the tools to make their own content, the vast majority of it will be utter crap, but Landmark was stunning refutation of that notion.

If there’s one thing that really haunts me about the game’s closure, it’s the knowledge that there are undoubtedly many fantastic builds I never got to see.

Along the way I was also once again impressed by how beautiful the game world is even in its natural state. In one poetically appropriate moment, I crested a mountain and was greeted by a spectacular view of the sunset over the ocean.

I also took advantage of the cash shop fire sale to try on several new outfits, and I commiserated with the community. I am reminded that of all the online games I’ve spent significant time in, Landmark is the only one where I never had to add anyone to my ignore list.

[image error]And the small things stuck out to me: how much fun the parkour movement is, how much I liked the look of my character. I will miss those things.

Of course, I won’t miss the lag, rubber-banding, and randomly being shot into the sky for no reason. So there’s that.

Near the end, a player named Arendhir was plugging their build, an Elven city, so I decided to visit it, and I found it to be one of the most spectacular builds I had the pleasure to encounter. I wish I’d had more time to explore it in detail.

Finally, I returned to my first build, the Grove, and sat beneath my tree-arch, watching the water. There, I logged off for the last time.

[image error]As previously noted, this is the first MMO sunset that’s really affected me. I suppose I’m lucky it’s taken this long. In the end, I spent little time in Landmark in the weeks leading up to its closure, and realistically it probably isn’t something I would have sunk a lot more time into even if it had survived.

So I’m not totally heartbroken over it all. Hell, this isn’t even the saddest a video game has made me (which is, itself, a sad thing to admit to).

That said, I can’t escape the feeling something special has been lost. I’m not aware of any other game that allows people to express their creativity in such a vivid way, and I know there are times in the future when I’m going to miss the opportunity to log in and soak in the ambiance.

I may not be heartbroken, but I do still feel a certain melancholy. I will miss this game.

Now, I have only my memories of Landmark. Thankfully, in the digital age memories are easy to preserve. I have hundreds of screenshots of Landmark, and I also took a few videos before the end. They’re really more for my own benefit than anything (my poor video skills are abundantly apparent in them), but I am uploading them to YouTube for those few who may wish to see them, now or in future.

[image error]In general I do think it’s important to preserve not just this game, but any closed game. However small, these are parts of our culture, and they shouldn’t be forgotten. In addition to my efforts, there are MJ Guthrie’s videos for Massively OP, and I know there are at least one or two other players looking to preserve the game with image galleries and the like. Unfortunately I haven’t been able to find any links to share — if you know of anything, please comment with a link.

Thus it ends. Not with a bang, but a whimper. Farewell, Landmark. We hardly knew ye.

Filed under: Games Tagged: fantasy, Landmark

Review: The Dragon Apocalypse, Cinder

It’s been many long years of waiting, but I’ve finally gotten my hands on the fourth and final book of James Maxey’s wildly original Dragon Apocalypse series, Cinder.

[image error]This is a series with a strange history. The first book, Greatshadow, is easily one of the best novels I’ve ever read, but while the following volumes still had many strengths, the truth is it’s pretty much been downhill from there. That sounds harsher than I mean it to, but the fact remains that while I’ve enjoyed each book, I’ve enjoyed each one less than the previous.

Part of this is due to the strange structure of the series. Halfway through, the Dragon Apocalypse changed its main character and its entire writing style. It was a jarring transition I still haven’t fully adjusted to.

It also seems there has been some real world turbulence for the series. I’m not clear on what exactly the story is, but Cinder seemed to take an awfully long time to make it to market, and it’s now under a different publisher than the previous books.

The change in publishers definitely wasn’t an upgrade, either, as the quality of the product has taken a hit. I have never seen a professional novel with anywhere near this many typos.

But whatever the journey, Cinder is finally here now.

It is a book of inconsistent quality. Once again, there’s been a shake-up of perspective. Now the novel’s perspective shifts regularly between the series’ large cast of characters, and while many of these characters are familiar, a lot of attention is spent on a new character, the book’s namesake, Cinder.

Cinder is the daughter of Stagger and Infidel. Conceived in the spirit realm, she has skin as black as midnight and the ability to shift between the physical and abstract realms at will.

Cinder is one of my main problems with the book, because I find her fairly dull in comparison to most of the other characters. This is the same problem I had with Sorrow in the last book, though ironically by now Sorrow has grown on me and I would have liked to have seen her get more attention this time.

It should also be noted that the long gap between Cinder and the previous book left my memory of the series to date rather atrophied, and that also probably hindered my enjoyment of the story. In retrospect I should have reread the rest of the series first, but my impatience got the better of me, and I spent the first few chapters mostly trying to remember who everyone was and what was going on.

However, my biggest problem with Cinder is that it feels very, very rushed. In this fourth and final installment, the Dragon Apocalypse has come at last, the primal dragons of ice and storm uniting to destroy the world of humanity and plunge the world into an eternal blizzard.

