Saturday, November 03, 2018

The 2018 Extra Life 24-Hour Gaming Marathon, In Support of The Children's Miracle Network Hospitals [Post Updated All Weekend, Extended Due To Illness]


It's that time again - time to try to play some games for a cause! In my case, due to being disabled by Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (an infection of the brain and spine causing Chronic Fatigue and body pain), I cannot play for 24 Hours 'straight' - therefore I play as much as I can through the weekend, totally up my Hours overall, playing through Saturday and Sunday - but playing as much as I really can - after all, it's a Marathon! As always, I will be playing for the Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation (part of the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals), not only because I was born and raised in the province of Alberta, Canada; but also because I was treated at these hospitals when I was an infant... so this Foundation, and the children they help, are close to my heart.

Every year seems to 'spring up' on me, heh. I've had to go to the Doctor a few times lately, eventually getting assigned my own Cardiologist, after they found an arrhythmia ('non-regular heartbeat') and some damaged heart muscle that "doesn't seem to be moving right" (it's being investigated)... I've been more tired [than 'my normal'] - but am still fighting and trying to help others, all along the way - perhaps it's because I have my own personal illnesses, that playing for this charity every year is special to me, and it's something I have tried to do every year since I heard of Extra Life and joined it, back in 2015.

If you would like to Donate to the Marathon - all proceeds going towards The Children's Hospital Foundation - you can Pledge/Donate directly to the Extra Life charity via Link just below:

https://www.extra-life.org/participant/340932

And whether you pledge anything or not, feel free to just return to this posting for gameplay time Updates, Screenshots, some Video Clips from the weekend - and more!


As has occurred in past years - and stated above - I do not have the ability/energy to set up and maintain a constant Stream of some sort (through Twitch, YouTube and other streaming services); but what I do, is I share some details and Screenshots (and Videos if I can) of what I am able to play over the Weekend, in this post, right here at The Blog - an ongoing and updated post - one that I will be adding to as the weekend progresses (including Sunday Night, with a Grand Gameplay Total Of Hours Played), right here! Follow Along, checking back once in a while - and maybe See You In The Game!



This clickable image will take you to https://www.extra-life.org/ - the main Extra Life
Marathon Homepage of the Charity that I am playing for All Weekend



Update, Saturday 10:30 AM MST: Beginning The Marathon, with the initial post above and gathering snacks and drinks to start Playing For The Kids™!


Update, Saturday 1:00 PM MST: Started out with some Minecraft - oh, and as always, all Weekend I will play all games as "Just One Life" - that is, I will not be able to continue if I 'die' in any of the games I play [Lobby/Arena games exempt; for example League Of Legends, Heroes Of The Storm, Team Fortress 2, and similar games where it is based on 'maps/areas' instead of 'lives'].


I was happy to see that I started in a Forest Biome - which usually has lots of Trees and easier-to-collect Seeds (via the little tufts of Grass around). I even saw a few Animals, but they were in 'singles' so I didn't try to Eat any (yet); I usually wait until I bump into 2+ of any Animal, so I can Breed them later on.

I quickly got to work on a Garden [pictured above] so I can have some incoming Food. It didn't take long, but I had to stop playing for the moment. I also realize that I didn't start it in Hardcore Mode, haha - well, I will still only play my 'Just One Life' mode - and I'll start a Hardcore Mode later on this Marathon Weekend!


Total Gameplay Time: ~ 1.0 hrs



Update, Saturday 4:30 PM MST: Played some Rollercoaster Tycoon World - a game that was lamented and lashed when it was released, heh. Personally, I find it enjoyable, even though it seems more simplified, compared to earlier renditions of the series (my personal favourite being Rollercoaster Tycoon 3). That doesn't mean it is 'easier' mind you, as I have already run out of Money in the Story Mode level "Crash Course"...


Above, after doing the Tutorials for the Level, I laid out a nice, large Wooden Coaster; giving riders a bit of a 'tour' of the Park - but it tells me I do not have enough money to Open the Coaster! lol
I wish it would have told me as I went along, although I suppose this lets people 'build' what they want as they go and not be 'constantly interrupted' by the game. At least I managed to start up a little 'eatery' area (known as a "Food Court" in the area I live in, in Canada, eh) where my Peeps are seen gettin' Hungry and gettin' fed... [below]



I haven't played the game long enough to decide whether I 'love' it yet - I plan on writing a Review of it after putting many more Hours in... So far, I put in a couple more!



