Another fun week. Another new hobby to pursue.

I played Dominion a few days ago and found it a lot of fun. We couldn’t finish the game (it would have taken at least another hour), but it’s really quick to learn and fun building a deck. It’s great that there are expansions too, but I don’t really need them just yet. I didn’t realize how fun deck building games actually are.

Anyways, last week I went to the local gaming/comic book shop to pick up the card game One Deck Dungeon. I asked about Magic The Gathering since it’s always interested me as a kid/adult, and collectible trading cards/games has always been a weak spot for me. I started off with collecting Basketball cards and then went to Star Wars: The Collectible Card Game before growing out of it. Because I liked the deck building aspect of Dominion and other similar games, I figured I should check out Magic.

I already know the rules of Magic from various desktop/tablet games, and I absolutely love the artwork, so why not? The guy at the shop told me that the local Magic group is super friendly, and figuring it’s a good way to make new friends, I think I’m going to get a few decks set up to try it out. I picked up the deck builder kit, a few booster packs, and a few starter decks and I’m having a lot of fun so far.

I think what intrigues me is that it’s just as fun to build a deck as it is to play the game. I find it similar to board games where I like reading the rules, and setting it up…but often I find myself too exhausted to actually play a 4 hour game.

With that said. I’m looking to build a Green deck to start. I just have to find the right balance of cards from my deck builder kit and maybe mix it up a bit with some new cards I picked up from the booster packs.

Also, one of the biggest pros is that it doesn’t take up too much space. After picking up a bunch of board games last month, my entire bottom shelf space is completely filled up to the point where I had to box a lot of my collectible figures. I’m still trying to figure out where to put those figures.

With that aside, what else do I want to do this weekend?

I’d like to set up a game of Zombicide: Black Plague. The only issue is that I only have enough table space for one game, and building up Magic decks is taking up most of that space at the moment. I’d also like to build some LEGO and Gundam stuff, but have the same issue…not enough space.

On the PC spectrum. I’d like to play some Elder Scrolls Online, Doom, and some Euro Truck Simulator 2. With ETS2, there is a new ProMods release out that’s compatible with the latest version, so I’m definitely going to check into that.

Also worth noting, I’ll be doing some small hardware upgrades. My keyboard “7” keypad button no longer syncs with the rest of the keyboard. It’s lasted me a good 4 years and I think it’s time for a new keyboard. I’m going with SteelSeries to match the rest of my desktop setup. I also ordered a new sensor for my mouse so it has higher precision, and basically upgrades my mouse from a Rival 700 to 710.

On the PS4, I’m playing through Judgement and it just doesn’t grab me the same way that the Yakuza series has. I’d hate to dump the game, but I really don’t know whether to finish it or continue playing some of my other games. On the Switch, I would like to play some Zelda: Breath of the Wild whenever I get the chance.

With TV, I’m working my way through the Rising of Shield Hero. Really good series an I can’t wait to see how it ends. I’m also just starting Stranger Things, Season 3 so I hope to catch some episodes soon.

That’s about it for now. Hoping for a good rest of the week!

Things are getting back to normal this week. I’ve picked up most of the board games that I’ve been wanting to try out for a few years now. Played a few turns of Eldritch Horror, which looks like a great game to play with others. Most recent is Star Wars Rebellion (the board game, not the PC game of the same name), which I have just set up and looks like a lot of fun. I’m probably going to play a few turns of that game before cleaning up my table and working on some LEGO and model kit projects.

This week, on the TV front, I’m starting on the Hobbit movies since I missed out on them years ago. I’m also working my way through the Star Wars movies again, for like the 10th time while going to finally get through Clone Wars and Rebels when I get the opportunity. Lastly, I’m queuing up Avatar: The Last Airbender, Studio Ghibli films, and Dragon Ball Z Kai. I have a lot to keep me entertained this week.

With PC gaming, I’m playing Final Fantasy XIV again. I’d like to continue the story but as DPS, I’m hitting a brick wall with trying to queue up for the mandatory story dungeon. I rage quit last year when I waited for over an hour and nobody would run through the dungeon with me. This time I’m working towards being a healer, so I instantly get queued up and leveled so I can progress through the story again. I also joined a really cool guild so I can have some people to hang out with while I do this. On the downside, I’ve been neglecting ESO as I simply don’t have time for two MMOs.

