Macabre Like Death
Wed, Jan 15, 2025 Year 3, Spring 03Al and Dalan talk about Honkai Impact 3rd, and it's farming minigame, Wilderness Development Logs
Timings
00:00:00: Theme Tune
00:00:30: Intro
00:04:37: What Have We Been Up To
00:28:48: Game News
00:35:02: Honkai Impact 3rd: Introduction
00:52:29: Honkai Impact 3rd: Wilderness Development Logs
01:14:23: Outro
Links
My Little Life Release Date
Sun Haven Switch Patch
Echoes of the Plum Grove “New Year” Update
Roots of Pacha Upcoming Regions
Wilderness Development Logs Youtube Playlist
Wilderness Development Logs Fandom Page
Contact
Al on Mastodon: https://mastodon.scot/@TheScotBot
Email Us: https://harvestseason.club/contact/
Transcript
(0:00:30) Al: Hello, farmers, and welcome to another episode of the harvest season.
(0:00:34) Al: My name is Al, and we are here today to talk about cottagecore games.
(0:00:35) Dalan: And my name is Dallen
(0:00:43) Al: I honestly thought it was Dalen, not Dalen.
(0:00:46) Dalan: Uh it that I do get that a lot it is it is Dallen
(0:00:49) Dalan: Uh, it’s mostly the way it’s spelled. I think that confuses people. Uh, it is more common to have double li
(0:00:53) Al: » Interesting. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that one. Not spelling, either.
(0:00:56) Dalan: Instead of the two a’s so that’s that’s the main reason
(0:01:03) Dalan: I have met… one person who spells…
(0:01:05) Dalan: it the same as me and that was in Utah where there are about 50 people named
(0:01:10) Dalan: Dalin Persuarian. It’s not quite that populous but yeah.
(0:01:12) Al: Right, okay, so I see the issue, I see why it’s not a name that I am very much aware
(0:01:20) Dalan: Yes. It’s… there is a particular culture. Yeah. So I’m always surprised finding
(0:01:20) Al: of if it’s within a particular community, very prevalent within a certain area of the
(0:01:24) Al: United States. Yeah, they do exist outside of there. It’s funny, because sometimes I
(0:01:28) Dalan: people outside that place who have the same name and I’m like come on. They do
(0:01:35) Dalan: because it is the name other people have.
(0:01:38) Al: only realise how people’s names are pronounced when they come on the podcast.
(0:01:41) Dalan: Yeah, yeah. Yeah, Nami, I had that problem for a while. Yeah. I have to remind myself
(0:01:42) Al: It was the same with Nami, who of course, that’s not how I pronounced his name for a long time.
(0:01:49) Dalan: sometimes. Sorry, Nami.
(0:01:52) Al: Regularly, regularly.
(0:01:53) Dalan: Yeah.
(0:01:54) Al: Anyway, welcome, Dallin, to the podcast again. This is your second episode.
(0:01:57) Dalan: Thank you. Second time. Only took like a little bit over a year, I think. I was
(0:02:04) Dalan: here.
(0:02:05) Dalan: 2023 August ish or September I want to say it was fishing month yep yep because I was the only
(0:02:08) Al: It was the fishing month, wasn’t it?
(0:02:12) Dalan: other person who owned a play date that you do yeah yeah I have not touched that in a long time
(0:02:14) Al: Oh, that’s it. Yeah, we did the Playdate one. That’s what it was. That was good.
(0:02:20) Al: We should see if there are any more Playdate games to play.
(0:02:23) Dalan: that would be fun yeah I’ll figure out one where I put it and then to uh charge it I brought it
(0:02:28) Al: Yeah, I need to charge mine up. Thankfully, mine is here. I have it in my hand because it just
(0:02:30) Dalan: I think I brought it with me - oh, that’s nice.
(0:02:33) Al: sits on my desk. I know where it is, but it’s not charged because I don’t have the dock that
(0:02:36) Dalan: Mmm, the dock still… probably not, no.
(0:02:38) Al: I have to release any more.
(0:02:40) Dalan: I, uh, I think I took it with me to the Japan trip I went on this summer.
(0:02:45) Dalan: Or, I can’t remember if I did and then never used it or if I was like, “Yeah, no, I’m not gonna use that and left it home.”
(0:02:46) Al: hmm fair enough anyway so dallan is here to talk to me about a game that I have definitely
(0:02:51) Dalan: What did it do? Either way, I did not play it.
(0:03:01) Al: not played and a name that i’m definitely going to mix up the order of words in the name because
(0:03:01) Dalan: Yes.
(0:03:06) Dalan: That’s okay.
(0:03:08) Al: it is definitely the wrong order but this game is called honkai impact third right it’s
(0:03:13) Dalan: That is correct.
(0:03:16) Al: not third impact it’s impact third is it the third impact game
(0:03:17) Dalan: No, because, well, no.
(0:03:24) Dalan: It is the third Hong Kai game maybe, kind of.
(0:03:27) Al: maybe interesting
(0:03:30) Dalan: We’ll get, I’ll go into that a little bit about how crazy that all is.
(0:03:31) Al: yeah we’ll talk about we’ll talk about that when we talk about it
(0:03:36) Al: for some reason we’re going to talk about a honkai game uh we’ll
(0:03:39) Dalan: I’m as confused as you are, listeners.
(0:03:42) Dalan: But, you know, slow, I did, I did, I didn’t think you would take me up on it.
(0:03:43) Al: You suggested it, not me.
(0:03:46) Al: You said it.
(0:03:47) Dalan: But there is enough to talk about.
(0:03:49) Dalan: So I, and I will be trying to focus mostly just on the farming stuff.
(0:03:54) Dalan: Because there are many things I could blab about.
(0:03:57) Dalan: And I need you to hold me back.
(0:04:00) Al: I mean, look, I’ll be honest, if someone comes to me and says, “How about a podcast
(0:04:04) Al: episode on this?” and it even tangentially connects to the podcast, I will say yes,
(0:04:10) Al: because as I’ve said before, the hardest part of this podcast is not the editing,
(0:04:15) Al: it’s not the podcasting, it’s not the news, it is not the actual recording,
(0:04:20) Al: it is figuring out which episode is going to be which.
(0:04:24) Dalan: I’ll take a note of it. I have a couple of games that I’ve played recently that I think could fit into that, so we’ll also see if those will come up in future episodes.
(0:04:36) Dalan: Do we want to talk about what we’ve been up to lately then?
(0:04:36) Al: it’s fine. Yeah, let’s do it. What have you been up to?
(0:04:40) Dalan: Yeah, so I am trying to enjoy the last pieces of my holidays before I go back to the college grind to have some other stuff I’ve been working on.
(0:04:54) Dalan: So most of the games I’m writing are kind of like last week, but I’ve played a little bit this week.
(0:05:00) Dalan: I have obviously been playing Honkai games because those are relevant to what we’re talking about.
(0:05:08) Dalan: I also started Potioncraft recently because during the holidays we remembered the family steam-sharing thing got updated, and I guess one of my siblings bought it at some point.
(0:05:20) Dalan: So I’ve been playing that. Are you familiar with Potioncraft at all?
(0:05:22) Al: And I think I’ve heard of it, I don’t know if I’ve, I don’t know if I’ve actually.
(0:05:26) Dalan: Right.
(0:05:28) Dalan: Yeah, I find it a pretty relaxing game.
(0:05:32) Dalan: There were a couple nights where I was just kind of playing it an hour each night before bed. I could see myself kind of continuing that.
(0:05:40) Dalan: It’s basically a game where you make potions, but the way you do that is interesting, where you basically have this map that you’re moving around your little potion on.
(0:05:54) Dalan: You’re putting in different ingredients that have set patterns, and so you’re trying to put in the right ingredients to get to the location on the map you want to in order to get the potion.
(0:06:06) Dalan: And so it’s mostly that gameplay and then balancing that with how do I get more materials to make my potions and then selling them to customers and stuff.
(0:06:16) Dalan: Pretty relaxed. I think I made it to like day eight or something. There’s a progress system, but it’s basically just like, “Have you made these kinds of potions?”
(0:06:26) Dalan: “Did you discover being able to do this thing?” So it’s pretty open, I’d say.
(0:06:30) Al: I like the look of the graphics, it’s very distinct.
(0:06:34) Dalan: It’s very… Yes, it’s got a nice feel to it. I think they did just have an update, which I was surprised by. I think this past December, like last month, I’m not certain.
(0:06:46) Dalan: It seemed like it was what it said on the store page when I looked it up.
(0:06:48) Al: But yeah, it’s almost like it’s on like old parchment paper, it’s like kind of CPR based,
(0:06:54) Al: just I really like the look of the farming looks like it could be fun.
(0:06:54) Dalan: Yeah. There is a bit of farming, yes.
(0:07:00) Al: It looks very simple. It’s basically just it’s more gardening, I guess,
(0:07:02) Dalan: Yes. Yeah, it’s basically like you get your materials for the day and then you water them every day, etc.
(0:07:04) Al: rather than farming, right? You’re planting. Yeah.
(0:07:12) Dalan: You can plant new things, and I think they added more functionality to kind of expand it, but I am not at that point in the game.
(0:07:20) Al: But what I will say is the actual potion making looks like I would absolutely.
(0:07:24) Dalan: I see also just finicky
(0:07:28) Al: I do not like the kind of very specific motions and having to do that.
(0:07:35) Al: I think that sort of stuff is fun in one very specific circumstance and that’s in party
(0:07:40) Al: games.
(0:07:41) Dalan: Yeah
(0:07:42) Al: So I will play Mario Party and WarioWare anytime somebody suggests them to do these little
(0:07:45) Dalan: Right
(0:07:48) Al: weird motions and stuff.
(0:07:50) Al: I know it’s not like motion control, I know you’re using your mouse, but I don’t want
(0:07:55) Al: have to pick up a pestle and mortar it.
(0:07:58) Al: And I don’t want to have to stir a cauldron and pour it, no, it’s too detailed and specific
(0:08:04) Dalan: All right
(0:08:07) Al: for me, I think.
(0:08:08) Dalan: Yeah, that’s fair enough I will say like the
(0:08:11) Dalan: The fact that you’re able to add water to kind of mess with that that is the core gameplay
(0:08:16) Dalan: So if it doesn’t interest you probably none of the quality of life things they’re adding to it are gonna change that for you
(0:08:22) Dalan: But there are some nice things where it’s like once you have a potion that you like like if you made really strong version
(0:08:28) Dalan: Of a potion and you’re like that was annoying to do but I want to have that a lot
(0:08:31) Dalan: you can save it and it will just automatically make it with the increase.
(0:08:34) Dalan: for you so it’s more about like kind of exploring the map and discovering new
(0:08:39) Dalan: things and then being like oh is there like a more optimized route I can take
(0:08:42) Dalan: to this to you know cut back on ingredients or something so but yes
(0:08:47) Dalan: that’s there’s some finicky-ness to it so if you don’t enjoy that you probably
(0:08:52) Dalan: yeah I don’t think any of the changes are really gonna fix that for you
(0:08:54) Al: Yeah, it’s like, it’s like when every time I hear about a new Soulslike game, I’m like,
(0:09:01) Dalan: Mm. Right.
(0:09:02) Al: sounds great. I’m still not going to like it because I do not like the fundamental part
(0:09:07) Al: of the game. And so I’m not going to try it. Except one, there is one that has interested
(0:09:10) Dalan: Right.
(0:09:13) Al: me and that’s another crab’s treasure. That’s something the only Soulslike that has ever
(0:09:15) Dalan: Ah, true.
(0:09:18) Dalan: Yeah, I think that one…
(0:09:20) Dalan: It’s… I mean just by visuals it seems more friendly, and then also I think like…
(0:09:25) Dalan: um…
(0:09:26) Dalan: The problem I tend to have with Soul’s likes is that like I want to do
(0:09:30) Dalan: a build that works, but it… and for my playstyle, but it feels like a battle to figure out what I enjoy
(0:09:36) Dalan: while also
(0:09:38) Dalan: trying not to waste all my materials on making some
(0:09:40) Dalan: things I won’t like to play, so, a little, a little stressful.
(0:09:42) Al: It has a lot more options as well in terms of difficulty and stuff, which I quite like.
