Endgame Viable

Gaming

0 words

199 entries. 148,986 words.

July, 2003

  • Crayola History Updated. 2003-07-07 8:12 PM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    The Crayola Clan history has recently been updated. 17 words.
  • Blast From The Past. 2003-07-10 6:46 PM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    From one of the first incarnations of the Crayola Clan web page, which I happen to have a backup copy of: This post-game wrapup by ]CC[-Yellow refers to a match we played with Black Sunrise on June 29, 1997. I have no personal memory of the match, so I doubt if I played in it. 264 words.
  • Frequently Asked Questions. 2003-07-19 9:08 AM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    Here is a FAQ I dug up from the original Crayola Clan web page, c. 1997. 23 words.
  • Total FragAholics Feel the Pain. 2003-07-19 9:31 AM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    While searching for an old IRC interview with Crayola Clan, I ran across this excerpt from (I think) the Total Fragaholics web page which cracked me up. 277 words.

January, 2004

  • Crayola History Update. 2004-01-18 8:44 PM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    I’ve just updated the Crayola History with news and information about the current whereabouts of Turquoise and Yellow. Turquoise (aka. Turqy) has a nice web page with samples of his artwork at Turqy.com. 35 words.
  • Lineage 2?. 2004-01-30 5:48 PM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    Yellow reports that Lineage 2 could be the next big massively multiplayer online RPG. 98 words.

October, 2006

  • Slight Change Of Direction. 2006-10-25 1:56 PM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    I know I said this the Crayola Clan news blog was going to be about Crayola Clan news, but that topic is hardly big enough to fill up a blog. :) Since I’ve been getting bored writing about news and politics, I’m going to amuse myself by writing some occasional blurbs about gaming. 111 words.
  • The Economics Of MMORPGs. 2006-10-25 3:27 PM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    The entrepreneurial opportunities from exploiting MMORPGs have certainly changed since I last played Asheron’s Call. Back then, you usually just saw people auctioning in-game gold, items, and characters on eBay. 354 words.
  • To Groupers. 2006-10-30 8:40 PM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    I’d like to explain something to would-be groupers in World of Warcraft (that is, those people who obsessively invite other people into groups). 227 words.

November, 2006

  • The Horde Raid On Sentinel Hill. 2006-11-13 5:21 PM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    I saw the funniest thing on Undermine last night: A full-blown Horde raid on the Sentinel Tower in Westfall. 385 words.
  • Oblivion Review. 2006-11-17 7:37 PM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    Here is a very brief review of Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion: It blows. Hard. 158 words.
  • The Human Experience. 2006-11-20 8:24 PM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    For anyone who might be contemplating playing World of Warcraft for the first time: Do not, under any circumstances, select a human character. Your initial playing experience will be much more pleasant if you choose a night elf, dwarf, or gnome. (I can’t speak for Horde races.) Not because those races are better than humans, but because most of the gamers who choose human characters are… how shall I put this delicately… they’re, um, retarded. 555 words.
  • A Strike For The Alliance. 2006-11-21 7:04 PM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    Last night I jumped into a PvP brawl. Armsbig (level 21) was just passing through Goldshire when a Horde raiding party descended on the town. I surveyed the enemies and spotted a level 20 guy among the level ?? 233 words.
  • Tales Of PvP Shame And Triumph. 2006-11-27 8:20 PM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    The Monday following a four-day weekend is boring as hell, so I’m writing these World of Warcraft tales to amuse myself and make the day go by faster. Plus, I can ramble at any length without seeing a glassy look come over the listener’s eyes. (If you’re married to a non-gamer, you know what I’m talking about. 1,652 words.
  • Developers Talk About Warhammer. 2006-11-28 6:13 PM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    People who play PC games probably already knew this, but Slashdot had responses from the developers of Warhammer Online, which might be the next big MMO (scheduled for release in 2007). I’m not sure I like what I’m hearing so far, though. It sounds very group-intensive. 46 words.
  • A Corporal Speaks Against Complainers. 2006-11-28 6:15 PM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    Good news, everyone! Teloiv made Corporal! I had no idea it would be so easy to gain not one, but two ranks in the WoW PvP system. 329 words.

December, 2006

  • Guild Thoughts. 2006-12-12 7:30 PM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    I’ve been thinking about Guilds a bit lately. Mostly because I’ve been sick this past week and have had no choice but to play WoW just to get through the bleary, dopey, medicine-filled days. No, really. 760 words.
  • Mission Accomplished. 2006-12-26 8:05 PM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    I finally got it! I saved up 80 gold and bought my Night Elf Hunter a riding cat (72 gold for training and then 8 gold to buy the actual saddle). It took me from level 40 to level 45 to save up the money. 437 words.

April, 2007

  • Oblivion Redux. 2007-04-29 11:09 PM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    I’ve been woefully negligent in reporting my gaming activities here. Not that anyone reads this anyway. :) 578 words.

May, 2007

  • Hey Orange. 2007-05-11 1:18 PM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    Hey Orange, Red is looking for your email! 8 words.
  • Wiki Password. 2007-05-22 12:59 PM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    I just added an edit password to the Crayola Clan Wiki since I’ve had to undo spam bot damage every day for like the past week. The password is “crayola”. 30 words.

August, 2007

  • Half-Life 2: Episode 1. 2007-08-15 12:52 AM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    I downloaded Half-Life 2: Episode 1 from Steam a couple weeks ago for 9.95. Overall it was a quality game and I enjoyed playing it, but I’m glad I got it when it was on sale, because it was really, really short. It only took me a couple of days to go through the entire game. 152 words.
  • Painkiller. 2007-08-15 1:00 AM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    I also downloaded Painkiller from Steam the other day for 9.95. I hear a lot of people complaining about the Steam platform, but I have to say that the concept of impulse buying quality games without even leaving your chair is pretty cool. :) I’ve never had any problems with Steam, although admitedly I haven’t used it all that extensively. 289 words.

