RPG Tourist

Nothing makes me laugh more in a video game than failing catastrophically especially if in game characters remark on it. Watch Dogs Legion was unusually forgiving in this showcase of game play terribleness. I progressed from one mission to the next even though I failed to follow any mission directives. Next comes a display of the poor driving skills I mentioned in the previous post. After using a taxi to obstruct the target vehicle failed three times, I thought commandeering a bus would solve my problems. The game however had given up on me entirely and decided to move me on once again. How else did law enforcement lose sight of a double decker? Note to self. Raise barriers after passing them not before. Bagley's dry commentary and operative Sharon's typically cheerful and profane optimism is just icing on the cake.

  Many NPCs have unusual abilities. Some are useful and some seem to be for entertainment. I tried panhandling with this fellow. He made a little money but it wasn’t that much fun. He did have one of the busiest schedules I have seen. He also had some insights into illicit drugs which I suppose will happen if you hang around docks begging for work all day. My experiments were as haphazard as usual. They amounted to me just playing the game, trying things out and learning the rules as I went. I tried to convince several NPCs to stop hating DedSec but never succeeded. I also set out to make as many social connections as possible by helping citizens. I disabled harassing drones, got them priority medical treatment and rescued them from Albion security. My operatives got very good at escaping. I tried to find interesting operatives by recruiting NPCs’ every associate and rival. That didn’t necessarily lead to any great operatives but caused some interesting conflicts. I tried to annoy...

  Entered this lovely garden which immediately tried to destroy me. We got through Chapter 3 just fine and crashed into Chapter 4. I was feeling quite empowered but have now returned to the Reaper's Coast style of inching along and seeking out survivable objectives. At least we have lots of money to spend on more interface clutter because we do need it. I was trying to find a source fountain but according to a wiki it's in the place that I was having problems getting into. I gave up and looked up the solution but I probably don't want to go there yet anyway so we'll just have to vampire it for now. Something seems to be happening that has rarely happened in a game if ever. Even if my player character begins to doubt their mission, I never do. Yet that's what is happening. The elf is keeping up appearances but we're not really sure where all this going. It's been uncomfortable enough wandering through the landscape without wondering if we really should be. I...

Curiosity got the better of me today and I did their survey. They claim I am one of 350,000. Not a huge number considering actual video game sales but a sizeable enough sample I guess. I describe myself as enthusiastically casual but according to my profile that is wrong. I am an Architect/Bounty Hunter. Architect: "My Empire Begins With This Village". Bounty Hunter: "High Octane, Solo World Exploration". That isn't exactly right either but to be fair, I spend a heck of lot more time picking out companion gear than I spent doing this survey. Maybe I 'm just enthusiastically casual about surveys.  My gamer motivation profile is closer. "Analytical, Relaxed, Independent and Immersed" also sounds suspiciously like compulsive blogging motivations. Their site does have some interesting articles to read but when I looked at their client list and testimonials none of them seemed to make games an Architect/Bounty Hunter would be inclined to play. So maybe ...

 Warning:  Large image background download. Click or touch images to view full size. I am still engaged with deep profiler experiments. I get running around so much I miss many sights and sounds of the city. Checking out art would be a nice break, I thought. You could do this for hours and I had to force myself to stop. My favourites are broken up into four posts. Leake Street This motif is seen in other places but this one is a favourite. The walls here are covered with this kind of work. A couple of more examples are posted below. Leake Street Leake Street The Three Hawker Boys This looks more geometric and abstract to me. It's another style than can be seen around London. Part 2

 Warning:  Large image background download. Click or touch images to view full size. Bankside Playhouse A more traditional art display. Bankside Playhouse The Old Barley Mill Stockwell War Bunker Oh cool! Caught one in action. Part 3

 Warning:  Large image background download. Click or touch images to view full size. South Bank Atrium All kinds of neat things to look at in this location unfortunately surrounding a restricted area. Camden High Street Camden seems to be the place to go for stunning building art. Another example below. Furzton Tower Block The Old Barley Mill Here's a cool one in the Tower Hamlets district. Part 4

Warning: Large image background download. Stockwell War Bunker An example of resistance art. Old Canal Warehouse Ubisoft artists are really great at creating these faded messterpieces featuring familiar styles, expressions of despair and new superimposed on old. I was surprised by the variety when I went looking for examples. Robert E Scott Hall Sadly, it's tough to find flashes of beauty amidst refuse but this little bit of joy caught my eye.

 The crew is finally headed to the next chapter far stronger than when they arrived. Their roles and character are also much more defined. Like it's a role playing game. I think I'm getting it. Joking aside, I have spent a lot of my time poring over party stats and abilities, carefully equipping them with complementary gear. I am even categorizing items stored on the Lady Vengeance by stuffing them into individual back packs. That's tedious. The results so far: My main character is a chatty, empathetic and visionary shadowblade elf with disgusting eating habits. She dual wields magic daggers. She really doesn't want to stab everything she sees and persuading people is her main job. Sadly, violence frequently breaks out even when she succeeds. Enemies are at risk of being transformed into chickens after she beats them down a bit. Still she has managed to achieve the hero tag. She cheerfully encourages the erudite lizard warrior Red Prince even though he's actually th...

 But where do I park my car?  Yes I am delighted that my favourite conveyance is so readily available on London's streets. Delighted to the point of cocky. Otherwise I am quite intrigued by the deep profiler. It took me a while to even understand it properly but I am starting to experiment with it. I may or may not have a lot to say about it later. Legion isn't as much goofy fun as Watch Dogs 2 but I am very much enjoying the process of infiltrating restricted areas.