Overwatch: The Rantings of a Support Player

I need to rant.

Please bear with me.

<Rant start>
Some players in Overwatch need to learn to work with support heroes!

Support are not wizardesses. They cannot heal you instantly, on-demand, even if their tech seems to work like magic. Even if they can, they may be busy with something more important like, say, backing up the two defenders you left behind holding the objective against an attack of three or four opponents!

Zenyatta is a horrible healer. Even Soldier 76 heals better than him. Do not expect miraculous health regeneration from him outside his ultimate. His healing is only good for fixing scratches. Play defensively. Watch for his discord orb and concentrate fire on whatever he is pointing at.

Mercy has high DPS. Even if she hasn't got her blaster out, she can still boost the damage of key players. Again, play a little defensively so she can contribute to the team's damage-dealing potential. Mercy's motto should be 'preventing damage by pwning the source of harm'.

Also, if you're Genji, you are very difficult to hit with a healing stream if you jump around Mercy who is trying to heal you, even with auto-aim.

It is very inefficient for Mercy to use her ultimate on only one fallen hero (unless it is a tank or someone critical at the objective). I really dislike it when there are dead bodies across the map but not close enough to resurrect with one ultimate. Stick closer together or don't die!

I've got a lot to rant concerning Ana. Turn on the health indicator in options! If you see a teammate injured, don't stand behind them and block Ana's shots from healing that teammate! And if you're injured, don't stand with your back against a wall blocking Ana's view! As long as she can see you, she can heal you. Even if you're dancing (dodging), a good Ana player will use her biotic grenade to heal you.

Don't expect Ana to run across the map to heal you. She's slow. And she can't snipe-heal if there is no line-of-sight. And she may have other injured teammates closer who need attention, who are easier to poke with needles.

If your teammate is using an ultimate, say, Soldier 76 turns on his tactical visor, don't hang too close to him! Ana usually has like 0.3 seconds to line up a nano boost shot to buff Soldier 76 and she may hit you instead!

With Symmetra, pay attention to where she places her sentries. Work with them. Lure opponents to the sentries and concentrate fire. It also helps charge Symmetra's ultimate. Usually Symmetra will place some defenses for her ultimate construction, but it would be nice if others would drop in once in a while to check.

Lucio... eh, most people work well with him. (I'm running out of rant steam.)

Lucio is good at camping the payload. Work with that. Keep threats away from him, especially Mei, Symmetra, Winston and Junkrat. Keep D.Va's ultimate away from him too. A good Lucio player will be able to hide from distant threats like Bastion, turrets and snipers but those will seriously limit his dance area, making him more vulnerable. Either get rid of the distant threats or keep all other threats away from Lucio. Keep Lucio alive and you win.

<Rant end>

Thank you for reading, especially so if you read the whole thing. I feel better.

Class of Heroes 2G Monster Book Unlock

I was playing Class of Heroes 2G on the PS3. I dropped by the Library in Costini School to check on my progress for the Meat Grinder Trophy. A message appeared, commenting that I had played a long time and to reward that, it offered to unlock the Monster book.

I accepted and went straight to the Monster book and looked for the one Monster entry that I did not have previously. Once my curiosity was satisfied, I went to the Battle Stats to check on my progress for the Meat Grinder Trophy. I immediately noticed that my Item collection was at 100%.

I went straight to the Item lists in the Library and found that they were indeed complete. Every weapon, armor and accessory was listed there. I spent some time looking at all the powerful pieces of equipment that I had yet to find. Then I had a 'what-if' thought.

Immediately, I went straight to the Alchemy Lab and found all the recipes were there!

I am not sure what were the exact requirements for this mass unlock. By that time, I had played for over 129 hours and had collected almost all the Trophies, including the All Clear Trophy.

In all my excitement, I totally forgot about checking the progress for the Meat Grinder Trophy.

Atelier Rorona Plus

I just completed Atelier Rorona Plus.

The main story, that is.

There is an additional story after that. I think it is an addition to the Plus version, especially since it involves characters from the other two Arland games (their appearance in the opening cinematic should have been a big hint). If I understand what the game is trying to tell me, it will last for an additional year.

That will give me some additional time to tie up loose ends. Maybe.

Ragnarok Odyssey ACE

I have been playing Ragnarok Odyssey ACE on the PS3.

It is enjoyable to observe and learn the moves and tactics, weaknesses and vulnerabilities of the opposing boss and then to develop and practice tactics and maneuvers to defeat that boss. It is very satisfying to successfully pull off a counter to a boss' attack.

An example of a satisfying counter is, at just the moment Bronzed Grendel finishes his spin attack, I bring my Mage into position to charge and fire a pair of Fire Bolts into his weak point. Move too early or too close and my Mage gets smacked by Bronzed Grendel. Move too far and Bronzed Grendel is out of range of my Fire Bolts. Move too late and Bronzed Grendel will get up, moving his weak spot to somewhere less predictable.

