April 2020 Review: Self Isolation

It turns out self isolation and working from home isn't so bad for me, though I am one of those putting on a lot more weight! It's the "See Food" diet I tell ya. I see food and I eat it. Anyway, I've started trying to do some exercise but as they say "you can't out train a bad diet". The isolation affects people in different ways though, and I thought I'd share this particularly creative and funny music videos with you.

Lastly, thanks to Blapril I've added a whole bunch of new blog links on the side there. Please have a look when you have the time! I'll be trimming them down as usual starting next week.

On to the task list...

    End 2020 with less weight (+2 kg from last month, running total: +6 kg)
    Make 1 web comic page (stiiill nope)
    try make a boardgame (idea written out, needs testing)

BACKLOG
How to Survive 2 [gift]
Tomb Raider (2013) [free from Steam] (done)
The Lords of Midnight [free from GOG] (had enough)
Flight of the Amazon Queen [free from GOG] (done)
Sang-Froid: Tales of Werewolves [free from GOG] (done)
Doomdark's Revenge [free from GOG] (had enough)
Sunrider: Mask of Arcadius [free from GOG] (done)
World War Z [free from Epic Games]
Figment [free from Epic Games] (done)
Tormentor x Punisher [free from Epic Games] (had enough)
+Hob [free from Epic Games] (had enough)
+Gone Home [free from Epic Games] (done)
+Close to the Sun [free from Epic Games]
+Sherlock Holmes Crimes & Punishments [free from Epic Games] (borked!)
+Just Cause 4 [free from Epic Games]
+Wheel of Aurelia [free from Epic Games] (had enough)
+Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms [free on Steam]
+For the King [free from Epic Games]

Board games:
Zombicide: Black Plague (10/11)
London Dread (had enough)
Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage (6/13)
Mice and Mystics: Heart of Glorm (0/11)

BLOG STATS

One Year Ago

There was a fire at Notre Dame and Brexit was still perkalating away. Also finished up my Dying Light diary and started the tale of the Black Pits.

Five Years Ago

I was posting the Ambitious Dynasty story and was getting heavily into Payday 2. I also made one of my most popular posts so far: the Neverwinter Online Vigilance Quest Guide.

Most Viewed Posts last Month
Enderal: The Petrified
Enderal: Ark Siege
Enderal: Pulling Our Strings

Top Search Terms last Month
osrs infernal cape service price
osrs uim infernal cape
osrs infernal cape scythe

Seems like a lot of interest in my Enderal play through last month, though I'm very curious now as to what this "infernal cape" is. :P

FTL: Boarding Parties

[Part of the Adventures in Space journal]

Upon reaching an Engi controlled system the Waverider overhears nervous chatter from the sheltered residents who are too shy to talk to the heroines, so they make Shirai translate for them. Apparently the Mantis have stolen some important Engi tech that needs to be retrieved. With a a wickedly beautiful smile Sara declares "We're the girls for your job!". Zari wrinkles her nose behind her.

With the Engi's approval, the Waverider follows the trail of the culprits - chasing down a powerful Mantis vessel that beams aboard four Mantis warriors! The thri-keen are very tough with even Sara and Amaya being pushed back, but even bugs need to breathe. Zari gets the crew to disengage into one fortified area of the ship and opens the airlock - expelling all four. Meanwhile Gideon uses the Glaive Beam to wreck their ship, disabling it.

Begging for mercy, the remaining Mantis reveal that they were only part of the thieving fleet - the rest are already in the Zoltan system up ahead. The Waverider leaves them stranded there in pursuit, only to be blocked by a Zoltan military craft. It becomes clear the Zoltan's paid for the heist!

They too send over four boarders to try apprehend the Legends, even killing Shirai using their electric powers. Despite this, they are defeated by the trio of girls who were so focused on the hand to hand they didn't realize that the Zoltan's had hacked and de-powered Gideon. By the time they race back to their stations it is too late, as a focused salvo from the Zoltan ship destroys the Waverider - killing everyone on board in a massive explosion.

And that's how these three heroes of Pre-Crisis Earth 69 met their end.

Sara died again!?

MISSION FAIL.

Insight: To best do the airlock tactic against boarders you need to upgrade your door system AND have someone manning it when you get boarded.

FTL: Waverider

[Part of the Adventures in Space journal]

Yeah, lots of the team are busy elsewhere.

"Shouldn't we wait for the others?" asked Zari as she put on her seat harness. "Nah, they'll be fine!" assured Sara as they powered forward with their new goal, but almost immediately bumped into a Rock trade ship who, fearing pirate attack, were asking for an escort to a nearby planet.

"We have to help them," declared Zari. "It's what heroes do!"
"Not heroes," Amaya corrected her. "Legends."

Sighing with agreement, Sara turned the ship around - taking the Rock merchant safely to his desired planet, only to find the rebel fleet arriving at the spot at the same time! Sara is forced to use some advanced piloting to avoid blasts from the elite cruisers until the Waverider can FTL jump out of there! It is a time ship after all!

Flying into a nebula sector to lose them, the girls then encountered another Rock ship under attack from pirates! Without hesitation they flew in and rescued them, eliminating the pirates and freeing their Engi prisoner Shirai who joins the crew. As with all Engi, she gains a bonus to repairing while is less proficient at combat.

As thanks the Rock merchants who are actually Federation loyalists donate a good amount of supplies, as well as a powerful glaive beam which Zari installs. Sara manages to try it out on a few unfortunate rebel scouts. It takes long to charge, but it is awesome to use.

