LFGryph

Blog News: Another Site Update! (#Blaugust 25)

Posted by Gryph on August 25, 2015

Posted in: Blog News, Gryph is Playing, Secret World Legends. Tagged: #Blaugust2015, #The Secret World, #TSW. 3 Comments

More site update goodness, yay! I’d planned on a more regular post today, but wanted to make sure folks know about the changes. Plus, I’m pleased with what I’ve done. 🙂

TSW Help

I’ve noticed sometimes the search terms that link to my blog are more likely questions about actual gameplay in The Secret World than readers looking for opinion pieces. Since I’ve yet to write any player guides, I’ve added a TSW Help section to the main menu. This section has helpful links with descriptions for players who are looking for advice. I’ve also added links to some of the other social groups in the game. If readers think of one I’ve missed, let me know and I’ll be sure to add it! Continue Reading

The Game That Changed My Life: Myst (#Blaugust 24)

Posted by Gryph on August 24, 2015

Posted in: Gaming Memories, Gryph is Playing, PC Gaming. Tagged: #Blaugust2015, Myst, old games, puzzles. 4 Comments

One of the most interesting writing prompts for Blaugust has been Aywren’s “The Game That Changed My Life.” I’m right on board with her about Final Fantasy IV (SNES II) being one of those games, but she’s done such a beautiful job with her posts already that I’m going to pick a different game. 🙂 I considered Riven, since it’s my favorite in the Myst series, but Myst was the one that started it all. Continue Reading

Gryph is Playing Minecraft (#Blaugust 23)

Posted by Gryph on August 23, 2015

Posted in: Creating, Gaming Memories, Gryph is Playing, PC Gaming. Tagged: #Blaugust2015, Minecraft, screenshots, VGA. Leave a comment

Ok, to be fair this post is a bit of a cheat – I haven’t been actively playing Minecraft for quite some time. Reading posts from folks like The Ancient Gaming Noob has just reminded me how addicted to the game I used to be. I even have a page on the Minecraft Awesome wiki! This game has a permanent spot on my favorites list no matter how long it’s been since I played.

While I’ve previously mentioned that the Video Games Awesome Minecraft server helped get me into actually interacting with people in online games, I didn’t talk much about the game itself or what I built on the server.

Minecraft is so well known by now that I doubt I need to explain what the game is. If you’ve somehow missed it entirely (how?) it’s the one about exploring and mining and creating and checking the wiki because you can’t remember how to make a redstone repeater. It’s also ridiculously entertaining for many people, including me.

Many screenshots ahead! Continue Reading

Dailies Done Right (#Blaugust 22)

Posted by Gryph on August 22, 2015

Posted in: MMO, PC Gaming, Secret World Legends. Tagged: #Blaugust2015, #The Secret World, #TSW. 8 Comments

I spent between five and six hours running dailies in The Secret World last night, and loved every minute of it. Seriously! And I can explain.

I remember running dalies in other MMO’s. Simple missions that reset every 24 hours. Eventually you can run them in your sleep, but the rewards are just enough that you feel silly if you don’t. I get tired of them very quickly. This is partly because I’m not always in the mood for dungeon running, so in many games dailies are eventually all I have left to do at endgame. Boring! Continue Reading

Gryph is Playing Recettear: An Item Shop’s Tale (#Blaugust 21)

Posted by Gryph on August 21, 2015

Posted in: Gryph is Playing, PC Gaming. Tagged: #Blaugust2015, Steam. 6 Comments

I usually try to space out the “Gryph is Playing” posts, but I’ve been meaning to cover this game for a while. Plus, otherwise you’ll be stuck with more TSW gushing. 😉

Recettear: An Item Shop’s Tale is a game I was very doubtful about back when Gremz kept tweeting about it. She’s got great taste, but a game where you run an item store? I’ve worked in retail for too much of my life already, why would I want to do the same thing ingame? Eventually my curiosity won out, and I’m glad it did. Continue Reading

Dance Party for The Secret World’s Honorable Issue 12 Release (#Blaugust 20)

Posted by Gryph on August 20, 2015

Posted in: Communities, MMO, PC Gaming, Secret World Legends. Tagged: #Blaugust2015, #The Secret World, #TSW, events. 1 Comment

With thanks to Hesket for the great shot!

