Biggs' Zone

A Geek's Cogitations, Conjectures and other Cortical Experiences

RTotD: TWD Should Pass the Torch

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On November 1, 2018

In Random Cogitations

I haven’t watched Season 8 of The Walking Dead yet. I forgot it was even available on Netflix. After seven seasons of it I’ve realized that the novelty has worn off. The tragic rumor of Season 9 is that it is Andrew Lincoln’s final season. Rick Grimes will be killed off (because that’s how a character leaves the show). Also I have not seen any statement by AMC that this is the final season. So The Walking Dead will continue on without Andrew Lincoln? That’s like killing Matt Murdock but not ending the series (don’t get any ideas Netflix!).

Just End It and Pass the Torch

If Andrew Lincoln is leaving in true Walking Dead fashion, then end it with season 9. It’s time to pass the proverbial torch. There are many new shows now that are providing that fresh mystery and thrill (e.g. Stranger Things and The Haunting of Hill House). Every season of TWD is starting to be a rehash of the prior season (find a town, encounter someone truly twisted and evil, defend the town, destroy the town).

At this point I’m starting to root for the zombies. In fact let’s just end the series with all of mankind turning to zombies. Just wipe everybody out!

By the way, if you enjoy watching thrillers then check out The Haunting of Hill House. It’s very well done!

/cheers

The things that go through my mind when I’m alone with nothing but my thoughts for entertainment is dangerous. Some might even say eccentric. Consider this your warning about today’s Random Thought of the Day

 

Star Wars: The Subtle, and Brilliant, Connections

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On October 30, 2018

In General Cogitation

For nearly two decades there has been seven new movies and two animated series (with more on the way). There are trivial details that link all of them and the brilliance lies in the minutiae. The subtle, and brilliant, connections Disney brings to the franchise is outstanding and fascinating. Perhaps “connection” might be a misnomer, considering some of these items are so subtle they’re more like “Easter Eggs”. I’ll get into that later. There are quite a few Easter Eggs in all of the movies, but these are my favorites.

Also, if you have not seen Solo or all of Clone Wars, there are mild spoilers ahead from each.

[**Spoilers Ahead**] Darth Maul’s Appearance

Darth Maul with Mechanical LegsAs you watch Solo: A Star Wars Story, they do leave you wondering what happened to Q’ira after her and Han are separated during the escape from Corellia. Her sudden appearance as a gangster’s lieutenant several years later is one of the great mysteries of the film. She’s clearly tormented by the her choices in the past leaving the audience, and Han, completely in the dark.

Her vexing relationship with Dryden Vos had us wondering if she is his mistress or concubine, like Leia was to Jabba (which would be fantastic symmetry). However, we are all stunned when Q’ira contacts Darth Maul (reprised by Ray Park) leaving us all with more questions about her past. What makes this encounter more mysterious is the fact that it’s the version of Darth Maul with his robot legs thus linking Solo to late episodes of Rebels and Clone Wars. This is one of my favorite scenes in the Han Solo movie.

Hera’s Ghost

Ghost among the fleet assaulting Scarif in Rogue One (Click to enlarge)

Before you think I’m exposing another spoiler, I’m not talking about Hera’s spiritual ghost but her ship, the Ghost. If you are unfamiliar with the animated series, Star Wars Rebels, then none of this will make sense. Hera is a Twi’lek rebellion pilot and the Ghost is a Corellian VCX-100 light freighter. She is a central character to the animated series and the formation of the Rebel Alliance.

This little Easter Egg is very similar to the Millennium Falcon Easter Eggs at various spaceports in the prequels and Clone Wars. Granted most of those are merely Corellian Corvettes and not specifically the Millennium Falcon. However, in this particular case the Ghost can be spotted among the ships preparing to attack Scarif in Rogue One. You may even hear a “General Syndulla” on the PA.

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WoW: Mythic+ Dungeons Are Obnoxious

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On October 19, 2018

In Gaming, Soapbox, World of Warcraft

The concepts in this post will be fairly esoteric if you are not familiar with many of the game features in World of Warcraft. Also, this will likely be a bit of a soapbox as I’ve grown weary of the emphasis put on Mythic+ dungeons. Sorry Blizzard, I just don’t care for the Mythic+ system, in fact I think Mythic+ dungeons are obnoxious.

