Shadow and Flame with Magik

Thanks to redditor, Iceblast24, for telling me that noclip made a Fallout Shelter documentary.

So I had quit playing Fallout Shelter for the night, at 11:30pm, and figured at 26 minutes, I can stay up a little longer and enjoy a terrific documentary.

Thanks to noclip for hosting their own videos.

I knew the game was pretty old but I hadn’t really thought about it being as old as Fallout 4, which I came too late so the idea of the game coming out, I hadn’t given much thought too.  Sounds like they had a blast creating it and it really is fun to play.

I can’t believe how many people have played it, more than the combination of all of the games Bethesda has released.  I mean, it makes sense as it is a free game to download and simple enough to understand.  It isn’t like you have to be Oxhorn and be well into the lore of Fallout to understand it.

I figured I’ll subscribe so I can be aware of other excellent documentaries that they create.

I’ve seen the Making of Fallout 76:

and The History of Bethesda Game Studios:

I wished I had paid more attention (and had the money) as I would have loved to have supported the Fallout Shelter video.  I’m just really enjoying the game.

They have 78 videos up, as of now, and unfortunately, none of them are appealing to me at the moment as I play Grand Theft Auto V but not online, I haven’t played any of the Witcher games, Horizon Zero Dawn (I would like too), Final Fantasy XIV, Doom, Frog Fractions, Rocket League (another game I want to play though).

Just a note for myself really, but I should watch their Future of noclip video, to see what they have planned:

I really should get back into watching documentaries again as I do miss watching those.

. . .

For yet another personal Fallout Shelter progress, I finally got the 50 raiders “Get Off My Lawn” trophy!  That was a huge relief!  I am creating crafting my final theme, Institute Diner, so my vault will officially be part of the Institute, not great but that’s just how we landed.   I ended up only having to pay for one theme to unlock it, the rest came naturally.  I choose to pay the nine Quantums to get the highest missing amount.  I have no recreates.  But since I didn’t need to store Quantums, I started spending them like crazy.  I went from 60 to 30 so quick that I had to stop myself.  I wanted to ensure I had ten ranked Intelligence in my weapon crafting room, so I sped up the training on a few people to get them from 9 to 10.  Then I did the same for a few to get them ranked from 9 to 10 in Strength for my outfit training room.  Once my final theme is done, I’ll destroy that room (as I don’t need it anymore) and replace it with a storage room, most likely.

I have 14 legendary outfits and 12 legendary weapons, and I need 20 of each for two trophies.  So maybe in another week or two, I will have those two completed.  Once I don’t need six dwellers in my theme room, I am going to start training all of them in Strength, Intelligence, and Agility, probably in that order too.  Or I’ll swap out the 8s and 9s with whatever 10s are in the theme room currently.  That’ll definitely happen as I tried to make sure all three crafting rooms were balance.  I’m not even really caring about what I craft, just as long as I can craft them quickly.  I have three fire hydrant bats but I have to craft a legendary baseball bat (hopefully that is an option) so that I can send someone on a level 15 quest.  I had thought I had kept one baseball bat but I must have sold it or scrapped it for parts.

I also need 100 quests too.  I know I have 60 completed as that was another trophy and I must have gone on ten quests since then, so another 30?  I have committed to two teams of three for my questers.  My main team that is going up the quests, which I am currently on the level 26 quests, the final one of those too, with plenty of level 27s in my future.

Then I have my level 50 questers who do the dailies, unless it is Deathclaw related, then I have them taking on the quests that I know will reward a legendary outfit or weapon.  Last night, I had them do a daily and a quest that resulted in legendary junk, as I’ll need more legendary junk to craft legendary weapons and outfits.