(0:09:50) Dalan: Mmm, that’s nice.
(0:09:51) Al: Not that I’m going to use them necessarily, I’m not going to use them, because I love
(0:09:56) Al: how it kind of ties them in in the same way where it’s got like the easy mode is basically
(0:10:01) Al: just you have a gun that sits on your head that kills anybody.
(0:10:02) Dalan: you’re right that’s good
(0:10:04) Al: I love how ridiculous that is.
(0:10:05) Al: I’m not going to use that, but having that leads me to liking it more purely because
(0:10:10) Al: it allows me for more.
(0:10:12) Al: around those options, because there’s just been thought gone into that, which, which then leads
(0:10:19) Al: to a game that I’m more likely to like. So it’s not, I don’t know if that’s if that’s obvious enough
(0:10:25) Al: how I’m explaining it, but yeah, but I think that the the idea of actually having difficulty options
(0:10:32) Al: generally leads to a game being designed more like I would enjoy it.
(0:10:36) Dalan: Mm. That makes sense. It’s, uh, having, like, more flexible design or ways to interact with it versus feeling like there’s sort of one path you have to take.
(0:10:48) Dalan: Maybe that’s not the right way to put it, but I kind of get what you’re saying.
(0:10:49) Al: Yeah, I don’t know. It’s hard to explain. But like, if we just took a, you know, standards
(0:10:58) Al: Souls game, like Elden Ring, right? So we take Elden Ring. If you just put a difficulty
(0:11:03) Al: level in that, that I don’t think I would enjoy that game, because it’s still the same
(0:11:07) Dalan: Right.
(0:11:08) Al: game is just easier, right? Like it’s not, I don’t just, I don’t dislike those games
(0:11:09) Dalan: Yeah.
(0:11:10) Dalan: Yeah, 100%.
(0:11:11) Dalan: It’s not built around that.
(0:11:14) Al: because they’re hard. I dislike those games because of their whole philosophy.
(0:11:19) Al: And it just feels like another crab’s treasure does that differently.
(0:11:20) Dalan: Right, 100%.
(0:11:25) Al: Anyway, potion craft.
(0:11:26) Dalan: Yeah, that makes a lot of sense to me.
(0:11:29) Al: Yeah, maybe.
(0:11:29) Dalan: Yep, that’s Potion Craft.
(0:11:32) Dalan: I could see that being an episode topic at some point,
(0:11:34) Dalan: But anyway, I–
(0:11:36) Dalan: Started Warframe recently. Well, that’s maybe–
(0:11:40) Dalan: Started is maybe the wrong word.
(0:11:42) Dalan: So…
(0:11:44) Dalan: This game– Are you familiar with this game at all?
(0:11:46) Al: I am not.
(0:11:48) Dalan: Okay, Warframe… It’s kind of like– Are you familiar with Destiny?
(0:11:53) Al: I am aware of it and I have seen some gameplay.
(0:11:56) Dalan: Okay, we’ll do the most basic version. Warframe is Space Ninjas. That’s pretty much the game.
(0:12:02) Dalan: You go around space, you fight things with friends, and
(0:12:06) Dalan: materials to upgrade your things, and it is a completely for you to play game.
(0:12:12) Dalan: All the money you spend is for cosmetics and, like,
(0:12:15) Dalan: speeding up timers, which are basically just crafting things. So it’s–
(0:12:21) Dalan: Has been going for a long time, so much so that the first time I played it was actually in 2013.
(0:12:26) Dalan: And…
(0:12:27) Al: Yeah, this game says it was released in March 2013. It was released two days after my first child was born.
(0:12:30) Dalan: Yes.
(0:12:35) Dalan: Yeah, yeah, and
(0:12:35) Al: Yeah.
(0:12:36) Dalan: I was solidly still a child at this point.
(0:12:40) Dalan: The reason I didn’t stick around with it is,
(0:12:43) Dalan: one, it was a bit overwhelming,
(0:12:45) Dalan: and I don’t know if my computer could handle it at the time.
(0:12:47) Dalan: And two, I believe maybe a week prior,
(0:12:50) Dalan: I had told my mother that I was not interested
(0:12:53) Dalan: in playing an M-rated game ever, and she hugged me.
(0:12:55) Al: Yeah, well, I tell my mom I don’t swear, so.
(0:12:56) Dalan: And then this game was M-rated,
(0:12:58) Dalan: and I immediately felt strong feelings of guilt
(0:13:01) Dalan: for being like, “This is kind of fun.”
(0:13:05) Dalan: so I did not return that.
(0:13:06) Dalan: I’m playing it on the television, and currently living with family, and no stinks have been raised.
(0:13:19) Al: There are other things you do to disappoint them instead, that’s the thing.
(0:13:21) Dalan: Yes, yes, very true.
(0:13:23) Dalan: Like living in their basement.
(0:13:25) Al: If you’re worried about how someone thinks about a certain thing that you do,
(0:13:28) Al: just do something worse. That’s how it works, right?
(0:13:30) Dalan: True. Yeah, I think that is the best method.
(0:13:34) Dalan: Anyway, but yeah, I started playing that because we had
(0:13:37) Dalan: My sister and her husband came over for the holidays and
(0:13:42) Dalan: Her husband’s been playing it a lot longer
(0:13:44) Dalan: But my sister was like I want to download this to see if we can play it because I can’t play it on my laptop
(0:13:48) Dalan: And she kind of gave up on that pretty quick because she didn’t like the controller
(0:13:53) Dalan: Inputs, but I was like oh this game’s kind of fun
(0:13:55) Dalan: So I might be playing with that that with them in the future which would be fun because I don’t get to hang out with
(0:14:01) Dalan: Them as much anymore on the count of them living in a different place
(0:14:05) Dalan: So yeah warframe not
(0:14:07) Dalan: But that’s interesting game and then there are lots of other games I could talk about but I’ll just quickly mention
(0:14:14) Dalan: 1000 I think it’s x resist. I don’t know if it’s times or what I don’t know what it means yet
(0:14:19) Dalan: But that is a game. I should be playing more of it’s just
(0:14:24) Dalan: Draining because it’s a very involved sci-fi story that I want to soak in. Have you heard of it?
(0:14:29) Al: Fair enough. No, I have not even heard of this game, no.
(0:14:30) Dalan: Also, let me pull it out all the strange games
(0:14:36) Dalan: Was like a game that was popular in a couple circles
(0:14:38) Al: Oh, this is one of the ones that was added to Bellatro.
(0:14:42) Dalan: Yes, yes, it was there I do remember that yeah, so this is like this is sort of a far future sci-fi story
(0:14:51) Dalan: it’s
(0:14:52) Dalan: kind of some people might kind of put it in the realm of a walking sim I guess but it’s it’s
(0:14:58) Dalan: Interesting. It’s a lot of going around talking to characters and it has some interesting kind of time
(0:15:05) Dalan: Compilation mechanics where you’re flipping back
(0:15:06) Dalan: and forth between different scenes sometimes to find different information or go places.
(0:15:12) Dalan: So there’s a little bit of that but the gameplay mechanics mostly serve as a catalyst for the story
(0:15:17) Dalan: and like what’s going on. The basic premise I’ll say is that it seems to be a far off future where
(0:15:27) Dalan: everyone is now like clones of this one person who could survive this deadly illness and you’re
(0:15:33) Dalan: playing as this person called the
(0:15:36) Dalan: watcher because everyone is named by
(0:15:38) Dalan: their roles and you’re trying to you’re
(0:15:42) Dalan: kind of figuring out what happened in
(0:15:44) Dalan: the past and it seems like that’s going
(0:15:46) Dalan: to lead to some sort of rebellion thing
(0:15:48) Dalan: going on so it’s really interesting it’s
(0:15:51) Dalan: tackles a lot of different themes
(0:15:53) Dalan: there’s like it’s kind of about Asian
(0:15:55) Dalan: diaspora and Hong Kong protests which
(0:15:59) Dalan: is not what I would expect going into
(0:16:00) Al: Oh heavy
(0:16:00) Dalan: this game but it’s also about a lot of
(0:16:02) Dalan: other things so covers a large range of
(0:16:06) Dalan: I would recommend it. It was a big narrative game last year that people liked, but it didn’t really get nominated for anything.
(0:16:15) Al: I don’t think I’ve ever actually played a walking sim and so I can’t say that I don’t
(0:16:20) Dalan: Mm-hmm, I see.
(0:16:23) Al: like walking sims, but what I will say is I think walking sims are everything about
(0:16:28) Al: games that I don’t like and therefore I would assume that I would not like them.
(0:16:34) Dalan: To me, this is more like reading a sci-fi novel with full visuals and experiences.
(0:16:35) Al: Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly and it’s like I sort of like the kind of one of the
(0:16:45) Al: people would argue it’s not a walking sim, but I think some people would argue it is
(0:16:49) Al: a walking sim. What’s it called? Why have I forgotten the name of it? Big Sony game,
(0:16:57) Al: they made a TV series of it. The Last of Us, yeah. I know it has some combat and gameplay
(0:16:59) Dalan: Oh, the last of us?
(0:17:04) Al: to it, however, feels very narrative heavy and I guess the kind of famous walking sim
(0:17:11) Al: is more, is the Overwatch, not Overwatch, over.
(0:17:14) Dalan: Uh, Firewatch.
(0:17:15) Al: Firewatch, there we go. Names are too similar. There’s too many words. There are more words for
(0:17:18) Dalan: It’s true, there are many similar names.
(0:17:21) Al: your games, use other words. Firewatch is kind of the big one. And these games, it’s like,
(0:17:28) Al: I’m not against story in game, but I guess I don’t like being in control of story because it takes
(0:17:38) Al: two times longer than if they were just telling me the story. So, like, I love watching TV and
(0:17:46) Al: but if I were to have to press A constantly to get the next bit of the film or TV series,
(0:17:51) Al: I would not do it.
(0:17:52) Al: on.
(0:17:53) Dalan: Right
(0:17:55) Dalan: Yeah, and I I think it very much depends on the game
(0:17:58) Dalan: like there are some where I would say that is kind of more of a
(0:18:02) Dalan: Just feeling kind of bored and I almost feel like I’m doing a disservice by calling it a walking sim because there’s so much
(0:18:09) Dalan: Like I don’t know it like I said, it feels like us
(0:18:13) Dalan: it kind of feels like walking around inside of a TV scene for me where I feel like I’m
(0:18:20) Dalan: experiencing like this setting and trying to figure out what’s going on.
(0:18:23) Dalan: I don’t know, but on the other hand, I’m someone who like tends to not watch as many TV or films because like I don’t like, well, I’ll have to dig into that aspect of my psyche later, but I think some of the control I enjoy being able to take it at my own pace and see what’s going on.
(0:18:36) Al: Interesting. Well, anyway.
(0:18:44) Dalan: Yeah, that’s that’s a wrap for me. Let’s hear about your week. So it’s not just me talking the whole episode.
(0:18:50) Al: I have finally started playing Rusty’s Retirement. So I, for people who aren’t aware, the reason
(0:18:57) Al: I wasn’t playing Rusty’s Retirement before was because I work for a client and so I use
(0:19:04) Al: their machine, and I can’t just–
(0:19:06) Al: I don’t want to install things on that machine, so I obviously do not have Rustys retirement installed on my work machine, but what I realized I can do is I have it on my Steam Deck. Now, granted, it is not great on the Steam Deck because it is not full screen, you can’t like change where it is, you’ve just got your little thing, but I have it running on my Steam Deck on, I’ve got the Steam Deck dock sitting on my desk, and so I just have my Steam Deck sitting open, charging, playing Rustys Retirement on my Steam Deck.
(0:19:16) Dalan: Mmm.
(0:19:34) Al: charging playing Rusty’s retirement.
(0:19:37) Al: I’ve not done this very long, I think this is only my second day of doing it.
(0:19:40) Al: But I thought this was an interesting way of trying to use play with the game and see how it fares like that.
(0:19:46) Al: I think it could do really well like that, but there would have to be a few changes for it to work optimally.
(0:19:54) Al: Obviously being in full screen and the, you know, it doesn’t have any gamepad support.
(0:20:02) Al: So we’d have to have those to be really good.
(0:20:06) Al: Screen makes it a lot better to work with than just using the analog sticks or the touchpads.
