Benie's Games Blog

In the latest ‘Valrei International’, the dev’s newsletter (written by ‘Retrograde’), there is a lot to say here. For once, I’m glad that development is slow (as I didn’t really miss much).
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First off, Personal Goals (aka Wurm achievements) will begin a process of being removed and completely replaced with another system. In the next update, ‘diamond-level’ goals will be removed. These goals, are quite hard (and annoying) to reach by most players (only a small handful have been able to).
There is no ETA on when the system being replaced will take place (but it likely won’t happen with this update), only a warning to people who are striving to get the ‘Winner’ title (for completing all of them); to do them while you still have a chance.
For a list of what goals will be removed in the next update, click here.
If you already have some (or all of these) goals unlocked (prior to them being removed), Retrograde states “the system will now generate a new achievement of a equal tier.”

Second, items will be allowed to be placed on things, adding (what I personally feel) a ‘VRChat-like’ feel to the game. Its functionality is tied to the recent ability to Place items anywhere the player wants (that can be placed).
A list of what surfaces that items can be placed, can be found here.
In addition, empty options of the non-functional bookcases (named ’empty low shelf’ and ’empty high shelf’), along with ‘bar top’ will be added to the game (in the next update). There is currently no idea what materials (and what skill) would be required to build these.

And third (which isn’t a part of the update), animal crates (the thing that will eventually be the ticket of taking your horse cross-server) will be briefly entering public testing “over this coming weekend”, and “maybe a little next week”.
The devs promise a new thread on the animal crates (what they’ll be asking testers to do), in the Test board. Once I see said thread, I’ll link it.
To be a part of this (and all future testing), first click here to learn about the forum’s ‘Test board’, then click here to download the Wurm Test Client (if you’re interested).
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As for the release of the latest update, there is sadly no known date. But they hope to have it ready by Wurm’s 12th anniversary (whenever that date is).
The items on tables and stuff, I’m super hyped for. I’ll be able to decorate my bedroom proper. And I’ll likely be getting the test client to try out the animal crates.

Yesterday was a semi-productive day for me in Wurm. I finally stopped being lazy and pushed most of the crap around my deed, into the storage building. The reason is Darkoden said that Dragonhearts would be coming to his deed, to drop off some supplies. Incase the guy wanted to see my deed, I wanted it to look presentable at least. Also, for ones that don’t know, I’ve seen this person while sailing up and down the southern coast of Cele (but he’s always AFK).
Dark told me that he actually lives in Xan. Wow, so many people South of me from Xan. It’s almost as if I’m being given a warning not to go exploring that server (with people ‘fleeing’ the insane lag there).
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Not to mention, I also got to build Tulsi a new shack. Forgot about that promise I made to him (after I got done with the redesign project).
Luckily, I still have some iron stored in a BSB. Though I prefer not to waste it on nails (and use lower quality ore). So all I need to do, is to stop being lazy and do it (the same thing goes to making a guard tower). And that, is easier said than done.

“Just trying to help”
Dragonhearts never showed up, sadly. Dark then suddenly decided that he wanted to help  with the highway. I offered to help him (as that’s the neighborly thing to do). While trying to help him, I ran into a non-prem problem of not being able to level terrain from a certain height. I felt it was time to re-prem (paying nearly $20 for it.. ouch). But it was the only way to properly help him.
He reached a point where he was confused of where the highway would go. He said he had PM’d War, but got no response. I went with a more direct approach (by asking him in local). He came over to survey it, talking it over with Dark. He then saw the mine entrance that needed to be collapsed, and offered to bring a priest over to do it. Then he’s asking Dark if he wants to keep the road at the same level, or take it down to a lower level. And he chose the lower level option.
I tried to help out with this, but it was like I just kept getting in the way. They were exposing rock. I assumed that War wanted to surface mine it down (in order to build the road). So I started dropping dirt down to fill it back up (since he said he was done). Then he’s all “Dragon, don’t drop anymore dirt”. Okay. Fine. But neither one of them said to help them bring this or that down. Again, it felt like I was in the way. But this is what I get for not having ‘people skills’; used to doing everything on my own.
With the mine collapsed, I then offered to give them the two BSBs full of dirt I have. Dark said I could drop it, but he never really thanked me.
Feeling unappreciated, I then went over to Fooli’s place, and just stood there out in the open next to the token.. thinking if I stay there long enough, I could use “mind powers” to remove it and reclaim the mine.
Ended up falling asleep infront of my computer (while listening to Youtube videos), momentarily waking up to my screen nearly red with a troll whacking me in the back with its club. I tried to move.. with the wrong fucking keys (WASD instead of Arrow keys.. THANKS, VRChat!) Logged out for the night (knowing I would be dead in the morning), furious at myself for everything that has happened to me.
Such as, I should had picked somewhere on the coast (instead of next to dead deeds.. not thinking the original owner may or may not come back to get their deed rebuilt). The fact Wargasm was there, should had been a warning sign. The man has a LOT of influence on people.

