#anyway this is just hzd's map

[foibles-fables]

Ooh I also have horizon 3 thoughts/predictions!

I think Vast Silver is gonna be involved somehow maybe to combat Nemesis, or possibly in a dlc like we had Cyan from Frozen Wilds? Since it’s the final game it seems likely they’ll finally have Aloy meet this mysterious elusive AI.

Also thinking Elysium will be the ruins location (like how we had the Alpha’s place in HZD and Thebes in HFW) since we’ve heard about it but not found it yet

I was also hoping to finally explore Oseram territory when looking for these old world weapons, seems Oseram delving could come in handy there. Depends if they’re gonna introduce more new tribes across the sea like the Quen or further explore the ones they have currently, maybe both? Like half the map is across the sea/Quen territory and half is the mainland 🤔

It’s exciting to think about anyway! Can’t wait for your thoughts!

I totally agree about VAST SILVER and Elysium. They're one of the very few oft-mentioned threads left hanging since the beginning of the series. I do think their plot relevance will be connected--VS involved in whatever befell Elysium--but even if they're not intertwined, they'll be integral.

I'm thinking we'll have to befriend VS to be a boon in our efforts against HEPH and/or Nemesis. Given 1) VS's disposition in the Burning Shores datapoint and 2) Elisabet's (therefore Aloy's and Beta's) connection with Anita Sandoval--therefore VS's potential development re: AI and the illegal Turing number--there's a lot there to be explored.

As for Elysium, I'm betting it'll be part of The Claim. Since The Claim was originally intended to be part of HZD, there's an overwhelming chance that it'll be involved in HFW. Petra for ealdorwoman PLEASE. Also, there's hints that point to Elysium being there. It's "within miles of" GAIA Prime, per HZD datapoints, which could put its ruin in The Claim.

As for new tribes--I genuinely hope we don't get any. At all. We already couldn't give all of the existing tribes their due in HFW (where were the Banuk?) and to add more in H3 would be unnecessary bloat, given the scope of what the game has to accomplish.

Related to that last point--and potentially a very, very controversial opinion--I don't think we'll be actually seeing Quen lands. Londra's data at the end of Burning Shores gives us five places to investigate, some we've seen, some we haven't, all in the same geographical vicinity as the regular map. (One of the looks to be near Malmstrom Air Base...HELLO BAN-UR!) Given that we have to deal with HEPH and Nemesis and bringing together all of the existing tribes--to handle the Quen revolution just doesn't fit. Plus the decentralization from the last two games is dissonant, to place half the map there...not to mention some of the continued problematic optics that would come up if the revolution turns into Aloy's Doing. Save that for a future spin-off.

...or, more likely, I do believe a contingency of the Quen will be coming to us as H3's primary human enemy (as the Eclipse or the Rebels). GIVE ME LOYALIST FEDERA.

I personally think the map will be centered on Meridian, extending to the Sacred Land in the east, with a somewhat condensed map of the West to Legacy's Landfall--with new areas of The Claim and Banuk to the north.

[sparklewrites1]

Imagine the crows getting stuck in the world of horizon zero dawn/forbidden west (We’ll do hzd for now cause both games have two different maps.)

HEAR ME OUT HEAR ME OUT imagine Elisabet had tried something before project zero dawn, a project for interdimensional travel to save humanity and go to another dimension or reality essentially, but no matter how much she tried she just couldn’t get the machine right, so she goes on to create project zero dawn, which is successful.

ANYWAYSSS centuries later the machine (we’ll call it project HERMES for now i feel like Elisabet would’ve named it that.) starts up again and basically malfunctions and pulls the crows from their world into HZD (DON’T ask me to explain the science.)

Anyways the crows gain consciousness and are hella confused as to why they are in some lush ass forest. I feel like Jesper would be the first to speak up and be like “Where the hell are we?” and of course no one has an answer to that question. Kaz is gonna be the one asking questions like “What do you all remember before you lost consciousness?” to try and connect the dots n shit, he probably thinks they’ve been kidnapped and somehow dumped in a forest. Wylan is already up and about examining the foreign plants, berries, and flowers and whatnot.

Now I think Inej would be the first one to hear the metallic thumping coming from within the forest, then Wylan would hear it next, and the rest of the group would follow. “What the hell is that?” Nina would say, she’d also realize she can’t feel a heartbeat so whatever is coming at them isn’t human.