September, 2007

  • Company of Heroes. 2007-09-29 6:35 PM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    Company of Heroes 310 words.
  • Steam Update Fuxored Company of Heroes. 2007-09-29 6:35 PM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    Okay well now I can join the ranks of people who have had problems with Steam. Apparently there was a Steam update to Company of Heroes on Sep 27. For some reason, the update didn’t work properly (in my case, it may have failed because I ran out of disk space), and since then I’ve been getting those unhelpful “game is unavailable, try again later” messages whenever I try to launch the game. 200 words.

November, 2007

  • What Next?. 2007-11-04 10:26 PM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    Okay I feel like it’s time to find a new PC game. Company of Heroes has gotten old. I finished the single player campaign and I’ve played enough skirmishes to have a pretty good record against the AI. 488 words.
  • Well, That Explains It. 2007-11-06 3:20 AM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    Oh, now I see why Enemy Territory: Quake Wars seems so similar to Return to Castle Wolfenstein: It’s an upgraded version of a free RtCW mod called “Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory,” made by basically the same people, ported to the Doom 3 engine (aka. “id Tech 4”). 682 words.
  • CoD4. 2007-11-28 1:54 AM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    I’ve been playing Call of Duty 4 for a few days. I played Call of Duty 2, but did not play Call of Duty 3 (since it was only available for consoles). 810 words.

December, 2007

  • CoD4 Multiplayer. 2007-12-07 5:56 AM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    I have to admit that Call of Duty 4 multiplayer is fun. It’s way better than Enemy Territory: Quake Wars, IMO, which got pretty dull fast. 1,027 words.
  • Reviewers. 2007-12-07 6:05 AM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    Slashdot had an article about a game reviewer who was allegedly fired for giving a bad review of a game. This does not surprise me… I have always been skeptical of magazine reviewers because of my Amiga experience in the 1990s, and additionally I have always heard rumors and speculation about “corrupt” game reviewers. 148 words.
  • Too Much Death. 2007-12-07 6:06 AM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    Here’s one thing I don’t like about Enemy Territory: Quake Wars. You die a lot. Walk around a corner into a rocket and bam, you’re dead. 212 words.
  • CoD4 Compromised. 2007-12-07 6:31 AM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    Well, so much for PunkBuster*. I just got off a pub server where a rather obvious bot named “nC punkbuster” was winning every map. It was incredibly obvious on the KillCam. 195 words.
  • COD4 Grinding and Suspicions. 2007-12-17 11:01 PM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    Still grinding my way up the ranks in COD4 multiplayer. (It is just like grinding in an MMO… with all the hacks and snipers and campers, it’s getting pretty tedious, but I’m determined to get to rank 55 before I quit.) I’m playing mostly Domination and Headquarters games now, which are kind of refreshing twists on the Capture-The-Flag genre. 654 words.
  • COD4 at Rank 52. 2007-12-28 2:42 AM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    I’ve reached rank 52 in Call of Duty 4 (four stars!). Somehow I’ve managed to do this without getting anywhere near the top of the scoreboard in any game. (I came in second once, which I was so proud of that I took a screenshot.) The point is that anyone can climb the ranks if you just put in the time, just like an MMO. 996 words.
  • Wiki Changes. 2007-12-28 2:43 AM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    I made a few changes to the wiki at http://www.crayolaclan.com. Mainly just added some of the newer games to the list. 21 words.
  • Player Categories. 2007-12-28 2:43 AM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    I’ve noticed that, since the dawn of online play, there are basically four categories of players in online shooters. They continue to persist even in recently dropped games like Quake Wars and Call of Duty 4. 406 words.
  • Yellow spotted on TribalWar.com?. 2007-12-28 9:54 PM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    Is this ]CC[-Yellow? http://www.tribalwar.com/forums/showthread.php?p=4501601#post4501601 44 words.
  • COD4 1.4 Patch. 2007-12-29 4:22 AM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    The last Call of Duty 4 patch (1.4) claimed to have made “improvements” to the server browser. I’m not sure what they consider an improvement, but clearly better pings and connections isn’t a top priority. Quite frequently when I refresh the list, I see pings on the first page of servers ranging from like a low of 500 up to around 5,000. 150 words.
  • Salamander Victorious. 2007-12-29 5:28 AM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    […] 39 words.

January, 2008

  • Turquoise Spotted. 2008-01-02 9:52 PM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    I saw that Red snuck in an update on the Crayola Wiki reporting that Turquoise (aka. Aaron Smith) can be seen in a picture shown at the end of Gears of War. I had no idea he worked on that game, so that’s pretty cool. 65 words.
  • No More COD4 I Promise. 2008-01-02 10:12 PM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    I made Commander (rank 55) in Call of Duty 4 and it unlocked a gold Desert Eagle gun. Big whoop. Now what? 757 words.
  • The Early RtCW Elite?. 2008-01-03 11:00 PM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    Found this little blurb in a random Google search. The Early RtCW Elite with a writeup about Crayola Clan. 231 words.
  • Portal. 2008-01-18 12:57 AM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    So I picked up Valve’s Orange Box, which includes Half-Life 2 Episode 2, Portal, Team Fortress 2, and some other mini-games that nobody cares about. I got Orange Box for basically three reasons: 1) I wanted to play HL2 Episode 2, the continuation of the Half-Life 2 serial saga, 2) I’ve heard a lot of good things about Portal, and 3) I enjoyed the amusing TF2 trailers, plus Yellow said he’d played it, which I assume means it can’t be all that bad. In any case it’s a good value for three games, and it’s downloadable so I didn’t even have to leave my chair. 323 words.
  • TF2 Griefing. 2008-01-22 3:15 AM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    I probably shouldn’t be rewarding this kind of annoying pub server behavior, but Team Roomba’s “More Team Fortress 2 Griefing” YouTube video might just be the funniest thing I’ve ever seen, especially at the end with the trivia questions. (Warning: I wouldn’t recommend watching with minors present.) 47 words.

