Fallout 76 - One Way To Enjoy This 'Odd Fallout Game' More... [Editorial / Mini-Review]

[This post is currently Text-Only Mode, for now. I will be returning and adding some Screenshots gradually, 

but I wanted to quickly get this Posted, to help others that were initially disappointed, like me, possibly enjoy 76.] 

Before I even finish a 'First Impressions, From The B.E.T.A. And Beyond' post I am working on, I wanted to quickly post something here that might help those that are feeling 'frustrated' with Fallout 76... 'Disappointed' perhaps, as I was at first - although I couldn't put words to the feeling right away - all I knew is I was looking forward to this 'next fallout game' and thinking it was going to be "bigger and better than Fallout 4", only to feel... well, 'disappointed' is about the best word I can utilize really. All other words I would say, would come out of that feeling. The feeling that Fallout 76 gave me - a long-time player of Fallout games - having played every one in the series, spending over 2000+ hours in the Commonwealth of Fallout 4, building up Settlements and ignoring the Main Questline... it wasn't initially a good feeling, this game; and so I wanted to help other Gamers, here. Others that felt like I did. Gamers that enjoyed past Fallout games and really wanted to enjoy this one... #ReallyWantToEnjoyFallout76

While trying not to repeat too much of what I am putting into my 'First Impressions' posting, in progress, let me summarize what I went through - see if it is the same as you, my fellow Appalachian Vault Dweller [no big spoilers, some Game Concepts and Tips included]:

• Start the game with wide eyes, big smile, drink nearby, ready to start exploring a huge, new Fallout world!

• See the models/meshes are mostly the same as Fallout 4. That's fine, I guess. They are allowed to use their own assets over again. 

• See the controls are odd, different for every 'category' of gameplay (such as Building vs Combat). Oh it was designed for Console first. That's fine, I guess. I'll get used to the controls over time. [I personally don't want to bash Consoles, I like them as well. Although it makes game developing companies 'hold back' a bit, to try to stay within the limits of consoles (as opposed to pushing the limits of what PCs can do these days); I think we should all try, as Gamers, to get along #GamersNoMatterWhat ]

• See that there is not much to interact with in Vault 76. It seems not only 'abandoned' but 'dead'... That's fine, I guess. They want to push you out into the big world quickly. Here we go!

• See that the world looks beautiful... even if a 'dated' still. Some aspects are fantastic, so pretty; but some seems to be rehashes of Fallout 4 capability. That's fine, I guess. Is it a new engine that can't fully utilize yet? Or is it the old game engine with a bunch of tape and gum and Band-Aid™'s on it - enough to make it look almost like a new game engine?

• See that the animations and movement and combat are a bit... 'clunky'. V.A.T.S. is odd and doesn't slow down the game. That's fine, I guess. It can't slow down other players, due to there being some kind of PvP in this game, I heard, so that's fair I suppose. It's like a weird Aimbot really, one that only works if you have enough Action Points. That's ok.

• See that 80% of the models/meshes are the same as Fallout 4 - along with the issue of "many Textures 'loading in low-rez versions' sometimes" - just like Fallout 4. That's fine, I guess. If it's their old engine, with the old texture problems... Maybe they'll solve that someday. It doesn't look bad on HIGH Textures Setting, even though it makes it 'choppy' or 'stutter' for me.

• See that there are literally no other Humans, other than a few Players you bump into - but you don't see many, often. How many people are on this world? Oh, it's just one Server out of many? Oh, it's only about 20 people? That's fine, I guess. They can't put thousands of players on one server, I suppose. Still, I'm not seeing people that often. That one guy tried to kill me. That one person tried to Trade but it didn't work. Oh well, I'm going to play more 'solo' style anyway - I usually play that way.

• See that the 'no Human NPCs anywhere' takes a lot of the 'fun' out of the game. There is no longer a purpose or reason to do all of these things, it feels like. It's fun for a while, but soon gets 'dull'... That's fine, I guess. They are trying to make it more of a desolate, isolated world I suppose. Trying to really make it feel 'dead' and sad... Aren't they? That has to be why. 

• See that you don't seem to bump into other Players very often, other than at the very start, and when you do they either try to kill you or help you with one Quest then run off on their own. That's fine, I guess. I was going to play more 'solo' anyway. Oh, this House I can build (the C.A.M.P.) is cool. Maybe I'll leave these benches out in the open so others can use them. Oh, I can lock the door? Nah, I'll leave it open, so other Vault Dwellers can use my stuff and maybe have a pick through my garden!

• See that you can only hold 400 'pounds' of items in your Bank/Inventory (called a Stash). What? It's already full and I'm not even Level 10! How the heck am I supposed to collect anything for Building, Crafting, Maintenance of Armor, Maintenance of Weapons, I have to Plant Food and collect Water... This 400 'things' limit is going to be rough...

• See that the Quests are all given by Robots or Holotapes. See that the world is large, but it also takes a long time to get anywhere - unless you want to spend Caps to Fast Travel. That's fine, I guess. I'll sell some of all this Scrap and stuff I have, I'll get lots of Caps soon. Especially since I have to Sell so much, due to the '400 Stash Limit'.

• See that the Vendors/Merchants are all limited to 200 Caps. What? That's fine, I guess. Fallout 4 had Vendor cash limits too, I'll just hop between different Vendors and clean them all out, which will also allow me to see what they all have for sale...

• See that almost all the Vendors are 'linked' [by Faction] where you can't just 'go to a different Vendor and Sell more stuff'. What?? Only 200 Caps? And these guys are LINKED? How the heck am I supposed to get rid of all this Scrap and Ammo and things, without being able to Sell to different Vendors? This is getting wacked...

