2017

Lets Play – Sparta: War of Empires

stargrace March 8, 2017 0Comment

Haven’t you always wanted to control your own Spartan city-state? I know I have! I’ve always been fascinated by the history, and if you’re looking for a great game to explore, then Sparta: War of Empires may just be the one for you. It will provide a few distracted hours of entertainment at the very least.

Of course you can’t conquer other cities all alone so you’ll need to recruit a slew of different military units to defend your city – or to take over other cities. You’ll raid them of their wealth and resources and boost up your ranks with these military units. By completing objectives you’ll help your small city grow into a mighty empire and eventually you’ll lead your mighty Spartan army to victory against Xerexes’ forces. To battle!

Captivating artwork draws you in right from the get-go, and let’s not forget just a few of the game highlights featured on their web site:

Develop your city into a major military and political power and save Greece!
Inspire over 30 different mighty warriors from across the ancient world to aid your cause.
Use trade, diplomacy, guile, and raw military power to rewrite history in your image.
Battle NPC enemies and rival alliances, join in cooperative missions with your friends, or go up against a massive community of live opponents – the choice is yours!
Immerse yourself in deep MMORTS gameplay, AAA artwork, voiceovers, and an original score by BAFTA award-winning composer Jesper Kyd.

An active and robust community is just one more enticing feature of this MMO as you can tell by their twitter account where they announce cash shop sales, contests, and general happenings. You certainly won’t be finding things growing stagnant here! You may even want to bring along a friend or two to form an alliance, or you can all join a coalition together and combine those forces with others to ensure greater victories.

Browser games like this are especially appealing when you may not be able to get to your gaming PC, or you may only have a little bit of time at your disposal (like you’re taking care of your young one, or you’re waiting for an oil change) which makes me incredibly thankful for them. The diversity in these games means there’s something for everyone.

Have you given this game or a game like it a try? What did you think? Be sure to share your comments below!

Gaming

Getting into Horizon: Zero Dawn

It has been ages since I plugged in my PS4 – in fact last time I did, I was planning on selling it, and it was before my son was born. I ended up not selling it and I’m glad that I kept it (even if it has been neglected). Last week I saw people playing Horizon: Zero Dawn and I started watching a bit of it on Twitch – then decided that the game was just so beautiful and entertaining that I wanted to get a chance to play it myself and I didn’t want to spoil the story, so I stopped watching and swapped over to watching Zelda (which a lot of people have also been streaming, what a great time to be a gamer).

I decided to splurge and picked up the game from Amazon where my prime membership meant I would get a 20% discount. That saved me a whooping $15 (not sarcasm) – a big deal when it comes to console games. They’re typically around $80 Canadian when purchased new.

I set the PS4 back up, patched, logged into the PSN (I think I’m Stargrace if you want to add me) and added random friends who have purchased a console over the years. I only own a handful of games which seems quite pathetic. There’s Pinball (which I happen to play the most), Diablo 3, FFXIV (which I’m not even playing since it requires a subscription and I simply don’t have the time), and Little Big Planet 3 (I think this game is free atm if you have a PS+ subscription). Horizon showed up at my door two days later (yay) and required only a small little patch so I was up and playing within minutes. Ah, technology.

The game is absolutely stunning. PS4 share means I can show it off to everyone on social media, or save it for myself to view or make into a desktop. I will admit, one of the more appealing aspects of the game is that I don’t have to play a male character. I know, males play female characters all the time in video games when they have the choice (let face it, that choice isn’t around as often as it should) but I just relate more to playing a female character. You play Aloy, an Outcast. I don’t want to give things away, but lets just say that an absolutely gorgeous world combined with a strong female lead, and incredible mechanical beasts makes for a game that I won’t be bored of any time soon. There’s questing, adventuring, crafting, and just so much to do. I’ve barely scraped the surface because I keep stopping and pausing the game in photo mode and taking screenshots.

It is taking me a bit to get used to the controls – not because there’s anything wrong with them or it’s difficult in any way, but because I’ve always been a strict PC gamer, and controllers are still “new” to me. Eventually intuition takes over and I won’t have to keep looking down at the controller to see what buttons are where.

If you own a PS4 (or a PS4 Pro, or whatever they’ve come out with these days) I HIGHLY recommend picking up this game. There’s just too much good to say about it. In fact, I suppose I’ll get back to playing.

Happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself.

Gaming

1.3 Hype

stargrace March 6, 2017 0Comment

Today is the day! The 1.3 update is coming to Wurm Unlimited. I’m incredibly excited about this update (as you may already know). While the biggest change is the cooking update and the addition of carbs / fat / protein to our health bars, there’s so many other small components to the update that there’s pretty much something for everyone.