Cinder deals with spectacular, earth-shattering events. It has a massive cast of characters whose stories need closure. And it tries to deal with all this in less than 300 pages. There’s just not enough time to give everyone and everything its due.

If ever there was a series that should have been spread out to ten or so books, this was it. The Dragon Apocalypse boasts one of the most brilliantly colourful and wildly inventive settings in all of fantasy, with no shortage of bizarre and awe-inspiring places, creatures, characters, and concepts. Four short books simply isn’t enough to do justice to the world or its story.

Still, I don’t like dumping on this book so much. Partly this is because I have spent some time speaking with James Maxey in the past (briefly, several years ago, over email), and I found him to be very humble and gracious and an all around good guy.

And partly there is still a fair bit to appreciate in Cinder. As mentioned above, the setting of the Dragon Apocalypse still offers no shortage of wonders. I love the concept of the primal dragons, immortal beings whose souls have fused with the fundamental aspects of the natural world, and Cinder more so than any of its predecessors shows off the terrible grandeur of the primal dragons.

There are also still many great characters in the story, even if Cinder herself didn’t blow me away. It was great to see Infidel back in action, even if her role was relatively small, and I’d happily read an entire series devoted to the adventures of the Romer clan. Seriously, Gale is awesome; can we get a book that’s all about her?

[image error]And I have to say that I did really like how it ended. Without spoiling anything, I think there’s a beautiful poetry to the final conclusion of Stagger and Infidel’s long, bizarre story.

In the end, it does remain true that every Dragon Apocalypse book is less enjoyable than the previous, but it started from such lofty heights that even after four books, the end result is not bad.

Overall rating: 7/10

I do want to say again that despite whatever flaws the series might have developed after, Greatshadow is one of the best books I’ve ever read and something that is absolutely worth your time. It’s a hilarious, heartfelt, and brilliantly strange story that I can guarantee is not like anything you’ve read before.

Filed under: Reviews Tagged: books, Dragon Apocalypse, fantasy, review

ESO: Main Story Complete and Other Lore Thoughts

I’ve now completed the goal I set for myself when returning to Elder Scrolls Online: Finishing the Aldmeri zones and the main story. I now bring you my (mostly spoiler free) thoughts on the matter.

[image error]Under the eagle banner:

The Aldmeri zones, for the most part, maintain ESO’s commitment to a consistent “good not great” level of quality. They’re an enjoyable experience, if not necessarily mind-blowing.

The one exception that really stands above the others is Malabal Tor, a zone focused on the spiritual side of the Bosmer. The story there has a very traditional mythic feel, like you’re playing through an old folktale, and I really enjoyed that.

It’s also above average in terms of environment. Jungle zones are one of my least favourite biomes for games, and I was getting a bit burnt out on them after Grahtwood and Greenshade, but Malabal Tor has a wilder, more fantastical feel to it that helps it stand out. The trees twine around each other in surreal shapes, and the whole place is just far enough to the left of normal to feel enchanting.

This is how I imagine all of Valenwood should look, based on its lore.

It’s funny because I have a reader who swore by Greenshade, viewing it as the one zone that stood above all others in ESO. I almost wonder if they were confused and meant Malabal Tor, though it’s probably just another case of differing tastes. I found Greenshade had interesting moments, but the story as a whole was a little too scattered to really stand above the pack, if you ask me.

[image error]Reaper’s March was interesting, too. I didn’t love the main story there — it probably makes sense if you know Elder Scrolls lore better than I do, but I never quite grasped the why and the how of the glow in the dark Khajiit popping out of the ground to murder people — but the side quests were pretty fun. Nice to see the Khajiit get some attention.

After completing their story, I maintain a very high opinion of the Aldmeri Dominion. They’re an interesting faction with fascinating cultures, compelling themes, and solid characters. Razum-dar is still my favourite character in the game so far, and Ayrenn is second.

The quest on Stirk only strengthened my loyalty to the Dominion and its queen. Ayrenn was the only faction leader to come out of it looking anything like an adult.

The Breton king, in particular, has earned my ire. What an insufferable, arrogant, condescending, sexist prick.

I’ve decided to make some extra gold by robbing his castle on the regular.

To Oblivion:

The main quest dealing with Molag Bal and the Planemeld never really managed to win me over.

[image error]Normally I’m a sucker for an epic quest to save the world, but this one was just dull and generic in pretty much every way.

The fundamental structure of it drags the story down a lot. There’s so much time between each quest that you’ve already forgotten most of what’s happened so far by the time you start progressing it again.

There’s no emotional investment, either. None of the characters in the main quest are particularly memorable. Tharn is the only one I’ll give any credit to for decent writing, and even there it’s a “love to hate” thing.

The fact they’re all humans is probably part of the problem. I think a strength of Elder Scrolls as a setting is the sheer breadth and diversity of it, but in the main quest all you’re dealing with are the most vanilla human adventurers possible. The one non-human in the story is just a one-note villain with the depth of a mud puddle. The fact he’s an Altmer affects his character not at all.