• See that you can go far across the Map, to find different Vendors of different Factions, that will have more Caps to Sell to - but find that they too, are limited to 200 Caps. Also, see that it costs Caps to Fast Travel - and you can't Fast Travel while Overencumbered anyway. That's fine, I guess. You couldn't Fast Travel in Fallout 4 while Overencumbered. But I really want to Sell all this stuff I'm not using. Hell, I Scrapped those 16 Weapons from that last Quest alone...

• See that your Stash is Full, you can't Sell to Vendors, everything takes up Space, while everything still has Value (to Build, or Craft, etc etc). What the heck?? I basically have to stop Looting...  Have to stop picking up things... in a Fallout game... this doesn't make any sense...

• See that it is possible, that they are trying to force Players to interact. Make you Trade with others, selling or giving your stuff away, instead of Collecting to Build/Craft with and/or Selling to Vendors for money. That's fine, I guess. I also see that you can only build 'ONE HOUSE', which is mine (the C.A.M.P.), so that's ok I guess. I suppose I don't need all this building material. But still... this is crazy that I already feel like I 'can't pick anything up' as often. In a Fallout  game!

It was at this point, that I realized that this game is so different ('yet so much the same') that it required a change of state of mind. I was playing Fallout 76, 'like Fallout 4' - and was coming up against walls and limits and differences - and becoming more and more disappointed...

The world does seem huge, that's good. It doesn't look 'bad' but it looks 'wierd'. The graphics aren't too bad, but if I turn them down just one notch, they start to look 'ugly' really fast. That's a bit wierd. Also, things seem to be 'lumped together' somewhat. For example, Bump Mapping and Ambient Occlusion seem to be controlled as part of the "Shadows" Setting ('bumps on things made by shading' and 'shadows that objects cast on nearby objects', respectively). If I turn down "Shadows" even one notch (from ULTRA to HIGH), these elements look 'bad' quickly...[I'm not a Developer or Programmer, so maybe that's how those things are supposed to work - personally, I thought those elements fall more under "Lighting", etc].

As of the time of starting this Posting, if I turn everything up with the ULTRA Setting, it looks pretty good actually, but it's 'choppy' and 'stutter' is there, for me [kind of like how it ran for me when I tried the High Resolution Texture Pack in Fallout 4 - yet some Textures still load in 'low rez' (like Fallout 4 did) lol]. Oh well, I'll put up with that, for now. Maybe someday I'll be able to Upgrade and enjoy it with the ULTRA Setting all over again [I often do this with older games, going back to them and 'maxing them out', enjoying them all over again at their highest settings]. Since I play more 'solo' style anyway, I don't have to worry about it leaving me open to dying to other players nearby as much, or ruining other teammates' experience with my 'lag' (by being affected by the stuttering/lag due to graphical settings).

There are other players in this Fallout iteration - one of their main Selling Points - but I don't seem them too often... In the Screenshot above, there are actually a couple other Players in Vault 76, during the B.E.T.A. when this image was taken; but I seem to be the only one interested in exploring the Vault itself, playing with things and actually watching the Training Video [lol]. I don't mind that I rarely saw people in the game, especially when some of them are just trying to fight or kill me anyway. Come to think of it, why don't they make PvP servers and PvE servers? ARK, another 'open world, survival game' does this - heck, one of the most successful MMO games of all time, did this - World Of Warcraft. If they made different servers for each game type, both parties would be happier, I think. PvP'ers can attack and fight anyone at any time, something I think they wanted to do in this game (my personal idea is to have PvP Servers be "Always On PVP" - that means no Pacifist Mode! Isn't that what PvP is about?). PvE'ers can Explore and Quest on PVE Servers to their heart's content, not  having to worry about getting killed or their C.A.M.P. vandalized while they are away [I personally had some of my house destroyed by vandals already - oh, animals can attack your home? Maybe it was them, too - either way, in a fully-PVE Server, you won't have to worry about others wrecking your home].

I also notice that I am constantly stuck at 400 Stash Limit and opening my Pip-Boy everywhere I go, to play "Inventory Management 76" after doing anything... You can see just above, my Weight Capacity (carrying items on person) is 230 units at the moment, and the Stash is shown on the right (the 'bank'), and it is almost topped out at 400; and this happens very easily and is like that almost all the time afterward. It's getting pretty annoying, frankly. I am seriously feeling like I am 'not wanting to pick things up' - and that's bad, for a Fallout game... Doesn't everything have Value, even Junk, since Fallout 4?

Maybe, I thought, I have to change my approach this game... 

Playing Fallout 76 'like it was Fallout 4' is just getting me more annoyed and disappointed every game session. So, I took a moment to step back and look at how Fallout 76 operates (and how it is different than Fallout 4 - remember, it is a 'side step' or 'spinoff' of the Fallout Series - they even stated specifically that it is not to be considered "Fallout 5").

In Fallout 76, you don't build up Houses on end, entire Towns like you do with Fallout 4 (the Settlements, something I had a ton of fun building up for my little Settlers, keeping them happy). OK. Then I don't really need all this Building material/Scrap for that, now that my C.A.M.P. is pretty much complete.

I have a little Cabin, Water, some Food growing, some Turrets up on the roof, all the Crafting Workbenches I could build, my Stash and a Bed to Rest in. I'll leave my Door open/unlocked so others can use my C.A.M.P.; I'm pretty much set, anyway. I'll just try to collect less of Building mats now then. Maybe I'll Sell what I can to Vendors [that 200 Caps limit, ugh] and I guess... I'll have to Drop the rest. That makes me sad, but I guess that's the way it is in Fo76.

