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aion-rsa · 4 years ago

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The Star Trek: The Original Series Episodes That Best Define the Franchise

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By the time my generation got to watch Star Trek: The Original Series, the episodes often were being presented in top-ten marathons. When I was ten-years-old, for the 25th Anniversary of Star Trek, I tape-recorded a marathon of ten episodes that had all been voted by fans as the best-ever installments of The Original Series. Later, I got lucky and found Trek stickers at the grocery store and was able to label my VHS tapes correctly. But do I think all the episodes that were in that marathon back in 1991 were really the best episodes of all of the classic Star Trek? The short answer: no. Although I love nearly every episode of the first 79 installments of Star Trek, I do think that certain lists have been created by what we think should be on the list rather than what episodes really best represent the classic show.

This is a long-winded way of saying, no, I didn’t include “Amok Time” or “The Menagerie” on this list because, as great as they are, I don’t think they really represent the greatest hits of the series. Also, if you’ve never watched TOS, I think those two episodes will throw you off cause you’ll assume Spock is always losing his mind or trying to steal the ship. If you’ve never watched TOS, or you feel like rewatching it with fresh eyes, I feel pretty strong that these 10 episodes are not only wonderful, but that they best represent what the entire series is really about. Given this metric, my choice for the best episode of TOS may surprise you…

10. “The Man Trap”

The first Star Trek ever episode aired should not be the first episode you watch. And yet, you should watch it at some point. The goofy premise concerns an alien with shaggy dog fur, suckers on its hand, and a face like a terrifying deep-sea fish. This alien is also a salt vampire that uses telepathy that effectively also makes it a shapeshifter. It’s all so specifically bonkers that trying to rip-off this trope would be nuts. Written by science fiction legend George Clayton Johnson (one half of Logan’s Run authorship) “The Man Trap” still slaps, and not because Spock (Leonard Nimoy) tries to slap the alien. Back in the early Season 1 episodes of Star Trek, the “supporting” players like Uhura and Sulu are actually doing stuff in the episode. We all talk about Kirk crying out in pain when the M-113 creature puts those suckers on his face, but the real scene to watch is when Uhura starts speaking Swahili. The casual way Uhura and Sulu are just their lovable selves in this episode is part of why we just can’t quit the classic Star Trek to this day. Plus, the fact that the story is technically centered on Bones gives the episode some gravitas and oomph. You will believe an old country doctor thinks that salt vampire is Nancy! (Spoiler alert: It’s not Nancy.)

9. “Let that Be Your Last Battlefield”

There are two episodes everyone always likes to bring up when discussing the ways in which Star Trek changed the game for the better in pop culture’s discourse on racism: “Plato’s Stepchildren” and this episode, “Let that Be Your Last Battlefield.” The former episode is famous because Kirk and Uhura kiss, which is sometimes considered the first interracial kiss on an American TV show. (British TV shows had a few of those before Star Trek, though.) But “Plato’s Stepchildren” is not a great episode, and Kirk and Uhura were also manipulated to kiss by telepaths. So, no, I’m not crazy about “Plato’s Stepchildren.” Uhura being forced to kiss a white dude isn’t great.

But “Let that Be Your Last Battlefield,” oddly holds up. Yep. This is the one about space racism where the Riddler from the ‘60s Batman (Frank Gorshin) looks like a black-and-white cookie. Is this episode cheesy? Is it hard to take most of it seriously? Is it weird that Bele (Frank Gorshin) didn’t have a spaceship because the budget was so low at that time? Yes. Is the entire episode dated, and sometimes borderline offensive even though its heart is in the right place? Yes. Does the ending of the episode still work? You bet it does. If you’re going to watch OG Star Trek and skip this episode, you’re kind of missing out on just how charmingly heavy-handed the series could get. “Let that Be Your Last Battlefield” is like a ‘60s after-school special about racism, but they were high while they were writing it.

8. “Arena”

You’re gonna try to list the best episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series and not list the episode where Kirk fights a lizard wearing gold dress-tunic? The most amazing thing about “Arena” is that it’s a Season 1 episode of The Original Series and somehow everyone involved in making TOS had enough restraint not to ever try to use this Gorn costume again. They didn’t throw it away either! This famous rubber lizard was built by Wah Chang and is currently owned by none other than Ben Stiller.

So, here’s the thing about “Arena” that makes it a great episode of Star Trek, or any TV series with a lizard person. Kirk refuses to kill the Gorn even though he could have, and Star Trek refused to put a lizard costume in a bunch of episodes later, even though they totally could have. Gold stars all around.

7. “Balance of Terror”

The fact that Star Trek managed to introduce a race of aliens that looked exactly like Spock, and not confuse its viewership is amazing. On top of that, the fact that this detail isn’t exactly the entire focus of the episode is equally impressive. The notion that the Romulans look like Vulcans is a great twist in The Original Series, and decades upon decades of seeing Romulans has probably dulled the novelty ever so slightly. But, the idea that there was a brutally cold and efficient version of the Vulcans flying around in invisible ships blowing shit up is not only cool, but smart.

“Balance of Terror” made the Romulans the best villains of Star Trek because their villainy felt personal. Most Romulan stories in TNG, DS9, and Picard are pretty damn good and they all start right here.

6. “Space Seed”

Khaaaan!!!! Although The Wrath of Khan is infinitely more famous than the episode from which it came, “Space Seed” is one of the best episodes of The Original Series even if it hadn’t been the progenitor of that famous film. In this episode, the worst human villain the Enterprise can encounter doesn’t come from the present, but instead, the past. Even though “Space Seed” isn’t considered a very thoughtful episode and Khan is a straight-up gaslighter, the larger point here is that Khan’s evilness is connected to the fact that he lived on a version of Earth closer to our own.

The episode’s coda is also amazing and speaks of just how interesting Captain Kirk really is. After Khan beat the shit out of him and tried to suffocate the entire Enterprise crew, Kirk’s like “Yeah, this guy just needs a long camping trip.”

5. “A Piece of the Action”

A few years back, Saturday Night Live did a Star Trek sketch in which it was revealed that Spock had a relative named “Spocko.” This sketch was tragically unfunny because TOS had already made the “Spocko” joke a million times better in “A Piece of the Action.” When you describe the premise of this episode to someone who has never seen it or even heard of it, it sounds like you’re making it up. Kirk, Spock, and Bones are tasked with cleaning-up a planet full of old-timey mobsters who use phrases like “put the bag on you.” Not only is the episode hilarious, but it also demonstrates the range of what Star Trek can do as an emerging type of pop-art. In “A Piece of the Action,” Star Trek begins asking questions about genres that nobody ever dreamed of before. Such as, “what if we did an old-timey gangster movie, but there’s a spaceship involved?”