The next day, I respawned back in my deed. Geared up, got on my fastest horse, and ran back to my corpse. The troll was nearby, but I was able to grab my corpse and make a run back for my deed. There, I tried to get revenge on the troll in honorable combat (no tower guards). I had it (Bleeding) before I had to run back into my deed and heal up (with 25% health left). After getting healed, the fucker tried to run away. It took awhile until I spotted it, and finished the fucker off.
Sadly, no troll mask after butchering. I then went on a murderous rampage, killing multiple mobs to the North. It. felt. good. But it will still never blow up Fooli’s deed (to build a 1×1 over the entrance, to prevent people from deeding it). For some reason, my brain thinks I need a mine NOW instead of later (even though something like the Impalong is many months away).
Also, most of my skills thankfully did not take a hit from the PvE death penalty (apart from Masonry). It’s actually a plus for having low skills– death isn’t as punishing as people who have 90+ in almost everything.

Upcoming Pristine Impalong (before August)
Speaking of Impalongs, there’s actually one coming in two months from now. This one (as the title says), is happening in Pristine. And luckily for me, it won’t be hard at all to access. It’s hilariously where I said “this would be perfect for an Impalong”. Little did I know, they were planning this even back then.
It’ll be held at Friendship Bay, between July 27th to the 31st. And I signed myself up as an imper (as it shows they’ll also welcome people that don’t have 70 in almost every skill). There’s no guarantee in two months from now, if I’ll be able to make it (health, etc). Hopefully I will. And hopefully before then, I’ll have access to a mine.
I do plan to make (and send with me) some more lamps. But this time, I’m going to imp them all the way to 50QL before I do (since my Mining is 50, thanks to last year’s Impalong).

Yesterday was a pretty shitty day for me (IRL). Our regular store (Kroger) that we go every other Sunday, is closing their doors (and we had to go to the mammoth superstore that is Meijer). The new Kroger, that would be further away from the original, is supposed to open (hopefully) before, or in the start of next month.

Anyway, before we left, I actually attempted to swallow my pride in the official Wurm Discord server’s recruitment channel. asking if any deed would be willing to accept a lowlife loner. And I actually got a few responses. However, I haven’t really responded to them (due to them possibly thinking I’m already ready to do this). Again, it’s just an option.
Last night, I needed to come on to get the coordinates of where I live (in order to see if the second option is doable). I saw a new person in local, named ‘Carper’. Asked them if they’re new, and it told me it moved here about two or so weeks ago (and is currently living with Wargasm). It told me they had moved from Xanadu (which makes this the 3rd person I’ve seen around here, that came from ‘lag hell’). ‘Lupis’ was also there, who also came from Xan.
Then the two left local, leaving Darkoden who passed me on the highway leading to his deed. I decided to talk to him a bit more about that deed of his (such as, if he’s planning to re-create it from what he remembers it in the past). And he tells me some quite interesting tidbits. Such as that he was the one that built the canal that goes nowhere. To him, it wasn’t a ‘failed canal attempt’.. it was similar to what I saw, when I first explored Cele. He also claims that he wasn’t the one that made the southern canal, and feels it was Pilot Point that did. But I told him that when I first checked out the server, that deed wasn’t there. So he’s confused.
He also said, the raised up areas were done by him, as “high dirt walls”. Interesting. Then he offered to show me the borders of his deed, and I hopped in his large cart. He said the deed used to “be like 50×60 or bigger”. I would had loved to see this deed in its prime.
We then left it, and went to the area to the South of me. He explained the center of it, used to be a 30×40 (about the size of my deed). Additionally, the mine that Xandice (and angry) were using, the way down was made by him and someone named ‘Killergreen’.
He also made the N/S highway that connects my deed to the peat of the South. Boy, angry would want a word with him (of what we had to do in order to fix it). He also made the connecting road to the west, saying it lead to a friend of his that ran a slaughter house for cows.
He also claims that he had two other deeds (while he had his) “north of here”, that were costing him $60 a month in upkeep costs. DAMN. And here I’m bitching of spending almost 2s for mine.
He then showed me of what were deeds of his friends, NW of mine. The first one is just up the road, with the square in the middle. He said this deed “had lots of farms and rice”. Then we moved on to the unique one (the one with the moat). He said this deed “had good bisons and had a deep ditch all around his place”. Ahh.. I felt sorry for him, and said “It’s sad when your friends leave”. And he said “ya sad to see all the changes but lot good memorys”. Yeah. As I said before, I would had loved to see Cele in its prime. But.. heh, that was when I was sick of Wurm. :/
We then stopped short of the Western canal (that leads out to Deadnoob Bay). Here he said, the area “was massive horse farm”. “this was a girls farm me and her were good friends she had the best horses back then”. I wanted to say “I wish she was around when I needed horses when I moved in”, but I kept it to myself. This also includes the large flat area on the north edge of the canal entrance (with the single wagon).
We then tried to get to the north side of the lake, but were swamped with multiple mobs. If I had prem, I would ride over here and clear all of this crap out. Anyway, he said that deed was actually competing with him in the past, over how fast they were able to make boats faster and better than any other deed around here, and actually put them out of business (before he left Wurm).
Okay, Darkoden, you’re starting to scare me (in a good way) now. Not to mention, you’re well on your way of being a friend to me (and maybe even an ally). Because it’s best to remain on his good side. 😉
He showed me another once-deed, that also tried to compete (and failed). It’s the thing that I see when sailing towards the western canal. And finally, he took me to the SW side of Deadnoob Bay, talking about this deed that used to have “a massive port”, explaining the original owner sold it to his friend, for “over 200 bucks”. Wow. And that included a year of upkeep. Pretty sweet deal.
It was then time to head back home (as he needed to go to bed). We went past my house, and I dropped myself off. Told him that I enjoyed this adventure and we should do it again, and he agrees. But he wasn’t fully done yet (as he went back to his deed in the cart). He got his priest alt on, and then asked if I had any yellow potions. I checked my storage, and found one. Gave it to him (as I have no need for such silly things). I realize I could sell them, but I doubt I would get much (as they’re pretty common).
He then saw angry’s place (even though I told him a day ago, he lives there). This is when I discovered all but two of his horses have died of old age. But I said how angry “would love to meet you if he comes on”, saying that he’s “a good guy”. And I do mean this.
Did discover the reason as to why they’re still alive.. they’re being cared for by him.