On the PS4, I’m playing through Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. I’d like to get through that and eventually go back and play The Witcher 3 before Cyberpunk comes out. There’s also God of War, Horizon Zero Dawn, Final Fantasy XII, and Spider-Man on my queue so it seems like I’ll always have something to play.

Simulators, I plan on running through one or two hauls in American Truck Simulator: Washington DLC. Most likely will do that after this post.

With books, I’m in the Star Wars mood. I want to work through some Star Wars novels and comics. I’m not sure which novel to start on just yet (possibly Lost Stars by Claudia Gray), but with comics I’ll definitely start with the main Star Wars series, followed by Darth Vader.

That’s about it for now. Going to have a really busy week ahead of me. Somehow I’ll have to manage to squeeze all of this in after work each day, at least until next Sunday when I’m off again.

In a world of limitless choice, I’ve struggled to figure out what exactly I like.

With games, there’s just so much endless possibility. Yet there are a few things that haven’t changed in years.

• I like grand strategy games
• I like roleplaying games (CRPGs)

As I start to get back into board games, I see a similar trend.

• I like grand strategy games
• I like roleplaying games (Tabletop)

I’ve tried to force myself to try playing different genres: first person shooters, JRPGs, hack and slash games, platformers, etc. While I enjoy them for one reason or another, I always go back to grand strategy games and roleplaying games.

I think much of it stems from the fact I actually enjoy figuring out how to play them. Sometimes I find reading the manuals, setting up my characters, and learning the mechanics of everything just as much fun as the game itself.

I enjoy simulators for much the same reason. Flight simulators for example…I get so bored during the flight, but spending a couple hours setting up the aircraft, my flight plan, and preparing for landing is what I really enjoy.

So I think it’s easy to narrow down, finally, what I’m really interested in and focus on just a few genres instead of a wide array of genres. I save more money, and I’m generally happier.

I’m still working on figuring out what I enjoy in books. Generally, fantasy novels are a niche that I really am into. I’m also into comic books. But I’m not quite there yet.

The same goes for television. I really like comic book, sci-fi, and fantasy series (and anime). Can’t say the same for much of anything else.

So there’s that.

Hey world,

So not much going on this month. Been snowed in for nearly two weeks, but hopefully it’ll stay somewhat dry the rest of the winter…keeping my fingers crossed.

I’ve been trying to complete at least one game each month, but I’m sadly nowhere near that goal. I also wanted to focus more on JRPGs, but haven’t touched a JRPG in a few weeks.

That’s not to say I’ve done nothing at all. Here’s what I’ve been working on lately:

PC – Focusing mainly on First Person Shooters. Destiny 2, Titanfall 2, Battlefield One. I find I prefer the mouse and keyboard over the controller for FPS’s. Considering getting Anthem for PC, but the reviews aren’t too good just yet. Maybe when it’s on sale…

PS4 – Picked up a PS4 Pro to enjoy the enhanced frame rates and increased resolutions, but playing just Assassin’s Creed Odyssey for now. It’s a fantastic game, though a bit long. I might put it on hold to go play The Witcher 3, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, or Yakuza Kiwami. No decision just yet.

Simulators – Focused mainly on Euro Truck Simulator 2. I tried to get back into X-Plane 11 yesterday, but the thought of picking up ActiveSky, some Orbx addons, and doing a bunch of updates on addons discourages me. Maybe some other day. Also might do some Train Simulator if I have the time.

TV – This is where a majority of my time has been sucked into, and it’s not necessarily a bad thing. With a 4K HDR TV and an excellent sound system, plus the comfort of sitting on the couch and enjoying a not-as-involved activity such as gaming, it’s a great way to pass the time. I’m mainly watching The Grand Tour, and just got into the Magicians and Doom Patrol. Also just added Philo to my Apple TV so I get the missing channels that YouTube TV doesn’t have for $16/month. Not too bad. Still cheaper than cable.

In other news, I’d like to see Alita Battle Angel sometime. I’m considering watching it today, but it’s a lazy day and I might wait for rental.