Just then a watcher leaps out of the bushes. Now imagine their surprise when a yellow light quickly washes over them as the watcher scans them. The light aka the watchers eye turns red and it jumps at them. I feel like it would jump at Wylan first cause he’s probably the closest to it seeing that he's messing around in the bushes n stuff. Anyways Jesper of course jumps into action with his guns and shoots at the machine, (The body not the eye yet) but to no avail. Matthias jumps onto the action next and tries to subdue the watcher and he’d be somewhat successful, by that I mean he's got it in some kind of headlock for about a minute or so. During that minute Jesper would make one more attempt to shoot at the watcher, but this time he’d aim straight for the eye. And finally after a short but stressful battle. The watcher would be down.

Now EVERYONES freaking out cause wtf was that???

“What in saints name was that?!” Jesper would shout, Inej would be helping Wylan while simultaneously freaking out. Nina would be checking on matthias, and Kaz would be by the machine's body, examining it. They don’t know what to call it, so Jesper would cleverly name it a ‘Metal Devil’ (HEHEHHE DO YOU GET THE CORRELATION?)

So now the group is tryna figure out what they should do and they pretty much decide to explore since there's literally nothing else to do.

Anyways they’re now trekking through a foreign land that they are completely unfamiliar with, Wylan is picking up plants and berries that he’d like to save for examining later. Inej is on high alert watching for more strange metal creatures. Nina is checking on Matthias, Jesper, and Wylan every once in a while for injuries and whatnot.

All is relatively okay until they hear the thumping again when they are nearing a clearing. But this time it's louder and the ground shakes with every thump.

Now they’re really freaked, because how big is the monstrosity coming towards them now?

That's when they hear a voice in the bushes. “Get down!” A red head whisper-yells “Now!” They hurry to the bushes, not wanting to meet the wrath of this new creature “Why are you out here with no weapons?!” The red headed woman yells. Kaz is the first to take notice of her strange attire and the triangular shaped piece of what he assumes is jewelry on her temple.

“We have weapons!” Jesper raises his guns to show them to her, she would only give them a confused look, being unfamiliar to that type of weapon. The red headed woman also takes notice of the knives being held in Inej’s hands, but that would be useless against the machine. Especially the one entering the clearing.

The entire group made sure to get lower into the bushes as the monstrosity made its way across the land.

“Thunderjaw…” The red head mutters.

“What?” Jesper would say.

“A Thunderjaw.”

“Is that what you call it?” Inej asks. Aloy nods, taking out her bow and arrow and getting in position to shoot.

She shoots. And the arrow lands on the side of the Thunderjaw, but that's not it, a blast emits from the arrow, tearing off a few parts of the machine and exposing the heart. The machine is now unfortunately on high alert.

“You,” She turns to Jesper. “Do those shoot?”

“Of course.” He would say.

“You see that glowing core? Shoot it- Wait, you a good shot?”

“The best.” He’d cockily reply. Jesper aims his gun toward the machine but before he pulls the trigger she says something.

“You might wanna shoot twice.” The redhead says. “Those things don’t go down too easily.”

“Alright…” Jesper had both of his guns raised, and BOOM he shoots it straight in the core with two bullets and its body goes crashing down. “Doesn’t go down easy you say?” Jesper brags as he stands up from the bush but is quickly shushed and pulled back down.

The redhead is already sprinting across the field in the direction of the thunderjaw. That's when he notices that it's still “breathing”.

The redhead is on top of the Thunderjaw within seconds and plunging her spear into the core, making sure to twist it as well for extra measure. Now it's surely dead. She turns towards the group and gestures for them to come over. And they do so, but cautiously.

“Relax, the coast is clear.” She says as she taps the jewelry on her temple. “So, who are you guys?”

“Jesper Fahey, at your service.” He winks.

“Nina Zenik.”

“Wylan.”

Inej, Kaz, and Matthias stay silent.

“I see your friends aren’t the talkative type. I’m Aloy.”

“No surname?” Kaz finally speaks.

“Uh. No. Not really.” She replies. “Where are you guys from? Meridian? Your accents sound a bit different from most Carja if so.”

“Carja?’ Inej would query, giving Aloy a curious look.

“You’re not Carja?” confusion strikes Aloy, “Oseram?”

“Is she speaking Kerch?” Jesper would confusedly ask his friends.

“Kerch?” Aloy would say, not familiar with the word.

“Kerch. As in Ketterdam.” Jesper would say.

“Ketter…dam? Is that somewhere in the west?” Aloy would ask.

“West of what?” Jesper would ask.

“The east…?" Aloy would respond confusedly.

(THATS ALL I HAVE FOR NOW LEMME KNOW IF YOU WANT MORE IK THIS IS NOT A COMMON CROSSOVER IDEA BUT GOODNESS I LOVE ITTTT)

[discar]

HZD Terraforming Base-001 Text Communications Network

Chapter 40 | Prev chapter | Next chapter Chapter Index

SilverVixen: I assure you, I am almost ready.