May, 2008

  • Light Gaming This Spring. 2008-05-13 12:22 AM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    I deleted some comment spam tonight, which reminded me that I haven’t posted anything about gaming in a while, which is probably because I haven’t played anything much since I quit CoD4. I couldn’t get into Team Fortress 2 even though it was kind of fun for a couple weeks. I recently bought Neverwinter Nights 2, which I played for a little while but I got bored and distracted by other activities. 140 words.

July, 2008

  • Gears of War Installed. 2008-07-08 11:21 PM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    I installed Gears of War for the PC this past weekend. I bought it about six months ago… and only now experienced just the right combination of boredom and lack of creativity to turn to a video game. 981 words.

August, 2008

  • WarHammer Online. 2008-08-09 3:34 PM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    Is anyone I know going to be playing WarHammer Online? I see it’s going to be released pretty soon (Sep 18). If anyone I know is planning to play it, I’ll probably pre-order it, otherwise I’ll probably wait a year for a free trial version to come with a video card (like I did with World of Warcraft heh). 68 words.

September, 2008

  • WAR Ordered. 2008-09-16 10:09 PM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    Okay I ordered Warhammer Online (aka. WAR, which stands for Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning). It’ll probably arrive in a week or so*. 316 words.
  • WAR First Impressions. 2008-09-18 10:09 PM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    Well I finally got the WAR beta client downloaded, unzipped, installed and patched up for the head start (a process that stretched over two days and nights), and I played a little bit on the Grimnir server last night. That means I got a one day head start on the retail public riff-raff, since the public launch is supposed to be today, the 18th. 590 words.
  • WAR Report, Day 6. 2008-09-22 10:38 PM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    Since I can’t play WAR anymore because it now requires me to enter the CD key from the CD that hasn’t arrived yet, I guess this is a good opportunity to write down some more impressions of WAR. (Yes, once again, people who pre-order games get screwed.) 1,262 words.
  • WAR Report, Day 7. 2008-09-23 10:28 PM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    …and day 2 of not being able to play because I haven’t received my pre-ordered copy in the mail yet. That part’s not surprising, but it is beyond belief that Mythic made the unbelievably retarded decision to disable the head start codes a couple of days after launch. Honestly the more I read about Mythic’s business practices, the less I want to play this game. 326 words.
  • Darkfall?. 2008-09-23 10:51 PM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    Darkfall sounds like it might be a cool new MMORPG on the horizon. The screenshots look really nice, and the feature list sounds impressive. I just signed up for the beta on a whim. 60 words.
  • WAR Report, Altdorf. 2008-09-26 11:05 PM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    I was wandering around Altdorf the other night, which is the capital city for the Empire (ie. the humans). I don’t remember why I went there – probably to find someone to fulfill some quest. 276 words.
  • WAR Report, Day Something. 2008-09-30 11:05 AM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    More notes from WAR. I don’t know what it is about MMOs that inspire a lot of commentary. I guess everyone has an opinion about how to make MMOs better. 1,414 words.

October, 2008

  • WAR Report, Fizzled Out. 2008-10-14 10:06 PM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    Okay well I cancelled my WAR subscription and uninstalled it. Mrs. Krehbiel was starting to get annoyed and it was way too much of an uninspiring game to try to defend it. :) I should have stuck with my personal ban on EA games I guess. 229 words.
  • WAR Report, Cultivation. 2008-10-14 10:08 PM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    One quick note on the WAR Cultivation skill: I applaud the concept – it’s a very cool idea to be able to plant seeds and grow them into herbs and things. Unfortunately the implementation in WAR is just awful. It takes about 2 full minutes to grow a single plant. 189 words.
  • EVE Online Impressions. 2008-10-14 10:26 PM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    Before I wasted my money on WAR, I toyed with the idea of getting EVE Online instead. The idea of a spaceship-based MMO is fascinating – it harkens back to the golden age of TradeWars on the local dialup BBS – and I’ve wanted to try it out for, well, years. So now that WAR is gone, I went ahead and downloaded the 21-day EVE Online free trial through Steam and played with it over the 3-day weekend. 692 words.

November, 2008

  • Bioshock. 2008-11-28 8:37 PM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    I downloaded Bioshock from Steam for a measely $19.95 a while back. If you’re one of the six or seven people who haven’t played it already, it’s a very cool game. Definitely a five… out of five. 117 words.

May, 2009

  • FarCry. 2009-05-03 10:44 PM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    I picked up FarCry from Steam for $9.99 a couple weeks ago. It’s pretty cool, but it’s not blowing me away. 207 words.
  • Grand Theft Auto. 2009-05-03 10:45 PM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    During most of the huge gap that I didn’t post anything about gaming, I was usually playing Grand Theft Auto 3 and GTA: San Andreas, which I got in a big Steam package for like $29.99. Now I understand why everyone thought those games were so revolutionary and awesome. 145 words.
  • Call of Duty: World at War. 2009-05-27 12:21 AM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    I finished the solo campaign of Call of Duty: World at War (PC version), which I picked up from Steam for half price last weekend. It’s another excellent Call of Duty production, but gameplay-wise there was nothing innovative about it. It’s just new stories and new locations. 428 words.

August, 2009

  • Fallout 3 – A Bit Disappointing. 2009-08-17 10:59 PM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    I basically finished* with Fallout 3 a few weeks ago, which I got from Steam for like $25. I’m actually glad I didn’t pay full price for it because I didn’t think it was that great. 253 words.
  • “Grudgingly Committed”. 2009-08-25 10:05 PM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    I heard this excerpt on Gamers With Jobs Episode 149 and I thought it was so funny I should post it. They were responding to a listener who asked what their families thought of their podcast and gaming. 81 words.