4. “Devil in the Dark”

When I was a kid, my sister and I called this episode, “the one with giant pizza.” Today, it’s one of those episodes of Star Trek that people tell you defines the entire franchise. They’re not wrong, particularly because we’re just talking about The Original Series. The legacy of this episode is beyond brilliant and set-up a wonderful tradition within the rest of the franchise; a monster story is almost never a monster story

The ending of this episode is so good, and Leonard Nimoy and Shatner play the final scenes so well that I’m actually not sure it’s cool to reveal what the big twist is. If you somehow don’t know, I’ll just say this. You can’t imagine Chris Pratt’s friendly Velicrapotrs, or Ripper on Discovery without the Horta getting their first.

3. “The Corbomite Maneuver”

If there’s one episode on this list that truly represents what Star Trek is usually all about on a plot level, it’s this one. After the first two pilot episodes —“Where No Man Has Gone Before” and “The Cage”—this was the first regular episode filmed. It’s the first episode with Uhura and, in almost every single way, a great way to actually explain who all these characters are and what the hell they’re doing. The episode begins with Spock saying something is “fascinating” and then, after the opening credits, calling Kirk, who is down in sickbay with his shirt off. Bones gives Kirk shit about not having done his physical in a while, and Kirk wanders through the halls of the episode without his shirt, just kind of holding his boots.

That’s just the first like 5 minutes. It just gets better and better from there. Like a good bottle of tranya, this episode only improves with time. And if you think it’s cheesy and the big reveal bizarre, then I’m going to say, you’re not going to like the rest of Star Trek.

2. “The City on the Edge of Forever”

No more blah blah blah! Sorry, wrong episode. Still, you’ve heard about “The City on the Edge of Forever.” You’ve heard it’s a great time travel episode. You’ve heard Harlan Ellison was pissed about how the script turned out. You heard that Ron Moore really wanted to bring back Edith Keeler for Star Trek Generations. (Okay, maybe you haven’t heard that, but he did.)

Everything you’ve heard about this episode is correct. There’s some stuff that will make any sensible person roll their eyes today, but the overall feeling of this episode is unparalleled. Time travel stories are always popular, but Star Trek has never really done a time travel story this good ever again. The edge of forever will always be just out of reach.

1. “A Taste of Armageddon”

Plot twist! This excellent episode of TOS almost never makes it on top ten lists. Until now! If you blink, “A Taste of Armageddon” could resemble at least a dozen other episodes of TOS. Kirk and Spock are trapped without their communicators. The crew has to overpower some guards to get to some central computer hub and blow it up. Scotty is in command with Kirk on the surface and is just kind of scowling the whole time. Kirk is giving big speeches about how humanity is great because it’s so deeply flawed.

What makes this episode fantastic is that all of these elements come together thanks to a simplistic science fiction premise: What if a society eliminated violence but retained murder? What if hatred was still encouraged, but war was automated? Star Trek’s best moments were often direct allegories about things that were actually happening, but what makes “A Taste of Armageddon” so great is that this metaphor reached for something that could happen. Kirk’s solution to this problem is a non-solution, which makes the episode even better. At its best classic Star Trek wasn’t just presenting a social problem and then telling us how to fix it. Sometimes it was saying something more interesting — what if the problem gets even harder? What do we do then?

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The humor and bombast of “A Taste of Armageddon” is part of the answer to that unspoken question, but there’s also a clever lesson about making smaller philosophical decisions. In Star Wars, people are always trying to rid themselves of the dark side of the Force. In Star Trek, Kirk just teaches us to say, “Hey I won’t be a terrible person, today” and then just see how many days we can go in a row being like that.

What do you think are the most franchise-defining episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series? Let us know in the comments below.

The post The Star Trek: The Original Series Episodes That Best Define the Franchise appeared first on Den of Geek.

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furniturejust · 3 years ago

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Vanilla mage drops rewards dire maul

For this one, you'll need ridiculous luck, insane PvP skills, or an army of friends willing to help you! Yells when he spawns.įrom the chest at Gurabashi Arena, that spawns every 3 hours. They are everywhere along the beach.ĭrop from Mok'rash, an elite giant at Janeiro's Point. Spawns in the buried bottles of the Wild Shore. Randomly spawns on the floor of the Bloodsail ships at the southernmost area of STV. If you manage to get this one, consider yourself lucky. Very low drop rate so be patient!Ī random world drop with an extremly low drop chance, everywhere. Random drop from any of the Burning Blade cultists at Thunder Axe Fortress. You need to be in the The Swarm Grows quest to be able to loot the carapace and get this quest. You need to complete The Ashenvale Hunt to get this quest.ĭrop from Galak Messenger, a centaur that wanders the northern part of Thousand Needles, close to The Great Lift.ĭrop from the silithid at the The Rustmaul Digsite. You need to complete The Ashenvale Hunt to get this quest.ĭrop from Sharptalon. You need to complete The Ashenvale Hunt to get this quest.ĭrop from Shadumbra. Why can Horde take this one? No idea.ĭrop from Ursangous. Random drop from the murlocs at Westfall. Random drop from the gnolls at Fenris Isle. Rare elite with a VERY long respawn time.ĭrop from Aean Swiftriver, a night elf elite that patrols the Southern Gold Road with her little army and has probably killed you at least once. You can find it anywhere!ĭrop from Silithid Harvester. Inside a barrel that spawns randomly at The Barrens. Random drop from the undead at the Agamand Mills. Very hard to get because of all the competition, and has a long respawn time! To open the chest, you need the key that drops from Lieutenant Benedict.Īt the floor of a small hut south of where Chief Sharptusk Thornmantle is located.ĭrops from Ghost Howl, a rare wolf that wanders around Thunder Bluff. And lastly, I tried sorting them by zone level with low level zones/dungeons first, but that's not too accurate.įound in a locked chest at the top of Tiragarde Keep. Also, you can't miss them, and the whole point of this list is for you (for me, actually) not to miss any quests! I also classified them in regular leveling quests, dungeon quests and raid quests. The only ones I excluded are the repeatable reputation quests in Cenarion Hold (Silithus), since those are boring, random, and well, repeatable. And there WILL be missing items, no doubt. If you notice any missing item, please tell me so and I'll add it! My intent is for this list to be definitive, with no items missing. This is based off my own experience playing the game in both actual vanilla and private servers, and some research online. here is a list of all the items that start a quest that I know of. I tried looking online for something like this, but wasn't able to find it so. RPG's are made for quests! So naturally my goal in Classic WoW is to do as many quests as humanly possible. Questing is my favorite thing to do in WoW.

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entergamingxp · 5 years ago

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How Voyages work, Tall Tales explained, and other goals to get you started • Eurogamer.net

Swashbuckling, open-world sandbox Sea of Thieves has changed considerably since its debut in 2018, and its release on Steam is the perfect excuse to pay it another visit.

