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(probably since I think it’s an open beta now, but hey, I’ll take my wins where I can). Haven’t played too much yet, so I’m going to try and reserve judgement at this point, but if things keep going as they are now, I can very much see myself getting the game at release. I’m going to look into what the NDA says (I’m pretty sure I read that the NDA’s been lifted so I should be able to post freely, but I want to double check the official stance) and I’ll probably post my overall thoughts at a later point.
Just a quick head’s up, this post will be all about SWTOR. If you’re not a fan of the Old Republic, you may want to navigate away… Also, I’ll be giving some False Emperor flashpoint spoilers.
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Okay. You’re still here, so I imagine you want me to go on :).
As planned, Liz and I finished our main story lines. We opted to just push through the class missions, ignoring the planetary missions for Voss and Corellia, so we ended up finishing at level 52. Once this was done, we decided that rather than push on to Makeb right away we should go through and try to get HK-51 (a companion character introduced quite some time back).
While we’ve had a few level 50 characters for quite some time now (at least since HK-51 was introduced), we simply haven’t gotten the drive to do what was necessary to get him. To obtain him, you need to run through a quick mission in Section X on Belsavis and then do a sort of treasure hunt across the galaxy, collecting needed parts along the way. Two of the parts are in flashpoints (instance dungeons for those of you from other MMOs).
We decided to jump right into the first flashpoint, The False Emperor, and opted not to get other players to run it with, so we had Liz playing her DPS Bounty Hunter with a ranged DPS companion (Gault), and me running my healing Sith Sorcerer with Khem Val as the tank. This has been our basic party make-up since the start – it made more sense to have me control the tank since I tend to have a more holistic view of battles.
Now, it’s very possible that our taking on the level 50 flashpoint together at 52 isn’t very impressive, but to us, it was a big deal. I’m sure we ended up spending twice as long in the instance as we probably needed to, with a lot of the pulls over-planned just to be safe, but I’m happy to say we ended up blowing through the entire thing, without too many problems (only wiped 3 times overall, once on a poorly managed trash pull, once against HK-47, and once against Darth Malgus). So, here’s our quick thoughts and feeling about each boss along the way. Note that we didn’t think we’d make it through the instance, so I didn’t bother taking any of my own screenshots. Images below are all other people’s (specifically from SWTORHub). I may try to talk Liz into running this a second time so I can grab my own screenshots and update this post.
Tregg the Destroyer
Image from SWTOR Hub
After fighting our way through the initial series of trash pulls (with a really embarrassing wipe against two heroic (gold star) mobs, two strong (silver star) and a normal / trash mob right at the start), we got to the first mini boss. Where we were dealing with him using a companion tank, it was a little harder to make sure that nobody got tossed off the edge during the fight. In fact, just after Tregg’s two trash allies were downed, Khem went sailing into oblivion, followed shortly thereafter by Gault.
As you can imagine, we were certain that we’d die at this point, since Tregg was still hovering around 75%. Somehow, we persevered, with Liz kiting him nicely around the platform, avoiding his AOEs and tosses, and still turning to lay in DPS whenever she could, while I managed to stay back from the fray, shielding and healing her while keeping my DoTs up on Tregg. It probably was the slowest defeat he’s ever faced. I’d love to say that it came down to tactics, and I suppose it did… Liz’ tactic: stay out of the spell circles and stay alive, my tactic: keep Liz alive and don’t pull threat. So, really, we were lucky, but I won’t complain.
Jindo Krey
Image from SWTOR Hub
This wasn’t too bad of a fight, really. We identified very early on in the fight that we should use the stationary gun to attack the bounty hunter’s ship when it came into range, and I would let Liz know when it did so, letting her run to the guns. Besides that, it was a fairly simple fight. From a healing point of view, it wasn’t tough to keep everyone fairly well healed, despite the fact that Gault and Khem Val tended to end up standing together and getting hit simultaneously by Jindo. It probably helped that Liz was able to tag the ship with the stationary guns before it would get even a single volley off. I’ve read (since our finishing the fight – we didn’t bother reading up on the FP before starting it) that it’s a challenge for the tank to get solid aggro and it’s a challenge for the healer, but I guess with the solid focus of a companion tank and again a little luck, he went down quite quickly.