FlameHairSavior: Almost as in minutes, hours, or days?

SilverVixen: Days.

FlameHairSavior: Fine.

Icarus: MY part is ready. And if we had gone with my plan, we would be done by now.

ADMIN [Zo]: Please stop bringing that up.

Icarus: Just because you are too immature to accept necessary sacrifices does not change the truth.

ADMIN [Zo]: This isn't even about your actual plan any more, you're just being annoying.

HIMBO: YEAH, WHO'S IMMATURE NOW?

FlameHairSavior: Still you, Erend.

DIVINER: Aloy, what are you doing right now? I thought you had more things to do?

FlameHairSavior: I'm almost done exploring a Cauldron. I didn't want to start something else again if we're ready to go.

ADMIN [Zo]: Which Cauldron?

FlameHairSavior: Iota.

ADMIN [Zo]: I don't have that on my map.

[FlameHairSavior] has sent a [MAP LINK] to ADMIN [Zo]

ADMIN [Zo]: Thank you.

FlameHairSavior: It was tricky to get in. The main entrance didn't have anything I could override. Had to find a crevice entrance.

DIVINER: Why wouldn't it have an override??

HIMBO: YOU KNOW, NOW THAT I THINK OF IT, WHY DO ANY OF THEM HAVE OVERRIDES? GAIA NEVER INTENDED THESE THINGS TO BE USED BY HUMANS.

DIVINER: ...huh. You know, that's actually a good point!

HIMBO: WHAT DO YOU MEAN ACTUALLY?

Icarus: It's an insult.

MARSHAL Kotallo: Do you have anything productive to contribute at this point, or are you just going to continue sniping at everyone?

Icarus: Unlike some of you, I can multi-task.

SilverVixen: I notice that Alva isn't denying it being an insult.

DIVINER: I'm not what?

DIVINER: But anyway, I'm still curious about Erend's question! I wish GAIA was still here!

ADMIN [Zo]: Actually, I did speak to her about this a little.

MARSHAL Kotallo: I don't recall seeing anything like that in the chat.

ADMIN [Zo]: It was in person, not in the chat.

ADMIN [Zo]: Anyway, the Cauldrons are at least generally human-traversible and human-safe due to the fact that humans have wandered inside before. GAIA also anticipated the possibility of humans needing to come in to help with maintenance one day, or perhaps to shut down a malfunctioning Cauldron.

DIVINER: Which I guess is basically what's happening!

ADMIN [Zo]: Exactly. She also said something about the "barest minimum of oasha's safety protocols," whatever that meant.

SilverVixen: Do you mean OSHA?

ADMIN [Zo]: Possibly. This was an actual conversation, not a text, I don't know how to spell it.

SilverVixen: OSHA was the American safety regulation and administration board. They made sure factories were as safe as possible. Warning signs around dangerous machinery, clear lanes of passage, and plenty of safety railings. That sort of thing.

FlameHairSavior: Well, the Cauldrons got the clear lanes of passage right, but they forgot about everything else. This one is damaged from an earthquake or something, but none of the others have been much better.

SilverVixen: I have never actually read OSHA regulations, so I don't know which parts GAIA would be able to ignore or circumvent.

HIMBO: REALLY? I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT YOU'D LOVE READING A BUNCH OF DRY REGULATIONS. ISN'T THAT WHAT YOU DO ALL DAY?

SilverVixen: What do you think I do for fun?

HIMBO: YOU STARE AT REALLY OLD PAINTINGS AND RAMBLE ABOUT THEIR HISTORY WHILE DRINKING WINE.

SilverVixen: ...

SilverVixen: I scanned you when I first entered the Base.

HIMBO: OKAY?

SilverVixen: Judging by your current alcohol consumption, I can tell the exact day your liver is going to give out.

SilverVixen: But I'm not going to tell you.

HIMBO: THAT'S JUST PLAIN UNNECESSARY ALL AROUND.

FlameHairSavior: ANYWAY, Zo, did GAIA say why the Cauldrons have override points for humans?

ADMIN [Zo]: Hm? Oh, that's simple: She didn't. The overrides were intended as emergency access for her own machines, if a Cauldron was cut off from the network or otherwise failing to listen to commands. GAIA could directly control a machine designed for maintenance and have it open the way.

HIMBO: YEAH, THAT MAKES SENSE. I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW MANY TIMES I'VE SEEN A TINKER MAKE SOME GUN THAT SHOOTS LIGHTNING OR WHATEVER, BUT THEN IT OVERHEATS AFTER THE FIRST SHOT AND THEY CAN'T EVEN GET THE CASE OPEN TO FIX IT.

FlameHairSavior: Huh, Tallneck.