(0:20:13) Al: And because of what its gameplay is, obviously you’re not actually interacting with it very much.
(0:20:18) Al: So the interaction not being ideal doesn’t make it dreadful.
(0:20:23) Al: So that’s one.
(0:20:24) Al: The other thing that I have been absolutely obsessed with over the last week is Pokémon Legends Arceus, you know, just three years after release.
(0:20:33) Al: I did play it when it first came out, but some–
(0:20:36) Al: Keen listeners will remember that nearly two years ago,
(0:20:40) Al: I had a terrible, terrible situation
(0:20:44) Al: where my main Switch died, and I lost all of my Pokemon saves
(0:20:47) Al: except one.
(0:20:49) Al: And this was the only set of Pokemon games on the Switch
(0:20:54) Al: I didn’t have a save for.
(0:20:56) Al: Now I’ve been slowly building them up.
(0:20:58) Al: So I don’t have all of them sorted.
(0:21:01) Al: I just have one from each generation,
(0:21:03) Al: one from each set of games now.
(0:21:07) Al: I’d never played it a second time.
(0:21:09) Al: I play most Pokemon games two times
(0:21:10) Al: because I’ll buy both games, and I’ll play one
(0:21:14) Al: just reasonably quickly, and then I’ll
(0:21:16) Al: play one as generally a Professor Oak Challenge,
(0:21:20) Al: but sometimes something else.
(0:21:22) Al: So I’d never done a second playthrough of Legends Arceus.
(0:21:25) Al: And so I was like, well, it’s time to do that, I guess.
(0:21:28) Al: And let’s do a Professor Oak Challenge.
(0:21:30) Al: And it was quite fun, Professor Oak Challenge.
(0:21:32) Al: I like how they’re all very different nowadays
(0:21:34) Al: Cause you’ve got like, um.
(0:21:36) Al: Um, let’s go and brilliant diamond shining Pearl, which are kind of how they’re more
(0:21:42) Al: like how professor challenges would have been in the older games, you know, kind of standard
(0:21:49) Al: progression with gyms and catching and stuff like that.
(0:21:52) Al: But let’s go had, uh, the catch combo, which meant you could get XP really quickly, um,
(0:22:01) Al: and kind of sped up the first one, uh, then you obviously have sort
(0:22:07) Al: is the only series of switch games that I’ve not done a professor of challenging now, which
(0:22:11) Al: I’ll probably do at some point, which I think has.
(0:22:12) Dalan: Yeah, I was gonna say like how does it seems like that gets a little trickier with the more open world ones
(0:22:18) Al: So yeah, so obviously then you’ve got, you’ve got scarlet and violet.
(0:22:18) Dalan: Obviously sword and shield isn’t quite there yet, but it’s got the wild area
(0:22:24) Al: I, I love how ridiculous it is.
(0:22:27) Al: I think I can’t remember exactly how many ways.
(0:22:30) Al: I don’t know whether it’s quite 300, but it’s, it’s over 200 Pokemon you catch before you
(0:22:34) Dalan: My goodness!
(0:22:35) Al: do the first thing.
(0:22:36) Al: Um, and yeah, it’s kind of ridiculous, but I also kind of love it because there’s
(0:22:42) Dalan: There’s a charm there
(0:22:43) Al: there, it is, it’s very front loaded.
(0:22:47) Al: So you do that and then you just absolutely whiz through the story after that, which is
(0:22:52) Al: like, I have my, you know, level 50 Pokemon killing the first gym sort of thing.
(0:22:56) Dalan: Yeah.
(0:22:57) Al: And it’s like wild, but I also like, yeah, but yeah, well, exactly.
(0:23:00) Dalan: Like, “Welcome to your journey,” and (laughing)
(0:23:04) Dalan: don’t know what’s coming.
(0:23:06) Al: But I also like how there are so many Pokemon you can just catch in the wild now.
(0:23:13) Al: And that’s the same for Legends Arceus.
(0:23:15) Al: There’s so many Pokemon that you don’t have to evolve, you can just catch all of them
(0:23:19) Al: in the wild.
(0:23:20) Dalan: Wow
(0:23:21) Al: I really like that part of it.
(0:23:24) Al: So yeah, so I guess Legends Arceus was kind of a kind of between the two.
(0:23:29) Al: So I think you have like 60 or so in the first region, and then it gets smaller and smaller
(0:23:34) Dalan: Right
(0:23:35) Al: as you go.
(0:23:36) Al: It felt pretty well balanced in terms of how many Pokémon you have to get for the first
(0:23:41) Al: three areas at least, and then the last two were quite quick. But yeah, well, the last area would
(0:23:48) Al: have been quick if it weren’t for Spiritomb. Oh my word. I love Legends Arceus, and I love it even
(0:23:52) Dalan: - True, yeah.
(0:23:56) Al: more now that I’ve done a second playthrough. I just love so much about it. But Spiritomb,
(0:24:02) Dalan: But yeah, no, I that’s understandable.
(0:24:04) Al: I did not enjoy it. It’s like…
(0:24:06) Al: 107 wisps across this huge game was not fun. Yeah, it is.
(0:24:11) Dalan: It’s kind of a lot.
(0:24:13) Dalan: Yeah, I never finished Legends Arceus, but I I did enjoy playing that game a lot.
(0:24:19) Dalan: And I do think that is a game that could lend itself pretty well to that kind of
(0:24:23) Dalan: Professor Oak challenge, because it kind of does let you do the areas as you want to.
(0:24:28) Dalan: Like, obviously, it’s like, OK, now you can go to the next area.
(0:24:30) Dalan: and that’s kind of encouraged, but you can also just stick around.
(0:24:32) Dalan: and keep doing stuff in that one spot.
(0:24:34) Dalan: So it’s pretty cool.
(0:24:36) Al: Yeah, yeah, I just played the story until it said right now go do the Lord to at the
(0:24:40) Dalan: Yeah.
(0:24:40) Al: end of this area. And I’m like, I’m going to catch all the Pokemon first. And it didn’t
(0:24:44) Dalan: Yep.
(0:24:44) Al: feel forced. It felt like I was just kind of cleaning up as I went. Whereas quite a
(0:24:48) Dalan: Yeah.
(0:24:49) Al: lot of Professor Oak challenges, they feel like you’re like, no, I’m going to stay in
(0:24:53) Al: this area and I’m going to battle this specific Pokemon, which gives the most XP before the
(0:24:54) Dalan: Yeah.
(0:24:59) Al: first gym to evolve my level 36 starter.
(0:25:04) Dalan: It’s a fight against the game
(0:25:06) Al: Exactly, exactly. Whereas the way this game works is much more like, no, I’m actually
(0:25:11) Al: playing it how they wanted me to play it. Now they didn’t expect that I would necessarily
(0:25:15) Al: catch absolutely everything before the next area, but there’s absolutely no forcing there.
(0:25:21) Al: It definitely feels designed like that.
(0:25:22) Dalan: Yeah, honestly, I think I should have played the game more like that because I kind of wanted to keep the story going but
(0:25:27) Dalan: At the I was I was torn between wanting to like see how things were progressing and also being like
(0:25:34) Al: Yeah. Yeah.
(0:25:35) Dalan: Because it’s sort of fun it’s it’s satisfying to move around and to to throw the pokeballs and stuff
(0:25:40) Dalan: I haven’t really touched scarlet and violet. I think I
(0:25:44) Dalan: Might have briefly tried playing it in Japanese as practice and then I was like, oh, yeah
(0:25:49) Dalan: I’m still terrible at Japanese. So I gave up a bet
(0:25:53) Dalan: But I do I would like to return to it at some point and did Arceus as well
(0:25:58) Dalan: I think that would be a really fun time because I did enjoy that game quite a bit
(0:26:04) Al: I decided that it was time to do it because with the new game coming out, I either,
(0:26:10) Al: I’m not going to be able to go back to Legends Arceus because the new game is just that but better,
(0:26:15) Al: or it’s not going to be good and I’ll be disappointed, but then I will have played
(0:26:20) Al: a good game this year. So it’s like, one or the other, I want to have played it now, you know.
(0:26:22) Dalan: Yes, yes.
(0:26:23) Dalan: Silver lining.
(0:26:26) Dalan: Yeah, yeah, yeah, that makes sense.
(0:26:28) Al: Because there are some games that I really struggle to go back and play like,
(0:26:30) Dalan: Mmm.
(0:26:30) Al: Breath of the Wild, I can’t play anymore after Tuesday.
(0:26:34) Al: of the Kingdom, because of what Tears of the Kingdom added.
(0:26:38) Al: So yeah, I think if it was, which I really hope, I mean, we
(0:26:41) Al: obviously have no indication of this yet, hopefully we’ll know
(0:26:44) Al: more in a month and a half, but I really hope that Legends ZA is
(0:26:49) Al: basically the same catching and traversal style as Legends
(0:26:54) Al: Arceus, but more of that and more fun and more to do and more
(0:27:00) Al: story and some, you know, quality of life improvements.
(0:27:04) Al: What I would really like is them to add the Let’s Go feature from
(0:27:08) Al: Scarlet and Violet into it as well, because I think having those
(0:27:10) Al: two ways of being able to run around and catch everything in balls
(0:27:14) Al: or send out your Pokemon to go and kill everything nearby.
(0:27:17) Dalan: Mm-hmm
(0:27:18) Al: I think those are both fun and could work really well together.
(0:27:21) Dalan: Yeah, that sounds like an interesting sort of combo of those ideas, man, I need to play this Krillin Violet
(0:27:27) Al: Scarlet and Violet is a really mixed game and it’s like I, at one point I said if it ran better,
(0:27:35) Al: it would probably be my favourite Pokémon game, but actually I don’t think that anymore. I think
(0:27:38) Dalan: Mmm
(0:27:39) Al: no matter what, I think Legends Arceus is my favourite Pokémon game. It’s just…
(0:27:44) Dalan: Yeah, I would say that legends Arceus was definitely like the one I had been most charmed by and quite some time probably since like
(0:27:51) Dalan: First Pokemon game like black and white and they didn’t enjoy the others per se but it was like, oh, this is new and interesting
(0:27:57) Al: - Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
(0:28:00) Al: All right, so yeah, well, yeah,
(0:28:02) Al: I finished the Professor Oak Challenge.
(0:28:03) Al: I’m just catching the last few postgame Pokemon now.
(0:28:04) Dalan: Oh, nice!
(0:28:06) Al: So I think I’ve got the, I think before this recording,
(0:28:12) Al: I just caught the Lake Spirits.
(0:28:14) Al: So I think all I’ve got left are Geratina,
(0:28:18) Al: the weather genies, and then Arceus,
(0:28:22) Dalan: Mm-hmm great those guys
(0:28:24) Al: and the two mythical.
(0:28:28) Dalan: Mm-hmm cool. I look forward to hearing about that also curious about
(0:28:28) Al: So, that shouldn’t take me too long.
(0:28:33) Dalan: More thoughts on Rusty’s retirement as you play that more because I know we both talked about how we weren’t sure if that was
(0:28:36) Al: Yes, it will be interesting to see how that goes. I will hopefully have more to talk about
(0:28:38) Dalan: Game that really worked for us
(0:28:45) Al: Rusty’s retirement in the near future. All right, let’s talk about some news.
(0:28:48) Dalan: Sweet.
(0:28:51) Al: Obviously, we had our big news catch up last week, and this is, as Dallin was saying before
(0:28:58) Al: the recording, the quiet time of the year, which is very true. I think this is a very quiet time
(0:29:00) Dalan: - Yes.
(0:29:04) Al: for games for two reasons.
(0:29:06) Al: Well, three reasons. One is January.
(0:29:08) Al: Not a lot happens in January when put in games.
(0:29:08) Dalan: - Yeah.
(0:29:11) Al: Two, the Switch 2 is about to be announced, right?
(0:29:14) Dalan: - Right.
(0:29:14) Al: Like, that is imminent.
(0:29:16) Al: And you know that everybody’s waiting for that.
(0:29:18) Al: Some will be waiting because they have dev kits
(0:29:21) Al: and they can’t announce anything yet.
(0:29:23) Al: And some will be waiting to just see what it is
(0:29:25) Al: and see if they can run their Switch games on it
(0:29:27) Al: before they talk about it.