Prototypes B-16 and A-14
Image from SWTOR Hub
Yeah, these guys were quite easy. It’s hardly worth mentioning them, although it did require a little bit of companion management when they would switch which of them was invincible. That having been said, the first bot was at half health when he first became invincible. It was lucky that I spotted that he’d stopped taking damage at that point, though, otherwise it would have turned into an especially long (but still fairly easy) fight. I don’t think I dropped below 50% force despite occasionally helping with the DPS. Easy-peasy.
HK-47
Image from SWTOR Hub
This fight was the entire reason we went into this FP – we needed to take him out to obtain one of his parts for our HK-51 droid. He was tough. REALLY tough. In fact, Liz and I agreed that he was easily the toughest boss of the instance. Our first attempt we almost got him, although it was a rough, panicky fight – I died right near the end and Liz was able to get him down to 600 health before also getting taken out.
Second attempt didn’t feel like it was going any smoother – about half way through the battle, I died. Luckily, I immediately used the ‘return to area start’ button and was able to jump right back into the battle. Shortly afterwards, Khem Val died. Enter my battle res. Heal heal heal… dead HK!
There might have been more tactics involved had it not just been Liz and I. Companion control is very limited overall, so I think we just ended up focus firing on HK and pushing through it. His targeted missiles were a bit of a pain to avoid, made all that much harder by the fact that companions don’t react at all to the spell circles, and if they’re behind you and you don’t see the fringe of the targeting circle, you’ll get hit just as hard as they will. I read about there being turrets, but to be honest, I was so focused on keeping everyone alive that I didn’t even notice them. I really should ask Liz if she took them out… I assume she must have.
The Sith Entity
Image from SWTOR Hub
This is the optional fight for the False Emperor FP. He was a real push-over. The main Sith Entity boss is just a basic tank-and-spank, with him vanishing and popping 3 strong mobs at certain points in the battle. These caused a little bit of problem, as Khem Val and Gault would run over to where the boss would re-appear once the mobs died and wait there until they were attacked by a mob or re-targeted by Liz and I. It would have been humorous, had at least 2 of the strong mobs not decided to focus their lightning attacks on me each time they spawned.
Despite the adds being just strong mobs, I have to admit I found myself looking forward to getting the boss back – they made for much more hectic healing than the boss, especially when you tossed needing to control Khem Val into the mix. Again, though, there were no real tactics involved. Just kill and heal as normal.
Darth Malgus
Image from SWTOR Hub
Okay, certainly not a tough battle, once you know what to expect, although I’ll admit that Liz and I got lucky with what seems to be a glitch (or maybe a change in the game). We wiped on our first attempt, but then were able to quickly learn from it and burn through him the second time around.
Initially not knowing what to expect (again, we really need to start doing some research before trying new things), we lost Gault within moments of starting our first try to Malgus’ 50 foot throw attack (there was an entertaining moment where Liz asked ‘where’s my companion??’, followed by my spotting him flying over the edge of the platform and his icon disappearing from our interface). Lesson 1: get him to the stairs and fight there. On the second attempt, we were able to do this fairly easily (I bound setting my companion to passive to help me control where we were fighting a bit more), so no leaps of faith too place. It was fairly busy fight in such a cramped space, but no dropping deaths was worth it.
We were fairly lucky with his one-on-one attack (where 3 party members are incapacitated while he fights one person for a time). I’d manage to get that person fully healed and shielded before we’d get incapacitated which was, surprisingly enough, all that was needed (in fact, when it was my turn to one-on-one him, I spent some time healing everyone else while he was beating on my shield).