September, 2009

  • World in Conflict – PC Killer. 2009-09-06 7:02 PM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    I picked up World in Conflict (with Soviet Assault expansion) for half price from Steam a couple weeks ago (yeah, I’m pretty fond of waiting for half-price weekend specials, if you hadn’t noticed). 329 words.
  • F.E.A.R. 2 on the PS3. 2009-09-20 12:37 PM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    I finished my first game on the new PS3 Slim last night: F.E.A.R. 2. 359 words.

October, 2009

  • Playing Need For Speed SHIFT. 2009-10-08 2:01 AM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    I’m currently playing Need For Speed SHIFT on the PS3. It’s pretty good but it takes a lot of work to turn off all the silly music. 450 words.
  • Playing FarCry 2 on PS3. 2009-10-25 2:57 AM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    Normally I only play one game at a time, but Need For Speed SHIFT is pretty one-dimensional so I’ve also started FarCry 2 for the PS3. The story is nothing like the original FarCry, sharing only a name that honestly has nothing to do with anything. This time around you’re running (and driving) around an enormous chunk of Africa. 186 words.

December, 2009

  • Modern Warfare 2 on the PS3. 2009-12-03 2:47 AM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    Modern Warfare 2 is one of those rare sequels that is actually an improvement over the original. The single-player campaign took me about 7 hours to finish on regular, so don’t buy this game for single-player. The lasting value is in the multi-player experience, which is similar to, but subtly improved from, Call of Duty 4. 677 words.

January, 2010

  • A Holiday Gaming Backlog. 2010-01-02 3:01 PM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    Normally I play one game at a time, finish it, and then move on to the next game. When I got a PS3 Slim, though, I bought a stack of games to play, and in the last couple of months of 2009 I picked up some new releases and a lot of good deals from Steam. So I have quite a backlog of games to play right now. 588 words.

February, 2010

  • Age of Conan Free Trial. 2010-02-03 1:14 AM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    I downloaded the Age of Conan free trial a while back and played a character through level 18 (which doesn’t take very long). This is a game I’ve always wanted to try, but never got around to it until now. 396 words.
  • Age of Conan Upgraded. 2010-02-11 2:16 AM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    I enjoyed the Age of Conan trial enough to plop down the measly $20 to upgrade to the full version (which gets you 32 days of playing time). 380 words.
  • MMO Nostalgia Trip. 2010-02-25 12:06 AM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    I loaded up the World of Warcraft Burning Crusade 10-day trial the other night and found that, to my great surprise, my WoW characters were still available after over 3 years of inactivity. 416 words.

April, 2010

  • UV’s Guide to MMORPGs. 2010-04-19 12:45 AM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    This is a brief summary of my opinion of the pros and cons of each fantasy MMORPG I’ve played or re-played in the last few months. Keep in mind that I haven’t played every character class or experienced any end-game content in any of these games. Also, I am somewhat biased toward melee classes, solo adventuring and PvE (player vs. environment) gameplay. 769 words.

July, 2012

  • The Secret World, Likes and Dislikes. 2012-07-02 2:08 AM.
    • Gaming
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    Here are some of my impressions from playing The Secret World for a weekend of beta and a few days of the head start. 836 words.

December, 2013

  • Which Fingers for WASD. 2013-12-09 4:00 PM.
    • Gaming
    • Discussion

    I’ve always wondered something. Most of the world uses WASD for their keyboard controls, right? I’m assuming so because that’s how every game is pre-configured. I, however, use ESDF for my keyboard controls, so I have to change the defaults on every single game I play. I am not bitter about that. Mostly. I chose ESDF when I re-did my Quake keyboard binds way back in the day because it seemed like the natural choice, because my ring finger, middle finger, and index finger naturally rested on SDF anyway. If I needed to type a quick message, my fingers were right there ready to do so. 227 words.

March, 2014

  • Un-Learning Invert Mouse. 2014-03-18 3:00 PM.
    • Gaming

    I decided to learn to play without the Invert Mouse option. I’ve considered doing this for a long time, but the final straw was wanting to continue checking out ArcheAge without getting a headache. But you know if you’ve ever tried to change this setting that you need to turn it off for every game at the same time. It’s not something you can turn off in one game but leave on in another game. Once you begin the re-conditioning process, you can’t go back, or you will perpetually remain confused. 358 words.

August, 2014

  • ‘Cannot Be Tamed’ Gaming Answers. 2014-08-24 3:00 PM.
    • Gaming
    • Responses

    Okay, okay, here’s my answers to the Cannot Be Tamed Gaming Questionnaire. I found many of these questions pretty silly. I feel like writing my own questionnaire with hard-hitting, insightful questions like, “If you were a ferret, what kind of video game controller would you use?” **1. When did you start playing video games? **2. What is the first game you remember playing? Somewhere around 1980-ish. I don’t remember if I had an Atari 2600 or a TRS-80 Color Computer first, though. 1,107 words.
  • Identifying As A Gamer, Erratum. 2014-08-25 3:00 PM.
    • Gaming
    • Opinion
    • Responses

    I’m not entirely sure what happened, but somehow WordPress posted two different versions of my last post. The RSS feed and the front page shows one version, but the post page itself shows a newer version. I think maybe ScribeFire did something to it. Anyway, I added a paragraph to my answer for question 20 at the last minute and this is what it was supposed to say: 20. Do you identify as a gamer? 281 words.

January, 2015

  • Minecraft Text Editor. 2015-01-08 2:58 PM.
    • Commentary
    • Gaming
    • Technology
    • thomaskrehbiel.com

    Text editor created in Minecraft. 50 words.

