In Which Luxy Plays Other Games and Neglects WoW and Blogging

I can't put my finger on it exactly, but something about 5.4 hasn't been right for me. In the beginning, I was upset about the state of Elemental DPS. It got better a few weeks in, however I still wasn't into 5.4. The Celestial Tournament was fun but at this point, I still only have 2 of the pets and can't seem to make myself do it. The achievements on the Timeless Isle were a mix between way too easy and ridiculously time consuming. I still have a lot of farming for items for rare spawns, as well as a lot of rep farming to do.

I think I tend to slow down on my play time at the end of expansions, though it isn't usually until beta is available. I have still been logging on for raids, that won't stop anytime soon! I miss hanging out with my WoW friends as much as I used to though, some of them need to try out some other games with me!

So, what have I been playing?

Trouble in Terrorist Town
TTT is a game mode created for Garry's Mod (a sandbox physics game using a modified Source engine). You play as a group of terrorists with one or more traitors in the midst. The group has to work out who the traitor is, while the traitor is trying to take out the other terrorists. The innocent 'terrorists' are expected to have evidence before shooting, and there will be one or more detectives who can be called to scan DNA on any corpses that are found. Being the traitor is fun! I somehow happen to spawn right next to the same person pretty often (Poor Rocker!) He takes a Deagle to the face pretty well though.

Innocent Luxy!

Rooftops is my favourite TTT map.

Prop Hunt
Prop Hunt is essentially 'Hide and Seek' only way cooler! Also on Garry's Mod, you choose an item on the map, disguise yourself as it, and can either hide in plain sight hoping the hunters don't see you, or find somewhere sneaky to hide. As a prop you have a 'taunt', a noise which plays to help people find you. The sounds can be really short, or quite long. One of the taunts is a song played on a loop which I always seem to get when I have a really good hiding spot and someone asks me to taunt.

I am the radio, the human at the back hasn't chosen a prop yet, not very stealthy!

DayZ
Oooooh, boy. DayZ is a mod for ARMA 2 (A military simulator, which I have never actually played. I bought the game specifically for DayZ). It's a multiplayer, open world, survival horror mod. You are a survivor of a zombie outbreak, trying to stay alive by finding food, medical supplies and weapons to fend off zombies and other players (the latter being the real danger). I choose to play DayZ as a 'hero' meaning I do very little killing of other players, preferring to help my friends by gathering things they need and giving them medical aid when needed. A lot of my friends play as 'bandits' which means they kill most other players on sight! Scary!

Bandaging a bandit!

I drive a lot of vehicles in DayZ. I crash a lot as well. So much so that when I die, comments are often made in chat about it being due to my poor driving skills.

Broo's amazing paint skills depicting my amazing driving skills!

A standalone version of DayZ has been in the making for some time now. To be honest, it's going to be very different to the mods I have been playing. I don't think I am going to enjoy it for the same reason I currently enjoy it, but I am looking forward to trying it.

The Ship
A crazy man has invited you on to his cruise ship. Sounds legit, right? The catch? You have to kill another passenger! While you are hunting, someone else is hunting YOU! The ships have various weapons which you can use to murder your quarry, all of which will award you a different monetary value at the end of the round. You also have 'needs' that you are required to deal with while you are scouring the ship for your victim. You need to eat and drink, sleep, shower, read and even use the bathroom. Some of your needs will see you die if you don't take care of them, while others will just make you smell terrible! 

Poor guy...

Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing
I was never a Sonic lover, I preferred Mario, while my sister was a huge Sonic fan. This game, however... is pretty much Mario Kart and I looooooove it! Both the single and multiplayer modes are super fun. I just wish my sister didn't have such terrible internet right now so we could play together (with 2000km between us to stop us reverting to bratty, hair-pulling rivals)

The crowd are cheering for my character! AMY! AMY! AMY! AMY! AMY! AMY!