(0:29:29) Al: And three, everybody’s terrified of GTA.
(0:29:32) Dalan: Mmm, yeah, no, that’s a big game coming.
(0:29:37) Al: So there’s basically no games announced coming this year outside of the first three months,
(0:29:42) Dalan: Mmm. Yeah, it’s yeah, it’s a weird time right now in many ways.
(0:29:42) Al: like for anybody at all. So yeah, yep, yep, yep, yep, yep. But we do have some news.
(0:29:53) Al: So first of all, My Little Life, which is what I like to call a rusty retirement like,
(0:30:00) Al: it is another game played on the bottom part of your screen. And this is a
(0:30:06) Al: life sim rather than a farming sim. So you have your different rooms in your house and
(0:30:15) Al: I presume office, I’ve not actually investigated whether you have more than
(0:30:20) Dalan: My gosh this I’m looking at the announcement. I just haven’t muted right now, but in the release date announcement
(0:30:26) Dalan: They have rusty’s retirement pulled up over top of the my little life screen. Yeah, let’s about 46 seconds in
(0:30:30) Al: Oh, do they? Amazing.
(0:30:35) Al: Oh, so they do.
(0:30:36) Dalan: You can do it well answering work emails or even playing other games and then rusty’s retirement pops up
(0:30:41) Dalan: So that’s that’s pretty funny. It’s just like yeah, I know what I know. This is sort of a copy
(0:30:42) Al: I just read the transcripts of what they’re talking about, what you can do while playing
(0:30:46) Dalan: Happy.
(0:30:53) Al: it. And one of them is “or playing other games”. So they’re showing you playing My Little Life
(0:31:01) Al: and Rusty’s Retirement at the same time, which I would say probably don’t do that.
(0:31:02) Dalan: Two for one.
(0:31:06) Dalan: I think that’s overload.
(0:31:08) Dalan: I think that would break my brain.
(0:31:11) Dalan: Too much things I can look at.
(0:31:12) Al: Anyway, this game has announced, as Talon just said, their release date. So this is coming
(0:31:17) Al: out on the 31st of January. So in two and a bit weeks. Yep. So if you like Rusty’s Retirement,
(0:31:27) Al: you want another one like it, or you like the idea of Rusty’s Retirement, but you didn’t
(0:31:31) Al: want a farming game while you’re listening to this podcast, then that comes out very soon.
(0:31:34) Dalan: Yeah, very interesting, also like the Windows XP background in the tree.
(0:31:39) Al: Next week. Yeah.
(0:31:43) Dalan: Where’s that Vista?
(0:31:43) Al: Yeah.
(0:31:44) Dalan: I don’t know, I’m too young for this.
(0:31:48) Al: Next we have the Sun Haven have released their next update for the Switch version.
(0:31:54) Al: The Switch version. I mean it’s all just bug fixes basically.
(0:31:56) Dalan: Hmm
(0:32:00) Al: Except one thing which says added a save button in the settings menu.
(0:32:03) Al: Could you not save the game before? I don’t.
(0:32:05) Dalan: Ah, no idea. That seems good to have.
(0:32:09) Al: Yeah. So if you’re playing, Sunhee,
(0:32:12) Al: haven on the switch, you now have fewer bugs.
(0:32:16) Al: Hopefully.
(0:32:16) Dalan: More save buttons and hopefully you already had more than zero
(0:32:18) Al: And more safe bugs.
(0:32:20) Al: I’m guessing it does the Stardew thing of saving overnight,
(0:32:24) Dalan: Right probably
(0:32:25) Al: but they also have a save on demand thing.
(0:32:29) Dalan: Right that would make sense
(0:32:30) Al: Next we have Echoes of the Plum Grove
(0:32:32) Al: have released their new year update.
(0:32:35) Al: This is mostly bug fixes, but there’s a few features as well.
(0:32:39) Al: You can add rugs and put things on those rugs.
(0:32:44) Dalan: I was a little worried I misread the thing it says put furniture over rugs
(0:32:49) Dalan: and I and costumes for kids and I combined them as put furniture and rugs
(0:32:53) Dalan: over kids and I was like oh okay I know this is the sort of wacky or the like
(0:32:58) Dalan: not wacky but uh macabre macabre game there we say that macabre it’s the R
(0:33:03) Al: Yep, macabre, macabre, macabre.
(0:33:06) Dalan: pronounced this is this is important I need to
(0:33:10) Al: This will probably be a cultural thing, right?
(0:33:12) Dalan: macabre. It’s macabre.
(0:33:12) Al: Like macabre, death, about death.
(0:33:15) Dalan: He got out again.
(0:33:17) Dalan: That’s seems.
(0:33:20) Dalan: Cool. Thanks.
(0:33:22) Dalan: I knew that part.
(0:33:22) Dalan: I was wondering how to say you.
(0:33:24) Dalan: Thanks word.
(0:33:24) Al: No, I know, I’m just simplifying it.
(0:33:28) Dalan: It’s about it’s got some depth in it.
(0:33:31) Al: And also new Halloween outfits.
(0:33:33) Al: We’re a little bit late for Halloween outfits.
(0:33:36) Dalan: Oh, some amazing fixes, Winter Gala should still be available even if the quest giver dies the night before.
(0:33:42) Dalan: Good.
(0:33:44) Dalan: There’s some spoiler ones I’m not looking at, but that’s the only fun one, so you don’t need to look for any more fixes.
(0:33:52) Dalan: But, man, this game does intrigue me, I gotta say.
(0:33:56) Al: Yeah, not many games have to worry about their NPCs dying, right?
(0:34:00) Dalan: Yeah, that’s usually a Bethesda kind of thing.
(0:34:07) Al: And our final piece of news,
(0:34:08) Al: ‘cause I told you it was short, right?
(0:34:10) Al: We had about half an hour of what we’d been up to,
(0:34:12) Al: and now we’ve got five minutes of news.
(0:34:13) Dalan: Well, I don’t think I saw this one.
(0:34:15) Al: This is, that’s ‘cause I added it in
(0:34:18) Al: like two hours ago or something.
(0:34:18) Dalan: Ah, I see.
(0:34:21) Al: Roots of Patcher have detailed
(0:34:25) Al: their upcoming new regions to the games.
(0:34:28) Al: So if you’re interested in Roots of Patcher,
(0:34:30) Al: there’s some more details on that.
(0:34:33) Al: Yeah, it’s not hugely detailed,
(0:34:36) Al: but they’re just kind of talking about the new regions,
(0:34:37) Al: which feel like the next update’s gonna be pretty big.
(0:34:40) Dalan: There’s some, there’s some fun screenshots, well not screenshots, they’re slightly animated.
(0:34:45) Al: Yes, there are.
(0:34:47) Al: I still haven’t played this game,
(0:34:48) Al: and I still want to at some point.
(0:34:50) Dalan: It does, it looks nice, I could see myself enjoying it.
(0:34:53) Dalan: I will keep an eye out.
(0:34:56) Al: Well, that’s the news!
(0:34:59) Al: So, Dalon, you’re gonna talk to me about Honkai Impact 3rd, and I have not played this game,
(0:35:03) Dalan: All right.
(0:35:06) Dalan: All right.
(0:35:09) Al: so I have no idea how to start this other than, why are we talking about this game?
(0:35:13) Dalan: okay yes let’s let’s start with why this is getting mentioned because honkai impact dirt is
(0:35:18) Dalan: not a farming game and unless you count farming for materials uh oh I sure I have no idea what
(0:35:19) Al: Shall I see what you said to me about the game? Let me read what Dallin said
(0:35:25) Dalan: I sent to you oh boy
(0:35:27) Al: when they first suggested playing this game.
(0:35:32) Dalan: i’m half expecting like there to be an emoji with me like doing the the fingers pointing at each
(0:35:37) Dalan: other I don’t know I i think it
(0:35:39) Al: Where did you say it to me?
(0:35:44) Dalan: it was probably a threat in the like the not the harvest slack but the other slack
(0:35:49) Dalan: I don’t even think it was like a dm or anything I was like no it was just like we could do this
(0:35:51) Al: It wasn’t a DM, no.
(0:35:54) Dalan: so I i don’t think that’s even anywhere now we have we have no idea how this transpired just
(0:35:59) Dalan: occurred uh yeah I think it it came up in video games because I mentioned that I was doing like
(0:36:00) Al: so confused. We seem to have talked about it in multiple different channels,
(0:36:04) Al: but I can’t actually find where you said it about it.
(0:36:09) Dalan: a farming event in this game. You said there’s farming in this game?
(0:36:13) Dalan: I was like, “Yeah, right now.”
(0:36:15) Al: Okay, so, you said to me back at the end of November, the new Honkai Impact Third Update
(0:36:22) Al: has a side mode that is Bilateral + Marvel Snap. The previous two side modes were a Farming
(0:36:26) Dalan: Oh yes, I didn’t mention that.
(0:36:28) Al: Sim and then Candy Crush Battles. And I said, “A what now?”
(0:36:30) Dalan: Yes.
(0:36:32) Dalan: Yes.
(0:36:34) Dalan: That one just wrapped up, the Bellatrosnap.
(0:36:38) Al: So yeah, you said, “I thought I posted about it, but I guess not. It was a Farming Sim
(0:36:42) Al: that was about getting not Pokemon who
(0:36:45) Al: run various buildings in your town, farm crops, mine for materials etc. They also had fishing,
(0:36:51) Al: gotta have a fishing minigame. If you ever need a filler episode,
(0:36:53) Dalan: That is correct
(0:36:54) Al: I could definitely talk for at least 20 minutes about it, so set that timer now!
(0:36:58) Dalan: All right, set the timer see how long we get to cool
(0:37:04) Dalan: Yeah, I mean good job past me. That’s a pretty good summary
(0:37:08) Dalan: So that’s that’s what we’re gonna talk about. I’m going to briefly just explain the concept of what the heck
(0:37:14) Dalan: Hong Kai impact there it is. It’s a gotcha game first and foremost. So if you’re not familiar with gotcha games, it’s
(0:37:21) Dalan: gambling, but legal.
(0:37:24) Dalan: They have usually have these things called banners where there are usually anime girls that you spend points on, and then you have a chance to get that character it’s usually guaranteed after however many times you pull for that character as the terminology and yeah, that is that is the bulk of how they make their monies by having you pay money to get their new characters.
(0:37:51) Dalan: So one of the ways
(0:37:53) Dalan: they do this is by having these characters show up in side modes and
(0:37:57) Dalan: stories and stuff. Usually they’re in the main story, but sometimes they also have
(0:38:01) Dalan: sort of filler side content, and they tend to–Hoyoverse is the company that
(0:38:07) Dalan: does this, formerly me, Hoyo, and I think that’s like–I don’t remember all the
(0:38:12) Dalan: branding nonsense, but I go by Hoyoverse, and yeah.
(0:38:12) Al: It looks like Mihoyo is still the name of a company.
(0:38:20) Dalan: Yeah, it’s like international kind of stuff.
(0:38:23) Dalan: It was Hoya vs. Kind of a rebranding thing that I tend to stick to just because most of their games are connected in some sort of multiverse way.
(0:38:34) Al: So, the publisher is called Huyoverse.
(0:38:38) Dalan: And the developers Mihoyo? Okay, interesting. I did not know that.
(0:38:40) Al: Correct.
(0:38:42) Al: But I believe they are separate companies, but it looks like Huyoverse was spun out from…
(0:38:49) Dalan: Yeah, they’re essentially the same thing I imagine.
(0:38:52) Dalan: They just handle like different parts of the process.
(0:38:56) Al: Yes, but they are separate companies, they’re not, as far as I can see, not kind of possibly,
(0:38:58) Dalan: Yes.
(0:39:00) Dalan: All right, I figured it was a thing where like
(0:39:02) Dalan: one was owning the other somewhere, but I don’t know.
(0:39:04) Al: but I’m not, I can’t see any information on the ownership of Hoyoverse. But also, Hoyoverse
(0:39:07) Dalan: I do not have the Wikipedia open right now
(0:39:09) Dalan: and it’s not that relevant.
(0:39:12) Al: is also called Cognosphere. That’s just another name for the same company. I don’t know why
(0:39:15) Dalan: Hognosphere, I’m not familiar with that one.