Now, if only I can develop that trick into firing a pair of Scorpion Thunders instead of Fire Bolts. That would be an awesome feel.

(Note: The double-Scorpion-Thunder move has a very long charge time and short range and thus, more difficult to use against an opponent that would only sit still for a moment.)

Update 18 September 2014:
The double-Scorpion-Thunder's charge time is so long that I would have to start charging right when Bronzed Grendel starts his attack. That leaves almost no time for my Mage to get into position. Fortunately, I found a Loli Ruri card that has Moonbeam Contract, which lowers the double-Scorpion-Thunder's charge time to negligible. Fighting Bronzed Grendel is going to be fun!

Mutants: 5-Reactor-Token Gif

For people who are looking for a 5-Reactor-Token Gif, here is one:

5-Reactor-Token Gif

Mutants: Genetic Gladiators, Contents

We need politicians

I've seen a lot of jokes about getting rid of politicians. Before I present my argument, let's take a look at what a politician is.

A politician is a leader, chosen (not always fairly) to represent the people and act on their behalf. A politician would wield power on behalf of the people they represent, thereby being able to do what a group of people can accomplish and what individuals cannot do separately. In this sense, a politician represents the unity of the people.

Now my argument:
The people cannot get rid of the politician unless the people are united against that politician. If the people cannot unite for the simple cause of getting rid of their politician, then that politician is still necessary to be the unity of the people. Otherwise, it would be anarchy with every man and woman for him/herself.

And when the people do unite against their politician, all of the people must act. They cannot simply elect a leader to represent their interest and then send that leader to do all the work of getting rid of the politician. For if they do, that leader they elect will become their politician (Hands up, those who saw this coming.). After that, the people will be back at square one, only with a new politician.

It would be difficult to get all of the people to act. They would rather pile their troubles on someone else. And that someone would be their politician. Therefore, we need politicians.

Swords & Potions 2: Out of Topics

I guess I ran out of things to say about Swords & Potions 2.

Hope you've enjoyed what I've written so far. :)

Anyway, here is one last screenshot of a troublesome customer:

"You finally asked for something in stock."

Nuclear Outrun on the iPhone

I had the chance to play Nuclear Outrun on the iPhone. It was much better than the original, which was a game about driving a truck as far as possible before the bomb drops. And there are zombies to shoot on the way.

The iPhone version is an improvement. The truck does not get stuck on zombies and blocks anymore. With that, I can concentrate on shooting things that would slow the truck. And there are things to buy with coins earned from playing. And there are survivors to rescue, who can drive the truck and give it special abilities. And there are different trucks. And the cyborg T-Rex is there, and it does not take the weapon slot this time!

How many 'And's was that?

I wish I had an iPhone so that I can write a proper review for the game. (And of course to play it lots!)

Epic Battle Fantasy 4, All Idols Alike

In response to an unspoken challenge on Kongregate comments, here is a screenshot of the idol minigame with all idols alike!

Epic Battle Fantasy 4, Idol Minigame

It only took 130 tries. It should be possible to do it with a lower score.

Update 13 March 2013:

Lucky! 32 tries!

Update 15 March 2013:
This is getting crazy!!

14 tries!? O_O

Game of Thrones Ascent

I recently started playing Game of Thrones Ascent on Facebook.

I like the concept of playing a noble in the Game of Thrones setting. There are things to do and goodies to make and collect, all to make the player and his/her followers powerful.

There are stories and deeds to perform in them. The quests run like pick-your-adventure stories. The player picks an option out of several presented and loot the rewards. Somewhere in the quest is usually a challenge, requiring the player to send a follower (called a sworn sword) to handle.

The game is still in beta. There are many bugs here and there. And I think the developers underestimated the number of players so there is some lag when everyone gets on to play during peak periods. In addition, the game demands lots of memory from my computer.

Once the developers fix all the problems, I expect the game to be fun. Really fun.

Meanwhile, here is a superior item I crafted:

Hoarding Trader

It is the only superior item I have crafted so far. The Hoarding Trader is an improvement over the regular Trader. Granted that it is only an Uncommon Unit and the bonus is not much but with the 1% success rate at the time of creation, it was something to be excited about.

Plus, I'm still new to the game. Even something so insignificant is a big bonus at the moment.

Update 7 March 2013:
Just crafted the following:

Doublet of Wile

It is an improvement over the Doublet. Not really that impressive.

Update 10 March 2013:
I crafted this recently:

Broadsword of Fish

I was crafting a Broadsword, an Uncommon item and got lucky with a superior result, producing a legendary item with lots of stats! The item even has a gold border in the screenshot. Now if only it was given a legendary name to match.