August, 2015

  • Game Developers Aren’t Slaves. 2015-08-11 3:00 PM.
    • Gaming
    • Opinion
    • Responses

    A while back I saw this pro-GamerGate post and had a flashback to my days in the political blogosphere. I’ll save you the time of reading it: It’s a long, very well-worded piece of propaganda disguised as anti-propaganda. (You know you’re reading propaganda when you come across the word “indoctrination.”) The part that really made my jaw drop was this: Never forget that you [developers] are here to please the gamers, they are not here to please you, validate your beliefs or prop up your ego. 465 words.

January, 2016

  • ARK – Another Chance In The New Year. 2016-01-04 12:00 AM.
    • Gaming
    • Reviews
    • Survival

    With the start of the new year, I decided to give ARK: Survival Evolved another chance. So many people rave about this game, in streams, podcasts, and blogs. I had a lot of bad feelings to overcome, but I figured it was possible that I was the one who was wrong about it. So on January 1st, I fired up a single player game, determined to play until I “got it.” I ended up playing about 18 hours over the holiday weekend. What I call my Beach Base on the northern edge of The Island. 807 words.

August, 2017

  • E3 2017 Thoughts. 2017-08-10 2:30 PM.
    • Gaming

    You can always count on my blog to bring you the latest, greatest news and commentary… so here’s another forgotten post from my Drafts folder. It is was E3 time again, and for a change, I actually watched some of the presentations, something I have never done before. I watched part of a Sony event on Saturday [June 10th], part of a Microsoft event on Sunday, and part of an Ubisoft event on Monday. 536 words.

August, 2020

  • August and Promptapalooza Arrives. 2020-08-01 1:50 PM.
    • Gaming
    • Musings

    The Blaugust Promptapalooza is starting, and I’m in it! I’ll be perfectly honest: I’ve been so completely out of it lately that I’m still not completely sure I understand the exact details of what I’m supposed to do. I think I’m going to be writing a post about a super secret topic on August 28th. As of this writing, I have no idea what to say about the super secret topic, so that should be fun. I’ll be spending the next 28 days paralyzed with indecision about whether to write honestly or pretend everything’s fine. 611 words.

February, 2021

  • Tyranny. 2021-02-20 5:39 PM.
    • Gaming
    • RPG

    Somehow March is almost upon us, and I still haven’t written about Tyranny, the other free game I got from the Epic Store oh so long ago now. It was the next in a burst of isometric CRPG games that I played around Christmas time, which started with Wasteland 2 and then Pillars of Eternity. 361 words.

March, 2021

  • Valheim and Outriders. 2021-03-06 10:47 AM.
    • Gaming

    I don’t get the Valheim craze and I wasn’t wowed by Outriders either. There, I said it. 556 words.
  • Halcyon 6, Sunless Sea, and Surviving Mars. 2021-03-13 7:58 PM.
    • Gaming

    This past week I found myself trying three free games I got from the Epic Game Store. 378 words.
  • Stadia Pro Free Trial. 2021-03-29 9:38 PM.
    • Gaming

    I got a two-month free trial of Stadia Pro and have been trying it out. 729 words.

April, 2021

  • Pillars of Eternity Video Adventures. 2021-04-04 12:12 PM.
    • Gaming

    Video adventures uploaded in the last week or so. 716 words.
  • The End of Pillars of Eternity. 2021-04-11 9:34 AM.
    • Gaming

    At last, the Pillars of Eternity series comes to an end. 320 words.
  • The Random Game Era Begins. 2021-04-18 12:22 PM.
    • Gaming

    Before and after I started a new job in March, my gaming time and interest plummeted to nothing, so I commenced a period of short gaming sessions of mainly free games and demos which continues to this very day. 319 words.
  • Those D&D Shows. 2021-04-18 8:20 PM.
    • Gaming
    • TTRPG

    Some Twitter activity prompted me to think about how and why I follow some D&D shows. 2,005 words.
  • Free Stadia Game Phase. 2021-04-25 3:28 PM.
    • Gaming

    And now we move into videos of games I’ve played during a Free Two-Month Stadia Pro Trial phase (which I got from someone at my new job). There are a whole lot of free games to click on and play with a Stadia subscription, but the down side is that 99% of them are games you’ve never heard of before. 618 words.

May, 2021

  • Finding a Headset. 2021-05-01 8:33 AM.
    • Gaming

    Finding a microphone that can also be used for content creation (aka. makin’ vidyas) in a noisy room is challenging. 2,142 words.
  • Another Week of Stadia Games. 2021-05-02 9:36 AM.
    • Gaming

    Another week of playing strange games for free with a free trial of Stadia Pro. It’s really a fantastic system for trying out new games quickly. The technology is very cool. The sticking point is who pays for it, and how much this luxurious convenience is worth to a consumer. 684 words.
  • Scripted Twitch Streaming. 2021-05-06 10:43 AM.
    • Gaming

    How to stream a local video file to Twitch with ffmpeg. 1,489 words.
  • Amazon Luna Also Streams Games. 2021-05-09 6:48 PM.
    • Gaming

    Since I was experimenting with Stadia, it seemed fitting to try out Amazon Luna for comparison. It was only a seven day free trial, though. Also, it was noticeably worse quality than Stadia. Also, you have to pay for an early access subscription. Also, it had far less good games available for free. In summary, not a lot of pros with Amazon Luna. 570 words.
  • Firewatch Week. 2021-05-16 9:24 AM.
    • Gaming

    Firewatch and other games I’m currently playing: ie. The Surge, Hellpoint, and Greedfall. 535 words.
  • FFXIV and Technical Debt. 2021-05-18 8:14 PM.
    • Gaming
    • MMORPG

    I blurted out some tweets yesterday morning about Final Fantasy XIV which I think need some further clarification. 830 words.
  • What Used To Be Controversial. 2021-05-23 1:03 PM.
    • Gaming

    The end of my streak of miscellaneous one-off videos. 321 words.
  • Building a New Gaming PC (2021 Edition). 2021-05-29 11:20 AM.
    • Gaming

    Or: “Battle for Your Oats.” 3,181 words.