Total Gameplay Time: ~ 3.0 hrs



Update, Saturday 8:00 PM MST: Played some Friday The 13th, recently acquired during a Halloween Sale [although I felt a little odd, playing a scary/gore-y game for a Children's Marathon lol, so I might not play that type of game again during this].

The game isn't too complicated and kind of neat, seeing things from the actual movies (Licensed, currently in some kind of dispute, even). I was never 'into' Horror movies, I prefer just 'suspenseful' ones, or 'thrillers' maybe.

Anyway, I played a while, learning the ropes and either being the Big Scary Guy himself, or trying to help the Camp Counsellors escape from the Big Scary Bad Guy as he was...chasing them. It is pretty fun actually, running around trying to find items that will help you, as the Thunder and Lightning booms and the rain pours down around you. It's constantly Nighttime and the scary music that plays just makes everything together, well, pretty scary.

It is not a bad looking game too, if you can turn things up a bit. I mean, take a look at this 'scary looking house' below - isn't that scary just to look at..? I'm totally going to have nightmares, aren't I..?





Total Gameplay Time: ~ 5.0 hrs



Update, Saturday 10:30 PM MST: Played some more Rollercoaster Tycoon World, choosing to switch to Sandbox Mode, after running out of money repeatedly (yet not being able to take out a loan??) on a Story Mode Level - I'm not a quitter, I'll return to it later! heh

I created a long, flourishing Flying Coaster, with multiple hills, banks and even overturns - apparently though, this causes the Nausea Rating to go too high - so I tamed it down a bit and took out some banks and the multiple rolls. I still had one, long, slowly-spinning roll-over in it after re-working it some though; and that apparently kept the Nausea too high (it was 'workable' and Passed, but it was 9+ and I feared that noone would ride it, so I plan to keep whittling it down more, then Open it later on).

Below, is a small collage of some Screenshots of the roll-overs, some of the Ratings I went through so far; and interestingly, I have never 'zoomed in' on a Store before (Information Booth), so here's what I saw, as well, just in case you may not have ever done the same. Time for a break, but I might play more yet tonight - after all, it's a Marathon! Woot!





Total Gameplay Time: ~ 7.0 hrs



Update, Sunday 10:00 PM MST: Unfortunately, I woke up today with a Fever and am very sore all over... I have been sleeping off an on all day and have not had a chance to play any games yet today (Sunday). I plan on trying to consider tomorrow to be 'Sunday' and play games tomorrow, to try build up to 24 Hours, for the Gaming Marathon. I sincerely apologize to readers/followers of this Posting and I will continue tomorrow. Take care. ~Troy from The Game Tips And More Blog


Update, Friday, November 9th, 2:00 PM MST: Sadly, this entire Week was a Loss, as I was battling some sort of bug/sickness the entire time... Therefore, I would like to try Continue the Marathon THIS WEEKEND (Sat. Nov. 10th and Sun. Nov. 11th) - trying to 'gather up together' the entire 24 Hours of the Gaming Marathon! Please forgive me, my dear readers, as I continue what I started; playing as much as I can this weekend for the Extra  Life Gaming Marathon - hopefully seen in the spirit of the event and what it represents - pushing onward through personal illnesses, trying to not lose spirit or hope, through gaming; never giving up and staying filled with the positivity of looking towards the future... [wow that sounded good! lol]. Yes, I will try again, starting Saturday Morning; seeing if I can get up to the promised 24 Hours total - join me here again, if you wish, for little Updates and Screenshots and maybe even some Gameplay Clips, all Weekend!

Update, Saturday, November 10th, 11:59 PM MST: Sigh, again today I did not feel well enough to play very long at all. I tried to pop into Fortnite and played some Poker Night At The Inventory, but that's about it... Will try tomorrow

Update, Monday, November 19th, 5:00 PM MST: I played more, through the entire past Weekend! Slowly feeling better, even though I had a Dentist appointment, heh. Grand Total, Screenshots And More, to come...

Update, Friday, November 23rd, 6:00 PM MST: I apologize, I have not posted the Total Hours yet... I will try to get to this, this Weekend... However, as seen with the fact there is a Fallout 76 post; I did manage to play more and make it finally, to 24 Hours Total! Woot




[THIS POST WILL BE UPDATED CONSTANTLY, AS I CONTINUE TO PLAY 'IN MARATHON MODE', ALL WEEKEND]




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