Adventures now come in all sorts of shapes and sizes in Sea of Thieves’ sandbox; there are bite-sized voyages, big cinematic quests, tough optional challenges such as the Skeleton Forts and Skeleton Fleet battles found by sailing to a skull or ship cloud – and others that evolve emergently while out in the world. You can even do a spot of fishing.

Your first port of call, however, should be the Maiden Voyage tutorial, which provides basic hands-on experience with the likes of sailing and ship repairs. Even then, you might have questions about what to do from there – once the entire ocean is yours for plundering.

This page will explain how to get started and what to do in Sea of Thieves, and the various types of quests and adventures available to you.

On this page:

How Sea of Thieves works: Progression, structure and goals to get you started

At its heart, Sea of Thieves is a open-ended sandbox, which rarely dictates how you should play. Its non-linear structure means you’re pretty much able to define your own goals, and progress can be whatever you make of it. There are, however, certain tasks and achievements which can give structure to the experience as you while away the hours on the ocean.

You might, for instance, decide to work your way through the hundreds of bite-sized Achievement-like challenges known as Commendations, which can earn you titles, gold, doubloons, even rare cosmetics; you might prefer some swashbuckling adventure, courtesy of Tall Tales, which brings story and unique mechanics to the Sea of Thieves.

What are Trading Companies?

If there’s one thing that could be considered an overarching goal though, it’s the long journey toward becoming a Pirate Legend – a hard-to-achieve title that grants access to the Legendary Hideout and an exclusive faction known as Athena’s Fortune.

In order to be crowned Pirate Legend, you’ll need to reach Level 50 in any three of Sea of Thieves’ six applicable Trading Companies: the Merchant Alliance, the Gold Hoarders, the Order of Souls, the Hunter’s Call, the Reaper’s Bones, and the Sea Dogs (found in Arena mode).

To level up in each Trading Company, you’ll need to perform specific tasks that grant Reputation. For instance:

Donating fish and meat to the Hunter’s Call

Defeating Emissaries to further the nefarious aims of the Reaper’s Bones

Participating in Arena mode battles to impress the Sea Dogs

In the case of the Gold Hoarders, Merchant Alliance, and Order of Souls, turning in items and completing special quests known as Voyages

In all instances, as you rise through the ranks of a Trading Company and reach specific milestones, you should speak to their representatives at outposts and seaposts in order to unlock the next tier of rewards for a small amount of gold.

These include special titles, new cosmetics, and, in the case of Voyage-based Trading Companies, harder quests with higher payouts. Notably, in order to maintain Sea of Thieves’ level playing field, you’ll never earn items that will make you stronger or give you a player advantage.

Eventually, after some considerable toil, you’ll reach Level 50 in three Trading Company, at which point you’re able to speak to the Mysterious Stranger loitering toward the back of any outpost tavern to earn the title of Pirate Legend, which we explore in more detail elsewhere.

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How Voyages work in Sea of Thieves

The type of quest you’ll likely encounter most frequently are Voyages, which form the backbone of the Sea of Thieves experience. These are guided activities which lead to one or more islands on the ocean, where you’ll be required to complete a specific task.

Each Voyage type offers a a slightly different focus, and can be purchased from those representing four of the seven available factions (Hunter’s Call, Reaper’s Bones and Sea Dogs don’t offer Voyages).

Three of these four Trading Companies – the Merchant Alliance, the Gold Hoarders, and the Order of Souls – can be found at each of the seven outposts on the Sea of Thieves:

Trading Companies found in The Devil’s Roar, incidentally, while functionally similarly to those elsewhere, offer tougher quests with higher rewards.

The other Trading Company which offers Voyages, Athena’s Fortune, is only accessible to Pirate Legends from within the Legendary Hideout.

Let’s go through these one-by-one.

The Gold Hoarders indulge in the classic pirate activity of treasure hunting, handing out treasure and riddle maps that lead to loot on specific islands.

Some take the form of an X-marks-the-spot maps, and you’ll first need to visually determine your destination by comparing its island to those on your ship’s ocean-wide map. Riddle maps, meanwhile, will name your destination in the first line, and then gradually reveal clues relating to landmarks on that island.

Voyages are completed once you’ve located all associated treasure for the current Voyage, but you won’t get gold rewards or Reputation until you hand that loot over to a Gold Hoarder representative at any outpost.

The Order of Souls concerns itself with the acquisition of unearthly knowledge, siphoned from the skulls of the undead. As such, the Trading Company’s quests demand that you search out and defeat fabled Skeleton Captains and their crews, turning their skulls over to an Order of Souls representative once the deed has been done.

Mechanically, Order of Souls Voyages are probably the simplest available; each time, you’re told exactly which island to visit and how many Captains you’ll need to defeat in order to compete the voyage. Do remember that while Voyages end once all targets have been eliminated, you won’t get any gold or Reputation until their skulls have been turned in.

The Merchant Alliance specialises in procuring and shipping trading goods and their Voyages comes in two flavours. Basic voyages will require you to locate a animals – pigs, snakes, and chickens – of specific colours and then drop them off with a Merchant Alliance vendor at a named location.

The second type of Merchant Alliance Voyage takes the form of a Cargo Run, requiring you to collect a number of goods from an NPC (often but not always located on the starting outpost), as listed on the Voyage itself. Then it’s a matter of delivering them to another NPC, located at another outpost, a seapost, or even an island.

Goods must be delivered before the deadline (use the stopwatch in your inventory to keep track of time) and can deteriorate if mishandled, reducing the reward granted upon delivery; plants must be kept wet, rum bottles must be kept unbroken (jumping, falling, and impact will damage them), and cloth must be kept dry, so avoid storms and dunking them in the ocean. Unlike other Trading Companies, Merchant Alliance Voyages are only completed once all goods have been delivered.

Athena’s Fortune is a faction for Pirate Legends that have proven their worth elsewhere on the Sea of Thieves, and its Legendary Voyages are lengthy undertakings. Each generally consists of eight individual Voyages selected randomly from across the Gold Hoarders, Order of Souls, and Merchant Alliance, so expect a lot of variety here.

Once all eight Voyages are complete, you’ll be granted one last Voyage, mechanically similar to those of the Gold Hoarders. However, this final chapter will lead to an enormously valuable Chest of Legends, providing gold and the Reputation required to level up in the faction once handed to the Mysterious Stranger loitering toward the rear of any outpost tavern.

What to do first in Sea of Thieves: How to start a Voyage and vote for a quest

When you’ve decided what type of Voyage you fancy – killing Skeletons, digging up buried treasure, or rounding up animals – pick the related Trading Company representative at an outpost and have a chat with them. You’ll able to use your gold to purchase a Voyage and can hold up to three unactivated Voyages of any sort at a time.

