Steam Games

After I posted today’s Blaugust prompts, especially the bit about the origin of most of my characters’ last name, “Tanglewood”, Bhagpuss commented that there was actually a game by that name, back awhile ago. I had absolutely no idea. It was kind of funny that he’d also considered “Tanglewood” as the name of his druid. The 80s-era game was for the Amiga and the Atari ST, and looked like a pretty standard adventure game of the era, with some rather nice graphics to go along with the gameplay. This is back when adventure games were a genre – a genre that no longer exists. ...

I just read that DC Comics and DC Universe have been hit with massive layoffs. While I doubt DC Universe Online will be much affected, I have been playing this game for ten years now and have a little bit of time invested in it. I hope everyone there does well and lands on their feet. The latest DC Universe Online episode, “Wonderverse”, dropped last week. And… it’s not bad, it really isn’t. ...

I like Townscaper. I feel like I’m in a Richard Scarry book. I want to walk around in my little town. This is the closest I can get, though. I live on the top floor of that red tower. Come visit! I think the code below will bring you here. JS6MW4hQGqsDTd52y21at_C3P19be-4X2XB-nY7X4_pufwL7jf-t89Xi3-4ZffY7X4_pu-j9_Px7X_e_Hj999sfYb5Lc-U3P_d9Py753613ny_9sfY7a9Fufq738_yvr-kWff96ny_9sfYr4Lc-U3P_9Pp1ve97Z-x2S5Lc-U3v59jfHjPH_3M4-ZV-o1vn9DbZfh7n6_NvfO8-gx-jA-Pi63qq_o1vn9DbVqvx9Td-c4fyg-j-938TG77Q-gU1Xmq_EV13qq_o1ve9wY-e2PsF9Fuf87XB-5x-pfzYfH6Hkq_z0PR9bVVf06Xv_ZsfP7H2i_m3P_9rg-T-ky_O0PIV9lpfi63qq_o1ve9wY-e2P19be-43-0PZsvD9DSVfZq6TUVfr6Hta_61Pj9Db-C3UK9pupU6be-T-87Q-g0vM9TU-WVwHtmOnve97Z-x20X4m_U3-0PJfHK5DSJfZK5TUJfr6Htm_61Pj97ZTfYb6Lc-TtU8NmiP2U8VniP-k8dofQ6Xm_JqkvV9jWTf9a6wYTfPb6Db-wo8wPJfH6HkGChvM9TUJfr6Ht_1rpPjNdOfP7fikf_J57Q-g0vM9TUJfr6Ht_1rfG7f_jKj5DJVfRp6wPJfHK5DSJfZK5TUJfr6Ht_1r-pNq__yPk8LKVfa53Y_ymf15nf_dofQ6Xm_Jqfr6Ht_1r-GP_Pto6wG-_ywHS_FlqPt8bMJEzHb_Vnf_53hmSfQaK9lpp0nomSfraK9Rrp0Xv_9siPsV8Fufq7fSiqvW8wGPf-4HS_FlqPt8bMJfs5Xd_5nfHa6DSTfZ6no_tqf06Xv_9MiPs9LcDiyn6_bp5fImkv38X2Q1HJ_1if2457H-QzvoU9plf15nfCAAAj9doJAAxYMGjy_g0EAAYMGj9lpAAAAYfiKjyYM23q_Rrf963wKAqP19fMw-BMJfp5-IhKj5bD-IyvW88Zjnvf8DJ-iS1nW_ymf1JjyYM2nfuWrvDdtWfQ6at_z01a9Jqr16bV-o1ve97ZAA1n6_PiJ53kQ13G_RinvW8wGPf-45DJ-iS1nW_NmkP28rOXr1nf2afHar9Bpt2Xm2afiqw9tqf06Xv_9MAQ4DbAgg7Td-TJUZMfb4HJ_1inPb889jfIp6LK-0zvyk8ymf1Zr95nfH6Hk_lpfi63q_Rrf96DxYrPjB4Agz3wCcAQ5DbBuAo8FuAAAU_U3DAAKfwLClShfrR-82-xQ-m0fRCVfb4HJ_1if243Pq_QzvoU9plfjJ5jN-qwP-8LT-E1vV9jW-6FAAx_e2PsFACfh75TdAAAI8NPAQ6fU0x-8ifTpzY_I0QIE_a0x-IhqvN8jE-sR13P_hkfa53YS_Ywv68wPDfQa4LT-E1vV9jWFChQ81LAAgJ_e2D6DbPI0n6AApQ4fOyPYU9tkqPq8wQBgx-oinPn8fkQ13Gq_syvf8TL-GTDh8ymf1Z4wP-OUAI8BphvV9DbOfqLCl_jQU99ifFp6bK-lT8bJ-NJU9thfk4XL_Zjf-o6DJ-iSznWS_Gwv68wP-O0QIE_E1Ps58FOoP1VpU-pEq_2xPS8rF-syvfU9hkfRJhQ_0zvy8rO-8wxno_hNnP1FoU-pEq_2xPS8rF-syvfU9hkfR5nW_VnhPR9TdBA1fKhKj5bDVfko6rFVf2o67HVGwHS_FlfZq5Lcfr1-QuvfDS-W137jWfvve99Zsvvn99htvvx99bM7-8jiPk8LKHjyYMGfa53h_Bpfr67jW-61Pj97Z-x23fajivf8DJHAAYM_izPts8ymEChQIhv6AAAACJ85nAAAQIhvD9DS-W13Ht_1rfG73w__Nm99Pto4wG-_yyYMGfI5XUW_0zvyAAIAAJ8yGAAAAGf1BAAAgynfCAAAZE_O0PI9LT-E133q__o13Xv__M23fSiivW8wGHgy47H-QzznWCAEAgE_GDAAAAjP2AAAAxx8VHAAAAGf_ZIEChQI8dofQ63q__wNU8Rift4YM_syvfs8FFAABAIhPtEAAAx4bMAAAAMMfsBAAAgyXdSIECZE_TJU8thfk4Y81if2Y5DJJEChQCfRBAAAgynWAAAAYYMmvyAAAAx4jNJECgMC-ZCK_kxvNc8RiftY5wG-QCAhAAkxXUAAAAY8pFAAAAGmvyAAAAx4jNJECgMC-JAK_SxPJc8thfkY5rF-QSAhAAkxXUAAAAY8pFAAAAIfjBAAAAzHbSIEChE_TAU8lgfS43GW_Iyvf8DJBECAQCfRBAAAAznWAAAAgE_GTChAIkxHbSIEChE_tpAAAAAJ8PAY5LBLfSY5bD-sy13P_hEACBAIh-ZJAECAQC-jTSIECh8PA4XC_Jhft4nNu_nlkQIEC53ay1H