(0:39:19) Dalan: Okay, interesting.
(0:39:25) Dalan: I assume it has something,
(0:39:28) Dalan: the first result from three,
(0:39:30) Dalan: the second result from three years ago on Reddit
(0:39:31) Dalan: says it was a new proxy publishing label.
(0:39:34) Dalan: So it’s probably ‘cause they’re based in China
(0:39:34) Al: It does. Right.
(0:39:36) Dalan: and they needed like other companies
(0:39:37) Dalan: to be able to publish things.
(0:39:38) Al: Yeah, but why is HoYoverse also called Cognosphere sometimes?
(0:39:42) Dalan: Oh, no idea.
(0:39:44) Al: But yeah, it does look like it’s fully owned subsidiary of of miHoYo.
(0:39:49) Al: So parent company miHoYo, HoYoverse also called Cognosphere.
(0:39:54) Dalan: publisher cool
(0:39:54) Al: Subsidiary publishing company. Got it.
(0:39:57) Dalan: Cool, that’s not confusing got it got it
(0:39:57) Al: Perfect. Makes sense.
(0:40:00) Dalan: Need a chart. I don’t need some diagrams after this anyway
(0:40:04) Dalan: the brief history of miHoYo is
(0:40:07) Dalan: Al have you ever heard of Evangelion? I?
(0:40:10) Dalan: Want you to imagine that you are a couple you’re several people and that’s there
(0:40:15) Dalan: There is a team of a few people in China in like
(0:40:20) Dalan: Early, I think like the late 2000s who are really into Evangelion and they decide
(0:40:24) Dalan: let’s make games inspired by that and so yeah that was kind of that is I assume
(0:40:31) Dalan: why this game is called impact third because it is very heavily inspired by
(0:40:34) Dalan: Evangelion which has something in it called the third impact however I assume
(0:40:38) Al: Right. Okay. You lost me there for a minute. You were like, I think that’s why
(0:40:39) Dalan: they little bit okay Evangelion has something in it called the third impact
(0:40:41) Al: it’s called this because Evangelion. I’m like, I don’t understand what that means.
(0:40:45) Al: Okay. I’m learning so much.
(0:40:48) Dalan: so I think they took inspiration from that name and some of the things that
(0:40:53) Dalan: that happen in that series.
(0:40:55) Dalan: Uh, cause it features in this game is kind of a thing.
(0:40:58) Dalan: Uh, basically just, yeah.
(0:41:00) Al: Oh, this is also the Genshin Impact company. Anzendless don0. Goodness me.
(0:41:02) Dalan: Yes, that is, they took the, yes, that’s Hoya verse.
(0:41:07) Dalan: They have a lot.
(0:41:08) Dalan: They also have something called tears of Themis, which I think is like a hot
(0:41:11) Dalan: boy dating simulator, but I didn’t ever hear anyone talking about it.
(0:41:12) Al: Yeah, I saw that as well, but I didn’t really care because it’s not one I care of.
(0:41:14) Dalan: So I don’t know anything about it.
(0:41:17) Dalan: Yeah, I, I don’t particularly care, but it does exist.
(0:41:20) Dalan: Um, yes, yes.
(0:41:20) Al: This game is older than those games.
(0:41:25) Dalan: This is the one that I think really first took off.
(0:41:27) Dalan: Uh, there were two that proceeded it, but one was literally just kind of like,
(0:41:30) Dalan: uh, uh, you know, twin stick shooter, very short game.
(0:41:35) Dalan: And the other was kind of like a prototype of this game.
(0:41:39) Dalan: That was like a lot more zombie focused because zombies were really big back in
(0:41:43) Dalan: the, uh, like late, uh, odds, I think, if you remember everyone liked zombies and
(0:41:50) Dalan: bacon and pirates and mustaches and that, that kind of period of time.
(0:41:52) Al: Yeah, I don’t think that ever actually went away, did it?
(0:41:55) Dalan: No, no, well, no, but it was like, that was sort of a weird cultural
(0:42:00) Dalan: cachet we had at the time.
(0:42:00) Al: Yeah, yeah, yeah, I get you, I get you.
(0:42:02) Dalan: Yeah.
(0:42:03) Dalan: Anyway, so yes, that game I now, now I’ve confused myself.
(0:42:08) Dalan: Uh, where am I anyway, how can I impact third it’s game.
(0:42:12) Dalan: You can play, uh, one of the, as Hoya verse starts getting more and more money.
(0:42:16) Dalan: Uh, they need to put like side events in their gotcha games.
(0:42:19) Dalan: And I guess some of the game designers are like, what if we just started doing
(0:42:23) Dalan: doing entirely different.
(0:42:25) Dalan: And so across a lot of their games, there are events where you will just play like entirely separate games as side events, and some of them are really interesting.
(0:42:34) Dalan: The problem is a lot of them go away after the event period is over because that’s not what the focus of the game is.
(0:42:41) Dalan: I have noticed some lately and Impact Third seem to be like getting saved as things you can replay.
(0:42:47) Dalan: And I think Honkai Star Rail keeps most of its events that happen, but not all of them.
(0:42:54) Dalan: Part of that is because these are games you can play both on your phone and PC in consoles.
(0:43:01) Dalan: Impact Third is only phone and PC.
(0:43:05) Dalan: So to be playable on a phone, they wanted to decrease storage size.
(0:43:10) Dalan: So they tend to delete content events that happened so your phone doesn’t explode from being just the game and having space for nothing else.
(0:43:20) Dalan: So the event we’re talking about is they made, essentially,
(0:43:24) Dalan: a farming sim that you can play. They’ve done this apparently twice. I was not playing when
(0:43:28) Dalan: the first one happened, so I don’t know anything about it. It’s farming enough. I mean, that’s,
(0:43:29) Al: or two farvings, some specifically.
(0:43:34) Dalan: I would say it’s more focused on automation, sort of. Yeah, but it is around farming and development.
(0:43:38) Al: Sounds like my kind of game
(0:43:43) Dalan: So yeah, I, I’ll just, we’ll just focus on the, the event thing. And maybe I will explain more later.
(0:43:51) Dalan: I don’t know because there are
(0:43:54) Dalan: I don’t even know what to explain about the premise and it’s not actually that relevant to the story because it’s so
(0:44:00) Dalan: So far off from where it began
(0:44:02) Dalan: And in fact, I don’t know how it ties into the current story because I’m so behind in the game’s main story. Oh
(0:44:12) Dalan: Man so basically this event was like there is oh shoot. I’ve immediately realized the thing I’m going to have to explain
(0:44:22) Dalan: Well, it’s time to talk about parallel universes.
(0:44:24) Al: Amazing. I look I am I am a nerd. I am a Marvel fan. I I love parallel universes. Give me give me some parallel universe stuff.
(0:44:24) Dalan: Okay, so as far as I can tell, based on what I’ve played in the story, there is something in Hong Kai Impact 3, and possibly in the other Hong Kai game, I’m not sure, called the Sea of Quanta, which is just named after quantum stuff, which is like…
(0:44:50) Dalan: imagine there are a bunch of parallel universes or alternate
(0:44:54) Dalan: universes, but they’re all separated from each other.
(0:44:58) Dalan: So there’s this space between them where weird stuff happens, where there are possibilities
(0:45:04) Dalan: and things outside of it, and that’s called the Sea of Quanta.
(0:45:07) Dalan: So sometimes you end up with things called bubble universes, which are like small specks
(0:45:12) Dalan: of worlds or places or whatever that might have once existed.
(0:45:16) Dalan: So that’s how they get away with a lot of their side content is this happened in a bubble
(0:45:20) Dalan: universe somewhere.
(0:45:20) Al: Ah, the comic book strategy.
(0:45:24) Dalan: Sometimes it’s relevant to canon and sometimes it usually events are non-canon, but it’s
(0:45:29) Dalan: non-canon in the kind of like, well, technically like this character was here for this thing.
(0:45:35) Dalan: So it’s like, oh, okay.
(0:45:37) Dalan: But this, this, this mode, you can’t play anymore.
(0:45:39) Dalan: So I maybe I guess it wasn’t canon enough.
(0:45:42) Dalan: So the main structure is like everybody’s gotten stranded in this bubble universe.
(0:45:47) Dalan: You play as this character that they all really don’t trust because you’re the biggest prankster
(0:45:52) Dalan: ever and also maybe you like
(0:45:54) Dalan: kill people in the past. I don’t know. I haven’t gotten that far in the game and you’re helping basically all of them set up thing. You have to have enough energy to escape this bubble universe. And so you’re trying to collect materials to power that and figure out what’s going on. So the game the game loop is basically you unlock new facilities and structures. So there’s a there’s a field. There’s a mine. You can go fishing at some point. Those are like the
(0:46:24) Dalan: three main things you I would say you do the kind of activities. And so each day you were able to go to the main board which had a task and you’ll get some rewards from that. But you’re generally trying to follow this guy that is like add this structure collect this many not Pokemon. We’ll get to them in a sec and then complete these goals and more of the story will happen and you’ll unlock new abilities and features.
(0:46:55) Dalan: And upgrade like your tools and stuff as you go. So it’s now I’m like going to the video thing I had to remember how things work. So one thing that any questions so far. Let’s take let’s take stock of what we know.
(0:47:08) Al: I’m not even sure if I know much yet like it’s it might exist wait does this so does
(0:47:13) Dalan: Okay, cool, cool, cool. Fair, fair, fair, fair, fair, fair, fair.
(0:47:19) Al: this one exists in a barrel in a bubble this is in a bubble okay right okay so I don’t
(0:47:20) Dalan: This is in a bubble. This is all about this in a bubble.
(0:47:24) Al: need to know about the rest of the game or any lore or anything like that right does
(0:47:25) Dalan: You don’t need to know anything about the game to understand how the game works here.
(0:47:31) Al: it cross over with the characters in the main game just non-canonly.
(0:47:33) Dalan: Oh.
(0:47:36) Dalan: I mean, again, I’m like, I think it is canon.
(0:47:40) Dalan: It’s just like this is just a side event that didn’t really impact much.
(0:47:42) Al: I guess my question is like, why does this game do this?
(0:47:48) Al: Why does it add in random other games into it?
(0:47:48) Dalan: no idea oh no no okay that that I should make clear this is all all of this
(0:47:57) Dalan: world hopping that I’m talking about all these alternate universe this is in the
(0:48:00) Dalan: same game this game plays with its own alternate universes there are
(0:48:00) Al: You know, I get that.
(0:48:03) Al: I get that, but this is a whole different style of game.
(0:48:06) Dalan: yes uh I don’t I think like the developers at hoyo verse are just like
(0:48:15) Dalan: they’ve got so many people chomping on the bit to just make new games that
(0:48:18) Dalan: they must just be like alright you guys can go make this cool new side mode for
(0:48:23) Dalan: this thing and they like let them off the chains and they they run and go make
(0:48:28) Dalan: a cool new thing because they’re constantly doing stuff I know I maybe
(0:48:33) Dalan: Kevin knows about this because I think he played zenless zone zero is like one
(0:48:37) Dalan: of the events I missed in that was like there was almost a papers please mini
(0:48:40) Dalan: game kind of thing where you play as an entirely separate character like a police
(0:48:45) Dalan: recruit and you’re like helping figure out
(0:48:48) Dalan: People’s problems and filing paperwork or something.
(0:48:53) Dalan: Different events in Honkai Star Rail, I’m trying to remember.
(0:48:57) Dalan: They had a much more direct Pokemon game you can play there.
(0:49:01) Dalan: Cuz that’s an RPG, whereas I didn’t even talk about the genre of this game.
(0:49:06) Dalan: I’m a fool.
(0:49:07) Dalan: This is sort of an action game, I guess.
(0:49:11) Dalan: Action RPG, sort of, there’s a lot of leveling up.
(0:49:15) Dalan: but it’s similar to Zendless Zone 0 but
(0:49:18) Dalan: much as I’d love to tell you random facts
(0:49:26) Al: that’s fine okay I guess we don’t we don’t hugely need to know about the
(0:49:32) Al: context right it doesn’t massively matter if you’re if we just will have
(0:49:37) Dalan: Greenhouse exclusive me ASMR I tell you Hong Kai lore for 30 minutes
(0:49:38) Al: another episode which is just you like brain dumping about the game itself so
(0:49:48) Al: so key points it’s an action RPG game that for some reason adds in bubble
(0:49:48) Dalan: yes yes
(0:49:54) Al: universes that may or may not
(0:49:56) Al: be canon that are completely different styles of games, because I don’t know why, doesn’t matter.