Note that each representative will only have three Voyages to sell within any in-game 24 hours period, and their stash will replenish at 6am each day.

When you’ve bought a selection of Voyages, decide which you want to do first, and then head to your ship, which should be moored up at the dock nearby. Once onboard, place the quest on the Voyage Table (not to be confused with the large map table) then get all crew mates to vote to begin the Voyage by interacting with the scroll that appears. It’s also possible to vote to cancel the voyage in the same way.

Once a quest begins, you’ll be treated to a small musical flourish and an on-screen title card, at which point one or several maps will appear in your quest wheel (which is separate to your equipment inventory) and will remain their until each task is complete. With the maps at hand, that’s it! Your quest has begun – and it’s up to you now to go and solve it.

Note that Voyages will only remain active for the duration of a session – all in-progress Voyages will be forfeit and all maps will disappear once the last crew member has logged off.

Note that random Gold Hoarders, Merchant Alliance, and Order of Souls maps can also be acquired by poking around in barrels or opening messages-in-bottles found on your travels. These will be added to your quest wheel immediately (voting isn’t necessary to begin them), and don’t contribute to your three unactivated Voyage limit.

What are Tall Tales and how do I begin one?

Sea of Thieves’ second type of guided quest arrives in the form of Tall Tales. These are fully voiced, highly cinematic (and usually several-hours-long) swashbuckling adventures full of fearsome baddies, deadly traps, forgotten islands, and more, and each usually introduces its own unique mechanical twist.

Unlike standard Voyages, progress is saved as checkpoints are reached, meaning you can quit the game at any time and resume at a later date using the save slot in the relevant tab.

Tall Tales can be activated by interacting with a specific item in a specific location – and, as with Voyages, a majority of crew members will need to vote on the item to get the adventure underway. Provided the option is turned on in your Settings menu, your ship’s map will display tooltips indicating the locations of all currently available Tall Tales. If an icon is greyed out, you may need to complete earlier quests in a specific story arc.

A good place to start is the Shores of Gold Tall Tales story arc, which consists of nine sequential quests leading to the titular lost island and its boundless treasures. To embark on the quest line, visit the Mysterious Stranger at any outpost tavern and interact with the journal on the barrel to the right. As you complete each Tall Tales chapter, the next will unlock, and you’ll be given prompts on where to proceed next.

Each Tall Tale can be repeated as often as you like and there’s incentive to do so in the form of optional sub-quests which grant additional Commendations and rewards. These can be found in the Commendations > Tall Tales section of the in-game menu.

What are Commendations in Sea of Thieves?

Commendations are optional smaller-scale challenges that players can work towards over time, eventually unlocking titles, currency rewards, even special cosmetics, ranging from unique ship parts to tattoos.

These don’t formally begin and end in the same way that Voyages and Tall Tales do, but can be tackled as and when you choose. Simply peruse the available Commendations in the relevant menu, find something you like, and get cracking.

Usefully, these are sorted into thematic groups – so you might consider attempting several related Commendations at once – and more are added on a regular basis.

Getting started? Read what to do in Sea of Thieves and take take part in the Maiden Voyage tutorial, which teaches you the essentials of sailing and ship battles. It’s also useful for beginners to know how to survive fights with skeletons and the kraken. Elsewhere we have advice on how to get easy gold and doubloons, everything you need to know about fishing in Sea of Thieves and Sea of Thieves island maps.

What are some of the other activities and quests I can do in Sea of Thieves?

As well as the above, Sea of Thieves features recurring and limited-time events and quests beyond those of the core game. These offer a range of rewards and provide new goals to work toward on a regular basis.

Daily Challenges

Somewhat similar to Commendations, Daily Challenges (introduced in May 2020) are optional small-scale challenges that offer gold or doubloon rewards when completed. You’ll find the day’s current quest listed in a panel on Sea of Thieves’ main menu before entering the world. Daily quests refresh at 12:59am (UK time) each morning.

Regular Events

Rare is beginning to experiment with Regular Events, which introduce a specific recurring activity to the Sea of Thieves at fixed times.

At the time of writing (June 2020), Rare is running a mind-boggling array to celebrate the Steam launch.

There is also currently the new Fort Nights event, which runs every Friday from 7pm to 7am in the UK, increasing the rewards received when players turn in stronghold loot from Skeleton Forts. Details of regular events should appear on Sea of Thieves’ main menu, its Twitter page, and events hub website.

Limited-time Bilge Rats Adventures

Sometimes, a monthly update might introduce a new limited-time Bilge Rat Adventure. These can be perused and purchased from the jovial fellow known as Duke, who hangs around inside all outpost taverns. Bilge Rat Adventures run the gamut of challenges, from PvP-focussed events to Voyages designed to introduce new mechanics.

They’ll often come with their own limited-time rewards and Commendations, so it’s always worth speaking to Duke to see what’s new. Some rewards and Commendations will stick around after an event, but time-limited ones are always clearly marked.

Limited-time Events

In addition to Bilge Rats Adventures, Sea of Thieves features longer-term limited-time events (usually lasting several weeks), themed around specific activities. These usually require players to complete challenges in high numbers – catching a certain quantity of fish, for instance, or sinking a certain number of ships in Arena Mode – in order to receive limited-time rewards.

Somewhat unhelpfully, these don’t, at the time of writing, have a formal presence in-game; although progress is recorded, it’s not visible from any menu. Instead, you’ll need to keep track using the relevant page on Sea of Thieves’ event hub. These events can crop up unexpectedly on Rare’s whim, so it’s worth keeping an eye on the official Twitter page for more details.

from EnterGamingXP https://entergamingxp.com/2020/06/how-voyages-work-tall-tales-explained-and-other-goals-to-get-you-started-%e2%80%a2-eurogamer-net/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-voyages-work-tall-tales-explained-and-other-goals-to-get-you-started-%25e2%2580%25a2-eurogamer-net

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paradoxicalca · 6 years ago

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Slap Shots and Self-Pleasure: A critical historical assessment of a hockey film classic