DIVINER: What does that have to do with anything??

FlameHairSavior: Sorry, still in the Cauldron. Looks like it was building a Tallneck and got interrupted by an earthquake. You don't see these being made a lot.

ADMIN [Zo]: Looking at the map, that explains why there isn't one in the area.

FlameHairSavior: Uh oh.

ADMIN [Zo]: What is it?

FlameHairSavior: Rollerback.

SilverVixen: I have not heard of that one.

MARSHAL Kotallo: It is a machine based on a pangolin.

SilverVixen: You know what pangolins are? I don't know if they were part of the basic terraforming package, but they shouldn't be native to this region.

MARSHAL Kotallo: Sylens directed me towards some nature documentaries.

HIMBO: REALLY?

Icarus: I'm rarely interested in them myself, but they can be quite fascinating.

DIVINER: Um, should we really be bothering Aloy while she's fighting a rolling death machine??

FlameHairSavior: It's fine, I killed it.

SilverVixen: Rolling death machine? Pangolins are tiny.

FlameHairSavior: Well, rollerbacks are huge.

FlameHairSavior: I just have to finish up this Cauldron. One or two more overrides should do it.

HIMBO: YOU KNOW, THAT THING ABOUT THE OVERRIDES EXPLAINS WHY ALOY DOESN'T GAIN FULL CONTROL OF THE CAULDRON AND CAN'T JUST HAVE IT SEND OUT AN ARMY UNDER HER COMMAND.

ADMIN [Zo]: Correct. It's a maintenance function, not enslaving the entire Cauldron.

HIMBO: TOO BAD.

Icarus: I will admit I was hoping for a personal Cauldron the first time I used an override on one. Many of my plans would have been much simpler.

MARSHAL Kotallo: I am curious, would you have ignored Regalla and the Tenakth entirely, or would you have given Regalla more weapons?

Icarus: It would have depended on several factors. I almost certainly would have needed human support somewhere along the way.

MARSHAL Kotallo: Of course. I should have known.

DIVINER: Aloy! Not that I'm trying to change the subject or anything, but are you out of the Cauldron yet?

FlameHairSavior: Uh, no. Things got weird. It's broken, remember?

ADMIN [Zo]: If you're texting while fighting again...

FlameHairSavior: No, no, the normal exit was blocked so I have to go under the Cauldron and follow a weird path. Bunch of moving parts and things.

FlameHairSavior: And now I'm above the chamber. Guess I have to fix it.

SilverVixen: Do you really believe you can fix a broken factory made by an ancient AI, which hasn't been able to solve the problem in however many years it has been since the earthquake?

HIMBO: NAH, SHE DOES THIS SORT OF THING ALL THE TIME.

MARSHAL Kotallo: In the Grove, she literally brought the lost Visions back to life.

Icarus: I watched her fight a state-of-the-art war machine and come out on top. Note that this was after she fought through about a dozen of those war machines that were already heavily damaged by wear and time.

DIVINER: She's a saint in at least two religions!

ADMIN [Zo]: Maybe three.

DIVINER: Oh? The Utaru are that grateful for what she did with the land-gods?

ADMIN [Zo]: There's been some discussion.

SilverVixen: What exactly do you expect her to do?

FlameHairSavior: Maybe they expect me to ride the Tallneck head along the conveyer belt, shooting hostile machines that try to stop me, let the head reattach, detach a construction arm, and then ride the completed Tallneck up the elevator and into open air?

SilverVixen: ...

SilverVixen: Please tell me you recorded all of that.

DIVINER: I'm already making a compilation video!

Chapter 40 | Prev chapter | Next chapter Chapter Index

[robo-dino-puppy]

city on the mesa

[loumauve]

every day I wake up and remember how bugged Horizon Forbidden West still is and ask myself why I'm even playing it at all

[woppy42]

I’m on the final main quest for Horizon Zero Dawn..... I’m not ready for it to end T_T

[iamanemotionaltimebomb]

I’m playing HZD for the first time by myself (I've watched someone play It when it first came out, so I know the story).

Anyway, I think I've mildly fucked up. I’m already level 27 and I only arrived at Meridian yesterday. 

I’m not even doing this on purpose, I fuck off to try and unlock all the tall necks first to get the map unlocked, and then the game is like “ya know what? Let’s spawn 10 sawtooths right here” and I’m stupid, stubborn and scared (and really bad at this game), so I just switch to story mode and kill them all before they kill me and accidentally gain 2-3 levels in the process.