In Fallout 76, the game limits how much you can Carry (which is the same as Fallout 4, limited by your Strength) but 76 also limits your 'bank' or 'workshop inventory' (the "Stash" mentioned above). It is no longer 'Unlimited' like in Fallout 4 Workbenches, but capped at "400"... That's crazy to me, but maybe it's to force people to interact with other Players more. Sell stuff to them, or give it away to new players. Hmmm. I guess this means, I'll be 'dropping' a lot of stuff, since I still need Materials for Ammo, Armor and Weapon upkeep, Food and Drink crafting, etc. Literally just throwing stuff away will take some getting used to (since in Fallout 4 I could eventually Sell it all, somewhere or another..). Maybe I'll drop it near the Starting Areas, to help others out! That will help make dropping all that stuff feel better [to me, heh].

The world is huge. Not 'absolutely immense', but it does seem larger than Fallout 4 so far [I personally have seen less than half of the Map, but more than 1/4 of it, so far]. Fast Travel costs Caps, the farther away, the more it costs. I'm paying about 30 to get horizontally across the map, crossing two large areas... Okay, I'll have to walk more, instead of Fast Travelling (especially since I'm Overburdened after clearing out an area, or doing a Quest).

Capture by Bethesda

The world is also 'empty' feeling. I mean, it looks pretty good actually - the architecture, the surroundings, the visual effects - but this "No Human NPCs" thing makes the world feel pretty depressing... Why even do Quests? Who am I helping, doing them, since everyone is dead? I rarely run into Players, so it can't be them. There really is something psychological, to 'picking up' and 'turning in' Quests/Missions to human beings in games... Maybe they'll increase the number of Players on a Server someday. I dunno.

You know what? The huge, open world. The lack of NPCs - the only 'mobs' (mobile NPCs) are enemies, and they are kind of spread out a bit. The game seems to be more 'exploring' and less 'interacting with others' (as a 'Solo' style player). You know what this reminds me of? Minecraft.

With Fallout 76's huge, open world, the ability to 'fight' with other players if you really wanted to; but mainly the goals seeming to be Explore and Experience the world, 'open but barren' as it is - to me, this is indeed much like Minecraft, or even more apt perhaps, No Man's Sky [Now Including "Game Release Disappointment"™! lol BTW, No Man's Sky is more fun now, with Base Building and more NPCs and Missions and Shortcuts put in it]. Maybe I'll play 76 that way... Explore. Quest. Survive. [don't make Metal Gear: Survive joke... don't make Metal Gear: Survive joke...] Less like Fallout 4 and more like Single Player Minecraft, or No Man's Sky, yeah. A huge world to explore, mostly barren of other NPCs, save for Enemies. Think: MC or NMS...

You know what? After playing a while with this mindset; I am really enjoying the game more! 

It's weird, the less I play the game like 'Fallout 4' and the more I play it like Minecraft, more like a "Fallout Metal Gear: Survive" [sorry I couldn't resist] - the more I am finding I am actually enjoying Fallout 76! The more I play the game like 'No Man's Sky' [trying not to make the 'game release disappointment' joke again...], the more that I just Explore and Quest and kill the Enemies I run into along the way - and try not to think of Fallout 4 - the more I am actually enjoying this game.

Note: this thought concept (line of thinking) is probably geared more for a Solo-style player of the game. A PvP'er might have more fun thinking/playing it like Planetside 2 or even more so, Ark or Rust. I personally still think they should have separate PvP and PvE servers though - as it is, both parties are not happy with how they play together. PvPers can't start proper fights and PvE'ers are annoyed at the ones that want to fight... Beth, wouldn't separate servers that allow both parties to experience the game how they want, solve that?

Anyway, I've stated my point and now I'm rambling [well I guess I did call this an 'editorial' so it's sort of allowed, heh]: the less that I approached the game like Fallout 4 and the more I played the game like it was Minecraft or No Man's Sky, the more I enjoyed Fallout 76... They did say it was 'different', they did say they were 'trying something new'... So maybe we shouldn't approach this game like it was "Fallout 4.5"...

There are a lot of issues with the game, a bunch of bugs (insert Bugthesda joke here), a lot of changes that can happen to improve the game; but as it stands, it is not a total loss, even though the game does 'feel' quite despondent (lonely)... This is a different 'branch' of Fallout, a different experience. They've even stated that "this is not Fallout 5" and "the next Fallout 5, which will be Single Player" is going to come - which is fantastic and awesome for us Fallout Fans - but that also means that this is not it. The more I keep this in mind, the more I play this game like the open-world, exploration, survival game that it seems to be; the more I am enjoying it. At least, it has helped me. Perhaps it will help you, too. 

See You In Appalachia!

~Troy from The Game Tips And More Blog

First Impressions - Google Play App: "Screen Recorder" by Kimcy929 [App Mini-Review]

This article has been initially posted as Text-Only at this time, to speed up publishing, focusing on a certain issue. I will return to this posting and add more data on Quality and Performance, Screenshots and then eventually Share it on Twitter/Google+/etc... Soon™

[This past Christmas, my father gave me a neat little tablet to play on - Thanks, Dad! I have been enjoying the heck out of it, learning what it does (cough how to use a tablet cough), what applications it can run (I can write a Blog Post laying down!) and of course, what games I can play on it, heh. I hope to give some Tutorials/Walkthroughs and Reviews on Games and Apps from it sometime... Oh wait, here's one now! haha]

The Google Store page for the app, with the 'Play' button removed [I felt it was a bit distracting, making people think there might be a 'video to play' here at The Blog], replaced with The Blog's 'G' brevity logo version.
The Google Play logo in the upper-left will be used to denote images that come 'directly' from the Google Play website/page for the app for these types of App Reviews/Posts (Unedited other than logos or helpful arrows/etc added).