I have one Heavy Merc Gear and once I finish whatever outfit I’m currently crafting, I’ll get them started on my second of three Heavy Merc Gear.  I need five Yao guai hides and four teddy bears, which I have plenty of teddy bears but barely (pun intended!) eight Yao guai hides so I can make one safely and hope one of my ten lady explorers can find me two more in the meantime.  My basic questers are finally being trained in Charisma, so even they are finding legendary junk on their quests.  Or!  They are being rewarded with legendary junk and I’m forgetting those were the rewards for doing the quest but I don’t think so as they are finding a lot more legendary junk than before I started training them exclusively in Charisma.  But it could also be that quests with a bare minimum of level 25 dwellers started providing legendary junk too.

I just now pieced together that Heavy Merc Gear is 100% bear related as Yao guai is Fallout’s version of mutated bears and plush teddy bears are combined to make the outfit.  That’s cute and fun.  They are not cute nor fun, if you see them in the Commonwealth or the Wasteland, do not approach them unless you want a fight!  Or their hide.

I imagine they will be in the Appalachia as well, which is the name of the map used in Fallout 76.

I keep going back and forth on if I want Fallout 76 for Christmas or at all.

I keep going back to now there are no animal companions and how much I love Dogmeat in 3 and 4.  A dog companion is as much to me in Fallout as war never changing in Fallout.  During Oxhorn’s video of his time at Greenbrier (as he was one of the lucky ones invited to play the game), he was able to ask about taming animals or simply animal companions.

Thanks to Oxhorn for hosting his own videos on YouTube.

The Bethesda developer said they don’t have any plans of animal companions at launch, which sounds like they might be able to be patched in later.  Which is a shame but the more I think about it, the more I don’t want to play without a dog companion.  I recognize that is silly but I’m not really in the market to buy a $60 game anyways.

For Christmas, I have a pretty bare bones wishlist of $60 renewal to the PSN, $15 renewal of my GameStop card (I’ve really enjoyed getting my issue of GameInformer every month), and maybe one new game.  Either that will be Spider-Man or Marvel Lego Superheroes 2 Deluxe Edition (I just really want to play as Scarlet Spider in at least one game!).

I already only play games between 1030pm and midnight so I’ll be playing with other night owls or early morning risers, and for such a limited time, that I’m not going to be able to go on 45 minute quests.  I do like how there are plenty of quests, which I’ll need as I so love quests in Fallout, and that’ll be my main objective in the game.  I kept meaning to start a survival playthrough in Fallout 4 to get used to the idea of having to eat and drink as that is another function of Fallout 76, that I’m not completely thrilled with.

So I’m not going to really play with others, no animal companions (imagine how keen it would be to tame a Deathclaw?!), having to maintain surviving with food and drink, are three pretty big negatives.

The giant map, and more side quests that Fallout 4 with potentially even more quests being added all of the time (or at least during the first year) with daily, weekly, and monthly quests being a thing, and a main quest line that is nearly as long as Fallout 4’s, are huge pluses, also it just being a proper Fallout game, makes me add it to my wishlist but it is a clear 2nd or 3rd game for me, at this time.  I really want that Spider-Man game.  People are platinuming it all of the time!  New content comes on October 23 and New Game Plus will happen at that time or soon afterwards, which I love NG+ since Chrono Trigger perfected it.

Once I get the platinum on Fallout Shelter, I’ll stop playing it and pick up Batman Arkham Knight, as I clearly can’t do two games at once.

. . .

In my pre-hype for Supermassive Games’ Man of Medan, I did end up buying Hidden Agenda, it is  huge file on my phone now but I really want to do it in one sitting which I’ve read is like a two hour game, give or take, so it’ll probably be like four hours, but I want to dedicate at least a proper hour to it.  My wife was kind enough to let me download that game on her phone and I took the time to download Knowledge is Power on her phone too.  I think combined it was one GB as her phone went from 18GB to 19GB, whereas, I’m having to fight to keep my phone under 25/30 GBs as I continue to be way behind on my podcasts.