[ofcowardiceandkings]

ANYWAY what i actually rocked up here for is to say that im gonna start streaming art again on Wednesday around 4pm BST through twitch, i just snapped and picked a day and time or i wouldnt ever go ahead and do it lmao

im @ friththetraveller over there

current plan is for warm up doodles, BotW map things, some Randivor recolouring, possibly some HZD art thats been giving me a headache, and just maybe a few rounds of garticphone if i need a break lol ... i have a webcam and there will probably be cat content all 4 of them are loud and nosy hfksdjjd ...

[ilikedetectives]

Hi, did you play every AC game? If yes, in term of game plays which are the easiest? For someone without much experience in games, ty!

Not every AC game, because I can handle only so much of cookie cutter games at a time. Before I say more, lemme get this out of the way first: I played the Ezio trilogy back in 2018 because Da Vinci’s Demons was cancelled and I wanted more Da Vinci content and the white and red hoodie looks cool. In other words, I didn’t play the game because it’s called Assassin’s Creed.

The AC games I played so far, by the order of which one I play first. I’ll rate gameplay by my personal preferences (because it’s the only way I know how).

Ezio’s trilogy (AC2, AC Brotherhood, AC Revelations, played in 2018): decent parkour, minimal grind (just invest in the villa and you’re a millionaire in a day or two), very story focused (perfect balance of historical and modern plots). Decent combat. The golden years of AC and I agree.

Unity (played a few months after Ezio): good parkour, medium grind (bigger map and more items to upgrade, you still get to invest in properties so it helps). Time-saver items are on sale for real money aka MTX (ew). Combat is ok, not much difference since Ezio. Historical story is meh (I don’t care for Arnold because Elise’s story is more interesting) and they completely ditched the modern plot (you think Odyssey has little modern day plot, try Unity). Buggiest AC game I encountered and I played this game 4+ yrs after launch (hold on to that thought, keep reading). Ubi spent all of their time and budget doing the interior design (which is gorgeous btw) that they have none left to fix the bugs.

Black Flag (a few months after): chasing flying papers is my favorite activity to NOT do. Grindy af (no property investment). I can’t tolerate the controls for the ship so I hate everything that involves ship in this pirate game, except for sea shanties. You’ll have more fun playing this game as a pirate than an assassin. Combat feels the same since Ezio. Other mechanics are like Unity (understandable). Modern plot is minimal, but it makes bloodline irrelevant and there’s a....soul inside a computer server that wants to possess a human body, meanwhile said soul’s husband is a maniac who has unlimited reincarnations (realism, I know). Black Flag is the gateway game that convinces me that I should stop wasting my brain cells in “what kinda bs realism is dis?”

Odyssey (a month after launch, bought solely because of Kassandra also when I heard Odyssey is set before the creed, oh fuck yea I don’t need to sit through another rehash of Creed crap or at least minimal anyway): oh gods a breath of fresh air from the old controls where you have to hold R2 whenever you want to run and my fingers hurt sfm. Climbing is the best because the protag actually moves where you want them to move. MTX (ew). Grindy but because the combat and movements are smooth, best combat so far; I don’t see Odyssey as grindy because I enjoy my time playing (also Kassandra); I platinum the game on PS4 at around 130 hrs I think, could’ve been earlier but photomode. Fun quests that I giggle whenever thinking about them (I don’t remember shit about any quests in any other AC game, but then again Kassandra). People bitch about no parkour but who parkour in the 450BCE?!?!? Full disclosure: I never cared for parkour and never will. I stop caring for modern plot after how Unity and Black Flag handled it. Playing Odyssey makes me realize that I enjoy AC games more if idgaf for the AC aspect, rather, I play for the fictional historical tourism aspect. Just ditch the AC and voila, blue sky and fresh air. Playing Odyssey also makes me realize that I want a spin-off IP that focus on the Isu so we can go full fantasy. Do I need to say how pretty Odyssey is? lol

Origins (planned to play Origins first, but Kassandra. Also, I remember Amunet from AC2, but somehow we play as a dude in Ancient Egypt, I’m not too eager to find out, despite I prefer Egyptian mythology over Greek and I’d like to thank Yu-gi-oh for that): combat is clunky, heavy, and slow, though no need to hold R2 to run so phew. Grindy af. The bow mechanics is a decade outdated (Horizon Zero Dawn came out the same year and oh boi the difference is night and day, oh yea I played HZD before Origins. I get it the bow isn’t the focus but does it have to feel like Skyrim in 2017?). I’m glad I play this game for the Ancient Egypt (which is beautifully designed *chef kiss*) aspect and no more. 

Syndicate (I play this along side of Origins, still haven’t finished it though. Literally bought the game for Evie and I nut over Victorian fashion): combat is no different from Unity. Grindy like Black Flag and Unity. Story is meh in both historical and modern plot so far. Evie is the only reason I’m still trying to play this game. At least the Helix outfits are included in the Gold edition of the game. Victorian London is gorgeous tho.