Google Play App - Screen Recorder by Kimcy929

Straight to it: while this app did in fact ‘record the screen’, it could not record the game sounds themselves ('internal' gameplay audio), it only recorded microphone sounds ('external' audio outside the device). While this is useful for some, especially Vloggers, I was personally looking for a screen recorder for my tablet that recorded gameplay and the audio from the game, for Tutorials, Walkthroughs, etc.**

Also, an issue arose where ANY video I viewed after installing this app (even videos I had on my device BEFORE installing it) only came up as a black screen, with the message:

“...Video Is Playing On External Display...”

Now, I had not enabled any such option, nor did I connect any External Displays...

I did some research online and found many people running into this issue with various apps and devices (tablets, phones, etc). Looking at the App configuration in the Settings of my tablet for Screen Recorder, I found this app giving itself the ability to ‘draw over other apps’ (which it can do to create on-screen writing, or arrows, which it advertises that it can do on the Google Play Store page for the app).

This is fine and these features are no doubt useful; however, I could no longer view any videos with the built-in Video Player ("complete action using > Video") - I literally could no longer view any videos I had on my device, at all. [Even with third-party Media Players, such as VLC Media Player, simply viewing any videos was now 'broken'...]

Video playing of the Video portion of Videos on the Video Player that
plays Videos was like, really broken now

Even after disabling this option that it gave itself without prior warning (found in Settings > Apps > ScreenRecorder > DrawOverOtherApps), all videos still came up with just a black screen and that message - that is, just Disabling the Setting did not 'undo' the inability to no longer watch videos in the Video Player. Disabling this setting, then Uninstalling this app, then Restarting the Tablet, fixed the issue [in my case, the only way it was fixed].

While this app does record the screen, allows for microphone use, doesn't seem to affect gameplay performance very much, and seems to have a decent selection of Resolutions and Bitrates (eg. 1280x720, 8000kbps), also having some additional helpful things like drawing arrows on the screen, etc; it does not record 'built-in' gameplay audio - which I personally was looking for** - and it gave itself a power which interfered with normal tablet video viewing afterward... Not only that, but it only recorded a few videos before no longer working, with a message just repeatedly showing up stating, "Unfortunately, Screen Recorder has stopped".

No changing of Settings (of my tablet or the app itself) was able to remedy this or get past it [the message coming up and no video being recorded]. Reinstalling the app made it work again, but after a few recordings, only that message repeating on the screen was the result, once again. Therefore, considering all of the above [but including the fact that the app must have worked for other people, that is, those not running into this 'Screen Recorder has stopped' message problem], this app earned Three Stars at Google Play from me, as of the time of this writing.

Being 'completely free' (No Fee and No Ads), and having a nice selection of 'standards' like Resolution and Bitrate choices, and having 'extras' like being able to draw on the screen; perhaps with some improvements to bugfixing, enhancements to how it handles itself (asking/warning what would happen before utilizing the “Draw Over Other Apps” ability would be helpful to users that might run into a problem with it) and adding the ability to record internal gameplay audio**, Screen Recorder could potentially be a very capable and 'feature-rich' screen recording application.

3/5 Stars

★★★☆☆

This app (and a shortened version of the above Review by The Blog (to fit on Google Play's Review area)) can be found on Google Play, at:

Screen Recorder by Kimcy929
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.kimcy929.screenrecorder



[Note: I am not affiliated with Screen Recorder or Kimcy929 in any way, and I have not and will not be compensated by them for writing about them here. I am merely a user of their application and like to help others with helpful information, when I can. The information in this post was obtained on an LG G Pad IV, and therefore might vary slightly from your own experience (Settings, Menus, Performance, Problems, etc) - but I hope that it was still found useful in some way.]

...

** More on this later... I have recently found out that Google has taken away the ability [temporarily?] to record game output AND game audio at the same time ("internal audio") in the latest Android versions - save for a small number of possibilities on LG and Samsung devices. But, I'll cover this at a later time, when I find out more solid details...

Clicker Heroes - Possibly the Last Game You Will Ever Play, Literally [First Impressions, Tips, and some Screenshots]

"Cunningly Addictive" ~ The Game Tips And More Blog

Recipe For "Egg Stream Lee", A Very Addictive Game (Clicking Spices version): 

2 parts random-loot-and-gold-collection feeling of Diablo2
3 parts colorfulness of a Japanese Animation
1 part the simplicity of a Browser-based game
Generous sprinkles of Humour
Pour mixture into a shell of Mathematics, Statistics and Programming
Let Steam, Downloading for 1-2 Minutes, until thoroughly Installed
Pour Clicking Spices all over top and sides
Prepare desk for eating and have enough supplies for never getting up again

Spend the rest of your life Clicking at the main website, or through Steam
(Graphic from the Clicker Heroes Website)

I haven't played this game for very long (I expect to do so, over time); but I already feel like I am a rat in an experiment. That, or the creator of the game is a Psychology Major, as the entire thing feels like a series of Human Cheese Traps, spaced out skillfully apart - each one just far enough away so that it doesn't seem like you have limitless amounts of cheese, but also close enough together, so that once you are finished with your present goal/cheese, looking up, there is another piece not far away - and you want that one now, too.