There are some things about the main story I liked, mainly near the end. The open world Coldharbour zone is surprisingly beautiful and definitely one of the best zones in the game from an aesthetic perspective, and the very last quest offered some cool gameplay.

[image error]Still, the main story is ultimately something I did because I needed the skillpoints, not because I was excited to.

Scrolls of lore:

When I first spoke at length about the lore of the Elder Scrolls universe (as experienced through ESO), I described it as “mediocre.” Having gotten farther into the game, that opinion has changed somewhat, but not entirely.

I think I’m going to upgrade my view of Elder Scrolls lore to “inconsistent.” There are some aspects of it I very much like, and some that I don’t.

As mentioned previously, I greatly enjoy the Bosmer, and my opinion of them has only grown with time. I think they’re an incredibly fun and fresh take on the Elf archetype, and I’m really glad I had the foresight to pick Bosmer for my main’s race.

There’s a lot of layers you can appreciate about the Bosmer. They’re one of the more innately fantastical races in the setting, often feeling like they’ve leapt off the pages of mythology. Their savage edge is equal parts terrifying and fascinating. And they’re also surprisingly funny, especially if your sense of humour is as twisted as mine. Their casual bloodthirst never ceases to amuse.

[image error]The Khajiit have also managed to maintain their position as my second favourite aspect of the setting. I’m coming to the conclusion they’re not quite as shallow as a culture as I initially took them for, though I still wouldn’t describe them as exceptionally deep in the greater scheme of things. But they’re definitely fun and charming and almost always a good source of entertainment.

In general I think this game’s story-telling is at its best when you’re delving into the cultures of the various races and nations. The meta-plot isn’t great, and individual side quests are hit and miss, but there is a great depth to a lot of the societies of Tamriel.

On the other hand there are a few races I’ve decided I definitely don’t like. Chief on this list are Nords and Orcs, who so far seem to be incredibly shallow and archetypal, and not even interesting archetypes at that.

I can’t say I’m a particular fan of the other human cultures, either. Maybe I might like the Bretons; I don’t know much about them yet. I’d like to shove their king down a flight of stairs, but he might not be representative of his people as a whole.

But of course the humans are going to be boring. Hell, humans aren’t even my favourite race in the real world.

[image error]I feel like the Dunmer could be cool, but I still don’t know a lot about them. From what I gather, they used to be Daedra worshipers, but then some of them managed to promote themselves to godhood? That could definitely be interesting.

And Argonians are the biggest question mark. Really all I know is they worship trees, which speaks highly in their favour.

I would like to know what they did to make everyone hate them so much. Even Gnomes in WoW don’t engender this much disdain from the playerbase.

Then there’s the history and mythology of the world itself. That’s still mostly failing to impress, but I’m starting to think the problem is not the content itself, but the presentation.

Much of the lore in ESO is delivered via in-character history books you find while adventuring. These tend to be written in an incredibly dry, scholarly style, and while this is realistic, it sucks a lot of the fun out.

Even the most epic events lose their thrill if you explain them in a sufficiently dull fashion, and I think that’s what’s happening here. I’m beginning to think Tamrielic history actually is quite interesting, but it’s presented in such a hopelessly pedestrian manner that I can’t help but go cross-eyed as I try to read it.

[image error]It’s also rather scattered, in the most literal sense possible. When and where you find each book is highly randomized, so you’re learning the history in bits and pieces that often have little or no relation to each other or what’s going on around you. This makes the lore less a coherent narrative and more a jigsaw puzzle where you don’t even know what the final picture is supposed to be.

It’s almost like if TSW’s lore honeycombs were randomized such that you might pick up a piece of lore in Kingsmouth only for it to start telling you about Zeroes Wild. It has no meaning out of context.

Another issue in the presentation is how every culture in Tamriel tends to have its own words for the different deities, supernatural beings, and the like. Again, this is realistic, but it makes the lore incredibly unfriendly for someone who doesn’t already have a strong base of Elder Scrolls knowledge. As a result, I’ve managed to develop a solid understanding of the geopolitics of Tamriel, but remain almost completely baffled when it comes to the greater cosmology of the setting.

Finally, the story can also be inconsistent when it comes to tone. Most of the time I’d say ESO is a pretty tame, sanitized sort of game, but once in a while, with no warning at all, it will go someplace incredibly dark. Examples include the residential school quest in Auridon and that lore book about how vampires in Tamriel are apparently the result of some poor woman being raped to death by a demon lord.

What’s next?

With my main goals for the game complete, I’m not sure where to go now. There’s still an astonishing amount of content I’ve yet to explore in ESO, and I think I would like to see at least some of it.

[image error]I think I may take advantage of the game’s sandbox nature and begin simply picking and choosing the zones and quests that specifically appeal to me, rather than playing through everything completionist style. I finally have enough skillpoints and am nearing the all-important 160 CP gear cap, so I can afford to be more laidback.