Walker Dennis was with me and he insisted on getting Ghostbusters, and I foolishly walked over to see if they even had a Ghostbusters game on PS4.  Which they of course did and I ended up spending five more dollars and getting two less games than I originally had planned on buying.  A few months back, GameStop had a “Buy Four Games for $20” deal that I saw they moved to include Wii games but no longer PS4 games.  So both games cost me $25 as I got the Elite Pro membership, a slight humble brag.  The employee told me the Elite Pro didn’t do what they were hoping so they are canceling it after this year.  My renewal is up prior to Christmas (I bought it when I was told we were getting a PS4, on the DL).  That’s when I knew I had to add my renewal to my wishlist.  So $75 for a bare minimum for a Christmas list isn’t too bad.  I’m a guy who wants really little and I’m all about spoiling my wife and son (plus his birthday is two weeks prior to Christmas (it was supposed to be three weeks prior but whatevs)) so I’m all for not spending money on myself and treating my family.  That’s the maturity that comes about with age, in my 20s, I would have been a big pain about all of the things I do and other nonsense but I’m not that guy anymore, if I ever really was.

Plus, and please don’t tell him this, but he’s getting a slew of Lego Dimensions sets and I know he’s getting at least the Doctor Who level pack (I keep pushing for the Cyberman/Dalek fun pack and the Mission Impossible level set) so I’m benefiting from his presents too.  He’s going to have a great Birthday/Christmas, we’re still deciding how to divide presents.  He’s also getting the Ghostbusters level pack so that should be fun and he really wants that one too.  That’s the biggest want for him, he also wants Slimer and Stay Puft Man but those things are like $20 or $25 each and we can get proper level packs for that much and get a level, a character, and a vehicle so the content isn’t there to justify it but he’ll probably get one more of those, probably Slimer as he wants him more but he really wants all three.  It really is a balancing act.

Plus, all of the other side stuff too, like my beautiful wife is usually nice enough to get me two really great work shirts that I appreciate.  I probably make a face of “clothes?” as it is hard to shake off those childhood memories of getting clothes but they really are nice shirts and I need work shirts.

. . .

The annoying thing but not that annoying, is that Walker Dennis doesn’t even want to play the Ghostbuster game as much.  I can get him to play Foul Play on the PS4 but he still wants to focus on Lego Dimensions.  Which also cuts into my desire for Lego Marvel Superheroes 2 as he probably doesn’t need to bounce between two Lego games, which is why Spider-Man ranks higher than my other two games but then Fallout 76 edges LMSH2 on some days.  I’m definitely giving this more thought that I should.  I really do want my PSN to be renewed as that thing pays for itself after three months with the free PS4 games and they throw in the crossplay Vita games so those are a nice bonus (and what I’ve been looking forward to as some of those are really fun).

I wished Fallout Shelter was on the Vita, then I could play Fallout Shelter on the Vita at lunch and on the PS4 at night.  Knowing my luck though, it’ll be two different files and that isn’t what I want.  I still dread the day I click Uncharted 1 or 2 on the trilogy remaster when I play 3 and start a new file for 1 or 2.  I have 2 platinumed and 1 closed but I’ll never get it, but knowing I have the new file will make me want to replay those games.  I got God of War 3 as a free game but my PS3 version of that game sits at 55% so I’ve been tempted to not attempt the remaster as I doubt it’ll get more completed or I fear it’ll be less completed.  These are the rules and thoughts that clutter my noggin.  Just the way I’m wired I guess, I blame this on my comic book roots.

I really need to get back into Uncharted 3 as well.  That was a fun game but I got distracted and sidelined with my desire for Fallout 4 and now Fallout Shelter.  Which is another thing that makes me want to play Fallout 76, as what type of fan would I be if I don’t play every new Fallout game?  That’s bonkers that I finally buy a new Fallout game, not day one but you know, month three and I’m not willing the desire into action.

I’ve also been looking on craigslist to see if I can buy a cheap PS3 and a copy of New Vegas Ultimate Edition, but I’ve seen the prices being either $60 or $80 or crazy $120 (but with a slew of games) but all of that is too rich for my blood but that’s probably what it will cost me.  I’ve read online that I should just pay for PlayStation Now and rent it through that service.  Which is probably the way I do it if we don’t get a remaster eventually.  But there are no rumors of that ever becoming a thing.