June, 2021

  • The Surge Begins. 2021-06-01 8:37 AM.
    • Gaming
    • Soulslike

    The 42-part adventure in The Surge begins, a game that was fun except for the boss fights, and the last zone, which was an ordeal to finish. 476 words.
  • The Surge - Central Production B. 2021-06-09 7:42 AM.
    • Gaming
    • Soulslike

    The continuing adventures of Warren rending his way through his first day on the job at CREO. 698 words.
  • PC Build Surprises (2021 Edition). 2021-06-15 8:00 AM.
    • Gaming

    I put together my new PC build over the Memorial Day holiday weekend. There’re always some surprises when you build a PC: Things that don’t go according to plan. Here’s some of mine. 1,566 words.
  • The Surge - Resolve Biolabs. 2021-06-16 9:27 PM.
    • Gaming
    • Soulslike

    The continuing adventures of Warren hacking and slashing his way through the Resolve Biolabs to reach his ultimate goal of … who knows? Warren doesn’t really have any motivation. Just an unquenchable thirst for hacking up robots and zombies. (Though he might have a secret backstory.) 663 words.
  • The Surge - Research and Development. 2021-06-28 9:52 AM.
    • Gaming
    • Soulslike

    The continuing adventures of Warren on his first day on the job at CREO. We’ve now reached the point in the story where I no longer remember what happened, didn’t write anything down, and don’t have enough time to re-watch the videos to figure it out. Soooooo. Yeah. Vague, one-sentence summaries! 562 words.

July, 2021

  • The Surge - The End. 2021-07-08 9:12 AM.
    • Gaming
    • Soulslike

    It’s the last stretch for The Surge, as Warren finishes out his first day on the job. I hated the last zone in The Surge (the Nucleus) so much I almost uninstalled the game with only a couple hours left to play, but I powered through it because I’d gone too far to throw away so many videos. :) 1,134 words.
  • Categorizing Boss Fights. 2021-07-11 8:54 PM.
    • Gaming
    • Soulslike

    I was thinking about why some boss fights are fun challenges and other boss fights drive me absolutely crazy with needless frustration. 1,000 words.
  • Another FFXIV Free Login. 2021-07-12 10:42 AM.
    • Gaming
    • MMORPG

    There’s a lot of buzz about Final Fantasy XIV’s Endwalker expansion, and now I see it’s that time again when Square Enix is letting lapsed Final Fantasy XIV accounts login free for a couple of weeks. 697 words.
  • What's Wrong With Nioh. 2021-07-14 8:30 AM.
    • Gaming
    • Soulslike
    • MMORPG

    I simply have no choice but to rant about Nioh for some number of paragraphs. 1,777 words.
  • FFXIV - The Unending Journey. 2021-07-15 9:09 AM.
    • Gaming
    • MMORPG

    I played Final Fantasy XIV last night. Sort of. 763 words.
  • FFXIV - Shadowbringers. 2021-07-18 8:47 PM.
    • Gaming
    • MMORPG

    I didn’t really intend to play Shadowbringers. I thought I was done with Final Fantasy XIV forever, actually. But a few things combined to get me back in this game. 602 words.
  • Final Fantasy XV. 2021-07-27 1:50 PM.
    • Gaming

    I did a weird thing: I bought Final Fantasy XV on Steam. It’s … not bad? Maybe? 1,101 words.
  • FFXIV - Shadowbringers Update. 2021-07-28 9:33 AM.
    • Gaming
    • MMORPG

    We now bring you a brief Shadowbringers update. 1,609 words.

August, 2021

  • FFXIV - What's Still Holding It Back?. 2021-08-01 9:30 AM.
    • Gaming
    • MMORPG

    Final Fantasy XIV is enjoying a massive surge in popularity this summer, but there are still a few things preventing it from reigning supreme in the MMORPG space. 393 words.
  • FFXV - Leviathan. 2021-08-02 8:44 AM.
    • Gaming

    Final Fantasy XV is on my mind this morning. 463 words.
  • Final Fantasy XIII. 2021-08-04 8:31 AM.
    • Gaming

    I’m going to play Final Fantasy XIII next. That’s a 13. Those roman numerals are confusing. 529 words.
  • Final Fantasy XIII Screenshots. 2021-08-05 8:43 AM.
    • Gaming

    I have roughly 15 minutes to think of, write, edit, illustrate, and publish a blog post this morning. 509 words.
  • Final Fantasy Status Update. 2021-08-09 9:21 AM.
    • Gaming

    It’s time for a brief Final Fantasy update. 515 words.
  • Bless Unleashed. 2021-08-12 8:56 AM.
    • Gaming

    Bless Unleashed: I mean, it’s free. 599 words.
  • FFXIV's Gandalf Moment. 2021-08-14 9:38 AM.
    • Gaming

    The Stupid Face Boss in Final Fantasy XIII and The Gandalf Moment in Final Fantasy XIV. 1,013 words.
  • Pantheon Of Best Shadowbringers Moments So Far. 2021-08-15 9:33 AM.
    • Gaming

    Yesterday I flippantly remarked, “Not exactly a deep meditation on the human condition,” about the Final Fantasy XIV Shadowbringers story so far. But there was a conversation that my mind keeps returning to: A conversation between the Crystal Exarch and Lord Vauthry. 968 words.
  • FFXIV - How To Abandon A Main Scenario Quest, Kind Of. 2021-08-16 9:27 AM.
    • Gaming

    I ran into a problem with Final Fantasy XIV and I thought I’d share the solution I came up with, because you certainly won’t find it anywhere on Reddit. 1,162 words.
  • Level Curves And Story Pacing. 2021-08-17 9:39 AM.
    • Gaming