However, I am also tempted to take a break and move on to other games, if only temporarily. WoW, in particular, is calling to me…

Filed under: Games Tagged: Elder Scrolls, fantasy, The Elder Scrolls Online

Comfort Food + For Honor Thoughts

I’m not sure if it’s because of how dire the news has been lately or what, but lately I’ve been feeling less interested in seeking new sources of entertainment.

[image error]Instead, I’ve been revisiting old favourites. It’s sort of like comfort food, something warm and familiar you’re sure you’re going to enjoy.

Firstly, I’ve cancelled my Netflix/CraveTV subscriptions for the time being and dug out my DVDs to rewatch Continuum. I very rarely buy DVDs, as they are quite expensive, so the fact I have the entire series on DVD is a testament to how much I love it.

In a lot of ways Continuum is actually better the second time through. You can really take note of all the subtle bits of foreshadowing, and it’s interesting to see how things changed over the years. I totally forgot how cocky and lighthearted Alec was at the beginning. He’s almost unrecognizable as the character he became in later seasons. I’m also paying more attention to Garza, knowing what I know now.

Meanwhile, despite still having a couple of new and unread books lying around my apartment, I’ve decided to revisit some of my favourite StarCraft novels. Specifically The Dark Templar Trilogy by Christie Golden.

In a strange way I almost wish this wasn’t a StarCraft series, because few if any people who aren’t StarCraft fans are going to end up reading it. And that’s a damn tragedy, because it’s brilliant.

The Dark Templar books aren’t just good StarCraft books. They’re just straight-up excellent sci-fi literature by any standard.

[image error]The trilogy tells the story of Jake Ramsey, a human archaeologist who has a chance encounter with a dying Protoss woman. But she is not just any Protoss; she’s a Preserver, with the memories of every Protoss who has ever lived stored within her mind. When she encounters Jake, her mind, with all of its memories, is downloaded into his brain.

The story is then split evenly between Jake’s struggles in the present and the memories of the ancient Protoss that he relives every night when he sleeps.

Now, I’m a huge Protoss nerd, so of course I find this fascinating, but I think even if you’re not as keen on the Firstborn as I am it’s still an excellent story. One of the most powerful scenes in the series — really one of the most powerful scenes I’ve read in anything — has Jake reliving the exact moment when the Protoss invented written language.

It’s an amazing scene because while the characters don’t know they’re laying the earliest groundwork for an empire that will one day span the stars, they do understand that they’ve discovered something profound, something that will change everything. There’s such a beauty and purity to the moment.

And of course the characters of the Dark Templar books are excellent, because this is Christie Golden and she always nails the characters. In retrospect I can really see how R.M. has inspired a lot of characters in my own writing in various little ways.

Honor duels:

[image error]In other news, For Honor launches today, and over the weekend I was able to dive into its open beta and see how it shapes up. It’s the subject of my latest article on MMO Bro.

I’ll say this much: It’s a very fascinating game, but I don’t think I’m going to be in a rush to buy it anytime soon.

Also, I keep wanting to spell the name with a U. A pox on American spelling!

Filed under: Games, Misc., My writing, Retro Reviews Tagged: books, Continuum, For Honor, sci-fi, Starcraft, TV, writing

Retro Review: Killjoys, Season One: Episodes 6-10

Moving on to the second half of my binge watch of the first season of Killjoys. Once again, there’s probably gonna be spoilers.

[image error]“One Blood”:

A legendary Killjoy has stolen something of incredible value to the Company, and the race is on for the other Killjoys to find him.

Dutch finds herself torn between conflicting loyalties. “The warrant is all,” but this particular Killjoy was a friend and mentor to her, and the other major figure from her past, Khlyen, has an interest in what was stolen.

“One Blood” is a pretty good episode overall. There’s more going on than usual in Killjoys, and there’s a nice intriguing mystery to it.

As far as character development goes, it’s a bit of mixed bag. I’m starting to get a bit more interested in Dutch and her dark past, and seeing the team unifying to help her at the end was a very nice moment, but the fact that they just handed over the terrible superweapon to the Company is kind of hard to swallow. I kept expecting them to “accidentally” destroy it, but apparently Dutch and her team are of much looser morals than I had given them credit for.

Also, yay for seeing Ian Tracey again, even if it’s a small role.

Overall rating: 7.5/10

[image error]“Kiss, Kiss, Bye Bye”:

This had the ingredients to be a very good episode, and in some ways it was, but there’s also a lot wrong with it.

The team finally succeeds in tracking down the doctor who scrambled D’avin’s brain (played by sci-fi legend Amanda Tapping, which is awesome) and learning the truth of why he murdered his squad, but the doctor is not without ways to keep her secrets safe.

This is a very intense episode, and I like that about it, but unfortunately most of the drama comes from the incompetence of the protagonists, and that kind of takes the edge out of it all. It’s painfully obvious Dr. Jaeger is up to know good, and yet they just leave her unsupervised for hours at a time. These are supposed to be elite agents?