I actually spent a lot of time idling in WoW tonight, which is something I haven't done for a long time. I think it's Sonic time though... :D

DayZ - Survival Journal 36-42

 DayZ 1-7, 8-14, 15-21, 22-28, 29-35

Day 36:
I spent the night in one of the earlier apartments I searched. I had 3 cans of food in my pack, I will need to find more. I cried, for the first time since I arrived here. I'm basically starting all over, with little more than I arrived here with.

Day 37:
There is plenty of canned food to be found in the apartments still. It feels like I have won the lottery when I find a can of Frank and Beans. So sick of sardines and plain baked beans. I carry what I can, eat if I am hungry and leave some behind, keeping notes so I can come back.

Day 38:
The Ferris Wheel in the centre of the city looks to have been disused for many years before the outbreak. I couldn't help but wonder what life was like in Taviana before this happened. It's hard to imagine Taviana as anything but bleak.

Day 39:
I hoped to find something useful in some lockers I found. They were practically empty but I can use them for storage while I am staying close by.

Day 40:
The stadium here in Lyepestok reminds me of football games I attended with my family as a child. I spent a long time sitting, thinking about them. There were zombies around the kiosks on either side, I considered fighting my way through but I wasn't sure what could really be left worth taking.

Day 41:
I found a store filled with packaged food past its expiration date. It looked as if someone had tried to sample it. Was it the couple who hijacked my car? Will a time come when hunger will force me to this?

Day 42: 
I need a new car, for travel purposes only. I can't rely on it as a means of storage. I need to be prepared to lose it all again, but I also need to be prepared to fight for it all. Tomorrow I will check the scrap yards for anything that can be salvaged.

DayZ - Survival Journal 29-35

DayZ 1-7, 8-14, 15-21, 22-28

Day 29:

I drove to Doriyanov. A small town, a short distance from the main road. I parked the car and walked up the road a little. A zombie was crouched over something on the middle of the road. I didn't need to go any further, I turned and walked back to the car. I got quite close to Lyepestok before the sun went down. I stopped a short way out of the city and used the last of the sunlight to look over my map.

Day 30:

Lyepestok is big. I spent the morning on the outskirts of the city. There are a lot of apartment buildings here. I found a few cans of food. I haven't seen any sign of the living here.

Day 31: 
More searching through apartments. More food. My car is filling up with supplies. I think I have enough food for 2 weeks.

Day 32:
I've been hearing sounds in some of the apartments. Zombies trapped inside, perhaps? The further in to the city I venture, the more zombies I see.

Day 33:
I met a couple today. A man and a woman, the man had a shotgun, which he put down on the ground as they approached me. His wife is pregnant, quite far along. They offered me a place to stay and asked if I would help them find food. I did my best to examine the woman. She seems healthy considering the way they have been forced to live. I declined to stay with them but of course I will help them with supplies if I can.

Day 34:
The mall in Lyepestok has mostly been ransacked, but I managed to find some clothes that fit. Men's clothing, much more practical than the women's clothing I left in the crates in Etanovsk. I didn't find a lot of food, the man looked suspicious of me when I handed him what I had scavenged. I believe he distrusts me.

Day 35: 
I awoke this morning to a gun pointed in my face. The man told me to get out of the car. 
The woman apologised as she got in, she looked at her husband as she picked up my pack, he nodded and she passed it to me. He told me he would leave my guns and ammunition a little up the road. I sat down, confounded. What now?

DayZ - Survival Journal 22-28

 

DayZ 1-7, 8-14, 15-21

Day 22: 
I made it to Etanovsk. I found a tent in the supermarket on the outskirts of the town. I have set it up for tonight 800 metres into the treeline on the other side of town. Tomorrow I will head in to see what I can salvage.

Day 23: 
The school here in Etanovsk is possibly the most disturbing place I have been to so far. Where there should be sounds of children learning and playing, the eerie silence filled me with dread. As I was leaving, a zombie walked up the stairs. I loathed to shoot a gun in a school, so I walked the other way to avoid it.