Also replaced my old Apple network with a new mesh network. No more buffering, slow 4K load times, and weak signals the further away I am from the router. I get full 10-12 mb/s download speeds throughout the house.

Replacing my crappy inkjet printer with a decent laser-jet printer. No more cleaning the header and low-ink reminders after 5 pages of printing. It should be coming in today.

Also the last few weeks I’ve debated on getting Apple Airpods. The current Bose QuietComfort 35’s I have at work is fantastic for the sound quality and keeping out the loud sounds of the labs. But I don’t have any good wireless headphones for home. The Bose Soundsport Free headsets look and sound great, but they look a bit too large for the ears. On the other hand I’ve had issues keeping Apple’s wired headphones in my ears due to the cord getting caught and yanking them out…but wireless it should be a lot better. Also talks well to the iPhone, Apple Watch, and Apple TV. Plus it’s more low-profile so I don’t feel like an android robot walking around like I would with the Bose set. Only issue so far…the ship times are ridiculous, it’ll take at least a week to receive with Prime shipping, and no store around town seems to carry it in stock.

The month of January took an interesting turn. I started off with a goal of working through my gaming backlog, primarily focusing on JRPGs. I ended it just watching TV.

It came out of the blue really. I found a good 4k TV for a good price, and I’ve been looking for a decent TV for a few years now. I also replaced my old soundbar for a better one with quality sound. Why not enjoy some movies, anime, and TV shows I’ve skipped out on?

Just yesterday I upgraded my TV provider. I get double the channels now, including ones I’ve missed the most since dumping Comcast a few years ago.

As a result, I’m spoiled for choice. On top of gaming, there’s now a huge backlog of TV shows I’m going to work my way through…but unlike gaming I don’t feel bogged down in game mechanics, boss battles, repetitive elements, etc. I just sit down, watch, and relax.

There are a few games I’d like to play though, just recently got Wargroove so I’ll try to play that today. I also got Resident Evil 2, but some of the difficulty (sparse save points, limited ammo, backtracking, difficult puzzles, etc) deter me from playing more. Lastly, I picked up Ace Combat 7 which I really do enjoy (as an aviation nerd), but haven’t put too much time into it. I haven’t picked up Kingdom Hearts 3 yet since I haven’t played any of the other games in the series. I might watch some playthroughs on YouTube or something before picking it up.

For now, I’m just enjoying watching some reality TV shows before I get into some different series on Netflix and such.

I have also been in the mood for simulators lately. Orbx has finished up their Great Britain scenery addon, but it comes at a steep cost. I also have to spend a few hours updating various addons before being able to get back into X-Plane 11. Did a few runs on Euro Truck Simulator 2 though, and that was fun I guess…also would like to play some Train Sim World if I have the time.

Hey there,

Got myself a new 4K TV, a new soundbar, and a 4K AppleTV to match. So I’ll be spending a little more time watching some shows and playing PS4/Switch games in 1080p (previous TV only went up to 720p). No plans for the PS4 Pro. With the exception of a few games with enhanced graphics and frame rate support, I don’t see much need for another PS4.

I’ll still be using my PC for most of my other games, primarily FPS’s and games I already own. The only exception is The Witcher 3, which I have over 20 hours on the PS4 and I’d like to continue that save instead of starting from scratch on the PC version.

For JRPGs and console exclusives though, I’m going to try to clock in some more hours on the PS4.

The new TV presents a little more of a challenge in my gaming backlog plans. Now that I can enjoy programming in 4K/HDR/Dolby 2.1 sound, I am going to find myself more into watching movies and TV shows, and less time with gaming. My plan for this is to spend my weekdays watching anime, TV, and movies, then my weekends on gaming. I think this plan will work out, since I’m often too exhausted to play games during my evenings and rather just chill on the couch and watch a show.

I’m not sure what I’m going to play this weekend just yet. I’m considering a bit of Euro Truck Simulator 2 with Promods, but I just can’t be bothered to purchase/download the updated mod, install (and set the priority order) of the mod, set up the wheel, set up the VR headset, do some calibrating, and then after half an hour finally play…in the same amount of time I could be playing or watching something else.

