Kongregate Day: Jacksmith

Every so often, I'll find myself on Kongregate.com. Apparently, I'm an achievement addict.
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Today, I will be playing Jacksmith, tagged as a "Time Management, Fantasy, Business" game.

Here's the given description of the game:

Man the forge and craft your best weapons for your warriors in Jacksmith! You’re a donkey on a mission that takes you across the land, but the trails are blocked by a variety of monsters — time to call in the local warrior clans for help! You’ll design swords, bows, shields, and other weapons in a completely hands-on blacksmith shop. When all of your soldiers are equipped, it’s off to battle to fight your way further down the path! While the warriors fight, you’ll need to gather loot and help out with your trusty cannon. Collect better ores and parts to make even better weapons, and keep making progress across the land towards the evil wizard Dudley!


http://www.kongregate.com/games/FliplineStudios/jacksmith?tab=achievements
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Quite different from the normal kongregate games I'm use to playing. Rather than the one doing the hacking and slashing, you are the one who are providing the weapons for the hacking and slashing.

So essentially there are two phases to the game; one when you set up shop, making weapons in a Cooking Mama fashion based on the demand of your warrior customers, and two is when the warriors take the weapons you make and bring them to battle against foes who seem to bleed gems and materials.

Making a sword. In almost a Cooking Mama way

 Making the weapons is pretty simple. The game provides in game tutorials for each weapon the first time you make it, and depending on what parts you use to put it together, you can make "epic" weapons, which boost the stats of your party.

As the game progresses, you get access more base weapons to forge, and more epic recipes to create.

Epic weapons boost your team's stats dramatically.

I know this game calls itself a time management game, but there isn't the same kind of rush that you get from a Diner Dash-type game. The faster you complete it, the more gems you get, but it really isn't a dramatic amount. Also, the customer's don't get angry at you if you take a long time, so there isn't a real penalty for taking your time. While time management enthusiasts won't get the same rush from similar games, I prefer the casual, laid back style that Jacksmith offers.

Taking multiple orders while customers wait patiently.

Ah. A happy customer who understands a blacksmith can't be perfect every time!

 There's not much to do in the combat phase. Depending on the grade of your weapon, the mercenaries will either steamroll the mobs, or your weapons will break and you'll watch your valiant heroes run away. As you level up, you gain skills to help them while in combat, like a cannonball to launch at your foes.

Gems and ores seem to bleed out of mobs

Fat loots at the end.

Overall, Jacksmith is an entertaining game that will definitely fill in some time. It offers simple gameplay and entertaining cinematics for the casual gamer, as well as a ton of loot and recipes to unlock for those who really enjoy the game.

Level 100. Huzzah!

I finally hit level 100 today on War of the Immortals. I think this is the second time I hit triple digits in any game (the other being Atlantica).

Compared to other games, it seemed rather quick. Although it literally takes 5 hours to get to level 60, the rest of the levels took a couple months, which 90-100 taking a week per level. According to the game, I've been logged in for 15,480 minutes, which translates to about 258 hours.

Honestly, it feels like such an empty accomplishment currently. The next gear upgrades are at levels 103, 105, and 107. So while I get a new Instance to explore, I actually don't get any stronger. So...that kinda stinks....

Anyhoo. Level 100!

Jetpack Joyride: Everything's Better with a Jetpack. And upgrades.

I'm sure the idea of this game isn't new. I'm pretty sure I played the heck out of that Helicopter java/flash game during my Typing 101 class in high school.

But Jetpack Joyride injects new blood into this genre, throwing in lasers, rockets, upgrades, missions, slots, and vehicles.

One of the may vehicles: A bird car/plane thingy

Banking on the slots

The gameplay is quite simple. Press down to fly up, let go to fall down. Dodge the income rockets, the spinning electric beams, the floating lasers, and pick up coins to get as far as you can.

Spend coins on upgrades or clothes to change your avatar, or buy different upgrades to help you during your escape from the lab. 

Missions!

Enough customization to last a while

The missions add to the depth of the game. So rather than just trying to get as far as you can, there are other goals that you can try to accomplish during that process. 

Each vehicle is spawned randomly from the magical rainbowy box, and each vehicle has a different function. They also act as an extra life, as the vehicle gets destroyed, but you still keep on running.

