"Nothing but the rain"
I’ve always enjoyed playing computer/console type games. Ever since the classic Commodore 64 with Chuckie Egg and Manic Miner. So, here’s some of the recent games I am enjoying:
I tend to have quite a bit of imposter syndrome so I think if I was asked I would say that I’m not a gamer. But then I have nearly 800 hours on Minecraft so maybe I am.
I’m still moving on with my around the world mission in X-Plane. In the last communication I was bombing around over Brazil having visited Antarctica. I’m still working my northwards at the moment to complete the east coast of the Americas. I do have some new kit on the flight sim – two desk extensions that hold the HOTAS system.
So, my last landing was in the Falkland Islands so we shall continue with the next airport visited:
Rio Gallegos International Airport, (RGL/SAWG), Argentina
Comandante Luis Piedrabuena Airport, Argentina
Santa Cruz Airport, Argentina
Puerto Deseado Airport, Argentina
Cañadon Seco Airport, Argentina
General Enrique Mosconi International Airport, Argentina
Almirante Marcos A. Zar Airport, Argentina
Antoine de Saint Exupéry Airport, Argentina
Comandante Espora Airport, Argentina
El Palomar Airport, Argentina
João Simões Lopes Neto International Airport, Brazil
Aeródromo de Belém Novo, Brazil
Diomício Freitas/Forquilhinha Airport, Brazil
Florianópolis-Hercílio Luz International Airport, Brazil
Costa Esmeralda Airport, Brazil
Joinville-Lauro Carneiro de Loyola Airport, Brazil
Curitiba-President Afonso Pena International Airport, Brazil
São Paulo/Guarulhos – Governor André Franco Montoro International Airport, Brazil
Jacarepaguá–Roberto Marinho Airport, Brazil
Rio de Janeiro/Galeão – Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport, Brazil
Joaquim de Azevedo Mancebo Airport, Brazil
Campos–Bartolomeu Lysandro Airport, Brazil
Guarapari Airport, Brazil
Eurico de Aguiar Salles Airport, Brazil
Una-Comandatuba Airport, Brazil
Val-de-Cans/Júlio Cezar Ribeiro International Airport, Brazil
Macapá-Alberto Alcolumbre International Airport, Brazil
Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Guyana
Piarco International Airport, Trinidad and Tobago
Maurice Bishop International Airport, Grenada
Canouan Airport, Canouan in St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Argyle International Airport, St Vincent
Hewanorra International Airport, St Lucia
Martinique Aimé Césaire International Airport, Martinique
Douglas–Charles Airport, Dominica
John A. Osborne Airport, Montserrat
V. C. Bird International Airport, Antigua
Princess Juliana International Airport, St Martin
Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport, British Virgin Islands
Henry E. Rohlsen Airport, US Virgin Islands
So, not far to go now. Heading northwards and then I’ll curve over the Arctic to get back home. I’m looking forward to it.
You know what? I shouldn’t be ashamed of enjoying this game. I think I’d thought poorly about it in the past but I needed to check my privilege. I shouldn’t be gatekeeping what proper gaming is or looks like. It’s not my place to do that. If you enjoy playing your games then go ahead and enjoy it. I’ve been playing Fortnite and I’m enjoying it. I’m also reasonably ok at it. I know my weak points and I’m going to work on those over the next few weeks to try and get a little better.
So, a week ago or so Epic were offering the chance to gain extra XP by playing some challenges within a website. I’m not sure what their motivation was but I enjoyed it. I had to get 25 eliminations in a day to get the XP. Somehow I got 44!
The next part of this is to get some colleagues from work and create a super-team for smashing all the competitions. This might take some time but would be so worth it.
I was exploring the options within the PS5 menu and I noticed that the games I play get totalled up in terms of time played. I’m not sure if I was shocked or just pleased at the amount of time I have spent playing. I do know that it certainly justifies me spending the money on the hardware and infrastructure to experience these things.
In case you can’t quite see the numbers in the above graphic let me write them down below. I just want to point out that the game could be a PS4 game that is played on the PS5 and register timewise as a PS4 time. Hence, while I tend to play Minecraft on the PS5 its total comes only from PS4 playtime.
Now the Gran Turismo times clearly do not include all the time I have spent playing other versions. Let’s be clear. Gran Turismo is 25 years old this year and I’ve been playing it for that long. In terms of cost/benefit I think I’ve done very well.
Last night I powered up Gran Turismo 7 for the first time in quite a while and I enjoyed myself. I even managed to enjoy myself driving Willow Springs which, as a circuit, I don’t like. I did the Circuit Experience section of the game as it’s about thirty minutes play to smash the gold on these. I’m still distracted quite a bit by Fortnite, which feels such a terrible admission but I do enjoy that game. Anyway, I recorded the gold winning lap and zapped it to YouTube.
Recently I’ve been persuaded to have a go at playing Fortnite. The last month has been an interesting time learning all the little ways that Epic Games manage to keep the interest within Fortnite. There are lots of challenges and quests that can be completed alongside the actual game of trying to kill everyone else. If you don’t know this game is based on Battle Royale – kill all the others until you are the only survivors. It’s actually pretty good fun and I have enjoyed learning things about the maps, the weapons and the gameplay.