On that note, also, I find it hard to believe that with all their fancy RAC toys, Dutch still didn’t have a better way to disarm D’avin than to shine a light in his eyes and hit him with a box.

Nor am I entirely pleased that Dutch and D’avin are now apparently an item. Gods save me from the endless tide of forced romantic subplots.

[image error]It’s also a little unfortunate that D’avin’s mysterious past has been wrapped up so quickly, as it was easily the most interesting part of the show up until now. I guess that’s one of the problems with Killjoys; it’s not quite an arc-based show, and it’s not purely episodic, either. It’s occupying some uncomfortable middle ground where each individual episode’s plot isn’t quite a satisfying package on its own, but there isn’t really a main plot thread flowing through it all to become invested in.

Johnny puts on a good performance, at least. He’s felt kind of faceless for most of the series to date, but he seems to be settling in as the lovable heart of the team, a Samwise sort of character. I can dig that.

Overall rating: 6.9/10

“Come the Rain”:

Johnny contrives to patch things up between Dutch and D’avin by sending them off a warrant that will force them to spend some time alone, but while they’re away, he finds himself caught in a hostage situation during a deadly acid rain storm.

I really could have done without the ongoing drama with Dutch and D’avin, but Johnny’s story is actually pretty good. The hostage situation itself is pretty by the numbers, but it’s an excuse for some great performances by Johnny and Dr. Pawter.

[image error]I gotta say, I enjoy learning more about Pawter. I like her character. Well, “like” maybe isn’t the right word, but she’s fascinating. Like a car wreck — you just can’t look away.

Johnny is also on the fast track to be my favourite character on this show. While this episode further establishes him as the heart of the team and someone who will always put others ahead of himself, he also has the opportunity to be pretty damn badass. A strong showing all around.

Overall rating: 7.8/10

“Enemy Khlyen”:

This is my favourite episode so far, but it’s still not without its hiccups.

Using a reverse-engineered neural link, Dutch is finally able to track down her twisted mentor Khlyen, and what she discovers is shocking: He’s a high-ranking RAC officer.

Breaking into the RAC is nigh-impossible task, but Dutch and the team are determined to finally get some answers, so the mission is on.

Khlyen working for the RAC — or perhaps, more frighteningly, the RAC working for him — is an excellent twist and by far the most interesting development in the show to date, and I’m also intrigued by the second mention of “Red 17,” whatever that is.

[image error]It’s also a plenty exciting episode. A pretty standard heist sort of scenario, but well done.

Also, normally I complain about the soundtrack on this show, and on principle I still dislike hearing loud contemporary music blaring in the middle of a far-future sci-fi… but for July Talk, I’ll make an exception. Definitely didn’t expect to hear one of the best Toronto rock bands in Killjoys, but I won’t complain.

However, “Enemy Khlyen” does suffer from a bit of what I like to call a Voyager ending, where all the tension just dissolves for an illogically hasty resolution in the final minutes. Seemed like both Dutch and Khlyen just kind of gave up and stopped trying for no apparent reason at the end.

Overall rating: 8/10 Earns bonus points for July Talk.

“Escape Velocity” (season finale):

To be honest, Killjoys mostly failed to impress me through its first season. It’s been good enough, but never more than that. In my mind, the word “mediocre” is closely associated with the series.

Credit where credit is due, though: This is a pretty damn good season finale.

[image error]Events in the Quad have reached a boiling point. The Scarback monks have been framed for a brutal terrorist attack, and the Qreshi nobles plot to end their Westerley problem once and for all. While Dutch and the team want to focus on Khlyen, they can’t help but be drawn into the rapidly escalating political situation.

This is the most intense episode yet, and I was really amazed by how dark things got in the end. I admire a story that can shock us out of our lethargy, and this certainly has (even if said lethargy was induced by the lackluster nature of Killjoys to date).

Once again, we see what a master manipulator Khlyen is, as he once again manages to get Dutch right where he wants her without her suspecting a thing. Johnny continues to surprise with his quick wits and big heart.

However, it’s still not quite perfect. Too much of the drama still hinges on the incompetence of the protagonists. D’avin pretty much walked straight into Khlyen’s arms, and the Qreshi coup couldn’t have happened if Dutch and the team hadn’t handed over the genetic bomb earlier in the season.

Also, these world-shaking events seemed to sort of come out of nowhere. I can’t say there wasn’t foreshadowing, because there has been, but things escalated very, very quickly and with little warning. I was still trying to get a handle on the fundamental geographic, cultural, and political layout of the Quad, and already the whole thing is tearing itself apart.

You know what Killjoys needs more of? Info-dumps. As writers we’re warned to avoid info-dumps, and yes, they can often be tedious and off-putting, but they’re also often necessary. One season in, I still have a lot of very fundamental questions about Killjoys and its setting that are unanswered.

[image error]When is this? What, if any, is the Quad’s relationship with the rest of the universe? Where’s Earth in all this? Why was the Quad settled? What is the Company and how did it come to control everything? I could just keep going.