Is it really the 20th already?!

Going to be a short post today, I’m starting it while countless Secret Worlders wait with much enthusiasm for the servers to reopen with the Issue 12 update. Community Manager Sezmra shared the Issue 12 trailer early into the downtime, and as usual players have been romping haphazardly across social media. The endlessly creative group is passing time sharing videos, including one starring soundclips from our Lead Designer (who promises retaliation), but once the server opens it’ll be time to get off Twitter and into the new content. The second part of my post will come after I’ve had a chance to get in game and check it out myself!

Gryph is Playing Salt (#Blaugust 19)

Posted by Gryph on August 19, 2015

Posted in: Gryph is Playing, PC Gaming. Tagged: #Blaugust2015, early access, new games, screenshots, Steam. 3 Comments

After reading Aywren‘s post a few days ago, instead of doing the sane thing and going through my own Steam backlog, I decided to pick up another game. In my defense, it sounded like exactly the type of game I’ve been in the mood for.

Salt is in Steam Early Access, not due to complete until at least Spring of 2016. That said, there’s enough game to enjoy playing, and to get the gist of what they’re doing. This is an exploration/survival game that takes place on multiple islands in a vast ocean. The Steam page describes it as:

Salt is a high seas adventure and island exploration game set in an infinite procedurally generated world. Sail across a vast ocean exploring massive islands, fighting pirates and bosses, taking on quests, building ships, and gearing up with rare weapons and armor, preparing for the next adventure.

At the moment it’s much more exploration than anything else (and I’m not complaining!). Conveniently, they offer a free demo so you can check out the game before spending your money. Your progress from the demo will transfer to the game, so there isn’t anything lost. There’s also already a Salt wiki up, so it’s easy to find answers when you need them. Continue Reading

It’s a Great Big MMOverse, and We’re All Really Puny (#Blaugust 18)

Posted by Gryph on August 18, 2015

Posted in: Communities, Gaming Culture, MMO. Tagged: #Blaugust2015, gamers, gaming critique. 1 Comment

See? This is why a blog topic led me to wander through Animaniacs songs, there was a connection!

Not too long ago, Jennet of OtterDown spent some time talking about the inevitable failure of players trying to guess their game’s population. The entire piece is worth a read, but the gist is without the actual numbers in front of us, we are all just guessing based on personal bias. Like most things, there’s nothing inherently wrong with that, it just behooves us to remember that our guesses are just that – guesses based on a very small pool of information.

I’d like to add something to the conversation about another guess often made by players that we tend to present as Truth: The “everybody hates/likes the thing” comment. While it may seem obvious that no one player can speak for the entire game, I’m not sure we always realize how far off the ball we may be. Continue Reading

Counter Monkey, Mobile Gaming, and Eldritch Zoidberg (#Blaugust 17)

Posted by Gryph on August 17, 2015

Posted in: Secret World Legends. Tagged: #Blaugust2015, #The Secret World, #TSW, D&D, Fallen London, mobile gaming. 4 Comments

With this being my first day (mostly) off in a bit, I think I’ll save the topic I’d planned for another day! I’m trying to get some things done and then spend some much needed time gaming instead of writing about gaming. That said, some thoughts of the day:

Counter Monkey

Every once in a while I get on a kick and watch every episode of Counter Monkey back to back. If you’ve never watched the show, it’s focused on Dungeons & Dragons and other pen and paper roleplaying games. Spoony sometimes gives advice, sometimes tell stories of old campaigns, and usually manages both at once. Fair warning that the show’s language is not safe for work, and I seem to remember some of his earlier jokes making me go, “Really?” In general though, I super recommend it if you’re a fan of pen and paper games or have ever had any interest in them. My old Pathfinder game was made extra hilarious when three of us and the GM were keeping up with the show during the campaign! Continue Reading

If Not Blogging, Then What? (#Blaugust 16)

Posted by Gryph on August 16, 2015

Posted in: Creating, Livestreams, Writing. Tagged: #Blaugust2015. Leave a comment

Today’s post comes courtesy of another writing prompt from Void over on the #Blaugust Nook.

If you were to create content for a different medium what would you choose? Videos, Streaming, Podcast, Something Else? What about that medium appeals to you as a content creator?