I always enjoy sims when I get them up and running, but sim “maintenance” is just too much.

So what are my plans this weekend?

No clue, I am just going to wing it for once instead of trying to plan things out.

Been a busy Christmas season so far. I have the week off, so I’ve been working on some stuff around my room.

So far I have most of my 1/6 scale figures on display now. I have two left, which I might open up later today, along with another two expected to be delivered today.

My plan is to limit figure purchases to a few high quality figures in 2019. The problem I have is that I own a lot of cheap figures that add up over time and take up way too much space. After sorting many of these out, I realize that I don’t need that many figures.

The same goes for games. I’m in a transitional phase at the moment where I’m trying to decide a good genre to stick with for 2019 that I can reasonably knock out without getting burned out. I fully intend 2019 to be the year of catching up on my backlog. So far this is plan.

Action: There’s a lot of great games that I want to play in 2019. I’d like to play Spider-Man, God of War, Red Dead Redemption 2, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Horizon Zero Dawn, NieR Automata, and the Yakuza series.

JRPGs: This is the big one. JRPGs take up a lot of time, and I fully intend on having at least one in my playlist along with the other genres. I’d like to play Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Persona 5, Dragon Quest XI, Tales of Berseria.

Indie: There’s a lot I’d like to check out. They don’t take as long to play, and many I can play portability on the Switch. I’d like to play Celeste, Bastion, Transistor, Inside, Stardew Valley, VA-11 Hall-A, Banner Saga, and a few others.

CRPGs: There are quite a few I’d like to play, but the open-ended nature of many of these games make them take a really long time to play, making them not as much a priority. I’d like to play Pillars of Eternity, Divinity Original Sin 2, Pathfinder Kingmaker, and The Witcher 3.

Strategy: There’s some games I’d like to play, but it’s hard to justify spending 20 hours on a game of Total War or Civilization VI to possibly end up losing…when I can knock out an action game or a few indie games in the same amount of time. Still, I might play a bit of Total War: Warhammer 2, Civilization VI, and XCOM 1 and 2.

Simulators: This is on the bottom of my list. These games are mostly for relaxation when I don’t necessarily want to play a game or watch an anime…but simply drive a truck, fly a plane, or drive a train from point A to point B. Usually these are something to do on an early Saturday morning. Games I’ll be playing are American/Euro Truck Simulator, X-Plane 11, DCS Word, Farming Simulator 19, and Train Sim World.

So with that said, that’s my gaming plan. There’s a few other things I have planned for 2019 (such as catching up with One Piece), but I’d like to get some of the easier stuff out of the way.

Here’s my list of upcoming and ongoing projects that I will carry on into 2019.

Gaming

The big thing here is to cut down on my gaming backlog. I haven’t quite decided how to tackle this, but there are a few things that I’ll do that can help.

Stop purchasing games

This one is the most obvious, but the one most difficult to overcome, especially when there are countless deals on Steam or other eShops that sell discounted games for a few bucks. The big thing for me is to limit AAA games to about one a month, if that…

Stop playing “endless” games

This one is also very difficult, especially since I’m fond of certain endless game genres such as simulators, multiplayer games, or strategy games. I enjoy these types of games, but often feel as if I’m “wasting time” and feel less relaxed and enjoyed into the game as a result. A 3 hour flight from point A to point B might be fun at the beginning and end of the flight, but the 2 hours in between my PC is nothing but a glorified screensaver.

Focus on different levels of gaming

I haven’t quite worked this out yet, but my issue is that when I’m involved in a 100-hour JRPG, where do I find the time to squeeze in a 3-hour long Indie title or a 20-hour shooter? Do I focus 100% of my time on the JRPG until it’s done? That’s a quick way to get burned out…

My goal instead is to create a list of three games I’d like to play. Preferably one long game, one medium-length game, and one short game. I’m uncertain how often to cycle out this list, whether I cycle it daily, weekly, monthly, or keep it indefinite until each game in each category is “done”. I’ve been stunted today because I haven’t been in the mood for the three games on my list: Xenoblade Chronicles 2, NieR: Automata, and What Remains of Edith Lynch. So what do I do? Pick some new games to play? Find something else to do? I’m not sure yet…

Figures

As well as a gaming backlog, I also have a figure backlog. I have a lot of figures that I’d been meaning to put on display but haven’t due to the fear of breaking the value of the item…and the laziness involved in figure assembly and throwing away the boxes associated with the figures.