I never thought I’d be into different skins and customisations in a game. I’ve quite enjoyed putting liveries on Gran Turismo cars but not ones that I’ve had to work hard for, or even pay for. If it ain’t free I’m not having it. Except, I have done that in Fortnite. I’ve paid for a decent looking glider that I will try and embed in another communication – it’s loosely based on the Grumman Goose. I’ve also paid a little money for some rather cool looking skins, and they were in the sale so that’s probably OK? Anyway, I’m an adult and can spend my money on whatever I want I guess.
I’m currently at level 184 or something. The shiny skin I have in the image took a fair amount of play and even trying third party games which are generally quite shit. You get bonus XP for completing tasks and the XP goes to give you levels. I will admit, I am hooked, and with other people in my team we can regularly come in the top 5 on the island so I enjoy this game a lot.
I’m still playing Gran Turismo occasionally. I’m slowly working through the challenges and completing racing tasks. It’s still great fun and a really nice way to shut the brain off.
I have currently driven a total of 8395.10 miles. I think my favourite statistic is that my average fuel consumption is 35 litres per 100km driven. The real car I drive can do 2 litres per 100km. I suspect that in the future, driving virtual cars will be the only way to enjoy the noise and feel of these vehicles. They should be banned already. Oh, by the way, electric cars aren’t the answer either – they won’t save the planet, they will only save the car industry.
I’ve been playing Stray on the PS5 recently with guidance from Legend and it’s been really enjoyable. A Lovely story with a completely believable world. The detail was amazing and I’m looking forward to exploring the game some more, there are a few trophies I’d like to get.
Stray
— Ian Parish (@iparish) October 8, 2022
Catwalk (GOLD)#PlayStationTrophy #PS5Share, #Stray pic.twitter.com/tVKNWZMoFp
The screen capture of the gold trophy for finishing the game is far less interesting. Maybe I’ll try to livestream some playing to YouTube later.
Stray
— Ian Parish (@iparish) October 8, 2022
Eye Opener (GOLD)#PlayStationTrophy #PS5Share, #Stray pic.twitter.com/wvGcFINhCP
It’s been a while since my last update to the list of airports and countries I have visited as part of my around the world flight in short hops. I can now confirm that I have reached all seven continents and am about to start making my way back home to the UK. There are some other communications from the first part to the second. So, here are the places I have been since the last communication and since updating X-Plane a short while ago.
Klyuchi Air Base Airport, Russia
Adak Airport, Alaska, U.S.A.
Lihue Airport, Hawaii, U.S.A.
Pacific Missile Range Facility, Hawaii, U.S.A.
Wheeler Army Airfield, Hawaii, U.S.A.
Kahului Airport, Hawaii, U.S.A.
San Francisco International Airport, California, U.S.A.
Monterey Regional Airport, California, U.S.A.
San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport, California, U.S.A.
Santa Barbara Airport, California, U.S.A.
Naval Outlying Landing Field Imperial Beach, California, U.S.A.
San Felipe International Airport, Mexico
Loreto International Airport, Mexico
La Paz International Airport- Manuel Márquez de León, Mexico
Los Cabos International Airport, Mexico
Mazatlán International Airport, Mexico
Tepic International Airport, Mexico
Lázaro Cárdenas Airport, Mexico
Chilpancingo National Airport, Mexico
Puerto Escondido International Airport, Mexico
Commercial Cd Ixtepec Airport, Mexico
Ángel Albino Corzo International Airport, Mexico
Toncontín Airport, Honduras
Juan Santamaría International Airport, Costa Rica
Enrique Malek International Airport (DAV), Panama
Ruben Cantu Airport, Panama
Tocumen International Airport, Panama
Enrique Adolfo Jiménez International Airport (ONX), Panama
Airport Antonio Roldan Betancur, Colombia
Olaya Herrera Airport, Colombia
Aeropuerto Antonio Narino, Colombia
Aeropuerto Mariscal La Mar, Ecuador
FAP Captain José Abelardo Quiñones González International Airport, Peru
Jorge Chavez International Airport, Peru
Aerodromo Maria Reiche, Peru
Juan Simons Vela Airport, Peru
Juan Mendoza Airport, Bolivia
Diego Aracena International Airport, Chile
San Pedro de Atacama Aerodrome SCPE, Chile
Las Breas Airport, Chile
Aeropuerto de Fiambalá, Chile
Aeropuerto Internacional Domingo Faustino Sarmiento – San Juan, Argentina
Santo Domingo Airfield, Chile
Mocha Island airport, Chile
Melinka Airport, Chile
Caleta Blanco Airport, Chile
Drummond Twins International Airport, Chile
Porvenir Airport, Chile
Almirante Schroeders Airport, Chile
Ushuaia Airport (USH), Argentina
Guardiamarina Zanartu Airport, Chile – moved to X-Plane 12
O’Higgins Skiway, Antarctica
RAF Mount Pleasant, Falkland Islands, UK
So, that’s all the continents completed. Now to head up the east coast of South America, North America and then home to good old Great Britain – not so great these days!