After that, he left for bed. And this was when I decided to not worry about the whole mine thing. There are other ways, such as simply using my Knarr and finding an abandoned mine in a mountain (that I could utilize). I could even go cross-server, and use someone else’s mine. The Knarr has plenty of storage (with crates). And I could easily load them up with any ore I need.
That’s why I say, not having access to one mine… isn’t the end of the world. There are alternatives. Annoying, yes.. but there ARE alternative means to get metals and shards. 😛

Yesterday was quite eventful. As said, how I was thinking of going to Exo. I actually did, and the area is.. well, semi-available. There are these four structures named “Libia’s shed”, spread out on this land (guesstimating about 7’ish tiles between eachother).
There is a mine on the North side of the area, but it was filled to the brim with mobs (spiders, trolls, a few hellhounds, a few wolves, and a lava fiend). I did my best to utilize the guard tower near’ish to the mine (by kiting them over to the entrance and calling the guards), in order to eventually get in there and examine a few samples of the ore (to get their base quality).
But as night loomed over, I contemplated of making a campsite here and waiting ’till the 27th (as the 28th is the day I actually need to throw in money into the upkeep), in hopes of meeting someone in the area (that knows who built these 1×1 structures).
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I also decided to start making a thread in the Wurm Forum, in hopes of contacting someone. Suddenly I heard the sound of combat. Check local, and see ‘Wolfkilta’. For some reason, the name escapes me.. but I could’ve sworn I met him when I was exploring the server last year. Oh well. I asked him if he knew about the structures and who did them. Turns out it was him, and asked him to come over (to properly show him).
Nearly 10 minutes pass, he shows up (along with someone named ‘Agaa’). I try to explain my situation (without the drama about how my only mine was stolen from me). He didn’t seem that interested in wanting to give me the area, saying how this is an old deed after his friend, and “trying to secure my(his) canal”.
This ‘Agaa’ person asks: “you want to settle here?” It almost felt like.. “but, there’s other places of this server. Why would you want to live here of all places…?”
So then Wolf wanted to show me the boundary of his tree farm, which was just up the road to the West. I didn’t really see a farm per se, but I was all “okay, *shrug* I don’t see a problem with this”.
Then he asked me, how big would the deed be (after I had just said earlier (when I was explaining myself), that I live alone, and the deed wouldn’t be that big). But we walked around the area, and I tried to trace out how it would look. But I told him “I want the mine entrance to be deeded”. He says “oh there i have plan on highway”.. a highway? I hoped it wouldn’t be anywhere near the mine. And then he says “btw poor veins there”.
Ugh.. seriously? So I guess there’s no real point in trying to get into the mine now. But I didn’t want to believe him. I wanted to see for myself.
So he semi-helped me clear out the rest of the stragglers in the mine, and then got a few samples. There was sandstone.. but it’s 29QL. Wow. I didn’t even bother to ask him to test the Iron veins there, as I’m sure they would be bad as well.
While I was in there, Agaa said “not only do we live here, there are a few deeds, you should ask them too”… wait, what? But, I went along with it, saying that I would do it.
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Sol is now starting to rise again. I asked Wolf where would this proposed highway be.. right infront of the mine. It was not looking promising of living here, and it was pretty obvious that I was being deterred from doing so.
I was ready to head home (and cross this off my list of ideas to work around the problem). Told him it’s been a pleasure yadda yadda, and then he says “btw, your deed, will it be long term? or not” … uhh, it’s NONE of your fucking business if the deed will be long term or not!! But I didn’t say any of this to him. All I said was “I try to make it long term, as it is where I live.”
Look, I would never say that to anyone who decides to live near me. In Wurm, you’re allowed to live wherever you want.. even when you own my only mine, you have every right to do so (and it was my fault for not deeding it sooner).
And I think the reason why no one deeded it, was because of that 1×1 structure there. It was gone when I went over there (and I can only assume Wargasm placed it there, to deter a deed)… that’s actually what I should do (if I find another mine), instead of deeding. Build a structure to prevent anyone from building there, and imp up the walls to as high as my Carp can go. It would cost a LOT less.