The original purpose for the them is to give players an end-game option other than raiding. The fact that spec recommendations are usually different depending on whether you are in a raid versus a Mythic+ dungeon is evidence that these two are mutually exclusive. Just because you do one, doesn’t mean you should do the other. As someone who raids heroic content 3-6 hours a week, I don’t find it interesting to spend another 3+ hours suffering through multiple Mythic+ dungeons.

Dungeons Should Be Short

Perhaps I have a bit of PTSD from a 6-hour trip into Shadow Labs way back in Burning Crusade, but a dungeon shouldn’t take more than 20-30 minutes. If a dungeon is taking you more than 30-45 minutes, someone is doing something wrong and its time to quit. I do like doing dungeons, when I have time to do one. I especially like it when there is a dungeon that has specific lore significance (ex: Black Rook Hold, Scholomance, Culling of Stratholme, etc). This is especially appealing if there is a quest that continues a particularly interesting story line.

Other than adding the Mythic mechanic, my only other criticism for dungeons lately is acting as a gate to furthering professions. As I’ve mentioned before, during Legion, its ridiculous to have to complete an extra boss in a dungeon to further your alchemy profession. This seems to be more tame in Battle for Azeroth, but I also haven’t leveled all the professions, yet.

Affixes and Keystones are Bollocks

How long a dungeon takes to complete, even a Mythic+, varies significantly on the composition and competency of your group. So let’s get to the real reason I think Mythic+ dungeons are obnoxious; affixes and keystones.

What are Affixes? They are special twists on mob and dungeon mechanics to create a new challenge and adds new levels of complexity. Only three affixes are randomly active in a given week. You can see the list of possible affixes here. I’m sure for those players that enjoy Mythic+ dungeons enjoy the variety affixes bring to a dungeon; and I’m happy that works for them. Personally I think affixes create more stress and make dungeons less appealing. I could even feel less annoyed by the hoops you need to jump through for getting appropriate gear if there weren’t affixes to deal with as well.

So that brings me to keystones (and, ultimately, gear). In order to enter any Mythic+ dungeon someone in your group needs a keystone. The only way to acquire said keystone is to complete a Mythic 0 dungeon. Each time you complete a Mythic+ dungeon you get another keystone, for a random dungeon, at an increased level. This is where things get especially gross if you are hunting for better gear. The higher your gear score is, the more Mythic+ dungeons you have to do to get gear that’s worth a damn.

An example

For example, my gear score on my raid toon is 360. If I want ilevel 360 gear to drop I have to get a keystone for a Mythic+7 or higher. Which means I have to do at least 2 or 3 dungeons before I even get the appropriate keystone, then I have to complete that dungeon. You also only have a week to do this (as all Mythic+ dungeons and keystones reset every Tuesday). Of course what gear you get is completely random so there is a chance, that after enduring all of that, you could get a piece that you can’t even use. As your gear score increases, so do the number of Mythic+ dungeons you have to complete within a week.

THAT IS A BIG FAT NOPE! I won’t do that. I refuse. All of that work for very little gain just isn’t my idea of fun. So, to that end, I won’t subject myself to that cruelty. I would rather asphyxiate myself with barbed wire (i.e. I’d rather PVP).

By the way, if you do want to know more about Mythic+ dungeons, because they do sound appealing to you, follow this Wowhead link.

/cheers

duke-nukem-sm If zombies attack the world, everyone will run and hide. Except for us gamers, of course. We’ve been waiting for this all our lives!

 

The Matrimonial Sibling Event

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On October 15, 2018

In General Cogitation

The last weekend in September was also the last weekend my sister and I shared a last name. In a four-day period we drove 11+ hours down to Destin Florida to participate in an event that will ultimately change all our lives. The details that lead to this union is not a story I am at liberty to tell, however it is the stuff story books are made of, complete with a happy ending. I was unaware that she was seeing anybody but, being the tech savvy person that I am, when I was given his name, I began my Internet deep dive. (FYI, you would be amazed what you can find on the Internet about a person if you just know what to look for and where to look for it). Long story short, my search revealed no red flags and he received a preliminary thumbs up.

Coarse, Rough, Irritating and It Gets Everywhere!