Dark Matter did something similar, but its strong character focus carried the story, and by the time they got into big political events, they’d had plenty of time to flesh things out.

Still, “Escape Velocity” remains a very strong episode. In fact that’s a large part of why these questions are nettling me. The reason I haven’t brought them up before now is that up until “Escape Velocity” I simply didn’t care. Now I do.

Overall rating: 8.5/10

* * *

Thus concludes season one. Unfortunately that’s all Crave has right now, and I’m not impressed enough to buy downloads from Google Play or iTunes, so my reviews end here for now. The season finale was impressive enough that I would like to see more of the show at some point, though, so I’ll try to keep an eye out. I expect they’ll add season two sooner or later.

Filed under: Retro Reviews Tagged: Killjoys, review, sci-fi, TV

ESO: Homestead Impressions and Morrowind Thoughts

[image error]Been a lot of big news from Elder Scrolls Online lately. It’s finally launched its much anticipated housing feature, and announced its first expansion.

Homecoming:

ESO’s housing is a lot worse than I hoped, but a little better than I feared.

The biggest problem is that the houses are massively over-priced, regardless of whether you’re spending real world or in-game currency. Even the smallest homes cost tens of thousands of gold, making housing out of reach of leveling players and pretty much the sole domain of dedicated end-gamers.

This might be justified if housing was a powerful character perk, but instead it’s a purely fluff feature with little to no practical benefits. At best you can put target dummies or crafting stations in your home, but aside from being fairly weak perks, those are all quite difficult/expensive to acquire.

You do get a room in an inn for free once you complete the introductory quest, but it’s so tiny that even calling it a room is bordering on false advertisement. It’s more of a closet.

[image error]

This is the entire room. And keep in mind my character is a Bosmer; she’s pretty tiny.

Furniture is a bit of a better story. While there are still some insanely expensive pieces (thirty-five thousand gold for a single tree), there are also a lot of more affordable options, so if you ever do manage to get a home, you should be able to decorate it without breaking the bank too much.

The controls to place furnishings aren’t the most intuitive, but you do have a lot of options for how to orient them. Can’t scale their size, though, which is unfortunate.

I do like that you can fully explore every house before deciding to buy it. That’s a nice touch.

For all my complaints, there is one house in particular I’m thinking of getting: Autumn’s Gate in the Rift. It’s still a bit on the small side, but it’s not as claustrophobic as some of the other basic homes, and it also has a small yard, which is a great perk. The Rift is my favourite environment in the game, so I’d love to own a bit of it.

It costs 60,000 gold, which may just barely be within reach for me. I’d also have to play through the Rift’s main story to unlock the option to buy it, but again, I like the zone, so that’s not too onerous a task.

Morrowind thoughts:

[image error]I feel obligated to give my opinions on the newly announced Morrowind expansion, but to be honest I don’t have a lot of strong feelings on it.

I imagine it will be a solid expansion, and the new environments look interesting, but it’s mainly a play to nostalgia for a game I never experienced, and I don’t know much about Dunmer lore in general, so it’s not really grabbing me out of the gate. The main character is supposedly a fan favourite, but I’ve never met her. I’d have been more interested in an expansion set in Elsweyr or Summerset (for the lore), or Skyrim (for the environments).

The new warden class looks fun. Actually it fits my concept for my main better than sorcerer does, but progression in this game is far too slow for me to consider rerolling.

I’ve seen some people asking for a paid class change option. In most games I’d consider this a ridiculous idea, but class is a relatively small part of each character in ESO, so it’d actually make sense here. Of course, there are a lot of things that would make good sense that Zenimax is dead-set against, so I wouldn’t bet on it actually happening.

I roll my eyes a bit at the developers’ insistence that this is a “chapter” and not an expansion, but I do like the idea that this game’s expansions will be somewhat standalone affairs. Fits well with the game’s existing structure.

[image error]The developers have confirmed there will not be a gear reset with Morrowind’s launch, but their statement also indicated that a gear reset will happen at some point. After spending so much effort to maxing out my current gear, this is not welcome news. A gear reset might just drive me away from the game entirely, to be honest. The current level of effort it takes to get everything maxed out is only justified by the promise of some level of permanence.

Odds are decent I may buy Morrowind some point, but probably not at launch. I’ve got way too much left to do in the game’s existing content.

One other thing…

Altitis strikes again.

As predicted, I now have a Dunmeri templar, my first non-Dominion character. I’ve only just started the character, and it’s very early going, but I’m actually really enjoying it so far.

I managed to luck into a pretty fun and satisfying build right out of the gate. I load the enemy up with debuffs from the one hand and shield skill line and then nuke them down with my Aedric spear skill.

[image error]

Being super over-powered from my 130+ Champion Points doesn’t hurt, either, I suppose.

Her backstory really came to life for me in character creation, too. I already have a pretty good image of who she is and her history.

It’s entirely possible my interest in this character will wane — again, it’s very early going — but so far, so good.