(0:50:04) Al: And this one was key point was because they’re all temporary. Most of them are temporary.
(0:50:08) Dalan: yes
(0:50:09) Dalan: most of them yes for some reason some of the more recent ones you can play like the the
(0:50:13) Dalan: Bellattro snap one you can play still it looks like
(0:50:16) Al: Okay, and so this one is a farming sim of some sort. Great. That may be the longest introduction
(0:50:18) Dalan: this is a farming sim yes farming sim automation thing it’s a rabbit hole man there’s so much
(0:50:27) Al: that we’ve ever had. So let’s talk about the Honkai Impact third farming game. Does it have a name?
(0:50:32) Dalan: stuff let’s yes I’m going to try and yeah so the name of this event was I think like
(0:50:40) Dalan: wilderness wilderness development log so you’re like in this wild place we’re developing this
(0:50:45) Dalan: ruined abandoned city where people might have
(0:50:49) Dalan: lived just like millions of years ago in this bubble universe and getting stuff from it.
(0:50:53) Al: It’s, is there one guy whose job it is at this company to make up names for these games?
(0:51:00) Dalan: Oh, I have to assume there’s multiple.
(0:51:04) Al: Because it’s like, we’ve got Honka- for goodness sake, Honkai Impact Third.
(0:51:09) Dalan: I can explain all of the names very simply. Zendless Zone Zero sounds cool. That’s the only
(0:51:16) Dalan: lead inspiration for that name.
(0:51:18) Dalan: Honkai Impact 3rd, Honkai is actually a changing of the word “hokai” from Japanese, which means–and this is a Chinese company, I want to remember, they’re just massive weaves–which means, like, destruction or collapse.
(0:51:32) Dalan: So, Honkai is, like, supposed to be this supernatural force in the canon of the game that–you could kind of think of it like entropy, almost, but a lot more direct.
(0:51:44) Dalan: And so the impact there is just like,
(0:51:46) Dalan: hey, there’s cataclysmic events.
(0:51:48) Dalan: And we like Evangelion.
(0:51:50) Dalan: Star Rail, that game, you are on a train in that game.
(0:51:53) Dalan: That game is about going around the universe in a train.
(0:51:55) Dalan: Hence Star Rail.
(0:51:58) Dalan: And then I think Genshin Impact was just like,
(0:52:01) Dalan: well, we need to have it connect to our game somehow,
(0:52:04) Dalan: but we don’t want to call it Honkai
(0:52:06) Dalan: because it’s not really about that.
(0:52:07) Dalan: So they put the impact part.
(0:52:09) Dalan: And I think Genshin means like Open Field or something.
(0:52:12) Dalan: So that’s all the names.
(0:52:13) Dalan: That’s why they’re called that.
(0:52:15) Al: Fair enough. We were just going to talk about the farming game,
(0:52:16) Dalan: There you go.
(0:52:17) Dalan: Where was I?
(0:52:19) Dalan: Yes, so–
(0:52:22) Al: which you just said was wilderness log something.
(0:52:22) Dalan: Yes.
(0:52:25) Dalan: Wilderness Development Logs was the name of the event.
(0:52:28) Al: Yeah. Okay, cool. Let’s do it.
(0:52:30) Dalan: Yes.
(0:52:30) Dalan: So I’m just going to like scroll through this video
(0:52:33) Dalan: really quickly so I can remember the order of events.
(0:52:35) Dalan: Basically, you plop in.
(0:52:36) Dalan: It sets up the basics for the story.
(0:52:38) Dalan: The story is mostly told in kind of like a visual novel.
(0:52:41) Dalan: Two characters talk at each other thing.
(0:52:44) Dalan: And then you get into the sort of top-down open world
(0:52:47) Dalan: where you can walk around.
(0:52:48) Dalan: with various facilities so starts you off just planting crops it does sort of
(0:52:54) Dalan: a similar thing to Stardew Valley I mean all these kinds of games where you have
(0:53:00) Dalan: the gradual upgrade of you can do one thing at a time now you can you know
(0:53:05) Dalan: till multiple crops at a time etc which was pretty nice basically you start
(0:53:12) Dalan: farming a lot of stuff and then it starts introduce it introduces the
(0:53:17) Dalan: concept of these.
(0:53:18) Dalan: I don’t know why they’re simulated because I’m like, wait, is this real or are we in a computer program?
(0:53:27) Dalan: I’m not sure about that. They just call them that they got like there’s like a little pumpkin dude. They got like crabs, etc.
(0:53:34) Dalan: And so all of those you find these randomly by like sometimes you’ll get one farming crops. They start introducing a shop where you can buy like one a day.
(0:53:45) Dalan: you can get them in the mine and so you get these eggs that you can basically
(0:53:49) Dalan: incubate and then you hatch a new one and it has, the higher the rarity, the better stats it’s going to have.
(0:53:55) Dalan: And so all of them have stats. I think they’re, you know, like strength, intelligence, etc.
(0:54:02) Dalan: And you want to assign them to facilities where they’re going to be the most effective.
(0:54:08) Dalan: So yeah, you start with the farm, then I think you get like a ranch where you can start getting like milk and stuff, etc.
(0:54:16) Dalan: And then as you progress into the game and you-
(0:54:18) Dalan: had enough of these missions, you’ll get like, that’s the first, like, day or part.
(0:54:23) Dalan: It’s not a day, but like the first part done.
(0:54:26) Dalan: And then you unlock different character moments where you can be like,
(0:54:29) Dalan: “Okay, here’s an event that happens with these characters.”
(0:54:32) Dalan: And you can go see how they hang out.
(0:54:35) Dalan: And then you get a little reward from going through it.
(0:54:38) Dalan: Like the first one, you get a bunch of basically these things you need to craft stuff.
(0:54:42) Dalan: The main currency, you get that.
(0:54:46) Dalan: the other, the next one you, it’s like a lower.
(0:54:48) Dalan: Where stamina costs, that’s something we should talk about actually is there is a stamina system in this game because it is mobile and it’s meant to be a game that you’re completing over the course of like a week.
(0:55:00) Al: Oh, no.
(0:55:00) Dalan: It’s an event so they don’t want you to do it all at once. I never really had.
(0:55:03) Al: Oh, so it’s stamina, but like, let me guess, can you pay to get stamina back?
(0:55:08) Dalan: There’s, I don’t think you can pay for it in this case but I could be wrong.
(0:55:12) Dalan: It is. There is stamina this game has stamina systems and they’re kind of annoying, but it’s a good way for me to be.
(0:55:18) Dalan: Like, okay, I’ve played too much of this game already time to go do something else and also like, I don’t know how you get them, but if you do run out of stamina, there is a like machine that just gives you more stamina and I never had to do anything to get those.
(0:55:34) Dalan: It just gave it to me. So I have no idea what the stamina is for in this mode. It just kind of is so weird, weird thing.
(0:55:42) Dalan: But yes, there’s like a list of facilities that would make this much faster for me to destroy.
(0:55:48) Dalan: But that’s the main conceit is that you’re advancing the story, you’re unlocking different facilities. There’s a farm, there’s a mine, there’s a factory, etc.
(0:56:02) Dalan: And then you, yeah, you keep collecting better simulated beasts that you can put into those things and they are giving you the materials you need to upgrade your facilities to be better with the end goal of having enough energy.
(0:56:18) Dalan: To escape from the things and the story is almost kind of like rewards where it’s like, okay, cool. Now, what are these characters doing? What’s happening next?
(0:56:26) Dalan: But if you don’t know what the heck is going on like me, you can also just be like, okay, cool. I don’t it seems like they’re having a cool conversation. That’s probably important to somebody.
(0:56:38) Al: Yeah, yeah, fair enough.
(0:56:39) Al: So I think it’d be good at some point to talk about the actual farming mechanics,
(0:56:43) Dalan: Sure
(0:56:43) Al: because that’s but before we get to that, I have a question.
(0:56:47) Dalan: Yes
(0:56:47) Al: Say now, obviously, this is in the past, so you can’t do it, but say
(0:56:50) Dalan: Right
(0:56:52) Al: the day it was announced, you come to me and you say, hey, this has been announced.
(0:56:53) Dalan: Right
(0:56:57) Al: I go, great, I want to play that.
(0:56:59) Dalan: Right
(0:57:00) Al: Do I just download the game and just click
(0:57:02) Al: the farming bit of it, or do I have to play through a bunch of the main game to get to it?
(0:57:03) Dalan: I think so
(0:57:07) Dalan: I don’t think the events the main events. I don’t think are usually that restricted by it
(0:57:14) Dalan: I will say I’m currently at max level so I don’t don’t have a reference point before level one what that’s gonna be like, but I
(0:57:23) Dalan: Most of the game like side content is I think like the limited time event stuff is gonna be fairly open
(0:57:30) Dalan: I don’t think you need to do much for that, but I could be wrong
(0:57:34) Dalan: There might I know level 30 is like basically where pretty much everything in the game is available to you
(0:57:40) Dalan: But and it doesn’t take that long to level up, but
(0:57:43) Dalan: it is. Yes, 100%. You know, two hours. Yeah, 100%. Yes, it looks like this was a required level of 30 or higher. So it does seem like you would have to be playing the game already. So boo. You could get that in a week. It’s not fair, fair. I acknowledge I have more time.
(0:57:44) Al: It’s, yeah, that’s still like, there’s a big difference though between you don’t have to do anything and you only have to put in two hours, right? That’s a big difference.
(0:57:54) Al: And the other thing I would.
(0:58:00) Al: Okay, that’s 30 seems quite high as well.
(0:58:06) Al: Well, you might.
(0:58:14) Dalan: Yes.
(0:58:14) Al: The, the other question I have before we get into the specifics about the mechanics is the events over what happens. This, this part of the game is just completely gone, or right.
(0:58:19) Dalan: Sure.
(0:58:22) Dalan: Yes.
(0:58:27) Dalan: Pretty much.
(0:58:28) Al: So you log on one day and it’s there and you’re farming, blah blah blah blah. The next day, nothing.
(0:58:32) Dalan: Yep.
(0:58:35) Dalan: Yep. Yeah, it’s it’s pretty wild. It is. It is not good for any sort of game preservation. That’s, that’s the very.
(0:58:36) Al: That’s fascinating. Why?
(0:58:42) Al: Well, there is, I wasn’t even thinking about that.
(0:58:44) Dalan: Frustrates me the most personally.
(0:58:44) Al: What all I was thinking about was just like, if you’re enjoying a part of a game and then it’s gone too bad, right? Like that seems like such a restrictive thing.
(0:58:52) Dalan: Yeah.
(0:58:54) Al: I’m guessing, like, do people play this game in general, Honkai Impact? Third, do they play it for story?
(0:59:04) Dalan: I would say if you are still playing this game, you are definitely invested in that.
(0:59:10) Al: presumably that’s what this is for then. The reason you’re playing these side games is to get
(0:59:14) Dalan: Yeah, it’s like the devs have fun doing a different game and you get to see your little scrunklies interact or whatever
(0:59:22) Al: Just seems so weird to just not even let you do it even like they don’t even need to add any more story into it
(0:59:27) Al: But like some people just like the gameplay of things
(0:59:30) Dalan: Yeah, yeah, I agree.
(0:59:33) Al: I love I love the graphics of this mode certainly
(0:59:33) Dalan: It’s a bit silly.
(0:59:38) Al: I don’t know if this is the same as other parts of the game, but it’s very it’s kind of like gds
(0:59:39) Dalan: Yeah, I will say,
(0:59:43) Al: - Yes, yes.
(0:59:43) Dalan: they tend to do that for a lot of the signed content
(0:59:45) Dalan: where like that’s sort of a,
(0:59:47) Dalan: I think they have like this top down walk around thing,
(0:59:49) Dalan: pretty set as like a thing in their code
(0:59:52) Dalan: that they can pull out for,
(0:59:52) Dalan: okay, we need a thing where you’re walking around
(0:59:55) Dalan: an environment and we can pull that out.