If you’ve ever healed a party in an MMO, you know the drill: the tank forgets their defense moves, the DPS wander into every well-telegraphed attack, the party rushes ahead while you’re still frantically trying to get mana back for the next encounter. Everyone else in the party is prone to random, unexpected suicidal thoughts and actions and it’s up to you, the cleric, druid, priest or whatever your official title, to see them safely through to the other side of the dungeon. Of course, the party is grateful… to the tank… ...

June hasn’t been the best month for gaming. Tom and I are ramping up our 3D printing, and working on that sort of stuff is taking more and more of our time. I hope it’s worth it. I have a severe backlog of minis to paint – I have to finish the Gloomhaven PC minis, I have an army of vermlings and cultists to paint for the first few Jaws of the Lions scenarios, some snakes… Plus printing the terrain tiles. ...

EverQuest was down all yesterday, so I didn’t have a chance to continue my doomed quest to finish my SK’s bone mail armor. But that was fine – I had the Witcher waiting for me. First step was to find those bard song and character model mods I mentioned yesterday. I couldn’t get them working last night, but this morning I went back and carefully followed the instructions, and yay! When I load up the game, I hear “Toss a Coin to Your Witcher” on the main menu. When load the save, there’s Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia looking back at me. I can’t wait until we finally meet up with Yennefer to see how she looks. ...

Since I finished Octopath Traveler a few weeks ago, I’ve been looking for another really decent RPG in which to lose myself. My boyfriend had several suggestions: Persona 4, DragonQuest XI, or the Witcher 3. Now I’ve seen the Netflix series, so I kinda know the characters. When there were still places called “libraries” that people could go to, I’d borrowed the “Blood of Elves” Witcher book, which takes place after the events in the Netflix series. ...

Dragon Age: Inquisition I’ve been back and forth on this entry. Whether it should be this high on the list. Whether it should even be on this list. And yet I feel if this wasn’t on the list, I’d regret it. Because the fact is, I really enjoyed my time with the Dragon Age games. Dragon Age: Origins was my first exposure to the modern multi-character Mass Effect-style epic RPG for which Bioware was famous. I’d played Baldur’s Gate and Neverwinter Nights, but this was something special. Half a dozen different origins – entirely different opening chapters to the game depending upon the race and heritage you chose at the beginning. Elves were reviled. Mages were hated and feared. The classic RPG tropes were turned on their heads. ...

My little desk friends. The rules of the “favorite game series” posts, as I understand them, is that there must have been more than one game, the games must have the series name in the title, I must have played them, and if another in that series were to be made, I would definitely play that. Replaying the first few hours of FGS #5, Dungeon Siege, confirmed that I’m still a big fan of party based isometric RPGs, even when they are insanely difficult. Replaying Portal reminded me just how much I value great writing in video games. ...

I started replaying Dungeon Siege tonight… and man, I sure hope I don’t end up replaying all of the games on my “top five game series” list. It’ll take me years. Anyway, I downloaded the HD textures pack, but I can’t really tell if the graphics are really any higher resolution. They don’t really look any better than I remember. The textures pack came with a note that the optional second campaign, Legends of Alana (I think?), needed to be installed before these files were installed. I didn’t do that step. It’s getting late; tomorrow I’ll give that a shot. ...