Day 24:
Today I walked from house to house, Etanovsk is quiet. There are very few zombies, and little sign that some of these houses were inhabited for some time before the outbreak. There were cans of food, soup and beans. My pack is heavy with rations. I leave some behind. I can come back.

Day 25:
I searched a yard filled with shipping containers for anything I might find useful. I found mechanical parts, rotten fruit and crates of women's clothing, not my style. I could use a change of clothes, but I pass. The mechanical parts had me wishing I had any clue about repairing cars. In my old life, if I needed my car repaired, there was a garage around the corner. A car would make traveling faster.

Day 26:
I found a payphone. I picked up the receiver, but of course, there was no dial tone. I walked away thinking about my family back home. Will I ever see them again?

Day 27:
I found a car with the keys in the ignition and with a missing wheel, I spent the whole day looking for a wheel. I walked to several different garages before I found one on a car outside of the school. I pushed it along the road, as I carried 2 jerrycans back to the yellow hatchback.

Day 28:
Today was spent going back through all of the houses and stores. I found some blankets and a pillow. Some comforts I have rarely enjoyed in Taviana. I'll pack up my tent in the morning and get on the road early.

DayZ - Survival Journal 15-21

DayZ 1-7, 8-14

Day 15:

I found a library and I couldn't resist, I spent most of the day browsing the shelves, flicking through some classics and selecting a handful of books to take with me, nothing too heavy to lug around. A quiet library is the closest glimpse to normalcy since I arrived in Taviana, but there is no strict librarian to shush any noise, to make sure I checked the books out or remind me to return them within 2 weeks but I will return them.

Day 16:
I've been thinking about where to go from here. The island to the west or North to Etanovsk. My trips to Sabina and surrounding towns are becoming less and less fruitful. The smaller towns have been cleaned out, most of them before I arrived and Sabina has been slim pickings. There are places I could check, boarded up restaurants, taverns and cafes, but I've heard noises as I walk past them. If there are people in there, they won't welcome me.

Day 17:
I left Sabina today. I took the road heading north and didn't look back. It was the closest route out of the city and I wasn't going to dally or argue when I was told to leave. Three men whose faces were hidden made sure I understood the importance of not to returning to Sabina. I wondered if these men had anything to do with the burnt truck. I wasn't going to ask.

Day 18:
I spent the night last night in a diner in Novibor. The only food to be found was inedible. Half-finished meals and open containers of spoiled ingredients. The refrigerator stunk of sour milk and something I never want to smell again. However, I did find some cans of food in some houses surrounding the diner.

Day 19: 

I traveled to Solibor today. Shortly after arriving, my bicycle was stolen. I left it outside of a supermarket, when I emerged it was gone. I wasn't inside for more than 10 minutes. I didn't hear a sound nor did I suspect I wasn't alone here. The next part of my journey is west to Etanovsk, and it's a long one, and now even longer as I have to walk. I am sleeping in the church here tonight, or at least attempting to rest.

Day 20:

I'm spending the night in an abandoned car on the road between Solibor and Etanovsk. The car has no fuel and a flat tyre. I feel safer here than I have anywhere else in Taviana. There are fewer zombies out here where the houses are few and far between.

Day 21: 

A plane flew over today! Flying south. I wished I had some flares to attract its attention but do I want their attention? It seems no one can be trusted in Taviana. Is there a chance there are more survivors somewhere? North?

DayZ - Survival Journal 8-14

DayZ 1-7

Day 8:
It was almost dawn before I got out of Sabina. I ended up lost while trying to avoid zombies in the streets. I could barely see them but I could hear their groans and shuffling. When I walked in to the barn it was obvious someone had been here. The hatchet is missing and my bed of straw has been kicked around. Though unlikely the person or persons will return, I can't stay here. I need to find a new place to sleep.