After that, I hopped in my boat and went out of the canal. It’s like, this guy acts like he owns the ENTIRE fucking Northwest quadrant of Exodus! And because of this, he feels he has the right to give permission of someone that isn’t one of his friends, to live in ‘his land’. He has NO RIGHT to do that shit! …Of course, I could say the same for myself; with my dislike for neighbors, and almost feeling jealous that I can’t have this power (to control a huge area of land). Because if I could, I would be able to stop the person from taking my only mine. 😛
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Instead of going home ‘in defeat’, I decided to “go visit an old friend” in Indi. Seeing how I was still on the Northwest side, I figured I’ll set a course to Deli, then turn around to Indi. However, the RNGods had different plans for me. Because as I ‘crossed over’ to Deli, I was stuck. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t see my boat. I was frozen in a teleporting loop. Tried logging off for about 10 minutes.. still stuck.
Instead of being smart and making a ticket to the GMs (because fuck seeing a Support tab for a week (just to show “ha-ha, you got fucked up by a bug!”)), I had B2 (very slowly) come over and hopefully see what actually happened to me. But when he finally crossed over to Deli, he couldn’t see me. I was hoping that with B2, I could teleport into his boat (to get myself unstuck) and then go find mine.
He made the ticket for me. The first person was unable to help me (not actually being a full GM, but she forwarded the info to another GMs). However, she told me that even the GMs have ‘experienced’ this bug (but they’re able to fix themself). Another GM responded, and was all “why couldn’t Dragonhead make the ticket?” I had B2 lie, saying “he couldn’t”. Then when they ask “so is he stuck to the point he can’t make a ticket?” Ugh.. pretty sure they saw through the lie, but they were able to get me unstuck.
So the next time this happens to me (hopefully it won’t).. I will make the damn ticket. As I could see, it was hard for them to figure out who was having the issue. If I had done the ticket proper, they would had gone through a lot less hell in figuring out where I was and shit like that.
This will not happen again. Yes, the Support tab is annoying (how it pops up everytime I log in), but I can close it out.

With B2 going back home, I made it to Indi without a glitch. With the unnecessary hell (that could’ve been avoided if I had JUST made the damn ticket), Sol is setting by the time I make it to my “old friend”; old OR. Somewhat surprisingly, no one wants the old deed (but with how dead the northern side of Indi is, it shouldn’t really come as a surprise). Most of the fences are still intact (with some decaying). Even my old private mine is still there (apart from a single lava spider inside of it).
With all the mobs in the area dead, I stood there.. looking at that beautiful view of the Northwest ocean that I miss so much. Wishing I could had done more for this place (aka, remove the damn clay).
Since there was nothing else I could do, I went back home after that.
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Now, to go over my options (again);
1. Find a way to contact this ‘Fooli’ and get them to ally with me, to gain access to the mine again.
I find this highly unlikely. Since he’s friends with War, I doubt he’ll be friends with me. Plus, War told me that Fooli doesn’t play that often (so it would be hard to contact them). What I could do, is try to take my two signs and use them to send him a message (to contact me on Discord or something), like what Angry did in order to talk to Ruffle years ago, to get my old homestead back. It might work on this guy.
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2. Try to get help to find a closer mine, and build a 1×1 structure over the entrance. Imp up the walls and name it ‘Dragontail Hideaway Mines’.
To get help from the Cele community, I don’t know how well this will work (or if they’ll even be willing to help me). Thing is, finding a spot for a mine is one thing.. finding a mine that doesn’t have crap quality veins, is a whole different story (as War told me). He told me that he found a mine, that went all the way through the peat pits, and found NO Iron.
Huh.
(There’s also a 2.1 option. Use the southern cave canal for mining)
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3. Move to that tucked in spot I saw in Exo’s Northwest side. If it’s available, I would keep the name ‘Dragontail Hideaway’.
As said, this has been crossed out as an option. Hell, all of Exo should be ‘crossed out as an option’.
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4. Stop deed hunting, and go to Wurm Unlimited. There, I won’t have to come on and fund it.. but I also would be missing out on exploration of WO. I could just simply call a starter town ‘my home’, though (and have my boats there). Aka, be a simple nomad.
This is Option 4. I even tested this option, seeing if my boat would be able to go into the deed border (to prevent decay), and I believe it’ll work. Pretty sure decay will be prevented, no matter what deed the boat is in.
There is also an ‘Option 4.1’. Which is the following… spending so much, on something I hardly play. The one that claimed my mine, had every right.. all because it’s just not something I enjoy. Every fucking time, it’s the same thing. I move, I build.. I get bored afterwards (and then end up feeling that I’m having to force myself just to get online, and throw money into the upkeep.
I’m sick of it. I’m sick of wasting silver on something I don’t enjoy doing. Seeing all of these changes happening in two months since I was last on (to once again throw another month’s worth of upkeep in), is solidifying the sickness. My peace and quiet is now and forever violated.
So why not go live with someone, who’s willing to allow me access to get my skills up (or at least, give me a place to call home, with someone ELSE throwing money into their upkeep)? …Because I don’t know how in the fuck to ask such a question, and not expect backlash. They’ll want me to earn my rent (of living there), by helping them (and not understanding that I want my privacy).
So who in the fuck would want a scumbag like me?
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There is also a 5th option. It wouldn’t help with whole mine thing, but it would make having to come on to deal with the upkeep, not as frequent. Simply throw more silver into it (like a year’s worth). Aka, be like Ivan (who usually comes on just to get the upkeep back up).
Again, it wouldn’t help with not having a mine anymore.
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And finally, there’s a problem. If I go with Option 4 (or 4.5)… what about Tulsi? If I disband the deed (in order to stop worrying about upkeep), where will he live? I have been trying to get him to go live somewhere else, but he chooses to live with me.
This is something I’m going to have to discuss with him (before I make a decision)… and hope he actually cares about said discussion.
So I spoke to him, and it seems he’s stuck to me in his own little way (meaning, he’ll go where I’ll go). I honestly wish this included exploration, but fat chance.