    I wish the arbitrary geometric leveling curve didn’t mess up story pacing. 832 words.
  • MMORPG Character Switcharoos. 2021-08-18 8:20 AM.
    • Gaming

    Sometimes MMORPGs make you play a different character for narrative purposes and I don’t like it very much. 701 words.
  • FFXIV - Oracle of Light. 2021-08-19 11:17 AM.
    • Gaming

    I spent last night in Final Fantasy XIV standing at the Neverending Storybook (not the actual name) refreshing my memory on story events from the very end of A Realm Reborn and the post-Heavensward stuff with The Word Of The Mother and the Warriors of Darkness. 972 words.
  • Friday Screenshots - FFXIV. 2021-08-20 6:45 PM.
    • Gaming

    I was going to pull out one of seemingly hundreds of half-written posts to finish them, but then I realized I hate all of them! And now it’s evening. So here’s some screenshots. It’s from that game I’ve been playing. You know the one I mean. 92 words.
  • Saturday Screenshots - FFXIV. 2021-08-21 4:21 PM.
    • Gaming

    Hey, writing blog posts every day isn’t that fun sometimes. Here’s some screenshots. From that same game again. Because they’re the only screenshots I took yesterday. 151 words.
  • Sunday Screenshots - FFXIV. 2021-08-22 6:10 PM.
    • Gaming

    I didn’t even rename the screenshot files this time. 95 words.
  • FFXIV Needs A Limit Break. 2021-08-24 8:44 AM.
    • Gaming

    I’m waking up to this news that Final Fantasy XIV has closed off all the North American Aether servers to new players indefinitely because they can’t handle the strain anymore. 340 words.
  • Best MMO Technology. 2021-08-25 8:40 AM.
    • Gaming

    Yesterday I mentioned how much I worried that Final Fantasy XIV was staggering into their new expansion on duct tape and bailing wire, so I thought today I’d mention the MMORPGs that appear to have a much more solid technology base that I don’t have to worry about. 417 words.
  • Shadowbringers Done, Part 1. 2021-08-26 8:45 AM.
    • Gaming

    I finished the first ending of Shadowbringers. The one before the long series of post-expansion patches. 469 words.
  • Nuts To The Post-Shadowbringers Blues. 2021-08-28 10:52 AM.
    • Gaming

    I started into the post-Shadowbringers Main Scenario Quest last night and got a whole two quests in before the game slammed a massive brick wall down in front of me. 1,048 words.
  • The Endgame Grind Decision Point. 2021-08-29 11:53 AM.
    • Gaming

    Should I dive headlong into the vortex of Final Fantasy XIV endgame possibilities or should I detox and play something else? 534 words.
  • FFXIV - New Game Plus. 2021-08-30 8:16 AM.
    • Gaming

    I recently learned about New Game+ in Final Fantasy XIV, some time earlier in Blaugust, in the Blaugust Discord. I didn’t think it would work very well, but it actually does. 942 words.

September, 2021

October, 2021

  • New World, Day Six Bullet Points. 2021-10-03 10:47 AM.
    • Gaming

    Bullet points because I don’t feel like writing an essay. 1,005 words.
  • New World - The End ...?. 2021-10-04 10:04 AM.
    • Gaming

    On the seventh morning of New World I think I can confidently report that this game isn’t for me. 778 words.
  • Now What?. 2021-10-06 4:48 PM.
    • Gaming

    Searching for the next game to play, and also apparently listing every game I’ve looked at recently. 1,319 words.
  • FFXIV - Shadowbringers 5.2, Echoes of a Fallen Star. 2021-10-12 8:47 AM.
    • Gaming

    Notes on the Final Fantasy XIV Shadowbringers Patch 5.2 Content, Echoes of a Fallen Star. 628 words.
  • A Plague Tale: Innocence. 2021-10-13 8:17 PM.
    • Gaming

    A Plague Tale: Innocence is good, with some caveats. 426 words.
  • Valheim, The Return. 2021-10-18 10:35 AM.
    • Gaming

    I decided to try out Valheim again. 1,683 words.
  • FFXIV - Shadowbringers 5.3, Reflections in Crystal. 2021-10-30 8:20 PM.
    • Gaming

    Notes on the Final Fantasy XIV Shadowbringers Patch 5.3 Content, Reflections in Crystal, which I finished well over a month ago at the time of this publication. 351 words.

November, 2021

  • Solasta: Crown of the Magister. 2021-11-14 1:54 PM.
    • Gaming

    I stumbled upon a new (to me) tactical RPG based on the D&D rules. 1,071 words.
  • Disco Elysium. 2021-11-26 8:30 AM.
    • Gaming

    Disco Elysium is one of those award-winning games I bought mainly because it was on sale and I heard it was award-winning. 731 words.

December, 2021

  • FFXIV - Shadowbringers 5.4, Futures Rewritten. 2021-12-01 9:06 AM.
    • Gaming

    Notes on the Final Fantasy XIV Shadowbringers Patch 5.4 Content, Futures Rewritten, which I finished well over two months ago at the time of this publication. 774 words.
  • FFXIV - Shadowbringers 5.5/5, Death Unto Dawn. 2021-12-09 11:39 AM.
    • Gaming

    Notes on the Final Fantasy XIV Shadowbringers Patch 5.5 and 5.55 Content, Death Unto Dawn, which I finished more than two months ago at the time of this publication. 919 words.