Filed under: Games Tagged: Elder Scrolls, fantasy, The Elder Scrolls Online

ESO: This One Is Just a Simple Khajiit

Well it was bound to happen sooner or later. I now have an alt in Elder Scrolls Online.

[image error]Really I’m amazed it took this long. In most games I have alts before the first week is through.

One of the main stumbling blocks in ESO was that the main race I wanted to play other than Bosmer is Khajiit, but those races are both members of the Aldmeri Dominion, so I’d be playing through the exact same content. I could’ve avoided this by ponying up for the Imperial edition, but it didn’t seem worth it.

Now that the world has been opened and faction restrictions relaxed, though, that’s no longer an issue. I’m now the proud owner of a brand new Khajiit who is leveling through the Ebonheart Pact zones, despite still technically being Aldmeri.

I’ve only played through the twin starting zones of Bleakrock Isle and Bal Foyen so far, but the Pact zones don’t feel like a radically different experience. I do note that they present the conflict with the other factions much more prominently — and boy does the Covenant come off badly. The Dominion, by comparison, focuses most of its storylines on internal struggles and more fantastical matters.

I will say this: As much as it pains my Dominion patriotism to admit it (Ayrenn remains the one true queen of Tamriel!), the Pact probably has the coolest zones, at least from a purely aesthetic perspective. The most beautiful regions of the game are to be found in Skyrim and its environs, and the Dunmeri lands are, if not exactly pretty, then certainly unique and oozing character.

[image error]It does impress upon me how much of this game I have yet to explore even after months of (on and off) play, both geographically and culturally. I may finally have a solid understanding of the culture and history of the Aldmeri peoples, and I’m getting a grasp on some of the other races, but I still know precious little about the Dunmer, and next to nothing about the Argonians. Other than that everyone hates them for some reason, anyway.

I have decided I don’t like the Nords. You would think, given that they’re based on real world Nordic cultures, I’d love them, but they’re just the stereotypical pop culture Vikings. At best they’re dull and one-dimensional, at worst they’re borderline offensive to my heritage.

Is this a small taste of how minorities feel about being constantly stereotyped, I wonder?

At least they pronounce their j’s correctly. That’s something.

Moving on to game mechanics, for this character I’m being less of a jack-of-all-trades and focusing his abilities much more clearly. He’s going to be a traditional spell-caster, with destruction staff as his main weapon, and enchanting is the only craft I’m pursuing right now. And I might not even stick with that.

For class, I picked dragonknight. On paper sorcerer would be the best choice for a magical character, but my main is already a sorcerer, and honestly, dragonknight feels like a more natural fit for an offensive caster.

[image error]Yes, all of the sorcerer abilities are magical, but most of them are utility oriented. Dragonknight skills are all about unleashing fire and fury on your enemies. I’m especially fond of the lava whip.

That said, I’m not finding that having a different class and weapon is making for a radically different experience. The general mechanics of combat remain mostly the same.

Also, I forgot how much it sucks not to have weapon swapping. Level 15 can’t come soon enough.

My final thought on this alt experiment is how confusingly inconsistent ESO is when it comes to what is and isn’t account-wide. Mounts are account-wide, but mount training isn’t (whhyyyyyy). Achievements aren’t account-wide, but dyes and costumes awarded from achievements are. Mail of all things appears to be account-wide, as is the bank. It’s very strange.

I’m not sure how much I’m ultimately going to play this Khajiit character. The need to start mount training all over again is daunting, and since any character can go anywhere and do anything, I could just as easily explore the Pact lands on my main. Unfortunately swapping to a different class and weapon doesn’t provide a significantly different game experience the way it would in most other games.

But if nothing else, it’s been an interesting diversion.

[image error]Contrarily, though, I already feel the urge to try another alt. I have a vague concept for a sword and board Dunmeri templar, who I would of course level through the Covenant zones.

Sometimes I don’t make sense even to myself.

Also, I very nearly wrote this entire post in-character using the Khajiiti speech pattern. Aren’t you glad this one decided against that?

Filed under: Games Tagged: Elder Scrolls, fantasy, The Elder Scrolls Online

Retro Review: Killjoys, Season One: Episodes 1-5

I’m sure at least one of my readers will be happy to see this.

[image error]While looking for new stuff to watch, I signed up for the free trial of another Netflix-like streaming service, CraveTV. Their selection isn’t vast, but they do have a few titles I’ve been meaning to check out, most notably the oft-recommended Killjoys.

Time for another series of binge-watch reviews. As usual, I may be a bit looser with spoilers than usual.

“Bangarang” (pilot episode):

My main problem with Killjoys right now is it feels like a story I’ve seen many times before. A group of misfit mercenaries go on rollicking adventures with lots of slick action sequences and sarcastic one-liners.

Specifically, it is the story of a woman calling herself Dutch and her partner, Johnny. They are what the locals call “Killjoys” — essentially bounty hunters — operating in a remote region of space known as the Quad. The pilot focuses on Johnny defying Dutch and risking the wrath of their handlers to rescue his brother, D’avin, who’s had a price put on his head.