(0:59:57) Dalan: Not that they don’t have like physically walking around
(1:00:00) Dalan: this is a lot less demanding and a lot more chill.
(1:00:02) Al: Yeah, yeah, yeah
(1:00:05) Al: Okay, great. Well, tell me about the farming mechanics for I’ve had a quick look through a video of the gameplay
(1:00:08) Dalan: Yes
(1:00:10) Al: And they look pretty kind of standard. Tell me how it actually feels to
(1:00:11) Dalan: Yeah
(1:00:13) Dalan: It’s pretty standard
(1:00:14) Dalan: Yes, uh, so it is honestly playing it on my phone. It was kind of annoying to you like
(1:00:21) Dalan: Get the right setup for the grid though. I where it’s like, okay. I have to water the plants that I just put
(1:00:29) Dalan: and
(1:00:30) Dalan: The other weird thing about it is that basically anything you plant grows in like five seconds
(1:00:35) Dalan: So you set up you take like
(1:00:37) Al: Ah, interesting.
(1:00:38) Dalan: Five minutes farming your entire thing or like setting everything up watering it by the time you finish watering one road did
(1:00:47) Dalan: And go to the next one the beginning of that row is already almost done, which is
(1:00:52) Dalan: Probably why the stamina thing is there?
(1:00:54) Al: So you’re not just infinitely getting farming stuff forever.
(1:00:57) Dalan: Yeah infinitely getting materials it’s a way to pace the game
(1:01:01) Dalan: So you can’t just you have to figure out how you’re going to spend your energy instead of just being like, all right
(1:01:08) Al: Yeah, I do. I have an interesting aspect. I mean, I had completely forgotten, of course,
(1:01:12) Al: this is a mobile game. So yeah, it looks like a really not great. Oh, right. Like by like
(1:01:14) Dalan: Right. You can play it on your PC, I did not.
(1:01:20) Al: they have an official released on the PC version or OK, I feel like that. So I think the person
(1:01:22) Dalan: There is an official release on PC.
(1:01:29) Al: I’m watching is using a controller because it’s like all the all the. Oh, did you link
(1:01:32) Dalan: yeah is this the video I linked or the I did link of it I did I linked it might be the same
(1:01:35) Al: a video?
(1:01:38) Dalan: one uh it’s in my reference points I have a wilderness logs event playlist and okay doesn’t
(1:01:44) Al: It is not. It’s a different it’s a different account.
(1:01:49) Dalan: that matter yes yes same here the one i’m looking at but yes those it is definitely going to be
(1:01:49) Al: But, no, no, it doesn’t matter.
(1:01:52) Al: But my point is just the icons all have a controller buttons on them.
(1:02:03) Dalan: a lot easier to just tap on your screen though it does i’m pleasantly surprised that they have like
(1:02:09) Dalan: different things written for all of them for just press this button like r2 plus x to open this
(1:02:14) Al: - Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
(1:02:16) Al: But I guess one of the things about mobile farming games
(1:02:20) Al: is they’re very rarely ever like this,
(1:02:23) Al: your standard farming game, right?
(1:02:24) Dalan: Hmm
(1:02:25) Al: They’re much more like, first of all,
(1:02:28) Al: they tend to be like bigger plots, right?
(1:02:29) Dalan: Yeah, I’m aware of Farmville yeah, yeah, yeah, no I give it
(1:02:29) Al: Rather than individual plots.
(1:02:31) Al: Yeah, well, yeah, yeah, exactly.
(1:02:32) Al: You know what I’m talking about.
(1:02:33) Al: They’re all based on Farmville.
(1:02:35) Al: They’re all based on that sort of structure.
(1:02:39) Al: And obviously they also have stamina,
(1:02:42) Al: but they tend to be, oh, very little stamina.
(1:02:45) Al: And things take time to do it, but if you pay, you can get it faster sort of thing, which
(1:02:47) Dalan: Yeah
(1:02:50) Al: this doesn’t seem to be doing.
(1:02:51) Al: And.
(1:02:51) Dalan: Yeah, I would say the the actual farming of this game is probably one of the most annoying parts like the setting it up
(1:02:58) Dalan: It’s nice that it’s so quick to get it and there’s there is one thing about the farming
(1:03:02) Dalan: I do like is that they have a chance when you put a bunch of crops and epsks together
(1:03:06) Dalan: There is a chance to get a really big crop
(1:03:09) Dalan: So you can have four pumpkins next to each other and just get a giant pumpkin and then
(1:03:10) Al: Oh, nice.
(1:03:14) Al: I always enjoy that when it’s in-game.
(1:03:15) Dalan: Yeah, they have the chance to mutate
(1:03:17) Dalan: into the simulated beast things that we talked about earlier so you could plant
(1:03:21) Dalan: a crop and I was like oh actually got like a new thing that I can put in one
(1:03:24) Dalan: of my facilities so it it is kind of fun but it was like okay I do my things for
(1:03:29) Dalan: the day and then I’m I’m done for now and I didn’t it becomes a lot more
(1:03:36) Dalan: satisfying when you upgrade because of that because you get like these areas
(1:03:41) Dalan: and I like I’ve seen that with the you know like in farming
(1:03:47) Dalan: it’s like you upgrade your watering can it’s like okay now you can do a line
(1:03:50) Dalan: now you can do a grid versus in the mines that they have it’s like now now
(1:03:56) Dalan: your hammer is like hitting in a three by three grid where I feel like usually
(1:03:59) Dalan: it’s just like oh you can you know break something that’s harder and they have
(1:04:04) Dalan: that to some degree but like the idea of being able to clear out a lot at once I
(1:04:08) Dalan: think is a fun upgrade for the mining section
(1:04:12) Al: Yeah. OK, so the mining talk about that.
(1:04:15) Dalan: Great.
(1:04:16) Al: How does that work?
(1:04:17) Dalan: Let’s talk about the mining.
(1:04:19) Dalan: It’s pretty limited, I would say.
(1:04:21) Dalan: And part of it is because the stamina is like you’re not going to have that much ability anyway to get very far.
(1:04:29) Dalan: The ladders are set on set positions in the floor and the mine refreshes every day.
(1:04:35) Dalan: But on the day that you’re playing it, the layout doesn’t change or anything.
(1:04:39) Dalan: It’s all going to be permanent.
(1:04:40) Al: Just to clarify, when you say day, do you mean endgame day or a person day, right? Okay, real life day. Okay, cool.
(1:04:43) Dalan: I mean literal in-person day.
(1:04:45) Dalan: It resets every day.
(1:04:48) Dalan: It resets every real life day.
(1:04:50) Dalan: So every real life day, you’ll have a different mine, but during the day when you go in and out of there, it’s going to be the same layout, anything you’ve mined will be gone.
(1:04:58) Dalan: So if you clear out the entire mine somehow, you cannot get any more things from it until the next day.
(1:05:04) Dalan: Except from the mined facility, which is separate, which is like automatically collecting like iron or gold or whatever.
(1:05:12) Dalan: Depending on what you’ve upgraded it to.
(1:05:15) Dalan: So, yeah.
(1:05:17) Dalan: Each floor, I think there’s nine floors in total, and so you have to like hit certain levels in the rebuilding guide.
(1:05:25) Dalan: That’s kind of the progression system for the game.
(1:05:27) Dalan: You’ve completed all these missions, you’ve unlocked the next level, and here are the new things you can do.
(1:05:32) Dalan: So I think it’s like level three, six, nine, maybe, you are unlocking like three sets of floors at a time so that you can go a bit deeper.
(1:05:41) Dalan: You can teleport to, I think, again, like every three floors so you don’t have to go all the way.
(1:05:48) Dalan: Through each time and you’ll get like more rare rewards the further down you are.
(1:05:54) Dalan: So which tends to correlate with the kinds of materials you need for upgrades.
(1:05:58) Dalan: So it’s like I made it down to floor six.
(1:06:00) Dalan: I don’t remember the exact floors, but it down to floor six.
(1:06:02) Dalan: I need gold to make the lab that I want to build to make that facility for the first time.
(1:06:09) Dalan: So I’m going to go down there and I’ve mine all the gold and then I’ve upgraded.
(1:06:14) Dalan: Once that’s set up, now I’ve upgraded my…
(1:06:18) Dalan: …mine for the auto-collecting materials so that those guys are getting gold.
(1:06:23) Dalan: And then I can use that gold to get the new thing that I need to craft and to make a new facility.
(1:06:30) Dalan: So it’s a very clear progression thing. It’s pretty much always telling you this is the next thing you need to do.
(1:06:37) Dalan: Here’s what you need to do to get there, and what’s in your way is mostly just…
(1:06:43) Dalan: the time really is like what you’re willing to do in person and then when you’re willing
(1:06:47) Dalan: to set up with the beast so that the you get the the sentence going nowhere
(1:06:54) Dalan: what you’re willing to set up with the beast so that you get the automatic
(1:06:58) Dalan: rewards each day when you log back in so it’s it’s set around that like sort of
(1:07:02) Dalan: daily check-in do a little bit of stuff use that stuff to upgrade see the next
(1:07:06) Dalan: thing that you’re done for that day
(1:07:08) Al: Fair enough. Is there a day/night system in the game at all? And if so, is it linked to…
(1:07:16) Al: Because I know you said the Minions reset on real-life days,
(1:07:16) Dalan: Hmm
(1:07:20) Al: but is there anything else that happens day-wise in the game?
(1:07:21) Dalan: Right
(1:07:25) Dalan: No, not that I’m aware if there’s no day night cycle there is I think there might be like an event where it takes
(1:07:30) Dalan: Place at night, but that’s just like a story visual thing. It doesn’t affect anything in the gameplay
(1:07:32) Al: Right. Yeah, yeah, yeah, that’s fine. That’s right.
(1:07:36) Al: That makes sense.
(1:07:37) Al: It’s all sounding pretty, I mean, other than,
(1:07:39) Dalan: It’s pretty standard in a lot of ways
(1:07:41) Al: yeah, it’s all sounding pretty standard, other than obviously not having the day
(1:07:44) Al: night cycle means that obviously you don’t have to go to bed.
(1:07:45) Dalan: Hmm
(1:07:46) Dalan: Yeah, yeah
(1:07:47) Al: It’s more, I guess, animal crossing esque in that in that aspect of things.
(1:07:48) Dalan: Yeah, yeah.
(1:07:52) Al: But, yeah, it sounds kind of, yeah, pretty standard.
(1:07:58) Dalan: it was a chill event I enjoyed going through it definitely uh in terms of the like I we kind of
(1:08:04) Dalan: talked I think you mentioned before the kinds of games where you like to check in once a day to do
(1:08:09) Dalan: things and that’s definitely like where this fits for me and why I enjoyed the event partially was
(1:08:14) Dalan: just kind of the the incremental progress and what do I get today oh did you okay right okay I was
(1:08:18) Al: I think I said I don’t like those kinds of games. No, it’s fine. It’s a good way of
(1:08:22) Dalan: I was mixing up with something I read recently, I think.
(1:08:29) Al: comparing things. That’s just not how my brain likes to work with games. I am what Cody calls
(1:08:34) Dalan: Mm. Yeah, no, I do kind of get the hyper focus too, which is kind of why I think I appreciate
(1:08:37) Al: a game guzzler.
(1:08:43) Dalan: things that put limits on me. Like I’m out of stamina and I’m like, okay, too much. That’s
(1:08:48) Al: Yeah, no, I just get frustrated with those.
(1:08:49) Dalan: enough for today. Yeah, no, that’s understandable.
(1:08:55) Al: Yeah, you know, I think the other thing that I think you haven’t talked about mechanics wise is fishing. Tell me about that.