Anyway, I think I’m going to try the 2nd option; try to find a mine that’s closer to me. I’ll ask in the Wurm Forum, and see if anyone would be willing to help me.
The only things I worry about this option, is people that’ll either say “you can just mine in the cave canal”, or “try contacting Fooli”. But I’ll just tell them that I’m looking for my own mine, and don’t want to deal with anyone.
…But actually, I’ve decided (after hanging out with Darkoden) that I’m just going to calm down and deal with this the best I can. Hopefully one of these days, I’ll see Fooli online and attempt to convince him to give me access into the mine. Losing a mine isn’t the end of the world, not when I still have access to veins (via the cave canal, and/or Wargasm). Maybe we can ally up, and I can have access to his mines.
Though, I’ll need to un-ally with Angry to do it. And speaking of him, most of his horses have died of old age (except for one). I might take it (if it’s a female), and hopefully it’ll live long enough to produce an offspring (to replace it).

So I expected to simply get on today, throw in more money in my deed token, and log out (without anything changing around me). Noticed someone new in local (named ‘Darkoden’.. for some reason, I seem to remember the name), but I didn’t really pay much attention, until I heard the sound of trees being chopped.
Thinking “oh no, not another neighbor”, I attempted to track down the sound to its source. There, I saw the area to the South of the lake, being changed. This person has re-claimed the area. So I thought “alright, fine, fine. They have every right to be here. Let me just introduce myself.”
The guy said, that four years ago, he used to own this area. He came back to see how the place was doing, and was happy to see new people have moved in (aka Angry and myself).
Told him that it’s been about a year since I moved to Cele (and I might actually be moving out too… more on this in a bit).
Showed him my place, and he says “I remember the people who used to live there”. Said the deed was a “weird like Japan name like Yurazire or something”, and “they were big on blacksmithing and coal making”.
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Since he said that, I suddenly had a bad feeling in my mind. If this has changed in two months… I have to see what else has. Ran back to my deed, and I’m seeing bee hives to the West of me; like the area has been reclaimed. Hopped on my fastest horse and ran over to it. The area to the West has been greatly expanded. Lots and lots of farmland (with Garlic being the crop here). On the Northeast corner, is a fenced in area with a few cows and other farm animals.
I didn’t realize the area was deeded until I saw a token in the middle of the farm, called ‘Fields Of Glory’ belonging to a ‘Gutey’. They’re in an alliance with Pilot Point, so I thought I’ll ask them later of who this person is, and what their intentions are (for being so close to my deed).
Immediately after that, I go to check out if the mine I use is still accessible… and my fears were realized when I saw it was door’d and deeded, named ‘Valhalla’ and belonging to a ‘Fooli’. It seems this ‘Fooli’ made a fool of me, for not deeding the damn thing (when I had the chance). ARGH!!!
I am officially screwed now!! This is (correction: was) my main mine! The mine South (near Xandice’s place), has been door’d as well! Now I have no way (outside of the southern canal) to get Iron (or whatever I need)! Not like I really need Iron (or whatever) right now… but I still want a mine accessible to me, incase I ever do need!
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I thought of four options around this problem:
1. Find a way to contact this ‘Fooli’ and get them to ally with me, to gain access to the mine again.
2. Try to get help to find a closer mine, and slap an inexpensive deed over it (using B2). Call it ‘Dragontail Hideaway Mines’.
3. Move to that tucked in spot I saw in Exo’s Northwest side. If it’s available, I would keep the name ‘Dragontail Hideaway’.
4. Stop deed hunting, and go to Wurm Unlimited. There, I won’t have to come on and fund it.. but I also would be missing out on exploration of WO. I could just simply call a starter town ‘my home’, though (and have my boats there). Aka, be a simple nomad.
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Yet this was also puzzling, of how this guy is getting his materials (since there are no public mines around here)? Ran back over to him and asked him that question. He said he has a friend on another server that’s sending him supplies, until he can find a mine. Lucky him.
Suddenly I get a PM from a ‘Glichrist’ (someone else I saw in local). This was actually Wargasm, using an alt. He didn’t really seem happy about Darkoden deeding the area (as his road runs near it). Though I assume the two talked it over (as Dark was here first, as he claims). Also, Dark said he tried to help with the road (which is good).
War added that he’s also the one that did the deed to the West of me. I complimented it with “So it was you that turned my beautiful backyard into a farm.” (talking about the huge forest area, and not the 31×31 dirt patch).
I then ask if he knew this ‘Fooli’. He says that he does know him, and tried to discourage him from deeding the spot… but it wasn’t because he was trying to defend me. Hell no, he wanted the utmost vein in there for himself (which is why he door’d the one to the South, saying he “didn’t want Xandice’s idiot friends to mine out that utmost vein”).
When telling him the deeded mine was the mine I used, he felt neutral to it (which isn’t a surprise for someone with ‘War’ in their name). Though he said if I really needed Iron badly, he could let me have some of it. That’s nice of him, but I prefer to have my own mine (whenever I need it).