The point we were lucky about is his death. After our first wipe against him while waiting 4 minutes for Liz’ field repair droid to come off cooldown, I looked up strategies for him (just in case there was anything else to know about) and found out about needing to blast him off the edge when he got to around 10%, became invulnerable, and started casting his lightning. With this knowledge in hand, at about 15% we started pulling him down the stairs to the ledge, all the while laying on the DPS. And then he died. Just like that. Apparently he didn’t go invulnerable. He just kept taking damage while we pulled him to the edge, and collapsed in a pile a couple feet from the edge. Enter the confusion and elation.
So yeah, that was our experience duo’ing The False Emperor at 52. We had a lot of fun, and thanks to a fair bit of luck didn’t find it too challenging.
Guess our next step is to take on Foundry / Maelstrom Prison on Hard mode for the last piece of HK-51… Think we can duo it?
– CP
Related articles
- Weekend Recap: Sun, SWTOR, and 18 days till Hyper Japan! (professingideas.com)
- Class Review #2: The Sith Inquisitor (themoridorlegacy.wordpress.com)
Well, despite the sunny temperature we ended up spending much of the weekend inside. For one, we’re weak… it was too freaking hot. It’s nice conceptually, and the sun is great, but Liz and I both start melting once the temperature goes above 24°C ish. While Liz is from Oklahoma, a place where you can expect 40°C+ weather (cooling to 30°C+ overnight) for weeks at a time, she’s not used to not having AC – everyone has AC in Oklahoma… stores, homes, cars, you name it. As for me? I’d say blame it on my being a Canadian, but I know plenty of Canadians who thrive in the heat. I guess I just prefer the cold.
The second reason we decided to stay inside was that this was the last double XP weekend for SWTOR. We played a fair bit, and I have to say we put it to good use. We got our Bounty Hunter (Mercenary) / Sith Inquisitor (Sorcerer) up to 50 (almost 52, actually). We haven’t actually finished the main story line yet… We got through the first map of Voss, completing every mission before deciding to skip the rest of the planetary missions and just focus on story line. We’re now done with Voss. Now, it’s off to Corellia. I think the plan is to once again just focus on finishing the story line. As it is, with the change to the commendation system, our modifiable gear is partially filled with Makeb level modifications, so even if we were playing individually we’d have a tough time finding a challenge on Corellia. Here’s hoping that focusing on the class missions only we’ll manage to finish these story lines tonight.
That’s pretty much it for the weekend update. So, instead, here’s something exciting: 10 days till vacation! And 18 days till Hyper Japan!
We really can’t wait. More and more information on what will be available there is being released on the site every day. They’ve now released the main stage programme. It obviously could change between now and then, but it gives a good idea of what will be going on.
And as for what’s going on, there will be SIRO-A performances, geisha performances, live Japanese folk music, Cosplay, and performances from J-Pop star Yun*chi (amongst many other things).
SIRO-A (really gets into it around 1:10)
Yun*chi – Reverb*
So excited!
As prep-work, I found this (slightly older, but still relevant) post on chopstick etiquette: Just How Rude are You? The Chopstick Test on Hey from Japan- Notes on Moving, Emily Cannell
Hmmm… I did decently, but there were apparently a couple things that I’ll need to keep in mind (namely, passing things to Liz from my chopsticks to hers).
So, anyone else going to attend Hyper Japan?
-CP
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Nexus 7 Logo owned and copyright Google. From Google’s site.
Unfortunately, with such a slow week, I really haven’t had too much to post about (a trend that continues). So, I thought I’d write a quick review about one of my favourite gadgets (one I’ve mentioned in passing several times), my Google Nexus 7!
<TL;DR version>
Nexus 7 > iPad Mini. Great apps, free apps, independent apps, and side loadable apps. Upload your music to Google Play to access anywhere, anytime. Great visual quality, runs smoothly. No 3G on most models, but can be overcome with mobile WiFi devices (if you need to – normally lots of free WiFi available). No rear-facing camera (but you probably have a mobile in your pocket with a decent camera already). Definitely a recommended buy if you’re not an Apple person, and you should consider it anyways if you are.
