Words On Wednesday

I finally did it. I finally got level 99 Magic. As I have discussed time , and time , and time , and time  again, this has been a long and ongoing process. Between the setbacks, the missed goals, and the distractions, I wasn’t actually sure I would ever hit 99. But through it all, I have persisted, and finally reached my goal. On 17 March 2018, I made the  final cast of High Level Alchemy that gave me enough experience to level up. After DXPW, I only had about 12,500 high alchs to go before I got 99 Magic. Even if I just did 1000 per day, I could get it in about 2 weeks. To avoid getting a third ban, I limited myself to 500 or 1000 casts at a time. Eventually I would get it, I just didn’t want to have another ban on my record. My pace may have been a crawl, but I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. I was 1 level away, and I had already come so far. While every skill that I have trained to level 99 has given me a sense of accomplishment from my pe...

I recently started trying to find a good Army Navy surplus store around me, and I’ve learned that they have nearly gone extinct. For some reason, I got hit with the nostalgic urge to visit an Army Navy store in the past few weeks. Between their  cheap camping gear like paracord, the fact that I could use a new pair of BDUs, and the sheer joy of window shopping, I really just wanted to go to one and peruse their wares. I might pick up something if I found anything I could make use of at a good price. Military specification bags and knives are supposedly some of the best, and I’d like to try out a canvas belt like I’ve heard of some people finding at surplus stores. Plus, people seem to rave about the thermal poncho liner, or “ woobie ” as I hear it referred to among those who know of its excellence. I hadn’t gone to one in several years, so it seemed like the time to go see what any local stores had on hand. Looking around on Google Maps, I found that there weren’t many at all ...

A few weeks ago, Jagex held its semi-annual Double Experience Weekend (DXPW) event on Runescape. With a few exceptions, players gained double experience for nearly any action from February 23 to February 26, 2018. These exceptions, along with the consequences of my attempt to reach level 99 Magic again, have left a sour taste in my mouth. DXPW is always announced several weeks before it begins , in order to give players time to prepare. Players stock up on materials and items to train certain skills and take advantage of the bonus experience rates. For typically expensive skills like construction, DXPW gives players 72 hours to spend half as much, and train skills twice as quickly. Since DXPW only comes twice a year, most players like to make the most of it. I considered what I might want to work on for DXPW. I recently knocked out 99 Runecrafting, and I didn’t really want to put too much effort into Smithing since I’d also like to get all of the Respect rewards from  Art...

I recently obtained the Free Mobile Wireless Controller from SteelSeries, and I have been tremendously pleased with it. I’ve never been a fan of touchscreen controls for video games. If a game was made specifically for touchscreen devices, or ported from other platforms with controls adjusted properly, they aren’t bad. Still not quite as good as a dedicated controller in my mind, but they’ll usually pass. Emulators of non-touch platforms on touch screens are normally atrocious. The on-screen buttons often obscure part of the screen, and there isn’t any tactile feedback to let you know whether you’re still on the buttons or where you are on the d-pad or analog stick. It’s always been a terrible experience for me to play emulators on a touchscreen device. Recently, I’ve found that slow-paced games like RPGs can be passable on touchscreen devices. I would prefer a physical controller, but I can get by with the touch controls. Pokemon Blue and Pokemon Trading Card Game on Game Boy ...