Day 9:
I fired Vick's revolver for the first time. I spent an hour walking before finding a house that looked safe. There was a zombie inside. I had to kill it, I shot it 5 times. I was sure the gunshots would attract attention from anyone or thing in the area. I stayed awake all night, couched in a corner with Vick's M14 aimed at the only door.

Day 10:
I walked for hours today. Sticking to the tree line I encounter a lot less zombies. The odd zombie ambling, looking lost, perhaps it followed someone and lost them. I'm tired but I think I have found a safe place to sleep tonight. I'm running low on food and places to look.

Day 11:
Today I heard the faint sound of gunshots in the distance. Could it be whoever it was I heard in Sabina last week? I couldn't tell the direction, maybe north west. I found a can of beans today. A relief from the tiny rations of sardines I have been allowing myself.

Day 12:
I haven't eaten real meat since the ship, and the meals onboard left a lot to be desired. I watched a pig wandering close by me for what seemed like hours. I couldn't bring myself to make any attempts on it's life. Could I? I suppose the time will come, sooner rather than later no doubt, when I need to.


Day 13:
I found a bicycle today. Tomorrow I will head back to Sabina to scrounge for more supplies before before moving on. 

Day 14:
On my way to Sabina I found the wreckage of a truck, still burning. I saw no signs of anyone inside. Was it one of our men? Perhaps they made it out alive, to Sabina? The reconnaissance teams could be anywhere by now. Am I looking for them?

DayZ - Survival Journal 1-7

Day 1:
I had to flee the ship today, the crew are sick. It looks like whatever we were sent to investigate made it onboard. Three teams of five have been sent out on reconnaissance missions. Only one soldier returned. Was he infected? My only chance now is to survive on Taviana. I have no supplies as there was no time in the madness of the outbreak. I can't go back now. It's getting dark, I need a place to sleep.

Day 2:
I found a barn not far from the coast. I looked around for anything that might be useful to me. I found a hatchet on the lower level. I slept upstairs in the barn on a pile of straw. It itches but it's a bed. There is water outside. Tomorrow I need to find food.

Day 3: 
I spent the day looking for food. All I found was a can of Frank and Beans and a couple of sodas. I also found a backpack in the store. I put my rations in the pack and I walked back to the barn. I will eat half now and save the rest for tomorrow.

Day 4:
I went from house to house today. I found the body of one of our soldiers laying on the bed in a small house not far from the barn. His supply pack was next to him with his guns, an M14 and a revolver. I tried not to look at him as I picked up his belongings, but I couldn't help noticing a wound on his forearm. Looking closer I could see it was a bite. I covered his body. He was part of the second crew sent out. They called him Vick, though I didn't know him past a 'Hello'. Back at the barn I checked his pack.

Ammunition
Flashlight
Knife
Matches
Map
Compass
Bandages
Epi-pen
Antibiotics
Water bottle
2 cans of sardines 

Day 5:
Until today, I hadn't seen a 'living' zombie, and I didn't just see one. Five of them were feasting on something, I wasn't going to get close enough to find out what or whom. As I turned to walk the other way I stepped on a branch, my stomach sank. Had they heard me? Apparently I wasn't as interesting as their meal and I walked back to the barn to rifle through the small toolbox I found at a gas station.

Day 6:
I found a city today, according to the map I am in Sabina. I'm spending the night in a church. It seems safe enough. I found more food and ammunition in a shopping mall that was mostly cleared out. The ammo looks the same as the rounds I am carrying for Vick's revolver.

Day 7:
I awoke to gunshots this morning. They sounded close, I was frightened. I'm not trained for combat but I can fire my weapon and hopefully hit my mark should I need to though I don't want to. (It might have been months before I was taken to land, if and when a secure base was built.) I spent most of the day prone between two pews, waiting for the doors to open. They didn't and as night falls I am going to try to make my way out of the city.