Valhalla (only care for this game because Eivor. Tbh after God of War and Hellblade, idc for another Viking game): game is buggy af, buggiest AC game I’ve played. Combat is like Origins but worse: the only saving grace is the finishing move & the bow mechanic hasn’t been improved since Origin; I honestly would rather have combat from the Ezio games over whatever-this-is. You have to toggle a button to run now, which is dumb af because I miss Origins and Odyssey automatic run. They bring parkour back (because Vikings totally dig parkour back in the Dark Ages) as well as the-character-doesn’t-move-where-you want-them-to from the older games. Chasing flying papers from black flag is back, no thx. Looting enemies is useless, but hey you get to run around to look for a key or two or THREE to get some minimal amount of materials; so imagine if 2/3 of every chest in Origins and Odyssey are locked. Oh! You have manually pick berries/food to heal, no healing potion, wtf is this half-ass RPG shit? Side quests, oh sorry World Events, aren’t tracked in an open-world game (guess who hasn’t been doing these bitches?). Grindy af. I’m wasting my time looking at the skill points interface (you have 99 lv in Odyssey, 55 in Origins, 403 power in Valhalla. A game doesn’t feel like grindy if you level up every 2 quests for 403 times, does it? lololol). The useless SP tree is so massive that I just don’t use the skills I acquire because it takes too much time to find out which buttons to push to locate the 10 skills in this 403-dot clusterfuck, but the astronomy design is beautiful (gotta give credit when it’s due). Scummy practice from Ubi: releasing “time-saver” pack AFTER reviews are published. Also, who wanna bet there will be more mtx outfits than in-game outfits? Don’t worry, Ubi makes inventory management cLEaNeR for you *hands over 8 outfits for an RPG game*. The free event bugs tf out of your already buggy event, but hey, you’ll get a free outfit that’s a reskin of what you already have, teeheee be grateful. Eivor is amazing but by the gods playing this game is a chore. Tbh I only play Valhalla if I don’t feel like playing Ghost of Tsushima that day. Lastly, why is England so yellow like it’s Ancient Egypt?!?!? And why the sunlight moves faster than Eivor’s running at full speed? Which parts of this game does realism count?!?!?!?

Unsolicited opinion: GoT is an example of how an AC game should be and how DLCs should be handled, but with Ubisoft it will never be and I’m so fucking glad that it is Sucker Punch Prod which handles feudal Japan with utmost respect and realism. See how “honor” is handled in both games and compare the writing. Ubisoft should have announced ding dong AC is dead and create a new IP, but AC is their most financially successful franchise so expect more of this MTX, I mean, grindy RPG approach with minimal narrative. 

[thessalian]

Top five video games for the express purpose of distracting from *gestures vaguely at the outside world*?

5 - Cook, Serve, Delicious. It’s a typing game, basically. The kind of thing that keeps my skills sharp. Also time management, which appeals to me, and I like cookery, so there’s that. (I should get CSD3, honestly; there’s apparently a mechanic that makes my one annoyance of the game basically go away.)

4 - [Insert Hidden Object Game here]. Honestly, it doesn’t matter which Hidden Object Game; I skip the story bits half the time anyway. I’m in it for the Zen of the puzzles. Though I am fond of the Midnight Mysteries series.

3. The Room series. Puzzle games in the same vein as the Hidden Object, really. I mean, I could have theoretically said “Assemble With Care”, but The Room’s whole premise has a kind of eldritch horror element to it that just is a little bit more my jam.

2. House Flipper. This is made of Zen for me. Enough physical involvement in what one’s doing that it feels like enough effort for a distraction, but low-stakes enough that there’s no pressure, really, unless going for a particular achievement. Plus I love decorating. Still looking forward to the Luxury Stuff expansion next month.

1. Horizon Zero Dawn. I used to play DA:I for the “Zen out over pretty skyboxes and collectable-collecting while pretending the story doesn’t exist”, but HZD took over from DA:I immediately upon trying Aloy’s adventures in post-apocalyptic USA. Because of how its mechanics are set up, you’re still involved in the story even as you’re trying to hunt up a specific part or bit of meat, or exploring a part of the map you haven’t seen yet. It feels less like ‘ignoring the story and going out of your way’, if you get me. But there’s still the Zen of mapping out a tactical hunting plan and blowing through it. I think I will be replaying this one because I love it, not because it’s easier.

[phthalology]

favorite video games of the decade . . .

. . . judged more by hours spent interacting with them in various ways rather than an objective measure of novelty or quality. there are plenty of great games that aren’t on this list that might appeal to other people more or less. these are part of how I mapped my decade. 