With that said, there’s a few key projects I have in mind:

• 1/6 Scale Project.
• Sort out Nendoroids.
• Stop buying figures.

The 1/6 scale project is basically setting up my 1/6 scale figures I currently have and setting up a few new figures I have on order. I have Daenerys Targaryan, Link, Boba Fett, and Ada Wong currently awaiting to be put on display. I also have some imported figures and accessories that I’m going to be working on soon: Yuna from FFX and Supergirl. I’m also building a custom business suit girl from a hodgepodge of parts including a headscupt, a body, shoes, clothing, and accessories. I’m also considering obtaining a custom Dancer girl Harley Quinn since the Hot Toys variant I like has a creepy looking headsculpt. But I’m going to wait until the current figures are set up before purchasing any new ones.

I also have a lot of Nendoroids taking up half a shelf in the closet, unopened. There’s a place I already have in mind to display them that takes only 1/4 of the same space with every figure comes out unboxed, so it’s just a matter of me getting the figures set up. The problem is that it takes a while to set up each figure and I’m just too lazy to do it.

As far as anything else, purchases will be at a minimum. My goal is to focus more on quality figures, model kits, and LEGO sets since I have way too many 1/8 scale anime figures that are just taking up a lot of shelf space.

Model Kits/LEGOs

There’s also the other kits I’ll be working on. My next big project is the Saturn V Rocket. After that I have a Mega-Blox Pikachu as well as a bunch of smaller LEGO figures and other stuff. I also have a backlog of Gundam models (including Unicorn) that I’d like to visit sometime in the future…but one thing at a time.

Anime/Manga

I probably won’t focus as much on Manga as I will with anime. Not to say manga is inferior, but I prefer the audio/visual experience of anime, and with Hulu/Netflix/Crunchyroll, there’s no end to how much I can watch…just need to keep it easy for now.

This year has been somewhat uneventful. Basically, it doesn’t feel like I’ve accomplished as much as I wanted to, and all I did was just “go with the flow”. Next year I plan for something drastic, and I am starting on that plan sooner rather than later.

I’m also going to set a tight financial budget and I’ll need to exclude any extra unnecessary things to accomplish that. I’ve realized though, that I’ve focused a bit too much on quantity over quality. 

This year, I’ve got more games, more books, more figures. That’s going to have to change next year. I’m going to limit my selection of games, chose only the art books I want to read, and focus on the very best figures. Quite frankly, I have no time to spend on all of my games and books, and I am simply running out of shelf space at home.

With gaming, I’ve established a new Backloggery account. I’m going to focus on two-three games at once. One long game, one short game, and one really short/indie game. I haven’t quite worked out the logistics of how I’m going to rotate out certain games yet, simply because I’d go insane if I was still playing the same game 3 months in a row because of it’s length.

There are games I’ll be deleting from my backlog as well. I’m trying to avoid endless games: strategy games, simulators, and multiplayer-only games. I’m also getting rid of games that simply don’t capture my attention after about an hour or so. With that, it should provide a nice framework of getting my backlog finally manageable through next year.

Ultimately, this plan should put me with greater financial independence in time for 2020, and should provide plenty of fun as well. Let’s see how it works!

This week has been uneventful with flight simming. Don’t get me wrong, I really wanted to do a couple of flights, but I couldn’t convince myself sitting for 2-3 hours flying from Copenhagen to Greece unable to play anything else, including the new Assassin’s Creed or Forza Horizons 4.

I did get a few console games this week: The World Ends With You Remix, Crypt of the Necrodancer, and WWE2K19. I’m enjoying the former two, but the last game I’m mixed on. The controls are just too damn awkward, resulting me in losing nearly every wrestling match, on easy. With that said it’s still a good game, and I love the intro animations for many of the wrestlers.

Not much else to talk about today. Just going to enjoy the rest of my last day off before heading back to work tomorrow.