Without question, the greatest sports movie in cinema history is the 1977 classic “Slap Shot”, starring Paul Newman and Michael Ontkean – and a host of actual pro hockey players filling in various roles. You're free to disagree with me by citing any of a number of other classic sports movies, but you are simply wrong. Although there are some fine sports movies, and a few that rise to the highest strata of cinema, “Slap Shot” trumps them all.The movie was written by Nancy Dowd; the genesis of it came when Nancy received a phone call from her (hockey-playing) brother Ned, who was drunkenly regaling her with stories from life in the minor leagues. During the conversation, Ned mentioned that his team was being sold and he had no idea who even owned the team he was playing on (the Johnstown Jets of the North American Hockey League [NAHL]). Nancy, with no film credit to her name, started writing a story based on a minor-league team with an uncertain future and an unknown owner. Much of the screwball antics that take place during the movie, by the way, were either true or mostly true.In “Slap Shot”, we follow the minor-league Charlestown Chiefs, a minor-league team with an unknown owner and an uncertain future with the imminent closure of the local steel mill. Player-coach Reg Dunlop (Newman) clashes with star player Ned Braden (Ontkean), and with Chiefs' general manager Joe McGrath (longtime Western film veteran Strother Martin). The film opens with a Chiefs' loss, followed by a promotional fashion show featuring clothes modeled by irate Chiefs players. Dunlop and McGrath continue to clash, and it comes to a head when McGrath orders Dunlop to the local bus station to pick up “the new boys”.Dunlop's mood turns to annoyance when he arrives at the station and finds three teenagers in Coke-bottle glasses pummeling a vending machine over a quarter. And the annoyance turns to rage when he gets the three checked in at a hotel and sees that their luggage is filled with toy cars. Arriving at the arena, he storms after McGrath and calls him a “cheap son of a bitch”, before this legendary exchange.McGrath: I got a good deal on those boys. The scout said they showed a lot of promise.Dunlop: They brought their fuckin' toys with 'em!McGrath: I'd rather have 'em play with their toys than with themselves.Dunlop: They're too dumb to play with themselves! Every piece of garbage on the market, you gotta buy it!McGrath: Reg. Reg, that reminds me. I was coachin' in Omaha in 1948, and Eddie Shore sends me this guy that's a terrible masturbator. Couldn't control himself. He would get deliberate penalties so he could get into the penalty box all by himself, and damned if he wouldn't, you know, mm-mm-mmm-mmmm...Dunlop: Oh, Joe, geez.McGrath: Oh, what was his name...Later in the movie, we see a brawl that takes place during pre-game warmups. This is based on an actual event. We see a brawl in which players go into the stands to fight fans after being hit by objects thrown by spectators, with some players being arrested and then bailed out of jail – this also happened (even before the infamous Mike Milbury shoe-beating event!). And of course, nearly anyone who played minor league hockey in the 1970s can tell stories about the rest: the long bus rides, the chasing girls, the local economic instability of small towns, getting up close and personal with enraged opposing fans...it all rings true in the world of hockey.But the idea of a player who would take deliberate penalties in order to play with himself in the penalty box? In a movie that's so heavily based on true stories, is there anything to this?Let's begin.Pro hockey got its start in Omaha for the 1939-40 season, as the Knights of the American Hockey Association took the ice for the first time. In their first year of existence, the Knights qualified for the playoffs. In the semi-finals, they knocked out the St. Louis Flyers in a best-of-five series which featured four one-goal games. But in the finals, the St. Paul Saints defeated Omaha, three games to one, to take the championship. (Between Omaha in 1939-40 and Vegas in 2017-18, maybe all first-year hockey teams should be called the Knights!)Omaha missed the playoffs the next year (1940-41). But in 1941-42, after finishing third in their division, the Knights went on a tear and swept though all three playoff rounds to take the championship. And as it turned out, this would be the last game played in AHA history – World War II forced many industries to close their doors for the duration, and minor league hockey was no exception.In 1945, some of the leftover AHA teams formed a new league: the United States Hockey League (USHL), which was a minor league that is unrelated to the modern-day USHL. The 1945-46 Knights lost in the first round of the playoffs, despite the presence of a Saskatchewan farm boy named Gordie Howe. The 1946-47 team lost in the finals against the Kansas City Pla-Mors.And this bring us to the 1947-48 season. Now, in “Slap Shot”, Joe McGrath simply says, “I was coachin' in Omaha in 1948, and Eddie Shore sends me this guy...”, which does not specify whether the player in question was acquired in the latter half of the 1947-48 season or in the first half of the 1948-49 season. Either way, we'll keep going.Eddie Shore, a Hall of Fame defenseman and widely regarded as one of the all-time great players, has a load of legendary stories about him. There's the one about how a player's stick almost completely sliced his ear off, and no doctor would attempt to re-attach it. Shore found one who would, rejected anesthetic, and insisted on holding a mirror to “make sure that you sew it on straight”. There's the one about how he missed the team's train to Montreal, so he caught a cab, alternated driving duties with the cabbie, and eventually crashed into a snowbank – upon this bit of misfortune, Shore simply hitchhiked and then walked the rest of the way, arriving minutes before the opening faceoff...and he then played 58 out of 60 minutes (the only two minutes off being a penalty that he took), and scored the only goal in a 1-0 Bruins win.Now, this was during his playing career. In 1940, Shore purchased the Springfield Indians of the American Hockey League and ran every part of the team. This story from Sports Illustrated, dated March 13 1967 and written by Stan Fischler, describes only a small part of what it was like to play under Shore in Springfield. (Not featured in this article is the thoughts of former Springfield defenseman Don Cherry, who referred to Shore as “The Prince of Darkness” for a multitude of reasons.)From the linked article:Can anyone believe a man would open a training camp by ordering two dozen rugged hockey players to tap dance in the hotel lobby or execute delicate ballet steps on ice? Would any ordinary coach tape a player's hands to his stick? Or work out day after day with players despite four near-fatal heart attacks? Is it conceivable that a club owner would instruct players' wives to avoid relations with their husbands in the interest of a winning team? Is it conceivable, either, that a man would actually lock a referee out of his dressing room as punishment for "poor" officiating? Or order his players to make popcorn, blow up balloons and sell programs when they're not in the game?And one more: is it conceivable that such a coach would discover that one of his players had a habit of excessive self-pleasure, and ship him off to any team that would take him before this could be discovered? Knowing Shore, who once had his goalie tied to the net in practice to prevent the goalie from flopping to the ice to make a save, the answer is “yes”. But...did it happen?In 1947-48, Omaha suited up twenty-four different players during the season, including future first-ballot Hall of Fame goalie Terry Sawchuk. Of these twenty-four players, eight of them played for a different team at some point during the 1947-48 season: Sawchuk played three games with the Windsor Hettche Spitfires of the IHL, Paul Gauthier played 27 games with the Houston Huskies of the USHL, Max McNab played twelve games with the NHL's Detroit Red Wings, Harvey Jessiman played 38 games with the Philadelphia Rockets of the AHL, and four other players (Calum MacKay, Al Dewsbury, Bruce Burdette, and Thain Simon) played games with the Indianapolis Capitals of the AHL. None of them played a single game with Shore's Springfield Indians, although five of them played games with other AHL teams.So it must have been the 1948-49 Omaha Knights who had the player in question. This team only had twenty different players suit up during the season, so finding the answer should be easy.Of the twenty players on the 1948-49 Knights, only five played with another team at any point during the season: forward Gordon Haidy (48 games with Indianapolis), and goalies Don MacDonald, Bob DeCourcy, Jim Shirley, and Gordie Bell. MacDonald played a single game with the Fresno Falcons of the PCHL, DeCourcy a couple games with Kansas City in the USHL, Shirley with St. Louis of the AHL. Gordie Bell, meanwhile, suited up with the Fort Worth Rangers of the USHL...and with Springfield of the AHL.So there was in fact a single player who suited up with both Omaha of the USHL and with Shore's Springfield Indians of the AHL in the 1948-49 season, although the date that he arrived in Omaha and where he had just been are unknown.But remember, in “Slap Shot”, Joe McGrath specifically said that the player would take deliberate penalties to get into the penalty box...According to the stat page for the 1948-49 Springfield Indians, the team run by Eddie Shore, Bell played four games in goal and had no penalty minutes. In 13 games with the 1948-49 Fort Worth Rangers, Bell played thirteen games and had no penalty minutes. And in Omaha in 1948-49, a team coached by McGrath, Bell played 36 games in goal...and had no penalty minutes.“Wait!”, you may say, “I see a separate line! Bell did have two penalty minutes in his four playoff games with Omaha!” Well, yes, he did. But there's a problem there as well.Goalies don't serve their own penalties.In “Slap Shot”, McGrath said a lot of things that didn't quite mesh with reality. He swore that the team wasn't being sold, which was untrue. He swore it wasn't going to fold, which was untrue. He said there were NHL scouts in the stands, which was untrue. He said an awful lot of things, none of which were true. It looks like we can add one more to the list of McGrath's false statements.TL;DR - Joe McGrath did not coach a player in 1948 in Omaha, who he got from Eddie Shore's Springfield team, who would take deliberate penalties for the purpose of self-pleasure. The only player who Omaha had at all during that time period who came from Springfield at all was a goalie who took one single penalty, and goalies don't even serve their own penalties.Bonus viewing of the movie scene in questionSpecial thanks are due to /u/ralphslate, founder of hockeydb.com – I've been using Ralph's site for over 20 years, and it's the first site I go to for quickly-accessible hockey statsAdditional bonus viewing from the movie with the Syracuse Bulldogs' special lineup for the championship game. Pro players Connie Madigan, Joe Nolan, Mark Bousquet, Blake Ball, and Ned Dowd – the original inspiration for the movie – all make appearances. Slap Shots and Self-Pleasure: A critical historical assessment of a hockey film classic Source

