Tag: toys

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Legacy Limits

After the aborted attempt at a short break in the Lake District I caught up with playing the game Hogwarts Legacy. I think I got it as it was reduced in the PlayStation store to about GBP15. This seemed reasonable and I had a go at playing it. I had started a game a couple of years ago but didn’t really feel it so left it alone. This time I paid a bit more attention to the details and the mechanics of the actual game and I also think that playing Horizon Zero Dawn gave me more of an idea of how these adventure stories work. It’s a new genre of game for me.

Hogwarts Legacy - A screenshot
Hogwarts Legacy – A screenshot

After about 45 hours of playing the game I have completed the main storyline and while there are lots of smaller quests to complete and objects to find I think it’s time to stop. I’m not that used to playing games for three hours straight. Most of the other games I enjoy I can easily pop in and out of so short bursts of playing time are the norm for me. Minecraft doesn’t care how long you spend in the game and I always feel as though I have achieved something. Gran Turismo is normally played for about half an hour and then I’m almost bored, I find other things to do that are more interesting. I can also enter that game and undertake a single race, which including qualifying will get me the daily mileage completed bonus.

The thing that struck me most about Legacy was the lighting. It is very impressive. Likewise that’s what amazed me about the Horizon games. How the game was coded and the engine it used to ensure that the lighting was gorgeous! I loved the sunrise and sunsets within the game. They looked just wonderful. Sure, the mechanics of the actual game was fun too but to be able to stop and watch the sun within a virtual world amazes me.

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Just So Pretty

It’s worth playing computer games just to look at the views.

Horizon Forbidden West - Sunset
Horizon Forbidden West – Sunset
Horizon Forbidden West - Sad Cargo Plane
Horizon Forbidden West – Sad Cargo Plane
Horizon Forbidden West - Dying Sunlight Snow
Horizon Forbidden West – Dying Sunlight Snow
Horizon Forbidden West - Night Snow
Horizon Forbidden West – Night Snow
X-Plane 12 - P2006T
X-Plane 12 – P2006T
X-Plane 12 - T-7A
X-Plane 12 – T-7A
X-Plane 12 - P2006T.
X-Plane 12 – P2006T.
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Horizon

This midwinter break I’ve spent my time playing a PlayStation game, I guess it could be available on other platforms, I don’t keep a track of these things. I’ve been playing Horizon Zero Dawn [remastered]. I’ve been playing this because the Lego version of the game was free with PlayStation Plus and I completed that particular game. I decided to get the actual game because I really enjoyed the Lego version and it gave me something to do over the break. I’ve really enjoyed playing this game. I’d like to say I think I’m getting better at these types of fighting games.

What I've Spent This Mid-Winter Doing
What I’ve Spent This Mid-Winter Doing

I’ve completed a playthrough of the basic game but I haven’t yet ventured into the Frozen Wilds. I think I will leave that for another break in my work time. I have found this game very addictive to the point that I deleted it about a week ago as I thought I was spending too much time playing it. Within a few hours I had downloaded it again and continued playing. There’s so much to the game and plenty of little challenges that make it really good fun. The rewards are plenty too. It’s very well designed. Not only is the game play well constructed but the game is pretty too.

Horizon Zero Dawn 1
Horizon Zero Dawn 1
Horizon Zero Dawn 2
Horizon Zero Dawn 2

These two images were captured as I collected some PSN trophies. They don’t really capture what the game looks like. I’ve been so impressed with the falling snow in the mountains, I genuinely think that’s the bit I will remember most, such clever artwork. There is a photo mode in the game and it’s not something I’ve really played with, I like working through the quests. Maybe when I’ve finished it all I’ll have a look at getting some amazing shots from that mode. I did take one picture and that was when Aloy walked past a downed aircraft.

Horizon Zero Dawn 3
Horizon Zero Dawn 3

This game has been amazing fun. Really well designed and also, a little challenging at times. However, as my skill levels have increased I no longer dread taking on the machines, it’s more of a fun challenge now.

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Another Platinum

I’ve been playing a game that was free with PlayStation Plus. I do enjoy the Lego games and I gave this one a go. I found it fun so I kept playing it and eventually I had completed the story mode part of the game. I then decided I would try and get all the trophies and this took an extra six hours I would say. The toughest part was maxing out the level of each playable character. I completed this yesterday and promptly deleted the game. It’s done. I’ve completed it.

Lego Horizon Completion

This is only the second Platinum trophy I have earned on the PlayStation. The first was Gran Turismo 7 and I’m nowhere completing that game! If you could see my profile then you would notice that I have three platinum trophies but that’s because when I loaded GT7 onto the PS4 it gave me another Platinum trophy for the same game.

Lego Horizon Adventures - PSN Trophies
Lego Horizon Adventures – PSN Trophies

I enjoyed playing this Lego based game enough that I’ve bought the actual Horizons game it is based on. Hopefully I enjoy that too.