Beat Kamikaze Pigs

Finally beat the last level of Kamikaze Pigs. The hidden level. The one with the Baconator 2.

It was so frustrating. It seems that I can win only if I get a 6 star rating. That means collecting all three out of place stars on the map and beat everything including Baconator 2. Everything is hidden in shadows, and the pigs did not turn on their lights this time. These made it harder to see how they were positioned.

It depends too much on luck. First, hope that the first bomb would catch many fliers close to Baconator 2 to do damage. Then use the second bomb immediately when it is available to collect the remaining stars. After that, really, really, hope for a third bomb to finish off Baconator 2.

Nearly rage-quit a few times.

kudos Effect

I thought I would document the kudos Effect so that there is some record of it somewhere on the Internet. This is a well known phenomenon to the Rabid Fans of the Cyberlore Forums. Note that it is spelled with a small 'k' and a capital 'E'.

The Kudos Effect with capital 'K' and capital 'E' is something else entirely. I think it is someone else's business or product.

Anyway, the kudos Effect is a phenomenon that happens in an Internet forum. A newbie would start a topic and ask a seemingly innocent question and make some remark about the topic. Then someone will make a post answering that question and comment about the remark. After that, someone else will comment about the comment about the remark.

More and more posts are made about the remark. By the the time the original poster returned for his/her answer, the topic would have gone off on a tangent. There have been flame wars, lightsaber duels, astronomy and all sorts of nonsense created from the remark that the original poster had made.

Somewhere along the line, someone will point out that it is a kudos Effect. Something like:
---
For those of you who have just joined us, this is a phenomenon known as a kudos Effect. This occurs when a topic is hijacked and diverted to an alternate subject of discussion, usually when the person who started the topic is away and unable to reply to the thread (thus preventing the effect).

We now return you to the kudos Effect in progress.
---

The kudos Effect was named after 'kudos', the first ever victim of the Effect.

The Cyberlore Forums no longer exist. However, most of the Rabid Fans are still around, scattered throughout the Internet.

Games for 2012

Here are a few games I am looking forward to in 2012:

Monsters' Den: Chronicles by garin.
I was waiting like forever for Monsters' Den: Godfall. That has been shelved to do Chronicles instead. After playing the first two Monsters' Den games of party-based RPGs, I have hopes for Chronicles, hopes for a more polished and enriching RPG.

Adventure Story by kupo707.
Platform games are not my favorite. Especially those that have bottomless, insta-kill drops. Thankfully, this game's bottomless drops are not insta-kill. Still, it is based on the humor-filled Epic Battle Fantasy IP (intellectual property). And it will feature music by HalcyonicFalconX. So it is worth at least a look.

15-minute RPG (working title) by nerdook.
There have been rumors going around that nerdook is developing an RPG that can be finished in 15 minutes. The idea is not new - undefined has done it before. Anyway, I am not sure what the final game's title will be. However, it looks like a fun little thing that can be played during coffee breaks.

Update 28 December 2011:
Looks like I don't have to wait till 2012 for Adventure Story.

Riding in Steelport

Traffic can often be very frustrating.

It is not just the streets being jammed with crawling vehicles. There are also inconsiderate drivers that block people's way, or drive slowly. And I mean really slow, so slow that it is faster to travel by foot. And then there is indiscriminate parking. Not just double parking, but leaving the car at corners, making it hard to see approaching traffic from another direction.

So to relax, I ride a Kaneda through the streets in downtown Steelport. Of course it was rough at first. The Kaneda is not an easy beast to control. After lots of practice, I have managed some semblence of control over it. Which makes it more satisfying when I ride it. On the left side of the road with STAG providing a light show from the side. Very therapeutic.

Skyrim Month

November must be Skyrim month or something. Everyone is playing Skyrim and little work is getting done.

The game is really immersive. It's really fun being in a different world, away from the problems of the real world. Yeah, the game has its own in-game 'problems' being pushed onto the player, but at least in the game, the player is better equipped to solve those problems.

Most of the time, there's no urgency like bills to pay on time. The player can take his/her sweet time to tackle the problems one by one. And do a little beating up on the way. Or just forget it all and go hunting for deer pelts.

Can't wait to play more.

Request to Transfer Account

Address of Sender

Address Line 2

City

Address of Recipient

Address Line 2

City

Date

Dear Sir,

Request to Transfer Account

I would like to request that my account (Account Number: XXX) be transferred from your branch on X Street to the branch on Y Street.

I do realize that the designated new branch is a mere five blocks away from the old one. However, the new branch is closer to my place of residence and as such would require less time and fuel to commute there.

The global fuel reserves are running low. The use of the extra fuel required to commute to the further branch on X Street would worsen the fuel crisis. This would lead to an increase in fuel prices, indirectly increasing the prices of many other of life's essentials, further deteriorating the economy.