</TL;DR version>
Let’s start out with a quick technical information breakdown. I’m only putting the details here that I was particularly interested in when shopping for a tablet. You can find more detailed info on Wikipedia. Here are the basic details:
| Storage Capacity options: | 8 GB (discontinued), 16 GB (what I have), 32 GB |
| Display: | 7-inch diagonal touchscreen, 16:10 widescreen ration at 1280×800 resolution (216ppi) |
| CPU: | Nvidia Tegra 3 |
| Memory: | 1GB DDR3L RAM |
| Input: | Accelerometer, gyroscope, proximity sensor, GPS, magnetometer, and microphone |
| Camera: | 1.2 MP front-facing camera ONLY |
| Connectivity: | Headphone jack (does this really need to be said?), Bluetooth 3.0, Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n @ 2.4GHz), NFC, Micro USB 2.0
HSPA+ (mobile / 3G+) only for 32 GBs model. |
| Dimensions: | 198.5x120x10.56mm (7.81×4.7×0.416”) |
| Weight: | 340g (12oz) |
There are lots of other technical details available on the system, for those of you who are more technically inclined, but to me, these were the important factors. I will mention that the 32GB model with 3G+ connectivity was not available when I was shopping for tablets.
Now, if you were to speak to any of my co-workers you’d know that I am definitely a fan of Android (or, more specifically, I’ve never been a fan of iProducts, and Android based products are the best alternative, in my opinion). That being said, when I did my shopping I did my best to keep an open mind and look at Apple products as well as other tablets that were available. At that time (after ruling out most non Android and Apple products), my options were to buy the Nexus 7, or wait a few months for the iPad Mini. Luckily for me, the Nexus 7 had a better display resolution, more memory, and was cheaper (oh, and the fact that I already owned Android apps on Google Play didn’t hurt things).
The only real draw-backs I could find with the Nexus 7 were the lack of 3G connectivity and the lack of a rear-facing camera. Where I always have my phone with me (an older Android phone with a 4MP camera) and have WiFi available at home and at work, and can access BT’s Openzone, I really didn’t see these as being too big of an issue.
Since then, I can’t say that there’s been a single day that I haven’t used my tablet for something. I’m stunned at how much a part of my daily life it’s become. I have my work calendar set up to sync with my Google Calendar, which then updates automatically on my tablet and displays directly on my home screen, without the need to access any apps. I have to say that from what I’ve seen the widgets available for Android products give it a definite edge over the widget-less iProducts (that having been said, I’ve never used an iPhone or iPad, so I’m only speaking from an intellectual level, not a practical one).
Applications run smoothly, and there is quite a variety of apps available across the entire range of what I could possibly want, with a lot of free or ad-supported apps, so I’m not shelling out cash whenever I want a one-off app or feel like trying something new. On top of a great app store, you can side-load apps (as in, download apps from the internet without using Google Play and install them yourself). Now, this obviously should be approached with caution (only downloading content from places you trust) and shouldn’t be abused by pirating apps, but it is great to have the freedom to install any application you want without needing to first ‘jailbreak’ or root your device. I’ll admit that since pretty much anyone can create and publish apps for Android devices there is a lot more garbage available, so sometimes you need to sift through a lot of trash apps before finding the one gem that you’re looking for, but since most of those trash apps will be free, you’re only spending time.
Google also has an extra feature available through Google Play – the ability to upload your own MP3 music to their servers, letting you access your music from any device that has an internet connection and can use the Google Play service (so, any Android device, Mac, and PC running Windows, and Linux (and probably more)). A couple quick notes of caution: firstly, to save on bandwidth when uploading your music library, Google first tries to match the songs you upload against the collection of songs that have already been uploaded to their servers. If they find a match, they simply link that song to your collection. The problem with this is that the matches are approximate – you could end up with a censored version of a song (or completely different metadata) on initial upload if that’s what Google matched your song to. This can be overcome once the upload process is completed, however, by going back into your library and telling Google to re-upload your songs, preferring your choices. Also, if you use custom metadata tags for your MP3 collection, all of those tags get wiped out on upload. It seems Google only keeps the default tag information.