Insight: Hold down the mouse to draw a line for beam weapons to strike, hitting as many rooms as you can by specifically using angles and edges. You only need to touch a room to damage it!

FTL: The Drifters

[Part of the Adventures in Space journal]

Steve somehow manages to vent all the fires on board using the airlocks and then repair the hull breaches and primary systems - then with no fuel to go anywhere, activates the Distress Beacon and waits. The first ship is a merchant who is unwilling to help without payment, and given the status of Steve's vessel can tell he can't pay anyway, so the merchant simply leaves.

The second ship is a Federation ally! "What luck!" Steve exclaims as he shares the important data with them while they give him a tiny amount of gas before parting ways. Now feeling blessed, Steve pushes forward into... the same auto-fighter that killed his friends. It recognizes him and without hesitation, tears him and his ship into space debris.

MISSION FAIL.

Meanwhile, on the Waverider - Sara had Gideon, the ship AI, analyze the data cube Steve had given her. "That guy really lucked out that we were passing by," noted Amaya as she entered the control room. "I'll say, did you see the way he looked at you?" joked Zari.

"It seems this is as important as he said it is," confirms Gideon, interrupting the giggling. Sara nodded.

Time for things to get weird.

"Alright girls, buckle up! We've got a job to do!"

Insight: The rebel fleet actually sweeps the sector map from left to right (marked with a very dangerous red highlight). If you are not moving for long enough they will get you.

FTL: Bugly Bugs

[Part of the Adventures in Space journal]

Escaping from the asteroid field, the Bugly Bugs arrived at the edge of an uncharted nebula where the next LRB sat in eerie silence. Much like the station they found Notch at, this one seemed devoid of life but desperate for fuel they decided to dock anyway.

Instead, they only found a terrible flesh eating virus that Notch comes in contact with. Steve and the direbugs quickly shut the airlock to save themselves, leaving Notch to die in a worse place than they found him. Haunted by his screams, Steve pushes the ship forward and past its limits - into the next nebula sector and right into a Mantis ship!

At first the battle is fierce, until it becomes clear that it is a stalemate with neither vessel being able to penetrate the other's shield. Eventually they tire of each other and move on, with the Bugly Bugs finally running out of fuel as it reaches a rebel supply point guarded by an automated fighter craft.

With no options left, they engage the fighter and are quickly hammered by its superior fire power. One of its missiles explodes Paylise and her station into dust while another causes a hull breach that pulls Buglybugs into the fatally cold vacuum of space.

That's never a good sign.

Sensing the Bugly Bugs' lack of fuel, the enemy fighter then picks up the supplies, and indeed, the entire supply way point then leaves his opponent to die helplessly alone in space.

Insight: Rushing early leaves your ship too weak to survive the later sectors. It also brings a severe lack of fuel.

FTL: Need for Speed

[Part of the Adventures in Space journal]

Steve looked quizzically at the data cube El Duce had placed in his hand as he boarded his Engi style spaceship 'Bugly Bugs', with his monstrous, space faring direbug friends Paylise and Buglybugs who have already proven their space faring skills by previously finding him at the center of the universe!

Armed only with an ion stunner and battle drones the Bugly Bugs had to rely more on speed to fly past any foes - reaching the first LRB in record time. There, a hauntingly empty station lured them in - rescuing the lone survivor, Notch, from a pirate massacre.

Fighting in an asteroid field is not a great idea.

Steve then opted to jump the ship into an asteroid nebula to avoid detection and were surprised to find a Slug ship already hiding there! The Slugs weren't in a sharing mood though and opened fire. Fortunately, a single battle drone supported by well timed ion strikes was more than enough to deal with them. They would have been permitted to leave, if their ship hadn't then been crushed between two large rocks.

Insight: A lot of this game is about unlocking stuff, such as ships and ship layouts by performing random feats. Unlocking the Engi craft only requires reaching the 5th sector which the Marauder (previous ship) was able to do.

FTL: Abandon Ship

[Part of the Adventures in Space journal]

The Engi sector is relatively peaceful as they are allied with the Federation, offering many supplies to the passing Marauder - everything but fuel. While docking with a refueling station, the team are caught by surprise when a pair of pirates board the ship! It takes a team effort to eliminate the duo, and move on to a legitimate outpost to refuel and restock.

Space combat is more exciting than it looks.

From there they navigate through two nebula sectors which play havoc with the ship's sensors but keep the Marauder far ahead of the rebel fleet, and in a Zoltan sector fend off a few pirates who are let go once they offer tribute. The true reason for the soft hand is that Rattlesnake has been to liberal with the use of missiles, and they are now almost out!

Eventually they find themselves entering a Rock sector, and encounter a starship intent on protecting its borders. The vessel easily takes the damage from the lasers and remaining rockets the Marauders throw at it, meaning fleeing is the only choice for survival! Silverlight's piloting somehow accomplishes this feat, but soon run into a Rock scout ship hiding behind a planet.

The battle is intense, with the Marauder damaging the scout enough for it to flee. Alas, the damage taken in return is too severe - and with fire spreading quickly inside and having already roasted Nikola to ashes, Rattlesnake, El Duce and Silverlight opt to abandon ship - gathering what they can and using escape pods to flee to the planet surface. Good thing El Duce managed to make copies of that important data which they handed out at the Engi sector!

MISSION FAIL.

Insight: Using missiles as the main source of damage leads to bad situations like this. Need to use them more sparingly, specifically on shield systems so the lasers can do their thing.