Proof I stood in the sand (the things you do for those with whom you share DNA)

Needless to say, a wedding in Florida means a wedding on the beach. If you know me or have read my blog I’ve talked about how much I loath sand. The only place silicon has in our world is for the manufacture of computer parts. On my feet and between my toes is definitely not where it’s supposed to be. However, at the risk of sounding a bit schmaltzy, I am a devoted brother and I stood in the sand, in my bare feet. 

I’m not without my limitations. Once the post-ceremony pictures were taken, I hopped on the first shuttle back to the reception location (which happened to be a mere block from where we were staying). After a quick 2-minute shower, which involved thorough scrubbing of my feet, I was back. Nobody was none the wiser and I stopped twitching and scratching like a crack addict.

With Friends Like These …

I only really know the friends my sister had when we were kids. Unfortunately none of them could make it, but I did have the pleasure of meeting her new crew. When her and I moved to different cities to embark on our own journeys, our lives would be enigmas to one another. Our routines would change, our jobs would change, our friends would change. You can only glean so much about people from social media. However, I knew she had a great group of friends when they did exactly what I did the moment I found out this new guys name. It appears I wasn’t the only one that dug up whatever they could find on this guy.

I am very happy to know that she has friends that think like I do (at least in regards to my sister’s well-being). I barely knew these folks but I was looking forward to spending some time around them. She has picked some amazing people and I feel confident that she is well looked after.

It was the shortest time I’ve ever spent in Florida. However it was extraordinary, with some extraordinary people for an extraordinary event! God Bless the new couple!

minions_icon

I could accomplish so much more if I only had minions!

 

Book Review: Lord of Shadows (The Dark Artifices Book 2)

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On October 4, 2018

In Book Review, Fantasy

Book Review: Lord of ShadowsLord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare
My rating: [rating=4]

This is not going to be a lengthy review. Lord of Shadows is the middle book of a series and I want to avoid revealing too much detail both about this book, and its predecessor (Lady Midnight). I want to remind you that I am not one of those guys that reads a lot of romance novels. Granted this book hardly qualifies as a “romance” novel but it does have a few fanciful moments.

The quick breakdown of the book is the conflict with the Unseelie King continues while the Shadowhunters also track down Malcolm Fade. Amidst all the turmoil between the Faerie Courts, the Centurions and the Shadowhunters, Emma and Julian’s affection for each other continues to grow. They know the law and the law forbids romantic relationships between parabatai. In fact not only is it forbidden, it’s dangerous. It almost as a Jedi-esque quality.

Biggs Review

I think this is a solid middle book. The journey into the Faerie world was especially intriguing and there is quite a bit of action, especially at the end of the book! I could have done without the author’s editorial on transgender personified in one of the characters. It provided no relevance to the story and was clearly a device to illustrate her political stance on the topic. In fact it was so irrelevant, I forgot it even happened within two chapters.

The last couple of pages in this book are probably the biggest shocker in all of her novels. By the end you are left wondering “who IS Emma Carstairs??” and what does Cassandra Clare have against children?! Reading the other series isn’t necessarily a prerequisite but certain parts of this book make more sense if you have. If you have read her other series, then I would recommend continuing with the Dark Artifices. I can’t wait for Book 3.

View all my reviews

diablo3-reading“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
– Dr. Seuss

 

RTotD: Gaming In Your Late 30s

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On September 27, 2018

In General Cogitation, Random Cogitations

Hi. My name is Matt. I’m in my late 30s; and I still play video games.

Video games are something I grew up playing. I was born after the Atari was introduce but just before the Nintendo era began. I was about 10 when I got the NES, Super Mario Brothers and Blades of Steel then became my world. I’ve had every iteration of the Nintendo since then, until the Wii U. I’ve also had a Sega Genesis and an XBox 360, however PC is where I spend the majority of my hobby.

Kids today will never appreciate the artistry and craftsmanship of video games. They did not endure 8-bit Pitfall and side-scrolling Super Mario Brothers. Legends of Zelda was the closest we came to an immersive world. Be that as it may, it doesn’t matter if you’re 16, 25, or 38, video games have no age barriers. In a world plagued by stress, bullying and butt-hurt social media trolls, video games provide a cathartic escape for all ages. As far as I’m concerned, I’ll keep going until my hands are so arthritic I can no longer hold a controller or click a mouse.

The things that go through my mind when I’m alone with nothing but my thoughts for entertainment is dangerous. Some might even say eccentric. Consider this your warning about today’s Random Thought of the Day

 

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