They’ve also recently introduced a similar feature for ebooks. I haven’t tried it out yet (I still use my Kobo as my ebook reader), but it’s certainly something I’ll be looking at eventually.
What’s more, the Android tablet has made a convert of my wife. When we first bought mine, we ordered it online from PC World then cancelled the order as we were going to be in town that evening and could pick one up in passing. At this point, Liz couldn’t see what the real use of a tablet was, and she couldn’t imagine ever wanting one. Boy was she in for a surprise.
During the next 3 days (a long weekend), Liz ended up spending more time playing around on my tablet than I did. More and more, she wanted one for herself, and we started to talk about getting one for her at some point. And then we got a surprise.
Thanks to the normal PC World shopping experience (I really haven’t had good experiences with this company) the online order didn’t actually get cancelled. Tuesday after the long weekend was done, a shiny new Nexus 7 arrived on our doorstep. Since cancelling the order hadn’t been processed at all, the tablet had been paid for and so was technically ours. And wouldn’t you know, we decided to keep it for Liz. At this point, I think it’s become a bigger part of Liz’ day than it has mine.
I’ll admit, while I’m still quite happy with my tablet, the lack of 3G connectivity did begin to be a (small) issue, since there’s no WiFi available while I’m going to and from work and several games and applications I use need some sort of data connection. I’ve recently fixed that problem by buying an Alcatel Y800 from EE (you can read my review of it here). Were I shopping today I’d likely look at the 32GB model that has the 3G connectivity, but only for the mobile connection – I’m otherwise perfectly happy with the 16GBs of space. Or, I might get this deal from EE – the 32GB non- HSPA+ model with a 4G mobile WiFi device (the Huawei E589) for £29/£31 a month for 3GB/5GB of data, with the devices costing only £29 up front.
The Alcatel Y800 Mobile Wifi adapter available at EE.
Image from EE’s site
If you’re already an iLifer, switching to an Android device might be a little more difficult (since you’d already have apps from the Apple store and you’d already be used to a specific interface), but I’d highly recommend the Nexus 7 to anyone looking for a good tablet who isn’t already deeply entrenched in the Apple lifestyle (and I’d also recommend it to anyone willing to try breaking away from Apple).
As things stand, I need to replace my mobile soon (my Samsung GT-I5500 keeps shutting down randomly), and I’m seriously considering looking for a Nexus 4 to replace it. Also, were I to suddenly come into an extra £320/£389 that didn’t need to go elsewhere, I’d likely pick up a Nexus 10. The 7” screen is great for most things, but I can see the 10” screen (and rear facing camera) as being very useful in certain circumstances. I guess that means I’m slowly getting entrenched in the Nexus lifestyle… ah well. At least I can always change over to other Android products and keep all of my purchased apps and stuff.
So… does anyone have a spare £389 kicking around that they don’t mind parting with? 
Happy Friday!
-CP
]]>Unfortunately there isn’t much to write about today. My recent play time has been split between playing a bit of Skyrim (I’ve decided to try a mage character for the first time… I feel über powerful… right up until someone is resistant to the spell I’ve selected to attack with and decides to one-shot me, despite my stoneskin spell), trying to progress some more in Euro Truck Simulator 2 (I own a second garage now, I’m only €300k in debt, and as soon as I have €150k – maybe €200k to be safe – I’ll buy a new truck, hire a third driver – fourth if you count me – and fly through the remainder of my debt), and more SWTOR (found that the +41 stat crystals that I’d purchased on the GTM were in my collection, so I could pay some unlock them for cartel credits and then give them to all of my characters for free! WOO!). On my tablet, I’ve started playing Magic 2014 and I’m trying to get into Ingress (which is difficult since there’s practically nothing in the areas I frequent).
There isn’t much else to say, really. Nothing exciting’s really taken place at work. I’m still slowly reading through the Wheel of Time, working my way to the last three books (on book 6, The Lord of Chaos, at the moment). Getting really excited about HyperJapan and my vacation, which are in just over 20 days. That’s pretty much is.
Yay for quiet Wednesdays.
-CP
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