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homepictures · 6 years ago

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I Will Tell You The Truth About Tips For House Design In The Next 27 Seconds | tips for house design

English-born Vanessa Gilbreath launched her best ceramics rental aggregation afterwards hosting a examination affair at her Marietta home for Prince William’s wedding. She was inundated with guests, who went agrarian over her tea sets and ancestors china. Since then, she’s accumulated added than 1,000 mix-and-match abode settings from country abode auctions and British manufacturers, which can be busy for weddings, banquet parties, and added contest beyond the Southeast.

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What’s appropriate about English china?When I was growing up, we would appointment august homes and distill over the banquet sets on display. I formed as a assistant at some rather appropriate country homes and castles and was able to absolutely analyze the butler’s abdomen and advance an acknowledgment for the quality. Also, visiting the sites area ceramics and ceramics accept been fabricated for hundreds of years gives me an acknowledgment of ability and adroitness that I adulation to share.

Do you accept a favorite?I admire chintz, which comes in a countless of styles, colors, and patterns. Best accepted is the Summertime pattern, which appearance added pinks and burgundies, but the chicken backgrounds with sprinkles of wildflowers are adamantine to beat. Again there’s paisley chintz—extraordinary!

Any admonition for bond patterns?Relish it! I like to aces out one blush on a plate, generally from abounding colors, and again acquisition addition allotment that appearance that color, too. Nothing’s amiss if you like it.

You’re from the acreage of manners. What tabletop “rules” do you break?Just because a boullion basin is fabricated for boullions and soup doesn’t beggarly it can’t authority shrimp and grits or ice cream. Use teapots for florals—it’s whimsical. And plates are fun: Hang them on the walls! A aphorism I follow: Consistently lay flatware correctly—do not abash your guests.

Credits: Linen and placemat, BBJ Linen Rental, 700 Miami Circle. Bentick by Royal Cauldon banquet plate, Minton bloom plate, Minton aliment plate, Charnwood by Wedgwood boullion bowl, Westland by Wedgwood demitasse and saucer; all accessible to hire from Best English Teacup and her Etsy armpit (minimum adjustment $400).

Photography by Jason Lagi

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Lifestyle designer, clear artist, and columnist Khristian Howell creates ablaze patterns and poppy motifs she licenses out for aggregate from iPhone cases to wrapping paper, cards, and pillows. Formerly a bolt artisan for Nordstrom, Howell boasts absolute blush eyes (that’s a thing) and makes use of it as a trend and architecture agent for AmericasMart. She has additionally served as an able antecedent for the brand of HLN and Real Simple, area she gives tips for creating blessed spaces and hosting absolute parties.

What new tabletop trends are you loving?Mixed metallics are the new normal, but don’t beddy-bye on silver. It is advancing aback able to mix up the balmy metals we’ve accepted for years now. Colored bottle is advancing bottomward the pike, and I’m additionally admiring matte black—in flatware, glass, and alike stainless accessories and accouterments in the kitchen.

Do you accomplish your own placecards?These were fabricated by bounded artisan Niki Malek of Hey Lux. I adulation them because they are a abundant analogy of how a accurate artisan can accomplish what is so elegant, expert, and well-crafted attending absolutely effortless.

What’s your ambush for avant-garde florals?This is a preserved plumosum from South Africa (thank you, Anthropologie!). I am so color-driven that I am usually fatigued to authoritative one able blush account with florals. I like them to feel absolutely amenable and accept that I-woke-up-like-this sensibility.

What abroad makes a table feel special?Candlelight—even in the daytime.

Credits: Glenna banquet plates ($88), Waterfall glassware ($16), preserved floral ($28 for eight flowers); Anthropologie. Banquet plates, aliment plates, flatware; Peachtree Tents & Contest rentals. Stones, Blue Ocean Traders, AmericasMart.

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Photography by Jason Lagi

Lance Jackson and David Ecton, the consistently preppy brace abaft autogenous architecture close Parker Kennedy, are accepted for their awakening Palm Beach appearance and a ability for entertaining. Over the years, they’ve accumulated a barn abounding of best and aged furniture, china, and chinoiserie, which they advertise via Chairish and Instagram. Their accepted above architecture activity is their own—a century-old Mediterranean Revival in Commerce that already belonged to Georgia governor L.G. Hardman. The dining allowance will bench 14. @parkerkennedyliving, @pklthecellar

What is your best admired ceramics pattern?Antique Rose Medallion (on egg cup) and Aged Famille Rose (bread plate). We adulation them because of the mix of colors—pinks, blues, green, and touches of orange. They can brace with about anything.