All this did was remind me of just how perfect I had it in OR. I had a private mine.. I just had to go up and down a ramp to get to it. But it’s got to be better than not having a mine at all. 😛 Meh.
This almost makes me want to hop in my Knarr and head over to Exo, to see if that area is still available. The last time I looked, I remembered seeing a sailboat there. If it is, I’ll need to see if there’s an accessible mine within close proximity of the area.
If there’s mobs, there should be that guard tower on the other side of the canal (so I shouldn’t need prem to get my FS back up (to take them out)).

I figured it was finally time to stop watching someone else play the game, and actually play it myself. I want to reach a point where I no longer need help from a playthrough (now that I remember how to play).
And guess what. The game was more than happy to show me why I couldn’t recommend it in my 2016 review…
(Click for Pic)
Again, after nearly two years, STILL NO SUPPORT for low resolution monitors!! The vertical black bar on the right side… is my secondary monitor.
Did some digging (via Google), hoping that by now, someone made a mod that could work around this problem. But all I could find is a small article that I remember reading before, saying to “deal with it”.

I posted the above picture in the Discord server, hoping that by now.. someone made a mod that supports this ‘awkward behavior’. And it also seems that I’m not alone here. I started wondering why Youtube recommended me to get back into it. It felt like this wasn’t a way to get me away from VRChat, but a way to torment me.
About 20 minutes passed since posted the picture, and I got a random friend request from someone named ‘gecko’. I asked them why they sent the request (I didn’t realize this was the person having the same issue I am(Discord didn’t let me know someone posted in that channel)), and the person said they tried to message me about the picture. I accepted the request, and it asked if I found anything. I told them about the unhelpful article I saw, and they said they would keep looking for a solution.
A few minutes after that, someone named Moo DM’s me and says that they have a modified client that would ‘somewhat’ fix my problem.
—
When asking what they meant, the person mentioned it’ll fix the black bar, but the small buttons in the lower right would be hidden. So I grabbed the executable (and promptly scanned it). Person said it was safe, but said I could scan it for proof.
After almost ten minutes of ‘bug fixing’; first I had the modded version with an underscore (which the original doesn’t), and the second being it was the wrong version of the game (and he made me a 1.2 version of the fix)…
IT WORKS!! 😀
(Click for Pic)
How glorious this is! I haven’t fully tested it yet (outside of loading my first save game), but if it works with the small army of mods I’ve assembled, I’ll be very happy.
And of course I greatly thanked the person for doing this. I also turned the ‘gecko’ person that I found a workaround, and they wanted the file I had. Sent it to them and instructed them on how to use it.
It works for them. That’s very good. Now all I need to do is install the mods I’ve downloaded, and hope they’re compatible with eachother (and this modded executable).

I dunno why, but suddenly Youtube thinks I should start seeing videos of Stardew Valley. And these new player tip videos started peaking my interest, especially the fact there’s also videos going over various mods to the game.
But most of the helpful ones are outdated, from 2016 to 2017. There’s even this one video, that really peaked my interest (of this guy attempting to ‘find the fun’ of the game).. but it’s from 2016.
That video was very quite helpful, though. Getting the backpack upgrade being the #1 thing to focus on, and getting the 300 wood to build the bridge being the second (to acquire a lot of money from selling stuff). But since the game has been updated since then, I can’t help but feel of this clear and easy to follow way, of starting the first year on the right foot.. is now outdated.
I would had liked to see this video be revisited, and see if any of these things need to be revised. I also, would had liked to seen a series (for complete noobs such as myself). But there hasn’t been a new video for that game since last year.