In addition, the burning of hydrocarbon fuel pollutes the environment. The use of fuel releases harmful gasses that in addition to deteriorating the air quality would cause the greenhouse effect, contributing to global warming. Thus, we should all do our part to reduce, if not eliminate, all unnecessary use of fuel.

And when the zombie apocalypse arrives, the survivors in the city will be certain to search for supplies of fuel so that they may transport themselves to a place of safety. By commuting to the further branch on X Street, I may expend the little fuel that the survivors require, leaving them to stare at the sky and scream "Why!?" as legions of zombies bear down on their last fortified position.

Thus, for the reasons stated, I hope you will expedite the transfer of my account to the branch on Y Street.

Thank you for your time.

Yours sincerely,

Signature

Name of Sender.

Facebook Game Messages

Look at the number of messages I have waiting in a game on Facebook!

Messages waiting...

I'm never going to finish reading them anytime soon.

Try Something New

When life becomes a routine, it gets boring. Many of you may be familiar with it - day in and day out, doing the same old thing, performing the same tasks or seeing the same things.

So every once in a while, we should have something new to make life exciting. Some new toy to play with or some new story to listen too. Maybe new sights or new sounds. Do something different or buy something new.

Take a different route to work or maybe even try public transport instead of driving. Hangout somewhere different for lunch, maybe order something you have never drunk or eaten before. Wear a new accessory or play a different game. Read and learn something.

For me, it was a new tablet driver. :)

Facebook Friend Application

This article on Facebook scams (especially item number 2) has highlighted some issues about Facebook security. With complete strangers applying to be friends, sometimes without an introduction, it is a concern who we are befriending. Thus I came up with the following form you can pass to the stranger to help get to know the applicant better.

Title: Application to be Facebook Friend of __________.

1. What is your reason for applying to be my friend? (Check all that applies)

(_) To play online games together

(_) To catch up on friendship

(_) To chat

(_) To steal identity information

(_) To access your friends list

(_) To scam

(_) To dominate the world

(_) Others (Specify __________)

2. What are you? (Check all that applies)

(_) A human
(_) A male

(_) A hot male

(_) A female

(_) A gorgeous chick

(_) A bot

(_) Sweet Bunny v2.00 Virtual Interaction Program or one of her descendants

3. How did you find my Facebook account? (Check all that applies)

(_) Through one or more Friend lists

(_) Through your e-mail address

(_) Through Facebook messages and/or participation in Facebook applications

(_) Through your blog

(_) Through real life interaction with you or your friend(s)

(_) Through your profile picture

(_) Through the private investigator I hired

(_) By completing a quest

(_) Through random clicks

4. How active are you on Facebook? (Check the closest applicable)

(_) I check my account once a week or more

(_) I check, message and chat once a day

(_) I use my account several times a day

(_) I play games on Facebook 4+ hours a day

(_) I am online 24 hours a day, 6 days a week

(_) I am a bot and am always online

5. How many Facebook accounts do you personally own?

(_) I have one

(_) I have one for personal use and one or more for work

(_) I need only one (ominous pause)

(_) I am actually filling this form on behalf of another person

(_) I am a bot and therefore do not own an account

6. What do you think of Facebook? (Check all that applies)

(_) A great way to catch up with old friends

(_) A great way to keep in touch

(_) A great way to make money

(_) A passing fad

(_) A money-making scam that I wished I had thought of and made first

(_) A great way to scam people

(_) I am a bot and Facebook is the only reason I exist

7. Do I have a Facebook account?

(_) Yes

(_) No

(_) I am filling this form, aren't I?

8. What am I? (Check all that applies)

(_) A human
(_) A male

(_) A hot male

(_) A female

(_) A gorgeous chick

(_) A bot

(_) Sweet Bunny v2.00 Virtual Interaction Program or one of her descendants

9. Who am I?

You are __________.

***

Note: Beware if the applicant fails on question number zero, i.e. the Title.

Special Someone: The Start of the Date

So that handsome someone comes over to your place to pick you up for the date. Note the time that he arrives. If he arrives late without a good excuse, he may not be taking you seriously. Practice your stare-at-the-wall-clock pose. Have that ready to greet him if he arrives late.

If he arrives early or on time, be a little in slow getting ready (ladies' prerogative - abuse it liberally). Give the guy some time with your parents. Let him get to know your parents.

If you are already out (he's late and/or you answered the door) make some excuse to get away for a while. Like you have to look for something in your room. Leave him alone with your dad for a few minutes. Give your dad the time to properly intimidate the guy into proper behavior.

Before leaving, be sure to hug your parents goodbye. It shows that guy (this is at the point of your relationship when he is still a 'that' and not yet a 'your') that you are close to your parents and that he needs to be close to them too if he is really interested in a relationship with you.

Also, anything can happen during the date. That may be the last time you get to hug your parents. :p