One of the cool gameplay things that sets it apart from other similar games is the fact that you don't die when you hit the ground or if you're head mashes the ceiling. You just continue running (or flying) as normal. I guess the devs realized there was enough to worry about with lasers and missles to be worrying about altitude.

Overall, this is a highly addicting game. Especially if you're into unlocking everything. The fact that you can jump right in from the loadscreen makes this one of the best casual, pick up and just play titles that I've seen on the Droid so far.

Connect the Dots: Flow Free

Another Droid app game review...

How do you play this game? You connect colors to their corresponding other half while trying to fill up the board. No overlapping of different colors.

Literally. Just connect the dots.

Sounds as fun as your elementary school days with a sheet of paper and a crayon, connecting the dots?

Now what if you had other kids around you trying to do it faster than you?

Honestly, flow free isn't my cup of tea. Yeah, the difficulty gets more difficult as you get a larger board and more colors. But as a quick play puzzle game, I enjoy it more in spurts.

The normal puzzle game.

So throw in a little competition, and this game is right up my alley. So my friends and I started to compare time trial scores. On a 5x5 board. In 30 seconds.

And little did we know, the seemingly basic game got somewhat addicting.

So far, my best in 30 seconds is 7 completed boards. The highest amongst my friends is 8.

My high scores on a 5x5 board. 4 minutes is a long time...

Anyone out there hit double digits yet?

Beastie Bay: What I Wish I Knew Before I Started Playing

So I just recently got a smartphone, and like most people who first get a new toy, I looked for games. I've sifted through a ton, only played a few for longer than 15 minutes.

Then I came across Beastie Bay, developed by Kairosoft (apparently it's like, their millionth game they've released).

Beastie Bay is a mix of like..Pokemon/Dragon Quest/Sim City. You start off on a deserted island, explore unknown territories, befriend random animals (and robots?) by throwing bait at them, build a self-sufficient economy of food and wood, then build an attractive town to lure tourists from other islands to generate funds.

Dragon Quest-esque Battling System

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So. Here are a few things that I wish I knew before I started playing. This sure isn't everything, but I hope this can help someone. 

Tourists can't make it past the first part of my island because I blocked off EVERYTHING. Smart city layouts..

 1. Build Close to the dock: You might not start near it, so you don't know what I'm talking about. But when you make your way to the dock, you want to build closer to there. Why? So tourists can visit your shops and buildings for you to get money, and you don't have to invest so much on roads.

2. Efficient with House/Pasture/Building Placement: When someone inhabits a house, they're able to harvest from the 8 squares surrounding them. With that said, you can (and should) space out your homes a bit to maximize efficiency of what your islanders can gather. The bottom picture is a terrible example of what you should do. 

3. Wood is more Important than Food: When I first started the game, I got scared that when my food count went low, I'd die. Or something. Like normal humans. And creatures. But in this game, there's no penalty for hitting 0 food. With that said, go ahead and research Forestry as much as you can once your food kinda stabilizes. You need tons of wood for research. Which brings me to...

Wood. Research. Huzzah

4. RESEARCH. RESEARCH. RESEARCH: You should always be researching something. If anything, you should be researching as much as you can at one time (you can research multiples). This will make the the game much smoother and more fast pace once you get certain upgrades. Researching takes a heckload of wood though, so make sure you have enough trees to chop down.

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Clearly, I'm not super far into the game, but already I have some hindsight regret, wishing I had done certain things differently. I'm sure there's more to expand on this post later!

But for now, if you're a fan of RPGs and building sims, I highly recommend this free game.

Pokemon: More Than Just Catching Them All

So apparently, slapping on a number after the title and throwing in a random storyline constitutes as a brand new game.

I'm sold.

And like billions of other people, I too have played Pokemon Black/White 2.

And I could write a review about it, but what hasn't been said already:

- They keep coming out with new pokemon
- You still start out as some kid who ends up defeating people who trained their whole life
- You still gotta catch them all

somewhere along the generations, you stopped being a kid who fought with Pokemon for fun and became the person who ends up saving the world. Hm..

But still, people keep buying these games...

Anyway, I'd also like to take this time to justify the nerdiness behind Pokemon. While the single-player gameplay is still reminiscent of the original Red and Blue, (minus a few tweaks that make the game better), Pokemon becomes an entirely different entity when you're talking about competitive battling.