One of the first things to learn, for your own safety, is how to Exit the game. To do this, click on the 'x' in the corner of the Window. If in FullScreen mode, hit ESC to go into Windowed Mode, then click on the 'x' to do a typical Exit [Suggestion To Devs: an Exit within the Main screen area would be great]

"An Interactive Study Into Human Tendencies", should be an alternate name for this game. The Recipe I made above says it all: there is a nice sense of progression in the game, just enough to keep you interested as, everytime I 'got bored', something else 'unlocked' and I wanted to play further. There is even a sense of 'Inclusion' - the concept that your performing some action (you, as the player) makes a difference in the game. While overall, it does not [I mean that literally in the game and metaphorically as this is a game], it does still add to the sense of Inclusion, as you are helping your Heroes kill even faster, gaining gold even faster, which allows Upgrades even faster, which then allows killing even faster! And thus is the Circle Of Life. That is, your life, which could possibly become nothing but this game (esp. if you have compulsive tendencies). Serious for one moment: be careful to balance this game and the human tendencies it illicits, with discipline, restraint and breaks with 'real life' (if you can)...

"Need to do the laundry? Give the puppy a shower? No worries! Your heroes will farm monsters and automatically collect the gold while you're gone, even when the game is closed. But don't forget to come back and spend all that sweet gold on new heroes and upgrades!" ~ from Clicker Heroes Steam Store Page (Above Graphic from Clicker Heroes Steam Store Page)

That's right, after closing the game (if you do happen to pull yourself away from it, into Real Life), all the Heroes you hired in the game will continue to fight for you, killing monsters and collecting teh goldz, non-stop. While not a new concept in games ('working for you while you are gone'), it adds to the sense of progression, as you return to huge masses of gold, ready to spend on Upgrades and New Heroes that have come to help you amass even more gold...

While you weren't playing, you earned 567 Trillion Goldz. Trillion.

The background music that plays (but can be turned off, which is important to many), is a pirate/adventure-style beat, from what sounds like Midi-powered Orchestral sources. It is catchy, even though it merely repeats over and over. [It would be nice to see a 'Battle Music' concept here, where the music changes if you actively participate (with immense clicking), changing back to the 'standard music' when you stop helping out your heroes]

When you hire the Hero named "Betty Clicker", Unlock her Upgrades as fast as possible, as her Upgrades help all your other Heroes out! As well, when you are able to hire the Hero named "King Midas", Unlock his Upgrades as soon as possible too, as his Upgrades increase all gold amounts found, from then on!





The overall strategy in the game is simple: You click/hit Monsters that automatically appear, which eventually die, and drop Gold. This money can then be used to hire Heroes, which approach you automatically and can fight for you, adding to your Damage. These same Heroes fight for you constantly, even if you aren't playing the game. After each batch of Monsters are killed, it makes opens the way for you to enter a new Area (Level). Each consecutive Area/Level has another batch of Monsters - but higher Level/Area Monsters drop more Gold. However, the higher you go in Levels, the more Damage you need to do, as the Monsters have higher and higher Hit Points [amount of Life] to hack through, in order to kill them... It quickly becomes a delicate balance of what level you could play at, versus how fast you can kill - which means how much gold you can acquire for Upgrading your Heroes (which allows them to do more Damage for you) ...to kill faster, to play higher levels, to get more goldz... and on and on it goes. So then, 'what do??'

Do you stay on the same level longer, to get easy (but less) gold?
Do you try to move on, killing slower (but the monsters you kill drop higher amounts of gold)?
Do you hire a new Hero to help your DPS (Damage Per Second) or Upgrade your current Hero to do more damage instead?
Do you hoard your gold and spend it in large purchases, or do you spend it as fast as it is coming in?
These are Life Lessons, people.

Maybe that's what this game is, a Training Course for Real Life... It is showing you that the sense of progression in Life is merely nothing but one piece of cheese after another. Feed that hunger, earn that money, buy that thing, play that game, poop that poop. Sleep. If you wake up, Repeat: Feed that hunger, earn that money, buy that thing, play that game, poop that poop. Sleep. If you wake up, Repeat. Do you see? This game is an allegory for the human experience! It is showing you the folly of life! Life is nothing but a treadmill of "upgrades" and "quests" and "other people that come along" and all your life can be simplified down to what... CLICKS! The clicks are your footsteps in life! The clicks are your thoughts as you walk around, the thoughts of the people "the heroes" in your life, the clicks are your actions, your doing homework, your paying the bills, your food going in your mouth! The clicks are your breaths! The clicks are your heartbeats! IT IS ALL JUST CLICKS AHAHAH...

...I got up off the floor after laying there a while... I'm ok now.

See this little orange guy to the right? Hit these! They have a chance of dropping Rubies, which can be used to purchase items from the Shop (giving you 'buffs' such as Gold, Faster Cooldowns, and Higher DPS).

These 14 Rubies I have, were found (not bought) by killing the li'l orange Monsters shown in the GIF above. They appear randomly and have a random chance at dropping a Ruby. Of course, the Developers of the game can always be Supported by purchasing some!
(Screenshot of Cash Shop, Click to see Full Size)

Wondering what the Letters and Symbols mean? Here is the Key to them:

• 1K = 1,000 = One Thousand

• 1M = 1,000K = One Million

• 1B = 1,000M = One Billion

• 1T = 1,000B = One Trillion

• 1q = 1,000T = One Quadrillion

• 1Q = 1,000q = One Quintillion

• 1s = 1,000Q = One Sextillion

• 1S = 1,000s = One Septillion

• 1O = 1,000S = One Octillion

• 1N = 1,000O = One Nonillion

• 1d = 1,000N = One Decillion

• 1U = 1,000d = One Undecillion

• 1D = 1,000U = One Duodecillion

• 1! = 1,000D = One Tredecillion

• 1@ = 1,000! = One Quattuordecillion

• 1# = 1,000@ = One Quindecillion

• 1$ = 1,000# = One Sexdecillion

• 1% = 1,000$ = One Septendecillion

• 1^ = 1,000% = One Octodecillion

• 1& = 1,000^ = One Novemdecillion

• 1* = 1,000& = One Vigintillion

This game deals with extremely high damage, gold and numbers in general - use the above Key to decipher what stage/amounts you are dealing with!