Like the new storage options that are coming. There are racks for barrels, planters, and amphora. There’s a new alchemy rack to store potions (that’s something I’ll certainly be making use of). There’s the new beehives, and the honey making mechanics that I can’t wait to dive into.

Mine entrances are going to have the ability to become three tiles wide – fantastic for people who have boat caves.

On my server of Sklotopolis there’s also a number of smaller changes and fixes being added, it’s the perfect time (so long as nothing major breaks). Will things break? Probably, this is still Wurm after all.

I’m eager to get out there and start foraging for the new food items, and get new farm fields planted. My foraging and botanizing is pretty high as I use it quite frequently for my natural substance / alchemy skilling, and I hope that means I won’t have to spend all day hunting down the newest components. I’ve also created a spoon, knife, and fork, and improved them to 80ql. I’ll need to gather some marble to create a mortar and pestle, but I should have the components for everything else.

Are you looking forward to the 1.3 update? What are you most excited about? What do you think you’ll do in game first? Let me know in comments and as always, happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself.

Gaming

Casino themed MMO games

stargrace March 5, 2017 0Comment

The internet has helped to establish different trends in the gaming industry. Among these are online casinos such as gamblinginsider.ca which permit players to gamble from anywhere they can get an internet connection. Another development in gaming is the creation of MMO (massively multiplayer online) games. Naturally, these two popular gaming trends have come together to offer gamers online casino MMO games.

Four King Casino and Slots

This game combines a social experience with a 3D casino simulation. Players begin by creating their own 3D avatar. There are ways in which to personalize the avatar with other customizations opening up as players move up levels in the game. The rewards amount to stylish clothing. When your avatar enters the casino you can select from some of the most popular casino games such as roulette, video poker, craps, baccarat, slot machines and more. The game also allows players to play at the pace that fits their gambling experience. Choose from a no limit table or opt for a low stakes table.

CasinoRPG

Like Four Kings, this casino MMO also has options for customization. However, in this game players can work up the levels to create their own casino. These casinos then are available for other players to use. Expect to find 2D graphics in this game. One benefit of playing CasinoRPG is that players have a large community open to them. This includes global chat options which permit players to chat with others while gambling making this casino game seem even more lifelike. Unlike Four Kings, players must move up level in this game to wager larger amounts of money.

Both of the casino MMOs let gamers enjoy a simulated casino experience by wagering in-game currency. These games provide good practice for when players are ready to try their luck at an online casino wagering real money.

Gaming

Pirates: Tides of Fortune

stargrace March 1, 2017 0Comment

If you’re looking for a pirate themed browser game to play, why not check out Pirates: Tides of Fortune. This MMORT (massively multiplayer online real time strategy game) was created by Plarium, and in it you build your own pirate bay and your ships fight against other players in sea battles. You can also sail around making discoveries for a bit of scenery change.

Once you create your account and log in you’ll want to complete the tutorial because it rewards you with some pretty valuable items to improve your bay, and you can’t go back and complete them if you skip out. Don’t forget to turn the volume up – this game has some fantastic tutorial voice-overs! While you’re making your way through the tutorial you learn that resources are used to improve your buildings and you’ll want to build things like rum distilleries and mines to ensure you have enough production. At the same time you’ll want to level up as a pirate, and that means battles. Lots and LOTS of battles.

Although you can play alone, it’s recommended that players band together in Brotherhoods in order to take on more difficult foes. If you’re looking for Brotherhoods you can check out the active game forums, there’s a section just for joining up with others, and you’ll find a ton of information about the game there too. Community really is key to making a game great, and if you can’t find what you’re looking for why not try making one yourself?

When it comes to gameplay there’s a bunch of missions that players can complete for loot, and the loot is better the more people that are involved (more of a reason to jump into a brotherhood when you get the opportunity). Missions are like your typical MMO daily quests, there are solo versions as well as group versions (and even PVP).

There’s a lot to do, which is a refreshing change of pace. The tutorial teaches you how the UI works, how to build structures, gather resources, and participate in battles. Then you learn there’s also a talent tree, and as a new player you’re shielded from high level attacks until level 30 which gives you a bit of breathing room. It takes time to do each of these things, and that’s where the in-game cash shop comes into play. You can buy rubies (the game’s currency) and speed those timers up, making you stronger faster. You’ll also earn rubies for completing objectives, but it’s much slower (and a much lower amount). A great way to catch deals going on in the cash shop is to follow the active twitter account where you’ll also see news and contests posted.

If you happen to be a part of a great Brotherhood (or maybe you run one) why not let me know in comments below, so I can check them out!

Lets Play – Sparta: War of Empires

Getting into Horizon: Zero Dawn

1.3 Hype

Casino themed MMO games

Pirates: Tides of Fortune

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