Along the way, we get some hints of the characters’ various dark pasts, and the geopolitics surrounding the local oppressive regime, but not enough to really make much of an impression.

[image error]It’s not that it’s bad. The only thing that strongly bothered me about the pilot is its loud and obtrusive soundtrack.

It’s just generic. There’s very little to set Killjoys apart from the many and sundry other fictional works in this general vein, at least right now. There’s nothing about the premise, the world, the characters, or even the quality of its execution to set it apart from the pack.

Still, the special effects are good, the action sequences are fun enough, and I can think of worse ways to spend an hour, so I’ll stick with the show for now. Perhaps it will improve.

Overall rating: 6.9/10

“The Sugar Point Run”:

Usually the second episode of a series is pretty weak, but this one’s not bad.

Dutch and the team are sent to perform a prisoner exchange to rescue the daughter of a powerful Company official. To this end, they must venture into a post-apocalyptic former warzone riddled with scavengers, organ harvesters, and other colourful characters.

It pretty much goes without saying things don’t go according to plan.

[image error]There’s a lot of twists in this episode, but most of them are the sort of thing you can easily see coming. It does, however, have the effect of keeping the viewer engaged and keeping the story flowing along at a good pace. It’s entertaining.

The real purpose of the episode is to give D’avin a chance to prove his worth and to establish him as a real member of the team. It performs this task adequately, though I can’t say I’m finding him particularly compelling as a character right now.

All in all, “The Sugar Point Run” is a simple but enjoyable episode. My only real complaint is how they keep overlaying the action sequences with such obnoxious, distracting music.

Overall rating: 7/10

“The Harvest”:

The plot of this one is once again fairly simple — a friend of Johnny’s needs his help to track down her husband — but it does serve to help flesh out the cast a little bit.

My favourite part of “The Harvest” is actually a B plot involving D’avin trying to get a rubber stamp for his Killjoy psych evaluation from a doctor of somewhat loose morals named Pawter. It establishes D’avin as a real person with some vulnerability, as well as offering a glimpse of an interesting mystery surrounding his past, and Dr. Pawter seems like an interesting character, too. I hope to see more of her.

[image error]Meanwhile, Johnny’s sibling rivalry with D’avin, while predictable, also helps him feel a bit more like a real person, something all of the cast members have struggled with so far.

The mystery surrounding the missing husband turned out to be a bit of a disappointment, but I think fleshing out the characters makes “The Harvest” a worthwhile endeavour.

Boy am I starting to hate the soundtrack on this show, though.

Overall rating: 7.2/10

“Vessel”:

The Killjoys’ latest mission is to protect the unborn heir to a noble house in order to prevent a civil war. To this end, they venture into a toxic badlands to make contact with an enclave of surprisingly well-armed priestesses.

The problem with this episode is there’s no emotional investment. The Killjoys universe is not developed enough yet for me to care about a civil war — and the risk of such never feels terribly immediate — and the story has no relevance to the main characters. In theory I suppose we’re intended to get invested in the priestesses, but I can’t say I particularly cared about them, either.

The end result is a story that’s theoretically functional but which is utterly bland.

[image error]Also, no way a woman is going to be up and walking and that composed mere moments after giving birth.

Overall rating: 5/10

“A Glitch in the System”:

Obligatory ghost ship episode inc.

However, while this is a premise I’ve seen done by basically every sci-fi show ever, it’s actually a pretty good episode. The creepy factor is strong, there’s a decent element of mystery, and it gets pretty intense by the end.

We also got some more revelations into D’avin’s history, which is the show’s most compelling story right now.

Conversely, the plot around Dutch’s past is failing to capture my interest right now. I think they revealed too much of it too quickly. My curiosity isn’t peaked; while there’s still clearly more to learn, I nonetheless feel I know all that I need to.

Still, this is probably the strongest episode so far. The music wasn’t even all that annoying.

Overall rating: 7.8/10

Filed under: Retro Reviews Tagged: Killjoys, review, sci-fi, TV

Video: Vorazun Co-op and Lore Rambling

Trying something a little different today.

I’ve been tinkering with a video recording program (OBS — thanks to Moiren for recommending it to me), and I’ve decided to experiment with some video content for the blog.

For my first (and possibly only) video post, I decided to do a co-op mission in StarCraft II, playing as Vorazun. I also take the opportunity to ramble about my love for the Protoss and their lore, and discuss how my voice is the auditory equivalent of Martin Shkreli.

This is very much an experiment, so feedback is welcomed. It’s not something I’ve had a huge amount of interest in prior to now, but my father has suggested it a few times, and I was somewhat inspired by the video posts Ashley has been doing over at Robo♥beat.

What I’m saying is: This is all their fault. Send your hate mail to them, not me.

Filed under: Games, Misc. Tagged: I'm going to regret this, sci-fi, Starcraft, Video