There's not much else to say about this deceptively addictive game (other than you can play it at the Main Website or Install it via Steam). You will either hate it, saying it is too stupid, too simple, too repetitive - or you will love this game and you will find it fun and addictive, and you will play it a lot - you will play it forever. Just don't hold your breath when you are trying to click as fast as you can...

Don't hold your breath when you are trying to click as fast as you can. You may die.
Actually, you will just pass out, and then you will resume breathing normally and wake up. Unless you hit your head on something when you pass out, or fall on something that crushes your windpipe. Then you will die. Basically, don't hold your breath while clicking, ok?



I haven't been playing very long [Level 85 woo!] and already I can see this game may ruin my life. This game has already ruined many lives. Maybe you shouldn't play this game after all. Maybe everyone should.

See You In The Game... or at least, Playing It.

[Personal Logarithm: I have a 'tip' for clicking speed, something I call "The Quiver"... It's something I figured out in the days of Famicom/Nintendo, where I could 'stiffen' my hand (holding out my index finger) and tighten my arm (bicep and tricep at the same time, almost as though 'flexing' for your 'special someone') - and then just let it 'quiver'... If done right, your finger (held stiff on your tightened hand and arm) will be bouncing up and down, very fast, on the desired button (in those days a Nintendo Controller..today a mouse). It may take practice, but once mastered, it will increase your speed not only on mouse-driven games, but also in all other games that require repeated button pressing (tested since the old cabinet stand-up arcade games..). I pass this torch of button-mashing technique, from "Old Skool" gaming days onto a new generation, you. Hopefully my unmet gamer friend, you can master this 'quivering' technique, one that will assist in mounting massive attacks in fighting games and all manner of button-mashing machines - and in Clicker Heroes, may it help you amass large amounts of goldz for your deepz... Enjoy]

The Battlefield: Hardline Open Beta - First Impressions and Screenshots

[Editor's Note: Work on this article began just after the Battlefield: Hardline Open Beta]

Whew - time to take a breather, wipe the sweat from my brow and crack my knuckles a bit, after some hard gaming with Battlefield: Hardline's Open Beta for the past few days - great stuff! I didn't get into the Closed Beta for this one and didn't hear about the Open Beta until just a little while ago; but I purposely didn't read any press about this game beforehand [to avoid 'spoiling any surprises', or getting my perception of it influenced too much] and I was still able to jump in and have some great fun with this latest installment in EA/Dice's Battlefield series, thanks to the Open Beta from EA. Here then, is my First Impressions of The Battlefield: Hardline Beta - with screenshots!

At first, I didn't really know what to expect - and because I didn't read much about it, I didn't really know what to do at first. But I knew it was a 'Battlefield Game' at least, so as I always try to do in games [and suggest to others new to any game], I followed other players around for a while to start, until I could get my bearings. Battlefield: Hardline does a good job of being helpful to new players though, by letting you know the two teams and what they represent (their emblems and names pop up right away on the screen when you start or enter a match, reminding you what team you are on) and the game does a good job of constantly leading you towards what you are supposed to do (your Objectives of the map/gamemode currently being played).

The Heistening

For example, in the "Heist" level/map type, if you have been put on the Criminals side, it says right at the top "Criminals, Heist" and you are told to "Crack The Vault" as your first step. Floating HUD indicators constantly show you what and where your Objectives are, which in this game type (Heist) are two Packages for your band of rogues to acquire, which is this case are two large duffel bags of money from said vault. Once you "Steal The Package", you are told to take it to an "Escape" Point, where a comrade-in-arms will then fly in with a heli and let down a hook to attach the money bag to ...Sounds like an action-packed scene in a movie, doesn't it -  well, it plays that way too!

If you were put on the Cops team, it would show that right at the beginning ("Cops, Heist" displaying a golden shield/badge), then you are told to "Defend The Vault" and then "Stop The Carrier" (if the Criminals get in and grab the money) and then "Recover The Bag", which in the case of the Coppers, means standing near it long enough ['gathering it up' heh] until a "Loot Returned" comes up on the screen. This 'Loot Returned' message means they are returning it to the bank - right away - which gives the Crooks another chance (as long as there is some of the Time Limit remaining). All of this [for the Cops, in this example] is accented wonderfully, by the realistic-sounding 'narration' of a Police Dispatcher (the Criminals also have the same, in the form of handheld transceiver chatter/updates).

If you've played the Payday game series, you've played this level - but I'm not saying that as a bad thing here. This map has all the hallmarks of a good movie: The Bank, The Vault, The Cops, The Robbers, The Cameras, The Dynamite, The Bag of Money and The Drop Off. Getting to the vault is easy, cracking it is automatic (a drill or breaching charge merely needs to be set); but where Payday spends a lot of time on getting into the vault ("the drill is jammed again"), Battlefield: Hardline rushes past that element [but it's there - and the Cops can dismantle it!] and gets the crooks more quickly to the cash, where the majority of the level is then played with you pitted against the other team, with the Crims trying to get the bags of money to drop off points - or in this case 'pull-up' points, as you are attaching them to helicopter ropes for your comrades to whisk them away - and the Cops are constantly trying to stop them, retrieving the bags to be 'returned'.