And because of that, I decided to ask the Stardew Valley Steam forum. However, it was for an entirely different thing (that I noticed from other videos), that maybe you don’t have to focus on the ‘social aspect’ of the game (aka, friending the people of Pelican Town, giving them gifts, remembering their birthdays.. etc), and attending the festivals. I wanted proof of this.
I got mixed results (with two people having an argument if I also was talking about the Community Center), but I was told it was the truth. However, doing said center has perks (but it’s also completely optional). And as for the festivals, I was told that I should at least attend the Egg Festival (to get the Strawberries, and plant them on Spring of Year 2 (for the maximum profit)). Also in Fall of Year 1, to attend the Stardew Valley Fair with a full Energy bar, and win minigames to get tokens, to acquire a ‘Stardrop’ (it’ll permanently boost your Energy bar a bit, giving you more time to do things).
—
But one of the biggest concerns I had of the game, happens between the transition of Year 2 and Year 3. Someone (for spoilers sake, I won’t reveal the name) visits the farm, and judges the player on their performance. I felt this was a ‘game over’ if you fail to achieve the person’s expectations.
However, I’m (cautiously) glad to hear that this isn’t true. I even (somewhat) saw what the person said, if you ‘fail’ (and I almost felt like saying “you should’ve known that I was a failure”). But, nothing happens to the farmer. And you can even be re-evaluated at anytime you wish after it (with a diamond).

So that’s good… however, I don’t want to jump into the game just yet. I feel I need to A) Gather mods I feel I’ll need, and B) Watch a playthrough, with them hopefully playing the latest version of the game (to re-teach myself how to play).
I mean, why rush when you can sit on it, and learn from watching someone else play it (by taking notes)? Most people would be against this, and would rather learn on their own. But I’m not most people. I’m not a fan of the whole “learn from your mistakes” thing. I’d prefer to avoid mistakes altogether (by knowing how to prevent them).
—
And even at that, no YouTube playthrough is the same as another. At least, they wouldn’t play the way I plan to. And I’m still a bit concerned over what crops to grow per season, and if I should buy more before said season is over (to maximize my profits of the first year).
I could ask, but I’ll probably get mixed answers (grow X | No, grow Y and Z | Pfft, Z won’t get him a good profit. | Yes it will, trust me).

The only other thing I’m worried about, is getting eventually bored with the game (and having nothing else to play). Some people have played this game for over 100-150 ingame years, and they’re still playing. However I’m forgetting that most people are challenging themselves.
I could possibly see myself getting bored by Year 10 (or maybe sooner than that). Cause by then, I’ll probably have a fuckton of cash, be married, have kids, have a huge sprawling farm (with lots of farm animals), managed to get to the lowest level in the mine, have everyone be my friend in Pelican Town, and have completed the Community Center.

.
EDIT: Following this playthough (and the person entering Summer year 1), nearly all the interest I had to play this game again.. suddenly died (and is now barely hanging on). And that’s him explaining the reason he chose Rancher over Farmer (when he got to Level 5 in his Farming skill).
He said that in his last playthrough, he did something similar to the plan I have (focus on profit instead of social relationships). And added, that it “started to kill the game” for him; how money would become so trivial (and make the game too easy), to the point that one can literally “buy friendships”.
I didn’t want to believe it at first, thinking “surely there’s other things you can do in this game”… but sadly, he’s right. Outside of making friendships, and the town festivals, the game is extremely lacking in anything else to do. Like, what’s the point of being filthy rich, when there’s hardly anything to spend it on?
And all it did, was remind me of how I was concerned about being bored with the game. This has further solidified that concern.
—
However, I’ve talked it over with the new ‘Starblueple Valley’ Discord server I joined (the somewhat official Stardew Valley Discord server). And they basically told me to not let what was said, bother me. For there is actually a few things to do that I’m not factoring in. And all I want to do, is actually see for myself what it’s like to get through the first year. Because Summer of Year 1 is where I remember that I stopped playing (as I didn’t know what to plant).
One thing that I thought of before, of someone showing this ‘Makeshift Multiplayer‘ mod, is hoping that I could get Creepery (or maybe even Tulsi) to be interested in the game. And then we could play Multiplayer in a new game (without even opting into the 1.3 Multiplayer Beta).
That might be fun, you know? It would definitely be different (and more challenging).

*sigh* I’m still a bit torn, though. I just.. don’t want to be bored, from doing this. Though you also got to listen to someone who has played this game for a long time (yet is still playing.. just a year ago). But, there’s something I’m forgetting. Even though you can pretty much play forever on one save… it’s the replayability, that keeps people coming back.
As I said, people do challenges. Such as an “Only Fish” challenge, of making your money through fishing. Or a “no value” challenge, of trashing everything that’s over 100g. The point is, those are just a few of the ways people are making the game more interesting and fun.
Just because I want to make a profit run, there’s nothing wrong with it. It’s one of the many ways to play, and I shouldn’t ‘feel ashamed’ for doing it.