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100.4 Miles

I just can’t help playing Gran Turismo. I’ve always really enjoyed it. I like the challenge and the feeling of success when I’m successful. There’s a communication here about the challenge of a lap around Spa. The most recent challenge I faced was the final test before the one lap challenges. It’s around the Nordschleife and in a stupid car – I can’t remember what car it is. There’s a section you have to complete in 56:650 as you can see below. I spend a while trying this but was over a second off the time about three months ago but recently it was time to try again with the mantra that I could do it.

Each time you practice you learn the limits and get better. Sometimes you just lose it at a corner and try to remember not to do that again. I use the ghost version of my best try to gauge how I am doing and roughly what sort of time I am going to be getting. The image below is the result of an attempt that I was sure was going to be gold. But alas. I was 0.02 seconds too slow.

Gran Turismo almost made Gold
Gran Turismo almost made Gold

That attempt was good news as it meant I was getting close and should be able to beat the gold time soon. I kept trying and I think about another ten attempts later I secured the Gold time.

Gran Turismo finally made Gold
Gran Turismo finally made Gold

I didn’t try any other GT things that day and in total I had driven 100.4 miles. I think this equates to around twenty five attempts to get this licence gold. That’s not bad. The next thing I have to do is beat the single lap times for the final part of the licence.

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A Nice Experience

I’ve been grinding in Gran Turismo. Personally I wouldn’t call it grinding but I’m trying to play every day and get the daily bonus for travelling just over 26 miles. I guess I’m trying to complete the game by getting all the cars and golding every licence. I’ve already got the platinum PlayStation trophy so that was nice.

I recently tried an online race. In the past I have NOT enjoyed these. Qualifying somewhere in the top ten or so but then getting knocked off at a corner and ending up last is not satisfying. It’s incredibly frustrating. So with some trepidation I had a go. I was racing a Gr4 car around Spa. I chose my Honda NSX to race because Honda. I had a few laps of qualifying and was reasonably happy with my time but you never know how good you are until you enter a lobby. It turns out I qualified second. This seemed pretty good. But five laps of the race awaited.

The pole position person went too deep into a corner early on and I gained first place. Pole person ended up in third. Then for five laps second place person and I had a really hard and fair race. It was very good racing, even if I am judging that. When either of us moved for an overtake the other would indicate to show they understood what was going to happen. We didn’t touch each other and it was clean. I actually won because they went too deep into the first corner on the last lap. It was a great race and really enjopyable.

An online race win!
An online race win!

The next day I decided to have another go at an online race. I did more qualifying laps and ended up in pole position for my race. I led from the front and stayed there. I think the race finished with me around three seconds ahead. It was fun.

Another Online Race Win
Another Online Race Win

Now that I’m 2-0 it’s probably a good time to quit racing in that mode. Or at least no longer mentioning it here unless I do well!

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Good Times Bad Times

I have numerous posts about how much I enjoy the game Gran Turismo in all its variations. However, there are times when it is rather frustrating. I’d spent about twenty minutes on this licence test and at one point this was my time:

One Of Those Annoying Things
One Of Those Annoying Things

My first and current thought was “fuck you”.

Then there’s some other games I play and this time it just looked so gorgeous, except I wasn’t sure who the hell would build a chest at the end of a log sticking out over the edge of a mountain. It does look lovely though.

One Of Those Pretty Things
One Of Those Pretty Things
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Still Doing Proud Stuff

I’ve been trying to get the last car in Gran Turismo to complete the café menu. I need twenty million credits. I also need the car to be in the store. Every now and then I get distracted by other cars that appear in the shop or that are new in the dealer area. Hence, I’m not that close to the required funds yet. So, the weekly time trials is a good way of making money and also completing the daily marathon driving distance.

Still Happy With It - GT Speed
Still Happy With It – GT Speed

Here’s my time from one of the latest challenges. I’m just under 4% away from the fastest in the world. I’m still happy with this. It seems not too bad for someone who plays a little each day and not all day every day.

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Interception!

I had a flight in X-Plane recently and saw a plane nearby so I thought I would check it out. It was and MD80 faffing around over Essex and Suffolk.

Chasing Down An MD80 - X-Plane
Chasing Down An MD80 – X-Plane

I had a fun time chasing this bird through the sky and trying to stay in formation.

A Caught MD80 - X-Plane
A Caught MD80 – X-Plane
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Testing Flights

I’ve been testing the new PC set up by flying around places I’ve recently visited. It’s nice to see how these places are recreated in X-Plane. I think it looks pretty good, it’s good fun also.

Hurst Castle via X-Plane
Hurst Castle via X-Plane

I’ll soon write about a visit to this castle and some other places in Hampshire and Dorset. I flew over Hurst castle to see how it was created within the flight simulator.

Portsmouth via X-Plane
Portsmouth via X-Plane

I haven’t been to Portsmouth for quite a while but I am planning to head back there soon. It looks good in this early morning flight. Note the aircraft carrier.

The New Forest via X-Plane
The New Forest via X-Plane

Having stayed in the New Forest recently it was nice to fly over it. There’s quite a bit of air activity in the New Forest as it’s within the ILS of Bournemouth International. There are a few 737s, the odd Airbus A340 and some Draken Air Dassault Falcon 20s.

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