That's right. Competitive battling.

There are people who spend countless hours testing calculating Pokemon strengths, weaknesses, and strategies.

Heck, there's even somewhat of an unofficial governing-type entity over Pokemon battling matters (good ole Smogon). And battling is more than just what the normal game may suggest; it's not just putting out a Pokemon that has a type-advantage over some NPC, but with someone else thinking and anticipating your moves on the other side, Pokemon battles become somewhat enjoyable to partake in, and even to watch. And ridiculously enough, you even need to study to really understand what each Pokemon is capable of.

Here's a video of kinda what I mean from one of my favorite Pokemon Youtubers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ye7b3bOQ6lY

So to an extent, I'd say the persistent existence of Pokemon, and the continuation of generations is much needed for the fanbase, such as a DLC or expansion is needed for MMORPGs or other games in the like.

They just need better sprite designs.

I wonder who came up with the trash bag pokemon. Or the ice cream cone...

War of the Immortals (Quick Review)

Through the last 6 years, I have been searching for the "perfect" MMO.

This is far from it, but it sure is fun.

Initial Thoughts

War of the Immortals is the sequel to Battle of the Immortals (I've never played, but so I've heard). Being a Perfect World title, one can expect some decent customization of characters, along with some auto-walking and built in botting.

The first thing I noticed was the fast paced leveling. Questing is the way to go, and I literally got a level per quest up to level 35ish while not really paying attention to what was going on. After bouncing around, auto-walking and turning in some quests, you bump into your first Instance/Scenario at level 45, Magnetos, where you SHOULD find a party to steamroll your way through some monsters and some boss.

Sounds pretty cookie-cutter to the saturated MMO market. Well, it is. But the quick leveling sure got me hooked, and the amount of things to do kept me occupied. The quick leveling also allows you to test out different characters (War of the Immortals offers NINE classes) without too much of a time investment until you realize it sucks (or get bored).

Do your Dailies!

There are many instances and events that can be done once per day. Those are what take the bulk of your time, and quite frankly, is the most efficient way to level your character. So you don't have to spend a huge amount of time to be successful in the game, but have the option to go above and beyond if you'd like to. Monster killing is kept to a minimum, as the EXP gains from that are very, very low.

Social Activity
For me, the thing that sets games apart is the community. Guilds in this game are called Legions, and multiple legions can come together to become an Alliance. With this said, it is pretty easy to find parties or people to help you with whatever you need. They even reward higher level players who help out the lowbies, so it's not that huge of a hassle to find help either.

Soon enough, you'll find yourself being one of those higher level players who are helping the nubs getting to the upper echelon.

There are territory wars and occupation, as well as legion houses to broaden the interest level.


The player population, however, is quite small on the US servers. Ideally, there are three factions, and all would be filled up to compete for supremacy of Atlantis. The reality, there is only one that just dominates everyone.

End Game Stuff

While it may take about a total of 6 hours to get to level 70, from 70-80 would take about two levels per day, then 80-90, one level per day, then 90-100, about half or one third a level per day, so don't be fooled by the initial easy grind.

With that said, there is plenty to do in the meantime. There are several types of gears; one which is better for PvP, one better for PvE (and one that just destroys everything). Within that, there are enchantment and gems to insert to occupy your time, and suck away your money dry.

The PvP in this game is split between either PvP areas; maps where you're free to kill other players, and then there's also King of Combat, where it becomes a MOBA-type gameplay with vehicles and stuff like that. However, PvP doesn't really start until you hit level 100+, which would take a couple months to reach for a casual gamer.

You can pretty much buy anything with Zen (cash shop), which makes it unevenly balanced towards those who spend real money, but that's inevitable in any f2p title.

Overall

Honestly, if i didn't get lucky and find myself in a legion with some cool people, I would've quit this game at level 40. However, I've put 150+ hours already, and find myself having two level 90+ characters, an 80+, and some more random assortment of nubs waiting to be leveled.

There was nothing new about this game I haven't seen before, but if you're into games with quick levels, auto-combat/auto-walking, random assortment of vehicles, some end game depth, and bloodthirst for PvP, War of the Immortals might be a title to look into to entertain you for the time being.