Where are the best places to collect?Auctions are a abundant abode to acquisition the best of the best after a abundant price. We adulation the coursing and get so aflame if we’re in a baby boondocks on a backroad in the average of boilerplate and acquisition an 1800s allotment of Rose Medallion. I consistently try to brainstorm how it got there—who endemic such a accomplished allotment of ceramics and what all it has apparent in its lifetime. We accept about eight sets of ceramics appropriate now.

What tips do you accept for accumulation florals?Arrange fresh-cut flowers in assorted vases and heights. First, consistently cut your stems at an bend and blight the ends with hot, hot water. Add a tiny bit of achromatize to the boutonniere to accumulate flowers fresh.

Credits: Custom emerald blooming and white Schumacher chinoiserie tablecloth. Best white Fitz and Floyd pagoda-style alkali and pepper shakers.

Small-Kitchen Design Tips | DIY – tips for house design | tips for house design

Photography by Jason Lagi

Emily Hertz, the appearance and affairs blogger abaft Born on Fifth, celebrates about any break and doesn’t authority aback (she brought in an Atlanta Ballet ballerina for her daughter’s Swan Lake–themed additional altogether party). The above administrator of business for Spanx is now a affair stylist accepted for tabletop spreads that are classic, decadent, and overflowing with blooms. You can boutique her appearance (including ceramics and flatware) on her dreamy-hued Instagram and website. @bornonfifth

What floral trends are you seeing?I am consistently addicted of big-faced flowers like garden roses and peonies, but carnations are absolutely accepting a moment—who would accept thought? With carnations, blush is key. Go for nudes or dimensional tones. Red carnations are still evocative of Valentine’s Days gone by. For tips, I’d advertence Cathy Graham’s book Additional Bloom. She’s a huge antecedent of inspiration.

What ceramics patterns do you adulation to mix?I like to alpha with a acceptable charger or banquet basin and again add a pop of blush and delicacy with the bloom plate. Herend’s Rothschild Garden arrangement is on my list. I additionally adulation Sasha Nicholas plates if you’re activity to monogram.

Who does your tabletop calligraphy?Kathryn Christenbury of Fleur de Letters is the best calligraphist in the city! Brent Fraim of Dear Elouise cardboard appurtenances angry me on to Kathryn. Brent does cardboard for some of the best acclaimed weddings in the South, so she’s in the know.

Credits: Juliska Madeleine banquet basin ($40), Madeleine bloom basin ($38), Belle Botanica ancillary plates (set of four, $98), Arabella pink-footed beaker ($39), Arabella ample blush aerialist ($32), Sferra hemstitch banquet napkins (set of four, $49), Kim Seybert Natural Capiz placemat ($81), Flare napkin arena ($39), herringbone napkin ($30); Neiman Marcus, Lenox Square. Chantilly silver, eight-piece ambience from $2,500, Beverly Bremer Argent Shop, 3164 Peachtree Road. Hibiscus Linens cocktail napkin ($22.50). Il Papiro Firenze floral placecard (set of 12 for $24). Flowers, Cut Flower Wholesale.

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This commodity appears in our Winter 2018 affair of Atlanta Magazine’s HOME.

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goarticletec-blog · 7 years ago

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The best free Steam games 2018

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The best free Steam games 2018

Getting into the best PC games can be an extremely rewarding experience, but it can definitely get expensive. But, you don’t have to pay top dollar for a great gaming experience, which is why we gathered up the best free-to-play Steam games 2018 has to offer.

Over the last few years, the best free games have become infamous for shoving a ton of microtransactions in your face. But, don’t worry, you won’t have to sign your soul away in an agreement to spend money later on with these games. All the best free-to-play Steam games we picked here can be enjoyed for hours on end, all without spending a dime.

So, fire up your Steam account, boot up one of the best gaming PCs, put your wallet away (for now), and check out the best free-to-play Steam games of 2018.

1. Fractured Space

When it comes to MOBAs (multiplayer online battle arenas), not every game has to be a fantasy-based romp with daggers, spells and cutesy champions.

Take the science fiction ship battles of Fractured Space. Sure, it’s a MOBA-style 5v5 affair, but now you’re in control of a powerful frigate as your hurtle across the stars and attempt to destroy your opponent’s base before your own suffers the same fate.

Skewing the classic MOBA concept as a space-based naval affair gives the setup you know and love a much-needed breath of fresh air, while blowing away all the cobwebs. You can customize your ship and crew, as well as hotkeying weapons and abilities so you can combine the best ships for the task ahead.

It’s one of the most exciting MOBAs on PC, and it’s free to play on Steam.

Download here: Fractured Space

2. Gigantic

Much like Paladins, Gigantic offers a team-based shooter that’s part-Overwatch, part MOBA and part something brand new. Instead of having you defend a slow-moving carriage through a map (because that never gets old) or destroy an enemy base (in classic MOBA style), Gigantic tasks you with killing an enemy giant while attempting to protect your own. Sounds mad, right? It is, but a brilliant kind of mad all the same.

With an art style that mashes up Studio Ghibli flourishes and classic Disney cuteness, Gigantic’s 20-strong character roster offers enough skills, weapons and attributes to appease even the pickiest of players.

Each match is a 5v5 event, with players working together to power up their own Guardian (that’s your giant weapon/walking base) while risking it all to lay siege to the enemy. The roving nature of your Guardian makes every match an intense affair, and best of all, it’s 100% free on Steam.

Download here: Gigantic

3. Star Trek Online

MMOs and film licenses don’t often mix well – from The Matrix Online to Star Wars Galaxies, recognizable universes have rarely lasted in the realm of persistent online worlds. Except for the enduring Star Trek Online, that is. Retroactively made free-to-play following its launch back in 2010, STO gifts you with a crew and a Federation starship and sets you free to sail the stars in true Trekkie fashion.

There are microtransactions available should you want to speed up the levelling/resource gathering process, but STO is consistently generous with its free content, especially to new players looking to see their very own final frontier. It’s also set within ongoing Star Trek canon, taking place roughly three decades after the events of Star Trek Nemesis (you know, that terrible TNG film with Tom Hardy).

With an economy, ever-shifting alliances and a still impressively vast community, STO manages to bottle that magic that makes Star Trek so timeless.