January, 2022

  • Observing The NFT Wars. 2022-01-05 1:11 PM.
    • Gaming

    The first post of the year is about … sigh … NFTs. 954 words.
  • Microsoft and Activision/Blizzard. 2022-01-19 3:56 PM.
    • Gaming

    I have to write a post about this don’t I. It would be like not mentioning 9/11. 448 words.
  • Elden Ring: Prepare Ye the Way. 2022-01-26 9:00 AM.
    • Gaming

    Some thoughts on Bloodborne, Dark Souls 3, and the upcoming Elden Ring. 755 words.
  • On Defining Indie Games. 2022-01-28 10:13 AM.
    • Gaming

    Over on the Blaugust Discord, there’s been a flurry of discussion about a new #JustOnePercent challenge of playing indie games, and it occurred to me to wonder what exactly is an indie game? 1,072 words.
  • Demon's Souls (PS5). 2022-01-31 8:03 PM.
    • Gaming

    I didn’t set out to get a Playstation 5 to play Demon’s Souls, it just kind of happened. 736 words.

February, 2022

March, 2022

June, 2022

  • Elden Ring Followup. 2022-06-05 9:56 AM.
    • Gaming

    I think it’s about time to write that followup post to my first impressions about Elden Ring. Somewhat of a correction, because my first impression didn’t give the right impression. 2,928 words.
  • The Witcher 3 Replay - What Makes A Great RPG?. 2022-06-14 9:05 AM.
    • Gaming

    Musing about the essential ingredients that go into a hall-of-fame RPG as I finally begin to replay The Witcher 3. 1,285 words.

July, 2022

August, 2022

  • Code Vein. 2022-08-09 9:04 PM.
    • Gaming

    A stylish but ultimately very frustrating experience. 396 words.
  • FFXV - Story Summary. 2022-08-10 8:37 PM.
    • Gaming

    Herein I will attempt to summarize the main story of Final Fantasy XV, so that I remember how insane it was, years from now. 1,039 words.
  • Dwarf Fortress Again. 2022-08-12 6:34 PM.
    • Gaming

    Okay, yes, fine, I downloaded Dwarf Fortress again. 639 words.
  • Those New MMOs. 2022-08-15 7:07 PM.
    • Gaming
    • MMORPG

    I heard talk about a couple of new MMOs, Tower of Fantasy, and one other one which disappeared so fast I can’t even remember the name of it. 255 words.
  • Dwarf Fortress - Limulitred. 2022-08-17 8:02 PM.
    • Gaming

    A brief recounting of the dwarf fortress of Limulitred, “Goldbuff,” in the world of The Eternal Everseeing Dimensions. Updated with illustrations by DALL-E. 453 words.
  • Kruggsmash Dwarf Fortress Videos. 2022-08-18 6:22 PM.
    • Gaming

    It’s creator appreciation week here in Blaugust, and by coincidence, I just happen to have one to mention. 291 words.
  • Gaming Pet Peeves. 2022-08-20 10:53 PM.
    • Gaming

    Just some random gaming pet peeves I wrote down once. 310 words.
  • Who's At Fault For Unfinished Games?. 2022-08-22 7:08 PM.
    • Gaming

    I happened to see a few lines in a recent post from Naithin that inspired this soapbox sermon. 380 words.
  • Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead. 2022-08-23 7:07 PM.
    • Gaming

    I mentioned Kruggsmash a while back. In one of his videos, he plays a game called Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead. 372 words.
  • Dwarf Fortress - Otinsthinthäd. 2022-08-27 6:33 PM.
    • Gaming

    The tale of Otinstinthäd. 770 words.
  • Lost Ark and Chimeraland. 2022-08-30 8:01 PM.
    • Gaming

    Brief comments on a couple of MMOs I played for a little while. 398 words.

September, 2022

  • Cataclysm DDA Video Production. 2022-09-26 8:25 AM.
    • Gaming

    Not playing many games because I’m too busy making game videos. 614 words.
  • Wrath Classic Launch. 2022-09-27 8:41 AM.
    • Gaming
    • MMORPG

    There’s a bit (ha!) of buzz going around about World of Warcraft’s Wrath of the Lich King Classic launch today. 352 words.

October, 2022

  • PC Gaming Wasteland. 2022-10-16 10:11 AM.
    • Gaming

    Browsing my Steam library yet again this morning looking for something–anything–that might be fun to play on this Sunday where I have a lot of free time. 309 words.

February, 2023

  • A Busy Month - February, 2023. 2023-02-13 7:58 AM.
    • Blog
    • Gaming

    It’s been a busy couple of weeks. Also I need a better title for these kitchen sink posts. 1,671 words.
  • Video Essay - Making Game Videos. 2023-02-21 7:30 PM.
    • Gaming

    I’ve been uploading game videos to my YouTube channel for about eight years now, and as my first foray into video essays, I decided to make a video about how I do it. 2,722 words.

April, 2023

  • Humble Sir Brante. 2023-04-04 8:50 PM.
    • Gaming

    It’s an average choose-your-own-adventure game. 393 words.

May, 2023

  • Bendy and the Dark Revival. 2023-05-13 10:50 AM.
    • Gaming

    As luck would have it, May’s Humble Choice includes Bendy and the Dark Revival, which is a game that I picked up on Steam a few months ago. 778 words.

August, 2023

September, 2023

January, 2024

  • Baldur's Gate 3 Completed. 2024-01-06 10:30 AM.
    • Gaming

    I’ve become one of the roughly 17% of Baldur’s Gate 3 Steam players to complete the game. Now I can finally read what other people posted about it. 3,157 words.

August, 2024

  • Tales of Fablecraft?. 2024-08-11 11:00 AM.
    • Gaming

    I wonder if this Tales of Fablecraft is a paradigm shift in the distribution model of tabletop RPGs. 461 words.
  • Elden Ring Astrologer. 2024-08-17 5:51 PM.
    • Gaming

    I started working on an Astrologer in Elden Ring. 401 words.

October, 2024

March, 2025

  • Monster Hunter Wilds. 2025-03-09 2:55 PM.
    • Gaming

    It’s getting better, but it’s still not quite a “main game” for me. 1,662 words.