Spore: Citizen Kabugto

[Part of the Direbug Saga]

The now Renowned Buglybugs gains new tech from the new races: a larger hold, an even stronger battery, missile tech and a level 3 interstellar drive. The Yoburt even gift 10,000 spore bucks while the Gooplets accept a full alliance!

The Flixxels turn out to be crazy zealots though, and thanks to their constant demands of half a million spore bucks for an "unbeliever fee" which Buglybugs cannot pay they soon declare war on the Direbugs.

In anticipation of future battles, Buglybugs buys mini-bombs for orbital bombardment. Oddly, this weapon is first used on his home planet of Pyrachs as it needed saving from an overgrown, rampaging creature! They prove to be super effective!

That is one giant critter.

Spore: The Peaceful Sector

[Part of the Direbug Saga]

In an effort to push closer to the center of the galaxy, Admiral Buglybugs travels a fair distance - planting a colony on Natus (10% to the center) for resupply purposes, but is recalled to destroy infected creatures, space pirates and a Grox scout fleet!

The Direbug allies, of which the Bordooshios are now part of, are grateful and celebrate Buglybugs. This earns him a few ship upgrades: a bigger cargo hold, a bigger energy battery and an auto blaster turret.

Buglybugs then returns to venture past Natus, encountering a large group of friendly races in the next cluster of stars: the Rammo (crazed space dodos), the Gooplet (happy frogs), the Lillo (happy turtles), the Yoburt (shell foxes) and the Flixxel (monkeys faithful to Spode).

Some really pretty sights in this game.

The Direbugs colonize Ramrourna in this peaceful sector, and soon make allies the Rammo and the Lillo.

Today I Smiled: Winter Olympics 2018

Taking a break from the Direbug Saga today to give a nod to the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics which has proved to be very entertaining. :)

My personal faves were: Chloe Kim's amazing halfpipe run, Ester Ledecka's unexpected Super G win, the pairs free skate (Germany starts at 12:54) and Javier Fernandez's silly Gala performance.

Aljona was flying!

I'm not sure if those links will work for everyone, but just in case they don't I looked for more so people wouldn't be left out in the cold.

Since I'm very into figure skating, here is the Alina Zagitova in practice, a tribute to Canada's Scott Moir and Tessa Virtue (20 years of pairs ice dancing), and Evgenia Medvedeva as Sailor Moon (not performed in these Olympics, but still cooky. Volume warning)

Didn't get to see much curling which is a shame, but watching the final shots for the men's tournament was great. Just for kicks I've also been ranking the Google Doodles during the Olympics (because I'm an animator too sometimes) and here are the results:

Rank 6
Rank 5
Rank 4
Bronze Medal
Silver Medal
Gold Medal

Also interesting that there are a few things not allowed or simply missing from the games. Lastly, for those who need that "Olympic" itch scratched - have no fear, the Marbelympics are free to watch on Youtube! Enjoy! :)

Spore: One Good Deed

[Part of the Direbug Saga]

As a Commodore, Buglybugs could now handle an extra ship in the fleet and was given one by thier Murglbrg ally. Alas this vessel, the "Crustbuster", is destroyed when Buglybugs defends another alien race - the Gibolobs (peaceful humanoid insects) from the Bordooshio (hat wearing monkeys).

All that debris should burn up in the atmosphere... right?

The Gibolobs are thankful and on top of allying with the Direbugs, teach Buglybugs about planet painting and planet sculpting. On one planet Buglybugs also finds a rare tree that the Spikelors need as medicine. The dinosaurs are overjoyed, agree to a full alliance and give the Direbugs the tech for Interplanetary Drive level 2, letting the ship fly further between stars.

After being promoted to Admiral, Buglybugs goes to talk to the Boordoshio who declare they are creatures of harmony - subsequently asking in help abducting life forms and killing a few others while continuing to war on the Gibolobs. Buglybugs does these tasks anyway, just so that the Direbugs get into their good books.

Annoyingly, the Spikelors and Murglbrg were now also at war.

Spore: First Contact

[Part of the Direbug Saga]

Since Paylise was needed to lead her people on Pyrachs, pilot Buglybugs was chosen to fly the spaceship and earning his Captain's badge after a quick tutorial of flight, scanning, comms, laser weapon and abduction planet side.

Behold, the worst spaceship ever!

He then took to the space to explore the nearby solar systems, finding evidence of one vicious one called the Grox. Fortunately it seemed they were no longer nearby. Instead the closest neighbors were the Murglbrg (peaceful demon looking surfies) and the Spikelors (warlike space dinos).

Buglybugs knew that to survive, the Direbugs would need allies and opted to be civil to these two races - running errands for them for cash and building up trust while also establishing a second Direbug planet on Rabotek. With the Murglbrg agreeing to an alliance, Buglybugs quickly skipped past the Commander Rank and was promoted to Commodore by "Mother" Paylise herself.

Spore: The Unification

[Part of the Direbug Saga]

It wasn't long before other Direbug colonies around the planet began building cities too, and with now valued spice geysers at a premium the Direbugs fought among themselves for world domination with their new death dealing machines.

Led by Paylise, the first city was always ahead - fielding more tanks to crush their neighbors on the mainland and then skipping naval development to focus on their air force. With air superiority there was no one who could match them, and ultimately the remaining cities surrendered.

Air dominance pew pew!

With the world united, Paylise then looked to the stars to expand the Direbug Empire and with help from all the cities across the globe, developed and created their space flagship.

Spore: Paylise the Wise

[Part of the Direbug Saga]

When the wisest of the Direbugs, Paylise, invented fire, she immediately took the race into sapience and became their chieftain. The tribe built huts and stone axes to better kill the wild animals nearby for food, to kill the tribes of other races in the region, and to defend against those mysterious demons who never did appear again.

Another ship watches the Direbugs wipe out the Yellow Tribe.

While numerous Direbugs fell in these battles, Chieftain Paylise's fire bombs would always win the day and from their victories the Direbugs learned to make throwing spears and fishing rods, the latter being useful when there were no more wild animals around the camp.

Now undisputed, Paylise created a government and asked her people what they most wanted: weapons of war! With work, the Direbugs upgraded their camp into the first city on Pyrachs, and their first war machine - a very odd tank.