(1:09:02) Dalan: fishing yes so fishing uh let’s see if I remember how this works generally fishing
(1:09:07) Dalan: once you unlock it is there’s like a couple spots that will show up on the beach as like
(1:09:12) Dalan: oh here’s like a little circle where you can uh get fish i’m going back to the video to remember
(1:09:18) Dalan: the fishing minigame is kind of stardewy where it’s like you I think when you uh
(1:09:25) Dalan: get your fishing rod on the water circle that’s kind of like bubbling or whatever you immediately
(1:09:32) Dalan: and then it’s just a matter of making sure that you’re moving it up and down in the
(1:09:38) Dalan: the little fish bobber whatever I what do you call it what is the the fish bobber or line gauge
(1:09:44) Al: the oh um uh yeah you mean the actual the yeah the gauges is uh because I initially
(1:09:51) Dalan: the gauge that goes up and down no no no
(1:09:52) Al: I initially thought you meant like the the thing on the actual end of the fishing rod
(1:09:56) Al: no you mean the actual yeah gauge is a good one let’s go with it
(1:09:58) Dalan: Yeah, yeah, so you you get that you get the fish it’s very
(1:10:03) Dalan: Sometimes you get a fish sometimes it is an egg for one of the simulated beasts and like those
(1:10:08) Dalan: There are different kinds you get depending on the area you got them from so like there are like water themed ones that you’re gonna get
(1:10:15) Dalan: from getting the eggs from over there and then and so I’m trying to remember if it’s like a thing you unlock or if it’s
(1:10:24) Dalan: Just automatically starts happening where you have a chance
(1:10:27) Dalan: I believe to see ones that like have sparkles around them
(1:10:30) Dalan: And I think you get like a treasure chest.
(1:10:32) Dalan: Along with them.
(1:10:33) Dalan: So I think there are only like a certain amount of, uh, excuse me, a certain amount
(1:10:39) Dalan: of fish that you can get in a day.
(1:10:41) Dalan: Once all of the like bubbles are gone, you cannot fish anymore.
(1:10:44) Dalan: Cause there’s nothing or it might just be, no, I think you do need the bubbles.
(1:10:48) Dalan: I don’t think that prompt will pop up for you to fish unless there is a spot.
(1:10:52) Dalan: So that there’s, you’re fairly limited there.
(1:10:55) Dalan: Uh, and you’re going to be gathering more from probably the fishing facility
(1:11:00) Dalan: that you unlock, whereas you’re more likely to get
(1:11:02) Dalan: rare, like, eggs and treasures from when you’re fishing yourself.
(1:11:06) Al: Fair enough. Awesome. Is there anything else that you think is something that would be interesting?
(1:11:11) Al: Okay, let me reword that. Let me reword that. What about this game do you think other farming
(1:11:18) Dalan: I think the let’s see I appreciated the guide as kind of like a
(1:11:24) Dalan: Very easy way to see what was next clear goals of like here’s the next sort of phase in the game
(1:11:30) Dalan: Again, I’m sort of a just give me tasks to do kind of person. That’s why I enjoyed
(1:11:35) Dalan: Luma Island so that I don’t know how much other people agree with that but that was good. I
(1:11:42) Dalan: It has a lot of like
(1:11:44) Dalan: sort of achievements
(1:11:46) Dalan: There’s a collection where you can see every single
(1:11:48) Dalan: like item you can get in the game basically and so if you want to you can
(1:11:52) Dalan: go for all of those there is some I completed the full like story but there
(1:11:56) Dalan: was some like extra content if you did one or two things and some interesting
(1:12:01) Dalan: achievements you could get I looked them up after the fact and it was just story
(1:12:06) Dalan: stuff that I had no context for so I was like that’s fine that I didn’t do that
(1:12:08) Al: Yeah, something related to something that happened in like 2015.
(1:12:10) Dalan: this is way behind yes yes I don’t know what is the card of it but yeah
(1:12:18) Dalan: more recent stuff what else like one thing that they tend to do with these
(1:12:25) Dalan: events is that the way that they incorporate them back into the main game
(1:12:29) Dalan: is like once you hit certain milestones with the side stories you basically get
(1:12:35) Dalan: achievements in the main game that’s like oh now you have more of this
(1:12:39) Dalan: material or this reward that you can use for the main stuff that you’re doing so
(1:12:43) Dalan: it’s still kind of rewards you the way that playing the main game would is just
(1:12:49) Dalan: abstracted to a different game so I don’t know if I would want farming games
(1:12:52) Dalan: to learn from that necessarily because that’s more of a gotcha game thing in
(1:12:56) Dalan: general but I do think that is interesting how gotcha games make use of
(1:13:01) Dalan: side stuff like this to try something different but also be like okay and
(1:13:07) Dalan: here’s the stuff that you want for the regular game that you can stop playing
(1:13:11) Dalan: or cool side project now
(1:13:14) Al: Yeah, I guess they with farming games. They just tend to be a new game if they’re trying something new
(1:13:19) Al: They don’t I mean like, you know who other than stardew is still updating their farming?
(1:13:19) Dalan: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
(1:13:24) Dalan: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
(1:13:25) Al: Alright, well
(1:13:26) Dalan: People who are still making it, I guess.
(1:13:28) Al: Anything else you want to say before I wrap up?
(1:13:30) Dalan: Uh, no, not really.
(1:13:32) Dalan: I mean, it’s Hong Kai is an interesting series.
(1:13:36) Dalan: If you want to join me in the pit of endless suffering, you certainly can.
(1:13:42) Dalan: I don’t know if I’ll recommend it, per se.
(1:13:45) Dalan: I’ll leave off with my one lower thing that I did.
(1:13:49) Dalan: The way that Hong Kai Impact 3rd and Hong Kai Star Rail are connected is that one of the guys, there’s a dude in Hong Kai Impact 3rd from Finland who goes to this alternate universe in Hong Kai Star Rail, and he’s just your grandpa buddy on your space train, so that’s pretty fun that he’s the only character canonically from Earth in this other.
(1:14:08) Al: Oh.
(1:14:13) Al: And he’s from Finland.
(1:14:14) Dalan: He’s from Finland specifically. Yes, specifically Finland.
(1:14:15) Al: Of all places.
(1:14:18) Dalan: He’s also an animator. Pretty fun. Yeah, thanks. Thanks for letting me blab. Pretty standard game, but it’s fun to talk about.
(1:14:21) Al: I mean, you have to be from somewhere, I guess.
(1:14:24) Al: All right, well, thank you for joining me, Dallin, again.
(1:14:30) Al: Who knows?
(1:14:32) Al: Who knows what we’ll be talking about next time?
(1:14:34) Dalan: Oh, who knows? The bar is in the pit now.
(1:14:41) Al: - Where can people find you on the internet?
(1:14:42) Dalan: Yeah, so right now I mostly just talk on blue skies, so if you want to…
(1:14:48) Dalan: See what I’m doing. You can check valiant.amm.bluesky.social. I mean, I’m on other places, but that’s mostly the place I talk now.
(1:14:58) Dalan: So I have like a blog I’m working on, but I’m not. There is no intelligent thought there yet, so no need to read it.
(1:15:04) Al: You can find me on mastodon.scot at thescotbot, I’m other places as well, but I’m not really
(1:15:13) Al: prioritizing anything else just now. You can find the podcast on tumblr at THSPod,
(1:15:19) Al: but the best place to go to find stuff about the podcast is our website, harvestseason.club,
(1:15:24) Al: where you can send us feedback. We’ve got feedback from there. I read all the feedback sent into
(1:15:31) Al: there. So if you have feedback, send it there. You can also…
(1:15:34) Al: Find links to everything to do with the podcast, including a link to our Patreon, patreon.com/ghspod,
(1:15:39) Al: where you can support the podcast. You can get access to our Slack, where lots of conversations
(1:15:45) Al: happen. What’s happened recently in that chat, we have talked about…
(1:15:51) Dalan: I scrolled up to see the picture of the puppy.
(1:15:54) Al: Oh yes, yes, if you want to see Kevin’s puppy and also Cody’s dog…
(1:15:59) Al: » Yeah.
(1:16:00) Dalan: I think I stopped listening to the episode after that. I’m like, I need to see with puppy
(1:16:04) Al: Also, you get to debate on whether Johnny buys Hank Hootie or not,
(1:16:05) Dalan: I’ll shoot is it gone now?
(1:16:11) Al: although I think it’s too late now. He’s either bought it or not.
(1:16:12) Dalan: He’s probably he’s either bought it or he hasn’t influenced Johnny’s future purchases on
(1:16:20) Dalan: Hoodie wear
(1:16:20) Al: Let’s be honest, if Johnny is asking if he should buy something, he’s probably already bought it.
(1:16:25) Dalan: That’s true, that’s a good point
(1:16:28) Al: And I’m sure we’ll be talking about lots of other things soon.
(1:16:32) Al: you can also get access to all
(1:16:34) Al: our bonus episodes of the podcast.
(1:16:36) Al: We just had one about what be and who was I on with?
(1:16:43) Al: Me and remove the filter, delete the filter.
(1:16:50) Al: Good thing I can edit podcasts.
(1:16:54) Al: Me and Johnny and Kev, or did it just end up being me and Kevin for the upcoming
(1:16:59) Al: episode, because it was meant to be me and Johnny and Kev, but I feel like Johnny
(1:17:02) Al: through that. What does it just mean, Kevin?
(1:17:04) Al: Anyway, whoever it was, me and some people talking about what games we’re looking forward
(1:17:08) Dalan: And that was all, really all you need.
(1:17:11) Al: to this year, and I’m pretty sure I say on that that I do not think that GTA is coming out this
(1:17:16) Al: year. That’s my big prediction for 2095. GTA 6 is not coming out this year.
(1:17:16) Dalan: Mmm hot take
(1:17:22) Dalan: I can’t believe that escaped the premium feed y’all are lucky
(1:17:26) Al: That’s my hot take. I can’t even remember. Oh yeah, the other thing was I predicted that there will
(1:17:32) Al: will be both a new
(1:17:34) Al: 3D Mario and a new Mario Kart this year.
(1:17:37) Dalan: ‘cause you’re not gonna give them anything to listen to.
(1:17:40) Al: Find out what other people are saying,
(1:17:42) Al: because I’m not the only person with hot takes.
(1:17:42) Dalan: - True.
(1:17:46) Al: There’ll be other episodes coming up.
(1:17:47) Al: I think we’re going to do a Sonic 3 episode,
(1:17:50) Dalan: Oh. I saw that movie.
(1:17:52) Al: because many of us have watched it now,
(1:17:55) Al: so we’re going to talk about that
(1:17:56) Dalan: Look forward to it.
(1:17:58) Al: and some other things as well.
(1:17:59) Al: All right. How do I finish this podcast?
(1:18:00) Dalan: Alright.
(1:18:02) Dalan: I’ve forgotten.
(1:18:02) Al: I can’t remember.
(1:18:04) Al: That’s everything.
(1:18:05) Al: Thank you for listening.
(1:18:06) Al: Thank you for joining me, Delyn, Dallin.
(1:18:10) Dalan: Dallin.
(1:18:10) Al: So close. So almost.
(1:18:11) Al: Every single other time I said it in the episode,
(1:18:12) Dalan: Let’s see if he remembers next time I’m on in two years.
(1:18:13) Al: I said it correctly.
(1:18:16) Al: Yeah, because you’re probably correct.
(1:18:18) Al: You may have a year and a half ago.
(1:18:21) Al: I think that’s everything.
(1:18:23) Al: Until next time, listeners, have a good harvest.
(1:18:26) Theme Tune: The harvest season is created by Al McKinlay, with support from our patrons, including our
(1:18:26) Dalan: Have a good harvest.
(1:18:27) Al: Woo!
(1:18:36) Theme Tune: pro farmers, Kevin, Stuart and Alisa.
(1:18:40) Theme Tune: Our art is done by Micah the Brave, and our music is done by Nick Burgess.
(1:18:45) Theme Tune: Feel free to visit our website, harvestseason.club, for show notes and links to things we discussed
(1:18:50) Theme Tune: in this episode.
(1:19:00) Al: But I can’t actually find where you said it about it.
(1:19:04) Dalan: Yeah, I think it came up in video games because I mentioned that I was doing a farming event
(1:19:11) Dalan: in this game and you said, “There’s farming in this game?”
(1:19:13) Dalan: I was like, “Yeah, right now.”
(1:19:16) Al: I need to find this now. We’re not we’re not we’re not doing any more until I’ve found this.
(1:19:21) Dalan: I’m just going to use the restroom while you’re looking for this.
(1:19:23) Dalan: I need to make sure I’m ready, one second.
(1:19:28) Dalan: I’m back for my potty break, any luck?