2017 presented such obvious choices it was difficult to decide between (HZD, Destiny 2), so I went with a smaller game I played in another year, but which came out in 2017 and needs more love. 

2010: Mass Effect 2 

“However insignificant we might be, we will fight, we will sacrifice, and we will find a way! That’s what humans do."

2011: Portal 2 

“Did you know that people with guilty consciences are more easily startled by loud noises? [train horn] I'm sorry, I don't know why that went off. Anyway, just an interesting science fact.”

2012: Journey 

2013: Pokemon X/Y

“Tomorrow is the only thing that comes to you even if you don't do anything. Everything else in life has to be fought for, so go out and get what you want!"

2014: Destiny

“All ends are beginnings.” 

2015: Soma

“I woke up in my bed today, a hundred years ago.”

2016: Dishonored 2 

“This is where my life ended and where it began again. It's where they made me.”

2017: Tacoma

“The ALF recognizes you as a sentient consciousness worthy of protection and respect.” 

2018: Destiny 2: Forsaken 

"WHY DOES IT DO THIS? He's afraid. OF DEATH? Of everything.”

2019: Control 

“Push your fingers through the surface into the wet. You've always been the new you. You want this to be true."

Honorable mention: Titanfall 2 (2016), Heaven’s Vault (2019) 

[lxdymaria]

top 5 open world games?

1. horizon zero dawn! i love all the really unique areas. the scenery is one of my favourite parts, just the sort of game where you can walk around for hours. 

2. borderlands 3! i recent favourite. by far my fav part of the game is being able to visit different planets and explore. eden 6 is my personal favourite i love the colours, the aesthetic, the music! it’s wonderful.

3. assassin’s creed odyssey! as a little classics nerd i love this game anyways but i have so much love for walking around in this game...i hardly ever use a horse i just walk around everywhere bc it makes my heart flutter. i love being able to walk around these reconstructions is so amazing. (definitely helped me visualize a lot of stuff when i was in my greek architecture class last semester)

4. read dead redemption! a little daunting with the absolute size of the map but still so beautiful. felt a lot more confident not using the map to get around once i was at the end of the game/playing it a second time. same reason for why i like hzd, i love walking around and finding cool little details.

5. dragon age inqusition! i know some people complain about the size of the maps but i’ve always thought it was perfectly sized. i’ve finished the game 8+ times so embarrassingly i rarely need to actually use the map to know where im going. favourite area by far is emprise du lion.

[dausy]

So I plan on finishing an illustration today and hopefully get it uploaded. I have a tentative first day at a new job tomorrow and now I'm stressing over that.

but also I spent the entire day out of town yesterday. We took our first ever outdoor rock climbing trip yesterday and I think all of us are feeling it today.

I felt kind of bad because I didn't have a chance before January to talk about some stuff I accomplished last year of all my hobbies and what I wanted to accomplish this year. So I figured I'd do a looksy backsy and ramble for a bit. Hopefully with cute divider icons if tumblr formats correctly.

so anyway, art related stuff. This time last year I was really wanting to try and build my own stationery set to sell at a local craft fair. Have to admit moving makes this seem too far out of reach. I do kinda feel like abandoning tiktok for youtube. Even though tiktok has the majority of my everything right now. Im at the moment enjoying the bloggy style rambling of youtube. I already have quite a few projects that I want to do but I feel like its been so long since I've uploaded an illustration that I need to do that first. I also have quite a few art supplies that I want to buy..maybe with like my first paycheck.

Games, last year I somehow managed to utilize my switch a lot. That thing went up on a shelf for a long time after animal crossing a few years ago and this past year I pulled it out quite a bit. I really need a goodreads but for video games so I can track what I've played because my memory is getting so bad. I played quite a few cozy games like ooblets and disney dreamlike valley but I also did some jrpgs like Atelier Sophie and Xenoblade Chronicles. I did just download harvestella as a break from xenoblade but I did enjoy the style of that game and would kind of like to play its sequels. I also at some point had meant to play Octopath traveller because I'd never played it and the sequel is out/coming out soon and the sequel looks better than the original imo.

The bulk of my playing though was Horizon Zero Dawn and its sequel. I played Assassins Creed Valhalla before that too so that was A LOT of open world explorey explorey, one right after another. I played HZD and immediately started Forbidden West immediately. I was really brain dead at the end. I get into insane map clearing mode and I cannot do anything until the map is clear. I really liked the idea of the story and I liked the open world nature. I originally wasn't interested in the game because of the machinery involved. Im more of a mystical dragons and castles person but I actually did really like the idea. I had some issues with the execution of the story. It taking itself so seriously yet being so cartoony at the same time. Ill play the triquel but I wasn't thrilled with HFW really.