Download here: Star Trek Online

4. Paladins: Champions of the Realm

Paladins launched just after a certain team-based shooter from Blizzard, and it’s hard not see the similarities. Still, that doesn’t mean Hi-Rez Studios’ free-to-play FPS isn’t worth your time – it just means you get play something that’s often just as fun and rewarding without forcing you to break the bank with a full-game price.

With a menagerie of characters to choose from (known as Champions), each match offers an objective-based experience that feels more like triple-A fare than other free-to-play shooters.

Paladins includes everything from Overwatch-style payload defence/offence to a Survival mode akin to the popular ‘battle royale’ sub-genre made popular by PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds and Fortnite. It offers a consistently enjoyable and rewarding place to spend your time, even if it’s a tad derivative.

It’s free to play on Steam, and there’s no need to sink any money into it as long as you’re willing to grind for the first few hours.

Download here: Paladins: Champions of the Realm

5. ArcheAge

MMOs set within the confines of a fantasy setting are hardly new – in fact, almost all of them fit that description to a tee – but very few of them manage to offer just as much diverse content as the Korean-made ArcheAge.

You can do all your usual MMO minutia – questing, gathering resources, looting new weapons and gear, and so on – but grind through its early levels and you’ll discover an online world full of surprises.

Want to conquer lands and lay claim to them? Check. Fancy building your very own castle? Double check. How about forming an alliance and besieging another for control of their land? Triple check. Oh, and how about a naval combat setting that practically adds an entire open-ocean to explore and plunder? All the checks. ArcheAge offers all this and more. Its naval combat mechanics are particularly impressive, enabling you to dispense maritime justice or hunt for loot as a virtual pirate.

Download here: ArcheAge

6. Warface: Blackout

Free-to-play shooters in their more traditional, deathmatch-esque form are often a hit and miss affair, but despite all those polished triple-A offerings from the likes of Activision and EA, Crytek Kiev has managed to put together a robust little FPS that can be just as exciting and enjoyable as many other entries in the bullet-ridden genre.

Warface: Blackout offers four classes to choose from, with weapons, gear, attachments and specific skills tied to each one. Having the right balance of classes in your squad adds a more Battlefield-style teamwork ethic, especially when engineers can repair armour and snipers can pull off game-changing one-shot kills.

After four years of rotation on the field, Warface has also honed its online economy, neatly offering you the ability to spend in-game currency on a rental system that lets you test out guns and gear before investing time and cash into your own version.

Download here: Warface: Blackout

7. Art of War: Red Tides

Are you looking for a MOBA spin-off that’s light on the RTS elements but deep enough to keep you engaged through every match? Well, we’ve got just the free-to-play beauty for you. Art of War: Red Tides takes that classic MOBA structure – funnelling you down a channel with loads of units as you attempt to destroy a base at the other end – but strips out all the busywork in between. It might not appeal to the hardcore among us, but for those looking to replicate the relaxed involvement of a mobile title at your PC, this is right up your alley.

That’s not to say it’s a spectator title. You’ll still need to survey the battlefield and use your energy reserves to build units to counter those already on the field. There are a trio of modes available, but it’s in the 3v3 mode the setup works best, with matches often coming down to which team pulls off the best combo.

Download here: Art of War: Red Tides

8. Warframe

Okay, so the word ‘war’ features quite a lot in some of the best and most popular free-to-play titles, but that’s because few things are as fun to wage when you’re spending no money. Another such example is Warframe – an online melee brawler/shooter that’s evolved into one of the most enjoyable games on PC.

In the form of a sword-wielding space ninja (yes, it’s as cool as it sounds), the game feels like a cross between For Honor and Destiny 2, with modes offering PvE and PvP matches to keep you engaged. There’s even a story mode, and it’s actually pretty fun, if a little repetitive in places.

Developer Digital Extremes has also been incredibly faithful to its creation, rolling out regular updates and events that offer new upgrades and expansion on its burgeoning sci-fi lore. It may have floundered on consoles, but Warframe is very much alive on PC.

Download here: Warframe

9. Star Conflict

There’s been a resurgence for the sci-fi dogfighting subgenre in the last few years – thanks in part to the rise of VR – but there aren’t many titles that let you take to the stars and shoot space ships for nada. In fact, there’s just the one, and it’s one of the most enjoyable games we’ve played on this list.

The game is split into four main modes – PvP, Open Space, Sector Conquest and Missions – offering plenty of content for absolutely no pounds/euros/dollars. You can atomize other players in classic deathmatches, explore an impressively vast universe in Open Space, or head into co-op for a bit of PvE action in Missions. You can set up custom battles with friends if you’re in mood for a private dust up. Ship designs offer different attributes depending on your play style, and earning new ones can be pulled off without spending a penny if you’re willing to grind.

Download here: Star Conflict

10. Atlas Reactor

Part MOBA, part RTS, Atlas Reactor borrows those now ubiquitous decision queues and adds a neat twist: instead of each player acting out their turn one after the other, everyone gets to play at the same time. The result? A strategy game in actual real-time as players move units around the map, exchanging actions in a chaotic flurry. It can be a little more luck based than we would like (since you don’t know what you’re opponents are going to do next, it’s often guess work alone), but the pace soon hooks you in.

Decision, one of two main modes in the game, forces you to make these decisions in 20 seconds or under for each turn (making every match hella fun and hyper intense), while Resolution slows things down into four phases as you plan out your moves and set traps as you attempt to win each 4v4 showdown.

Download here: Atlas Reactor

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etechwire-blog · 7 years ago

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The best free-to-play Steam games 2018

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The best free-to-play Steam games 2018

PC gaming can be a hugely rewarding experience as well as a hugely expensive one, but you don’t have to pay top dollar with our roundup of the best free-to-play Steam games of the moment.

And while free-to-play always has the shadow of the sneaky microtransaction looming over it, you don’t have to play any of these games in exchange for a soul-selling agreement to spend money further down the line. Every ‘free’ game we’ve gathered together here can be enjoyed for hours on end, all without spending a dime.

So fire up your Steam account, put your wallet away (for now), and check out the best free-to-play Steam games of 2018 (so far).

1. Fractured Space

When it comes to MOBAs (multiplayer online battle arenas), not every game has to be a fantasy-based romp with daggers, spells and cutesy champions.

It’s one of the most exciting MOBAs on PC, and it’s free to play on Steam.

Download here: Fractured Space

2. Gigantic

Download here: Gigantic

3. Star Trek Online

With an economy, ever-shifting alliances and a still impressively vast community, STO manages to bottle that magic that makes Star Trek so timeless.

Download here: Star Trek Online

4. Paladins: Champions of the Realm

With a menagerie of characters to choose from (known as Champions), each match offers an objective-based experience that feels more like triple-A fare than other free-to-play shooters.

It’s free to play on Steam, and there’s no need to sink any money into it as long as you’re willing to grind for the first few hours.