Criminal with the bag of money ("the package") in the Bank Vault, with one escape route (through the wall on the right) showing. [Tip: another escape route is created in the ceiling, and a third is simply through the vault front door itself]. Ultra graphic settings! Click to see Full Size

Glancing at the MiniMap once in a while will help you locate The Package (the bag of money, the objective of the Heist game mode); however, if you can't spare the time because you are in a tough firefight (but are close to the location of The Package carrier) look for the 'trail of money' it leaves behind (bills flying slowly out of it into the air - just like Team Fortress 2 and the Intelligence Briefcase in TF2's Capture The Flag mode)

The rest of the level/map continues in this way (with the bags being returned over and over and the criminals attempting to steal them away) until either the Time Runs Out, or the Tickets for the Criminals fully deplete (the Cops get Unlimited Tickets). This game mode then, seems to resemble a 'Rush' mode map - but one where the capture points are no longer MCOMs from earlier Battlefield games, they are the bags of money that the Crims must obtain and relocate. A nice 'cops and robbers' take on the standard Rush formula, it feels fresh; and with the tight [read: small] map size, similar to a Call Of Duty and Counter Strike style level, the action is fast, and furious.

Hotwiring

Did I say 'fast and furious'? Did you like those movies? Do you like fast cars? Do you like hanging out a car window and shooting at the enemy chasing you at high speeds? Do you like explosions? Do you like nachos? Well, you'll find eighty-three-point-three-percent-repeating of all of those things in Battlefield: Hardline's "Hotwire" game mode!

"Ridin' around, listenin' ta' sum tunes", in a Criminal Van (interior view) during Hotwire game mode in the Dust Bowl map.
Click to see Full Size

In the Hotwire game mode, the map was larger than it was in the Heist game mode - it felt more like the 'good ol' Battlefield' maps - it was somewhat larger and with more room to run and places to hide (there was an old Diner and Motel and there are houses literally everywhere, as this map is set in a small, isolated town). There is also plenty of room to fly overhead in helicopters, spotting the enemy and mowing them down with the mounted guns on the sides, or driving around in your muscle cars and dirt bikes, acting as a moving spawn point for your team.

Capturing and then Defending some of the moving control points in the Hotwire game mode (Dust Bowl map).
Click to see Full Size

Speaking of moving spawn points, that's what this game mode is all about... If I wanted to try explain the Hotwire game mode, I would start by saying; think of a typical Battlefield 'Conquest' mode, with flags. Now, picture those flags mounted on the tops of moving vehicles... Since this is a Conquest map/mode, when your allies have captured a flag, your team can spawn from it - and while you have ownership of the Control Point and have more in total than your enemy - your team is slowly depleting the other team's tickets, right? Well now, take away the flags and leave the idea that the cars themselves are the ControlPoints/SpawnPoints - and now you have the Hotwire game mode in Battlefield: Hardline.

Differing from the traditional Conquest game mode type (shown above), the Hotwire game mode in Battlefield: Hardline can be envisioned by imagining the flags to be captured being attached to the tops of cars, which you must 'Hotwire' and then speed around the map in, keeping them away from your enemies and slowly depleting their Tickets.
Click to see Full Size

A chance to use the words 'fresh' and 'approach' to the standard Conquest game type, the Hotwire mode isn't just driving around fast (although it may seem like that at times). The cars speeding around the level are only the Spawn Points (the Capture Points) - "only" in the sense that, if you aren't directly driving or riding in and defending a captured point, gaining score [points] that way, you are free to roam the rest of the map and find and take out the enemy in any way you can - just like in any of Battlefield's Conquest maps.

View from a Water Tower, playing the Professional class (the "Sniper/Recon" class) on the Criminal team, in the Dust Bowl map.
Click to see Full Size

For example, while some of your teammates speed around, avoiding explosions and gadget traps from within vehicles - on foot, the Enforcer classes can roam the area with their powerful shotguns, mowing down the enemy and locating the powerful 'hidden' items like the RPGs and M60s scattered throughout the map. Professional classes can hide in the multitude of houses and spot and snipe out of the many windows, killing from the shadows. Mechanics are a good ride-along partner, defending the roving Spawn Points from within, "foomp-ing" their grenade launchers at enemy-captured Points/vehicles speeding by (and also at other enemies on foot), pulling out their blow torch to Repair after taking some damage, all while hanging out the window of the moving vehicle. All of these things and more, are happening all at once in the tighter-than-previous-Battlefield-games-but-still-mostly-large-enough maps in the Hotwire game modes I have seen so far.

View from above the town of Joad (used for the Dust Bowl map). Click to see Full Size

Points or Experience, by the way, are collected in the form of Cash (money), as you are rewarded for the actions you take, both offensive (capturing points and killing the enemy, etc) and supportive (healing, reviving, repairing, etc) and it not only contributes to Class progression, Cash is the main method of 'unlocking' the gear, gadgets and weapons in the game, as you purchase them over time.

Deployment Screen, showing the Loadouts for the selected Class (in this case, the Operator class [the 'Medic' from earlier Battlefield games]). Cash is earned as the "experience points" used to unlock chosen weapons and upgrades over time (the Loadout above is showing the Criminal "Adrenaline Shot" [the 'Defibrillator' from earlier BF games]). Click to see Full Size

I personally enjoyed playing as the Enforcer class, laying down Breacher Charges (the 'C4' from previous Battlefield games, shown here) on the ground, then hiding in nearby bushes, waiting for the enemy to drive by... then: BOOM! Fiery explosions, sound, smoke and sparks, with the empty body of a charred car flying through the air or even over your head... it was a glorious sight to behold up close - look for a Breacher Charge Explosion Montage here in the future!