Books. Previous year I did a personal challenge of trying to read 100 books and I think I got to 98. So I was a bit burnt out this past year. I did read more than I thought. Think I thought I read maybe 15 but I counted and read about 33 not including the Harry Potter Philosophers stone reread that I read in spanish. I do plan hopefully to read book 2 in spanish this year. I'm studying spanish and HP is such a familiar story I think it makes the language less daunting.

My favorite books were definitely Legends and Lattes and Home Before Dark by Riley Sager.

This year I have no real plans to read any sort of amount and I dont want to feel pressured to do so. I'm finishing some books that I didn't complete before 2022 ended. I finished 5 Days at Memorial right before the clock hit midnight practically on 2023 and it made me so angry at the medical field. I added 2 more medical books to my tbr. Ill finish 2 more books that are halfway done probably in the near future and then I don't know what else to read.

Ill admit trying to film art for youtube really interupts ones audiobook experience. I may just ditch books for ambient music.

[movedmovedblogs]

Ghost of tsushima’s combat feels so so good it’s up there in my fav open world games that are actually fun to play. like i look forward to liberating the farmsteads and stuff like that it’s just so much fun. and it honstely feels very rewarding to liberate a settlement and have it become a place with a merchant/ fast travel. also unrelated but i love LOVE that there isn’t a mini map it makes me so glad i always concentrate only on the mini map and it’ll annoy me so bad and make my eyes hurt but the guiding wind works so well it’s just SO GOOD!!!

[bastionkeeper]

I don't think anyone follows me for hzd rn but I'm gonna jot down some quick headcanons on shit I'd love to write anyway

-I played the frozen dlc after I beat the game and I think the story flows better jd that all happened after Hades. That Aloy went North after the big fight, trying to get a little space after everything that happened

-she got to look Sobek in the face, she's one of 2 (or more...) humans who understand what's really going on, and everyone keeps calling her "annointed" she wants some space so she goes north

-after CYAN confirmed the other Gaia subroutines are up to stuff, or Hephaestus at least, Aloy decides her next step is to track down all these subroutines starting with that one. Since that's the one making machines specifically to kill people

-watching Ourea die was tough. She's seen and had a hand in a lot of death, but watching someone die for something they believed in and someone they loved just hit a little too close to Rost's death

-Aloy is polyam and Erend is one of many broken hearts she didn't quite leave behind, but you know... physically left behind, as she continues her search for answers. She misses them all though, and thinks about them a lot.

-she really does try to live by Sobek's wish for her daughter: willful, curious, compassionate. When she finds herself too curious she remembers compassion, and when she finds herself too emotional she remembers logic. She always has will to go around.

-I dunno if there's life outside the map of the game, and if they've talked about it, but I think Aloy definitely leaves this insular region of Carja, Oseram, Nora, Banuk, etc as she tries to find the subroutines

-Aloy is strong as a thunderjaw but she's also seen a lot and not had a lot of time to process it, she has nightmares and flashbacks and aches in her body from bones that healed weird or bruises and scars that are freshly faded. She becomes an efficient warrior in battle doing what she needs to do to survive and keep going, but she's frozen once or twice and it sticks with her. Not just cause "wow that's terrifying that's a huge machine bearing down on me to kill me I'm scared" but also cause part of her thinks "I've beaten worse than this what's wrong with me get it together"

-Conversations with Sylens get much fewer and farther between (he's too busy trying to get answers from Hades and Aloy is busy meeting new people and exploring new places)

-she does come back and talk to CYAN like she promised, to tell her stories of the new world

-her and CYAN often playfully refer to each other as cousins, both having a creator or genetic donor involved in the HZD project

-she's often kept awake at night wondering what Rost would think of her after all the answers she's found about who she is and why she was made

Anyway y'all are welcome to jump in my inbox with more or to talk about these whenever

Okay especially after the frozen wastelands dlc I’m sure of two things

1. Aloy is the strongest motherfucker on the planet

2. She’s gotta have so much ptsd

[m4kkie]

Yup, just played HZD for about 14 hours. :') Good game and I love Aloy, shocking no one. The size of the map is a bit daunting but tbfh I think I'm just going to ignore anything that isn't a quest. It's just your typical Assassin's Creed/Farcry shit to do anyway, like FUCK you Ubisoft for normalising this shit in open world games. Also restrictive skill trees with abilities that should be available to you. Anyway... only stopped playing because I have to sleep. Really hoping I can ride more than just the cow looking thing, though jacking the sawtooth to fight another sawtooth was pretty fucking baller. OH YEAH, THE CAULDRONS? THOSE ARE FUCKING COOL. Great area designs, 10/10.