Once it’s done, and I feel I’ve ‘won the game’, then I’ll try to make it more challenging for myself the next time I play. Simple as that.

Some of you may have noticed (even despite the fact I keep drama’ing it up in the General blog), that I haven’t been as active in VRChat as I have in the past. And, you would be right! I am losing interest. It started since March.
Basically, I’m… tired of staying in a corner, while others have fun talking. I wish I could join them.. but with just how ‘exciting’ my life is, I rather not. Here I was hoping this game would ‘cure’ me of being asocial. Nope. And as the months went by, I kept questioning “why am I still playing, when I clearly don’t enjoy this?”
And the answer to that (as said before), no games were pulling me away.
—
But it seems YouTube (of all things social media) has found me a game that’s been ‘out of the loop’, due to how much eyestrain it caused me (with its bright graphics); Stardew Valley. And the fact it has a map recolor mod that greatly tones down the brightness, it’s really getting me to want to play it again.
Now if someone was to do a Stardew Valley-like world, that’s close to the real game…? I would probably stay in VRChat (just for that).

This urge to leave VRChat (hopefully for several months), isn’t because of the latest drama that happened. However, it actually did a positive thing — it got the mods to see Creepery is valued, and they made him a permanent moderator! I’m very, very happy for him. As I said hundreds of times before, the man deserves it of what he’s done for the Best Boi community. He has finally achieved his lifelong dream.
He also told me, that the mods already were planning to make him a mod (a long time ago). But due to the drama with Ashi, they had to wait until it eventually died down. Though there’s one thing that bugs me with that. They could’ve made him a mod way before I joined VRChat. Why didn’t they? And he even wonders about it.
—
But whatever. He’s a full-fledged mod now, and that’s all it matters. Anyway, moving on…

Not even world building interests me anymore. That game-breaking update (with that even more game-breaking SDK), broke more than my world; it broke my spirit. I tried desperately to recover from it (by complaining instead of just testing things out), but I just lost interest (with the fear it’ll happen again if I get used to it).
Of course, backups would help. But there’s no real easy way to make world backups in Unity (unless, the VRCSDK was updated with this feature, that would be similar to making world backups in Modded Minecraft).
And there was that thing I said about trying to build a house, based off of the ‘tried and true’ Provo log cabin. The plan worked good, but with a lack of carpet models on the Asset Store, my attempts of customization are quite limited (I keep forgetting this is not The Sims). Like, I want the kitchen to have a traditional checkered hard floor (by using a plane). But I can’t really find anything. And this turns into getting fed up with world building.
There’s also the exceptionally pitiful ‘customizable kitchen’ asset, which is a boring, barely textured single asset (that cannot be customized), that feels like I was given the finger for not paying $10 (or more) for a proper asset.

So at the end of the day, it’s being 3/4 bored with the game overall, 1/3 depression, and 1/3 frustrated with World Building. So clearly, the feeling of not having fun has reared its ugly head, and it’s time to find another game to play.. don’t you think?

What started as an attempt to actually learn terrain stitching (and other attempts in hopes to fix my current world to load right), I ended up literally going back to my roots, to my first world. Yet it was like my current world refused to go away (with my old world showing up below it). Like, it refused to unload from the scene when I went to my old world.
After that, going by the knowledge that many people have given me (and what I’ve discovered on my own), I decided to expand it by 100×100, and work on something similar to my other world.. except make it more personal. One of those reasons, is how my first world has been ‘tainted’ as my ‘drama crisis room’ (as it’s the world I pick to discuss issues with Ashi in a private setting), and I’m in need of a new personal world (which will not be tainted).

This world, once completed, will feature mountains similar to the messed up world (with a winding path going through them). I plan to also have a small picnic area off to the side, and infront of the house will have a modest sized, shallow lake.
Originally (for the house), I was going to have the raised shack I used in the messed up world. But I decided to finally build a custom house (which I’m still in the process of doing), with using the Mega Fantasy Props Pack’s walls, doors and windows.
Unfortunately I ran into a snag, that I can’t seem to get myself out of. And that’s connecting the living room to the rest of the house. Once again, I’m going off of pure thought (instead of an actual floor plan). And unlike The Sims, I can’t just replace a wall with a door where I want to.
Basically, what I remember, the bathroom and the kitchen are next to eachother. But I can’t remember if the bathroom is on the same side of the living room or not. And this also affects the dining room, but thankfully I know it goes infront of the living room. However, the overall shape of the dining room is affected by everything else.

I might just scrap it, and fall back to “ole reliable’: the Provo log cabin floor plan (from the old (and falling apart) AmerTech log cabin planning book I have). It’s the house I used when I was playing in the DW 1.10.2 pack in Minecraft. So maybe it’ll work in VRChat. Who knows.
I’ll keep you guys posted, as always.