The Anticipation

Although it was only a teaspoon-taste of the variety of new game modes, maps, gear and gadgets coming out in the new Battlefield 'side-step' (it's not meant to be Battlefield 5) - the Beta served it's purpose: to get me enticed and excited for the release of Battlefield: Hardline. Sure, some of the old Battlefield problems are there ('rubber-banding' and/or getting killed after going around a corner sometimes, textures not loading properly (or loading blurry) once in a while, etc); but many of these types of problems can still be fixed by release - and if you don't mind looking past those little issues, there is a fantastic game to be had here and movie-like memories to be made...

I already saw in chat many times people excitedly describing something that happened to them: being chased through house after house by a cop and eventually 'losing him' in a tense runaway, a huge explosion as two cars collided (killing everyone within the area), sniping people off of a Zipline as they tried to escape and watching them bounce off the building and vehicles below as they fell... yes, all of these little moments and more experiences await, in the refreshing cops-and-robbers take on 'The Battlefield Formula', in Battlefield: Hardline.


Whether you have already Pre-Ordered, are picking it up on Day One, or are waiting to get it in the future on Sale - I'll definitely See You In The Game!

This GIF is presented in 'slomo'... (50% speed). Make your own Drum and Bass action movie soundtrack backing-track-style noises to it with your mouth, like I do, if you want.

Personal Short Version/Opinion:  

I want to make sure to express two things in this Personal Opinion section - one, the game still has some technical problems. I mention them a bit in the main article, but these are only the little issues I personally encountered (some rubber-banding, getting killed after going around a corner, and some textures not loading properly at times); there seems to be a large number of people who couldn't even get the game to run. From the Battlelog not working right, to the game itself not running properly (choppy, etc), there seems to be big issues with this game for many people. 

While this does not completely cancel out the greatness that is in this game for me, it does for many, and so I want to mention it here. A lot of people are disappointed and upset with EA/DICE and Visceral. To speak on their behalf [the developers] however, I understand the technical hurdles that must be overcome, to make a game/program run properly on thousands, even millions of systems.  

Also, many people have stated how they feel this game is less of a "Battlefield game" than it is a "Call of Duty" or "Counter Strike" game. I do agree that there is a feeling of trying to cater to and attract the COD and CS market, and I can see how the maps have been made somewhat smaller and there has been an attempt to emulate much of the COD/CS tempo of gameplay - but I understand why: they are just trying to make some money. As a business, I can't blame them. As developers (Visceral and EA/DICE), I understand many things are going to be 'simplified' and 'streamlined' for compatibility with Consoles and again; gameplay changes to attract the COD and CS crowd. I get that.  

It is just unfortunate that, for one thing, there seems to be no 'enhancements' for the PC crowd [thus far]. Rockstar attempts this, they try to 'tweak' a game and improve the code and features, to take advantage of the extra power and capabilities that the PC can perform, before releasing to PC owners. That would have been nice here, EA/DICE/Viscreral. But I understand, you have to code for the Lowest Common Denominator [no insult to consoles intended] as you try to make everything compatible on ...everything.  

It's difficult, trying to find a common ground of graphic level, map complexity, and so many other aspects, with so many manufacturers and hardware and architectures and Drivers, etc. it's a very hard job. I am just saddened by the amount of people having trouble with this game, is all. Even people that don't have 'old' systems can't run the game. Battlelog problems block many from experiencing the game from the start. People are crashing left and right.. I want to help so much, I will 'officially' state here, that if there is anyone out there that is having problems after the game is released next month (March 17th, 2015 is the Scheduled Release Date so far), feel free to return here and ask for advice/TechnicalSupport below. I would be happy to try help out (: 

The second thing I wanted to make sure and express in this Personal Opinion section was the sheer delight in many aspects of this game. Yes, it plays more like Call Of Duty and Counter Strike (as mentioned above), but if you played those games - and especially if you were such a fan of those games that you previously stayed away from what you thought were "the slower Battlefield games" of the past - then you might want to try Hardline.. If you liked All Points Bulletin and its 'reboot' as APB Reloaded (with their 'cops-and-robbers' themes), then you will also want to try Hardline.

While teams are usually played against each other as Countries [in previous Battlefield games], it was a nice change to take on the roles of smaller-in-scope-but-easier-to-identify-with "cops" or "robbers" and be pitted against not only the enemy, but also the [heightened importance of] specific objectives (as in the Heist game mode). While I am still looking forward to a less "arcade-y" style, larger maps and 'slower' [more realistic?] pace of a future BF5, I have to say I enjoyed the slightly more hectic gameplay - and Hardline definitely added something to the 'typical Battlefield game' here, with the overall choice to become either the "straight-laced cop, cleansing the city of thieving scum" or "the cop-killing anarchist, freeing the town from the oppressors", as it were. 

Whether you like the faster pace of Call Of Duty and Counter Strike, or you like APB Reloaded - and even if you are just a tried and true fan of the Battlefield series of games; I think you'll find something you'll like in Battlefield: Hardline - I hope they are allowing a Time Demo in the future for it, so that everyone can have a taste of this Battlefield dish. I'm actually excited about the release of this game now, and I hope it turns out to be a source of great moments in gaming for all of you. I also hope that none of you have technical problems with the game at all, so that you can enjoy it in full.  

The Screenshots

And Now - and somewhat as a reward for wading through a slightly lengthy Personal Version/Opinion Section - More Screenshots!

 

See You In The Game!