. . .

I just have this vision of traveling with a dog in Fallout 76 and let’s say I get it in December and play it throughout January.  They add dogs in March, I guess I could create a second character and make that my main file but am I going to want to do all of that over again but this time with my good boy?  I enjoyed my second character in Fallout 4 but the pressure of doing the main quest wasn’t there, not like I made her for the main quest, I just wanted to be a member of the Brotherhood.  There’s just this disconnect I’ll feel during the second time and I might as well wait.

The nice thing for me is that I don’t buy anything for myself pretty much from November to February as those are prime gift receiving (and giving) months with our wedding anniversary in late November (29), Christmas, my birthday in January (31), and Valetine’s Day.  Then we get our tax refund in March/April and I usually get the one present I haven’t received yet – it just times out right – for either Easter or just cause but mostly for Easter.  Which I had forgotten about when I started this paragraph.  So November to March/April as Easter bounces around.  Not like I spend the other six months buying myself presents but I’m more apt to if I have the money, desire, and an item to spend money on.

I also have Knack to play too as I want to type I was just starting Chapter 5-3 when I got obsessed with Fallout Shelter or whatever game I was playing prior to that one. I have a backlog of years so I can wait until games are $30.  I’m also excited to look for Black Friday / Cyber Monday deals too as I usually never have anything in mind for myself.

I’m telling ya, the whole “will I, won’t I” of getting Fallout 76 has been weighing on me but it was nice to write all of this down and out of my head.  Watching the Greenbrier footage of several YouTubers, it does look like an awesome game, and I’ll get it eventually.  I, of course, won’t turn it down if someone wanted to buy me a copy of it but I have other games to occupy my headspace.

Foul Play has this fun atmosphere and I like how it just feels like a classic side scroller.

I also was really getting into Heavy Rain, so I’m definitely forming some sort of list in my mind of what games to get back into and what order to play them again.  Just looking at my trophy list, below are the games I’ve given some time too.

Ghostbusters – I’m pretty much committed to just playing this when Walker Dennis wants too.
Batman Arkham Knight – This will definitely be the next game I commit too
Sparkle 2 – This was pretty fun, it is a game where you match three colors but instead of a grid like Candy Crush, it is more of a string of multiple colors that you have to match up.  There is a trophy for playing the game for four hours that sounds like it’ll take a long time to achieve, like four hours.
Foul Play – Another game I’m completely fine with waiting for my son to want to play.
Heavy Rain – I was really getting into the story and the characters, I hadn’t met the lady character yet so I’m only at the beginning.
Grand Theft Auto V – Michael’s family had just left him but I don’t feel super compelled to get back into this one so it’ll be towards the bottom of the list.
Knack – I should look into where I’m at in this game and how close am I to finishing it, it feels like I’m still at the beginning though.
RiME – I’m stuck at this place where I come up out of the water, in the desert world, with a walkway that is floating on the water with some lights in the first area and the walkway leads to a deadend but I have to figure out the lights but I will swear that I tried all of the combinations but clearly I haven’t.  I’ve been putting off looking up walkthroughs I imagine once I do, I’ll be watching videos for the rest of the game.
Uncharted 3 – I like the idea of this game not being an open world game with a more structured plot.
Darksiders II – my first free game through the PSN+ and I wouldn’t mind finishing it.

I also subscribed to the PS4 Trophies subreddit so I’m starting to see all of these nice folks who are getting the platinums on the free games which makes me want to get further in them too.

. . .

Proofing I am a glutton for punishment, I re-subscribed to the Fallout 76 subreddit.  I was thinking that I would like to know when animals get patched in and the best way to do that would be to subscribe.  It would probably hit the Fallout proper subreddit or on PS4 subreddit but I might as well be connected to the source as well.