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Monday, 5 October 2020

General Updates

 I've now started a Masters degree, so games might be taking a backseat for a little while.  Since my last post, I've completed quite a few.  I might have mentioned some of these before.  


I finally finished Marie's Room and Gone Home.  The latter inspired the former and The Suicide of Rachel Foster.  They're all walking simulator style games, where you wander around an empty building and find various hints - often diary entries - about what happened there.  Like I said, I feel like The Suicide of Rachel Foster was weakened by not having us hear from Rachel herself in any way, so Marie's Room and Gone Home are better in those respects, as you do actually hear directly from the person the protagonist is interested in.  Those two also have more uplifting endings.  That said, I've been thinking about The Suicide of Rachel Foster recently and considering playing it again.  What I've been thinking about is...the creators explain, very clearly, that some of the plot is implied by the objects in the hotel but not actually stated.  So perhaps they intended to tell a story of madness and obsession and how a victim like Rachel is silenced, and so not hearing from her is a purposeful plot beat and not something that's missing.  It's another terrible thing that was done to her.  I like that interpretation better.



I played and enjoyed Plague Inc although I'm not very good at it despite having a degree in Genetics and literally working in a Covid lab while playing it.  I liked that it provided a lot of context for the current scenario, though that obviously wasn't intentional.  I did find that the best strategy was to get the infection spreading via coughs and sneezes and then suddenly make it deadly once it's spread everywhere.



I played through a lot of the Dark Parables series, specifically The Swan Princess and the Dire Tree, The Thief and the Tinderbox, Return of the Salt Princess, and The Match Girl's Lost Paradise.  This leaves me with only one left to finish, Portrait of the Stained Princess which is the 15th game so far (I think actually 16th, but one appears to have been wiped from the internet entirely?).  What's interesting is that Blue Tea Games, who made the first few games also made the last few, while those in the middle were made by, iirc, Eipix, and some are made by both companies.  This means the last few games get more of the creepy feeling and horror elements that the earlier games had, which I really liked, but they retained some of the things Eipix put in, like having achievements.  Unfortunately, they didn't put in the ability to just replay the main or bonus game after finishing them without having to set up an entirely new player profile, which means, if you missed a single changing object thing or parable piece in the bonus chapter then you'd need to set up a new player profile and replay the entire game from the start - making sure you didn't miss any of the things you got before - in order to find it.  That's annoying.  Return of the Salt Princess was one of the ones made by both, which seems to mean that it had the toughest achievements and so it's the only one for which I don't yet have all the in game achievements.  I'd have to replay it again - for the third time, since the second time I got one of the things I missed but missed one of the things I got - and I just don't have the heart right now.  I've really enjoyed the series, and I hope they realise another one soon.  At the moment, I've played the games for a combined total of 101 hours, which makes the cost about 91p per hour (since I bought them for £91.76 in the first place), but I expect this to drop further as I finish Portrait of the Stained Princess, finish off the achievements in Return of the Salt Princess, and maybe play the games over again someday.  Considering I'll spent £3-4 on a book that takes an hour or two to read, I'd say that's a bargain.  I'll probably try some of the spin-offs, like Cursery or Fabled Legends.  I think only one of those is one Steam.





For my birthday, my friend got me Confines of the Crown, a visual novel romance/palace intrigue game that I really enjoyed.  It deals with some questions of gender identity, and while there are many things there could be improved on, I think they did an okay job (full disclosure; I cis and have never questioned my gender identity, so take that with a pinch of salt).  It took me just under 5 hours to play it through in full - all endings, all achievements - and the game cost £14.99, so I'd personally wait for it to go on sale before purchasing it.  I also played PSYCHO-PASS: Mandatory Happiness, another visual novel, and wrote a guide for it.  While PSYCHO-PASS does have some romance plotlines, it's more of a police procedural than a romance game.  One thing that's really annoying about is that the skip function doesn't work properly.  There are scenes you can see as both characters which are identical but which don't skip unless you've seen both.  Sometimes the game just wouldn't acknowledge that I'd previously played through a segment and let me skip it after reloading, but other times it would?  This artificially inflates the playtime, although there is still a whole lot to do in the game.  There's loads of different endings and scenes to unlock.  I finally finished Lake of Voices as well, another romance visual novel but darker than the others by virtue of the fact that people actually die.  It's very melancholy.



The biggest chunk of my time was taken up with Persona 4 Golden.  I played the original game on the PS2 years ago and loved it, so it was great to play it again.  I really liked the additions to this version, like two whole new social links to get to know.  I played the game through twice, since one bonus boss is only available on a new game plus and I still enjoyed it the second time (though I made a lot of use of the fast-forward button).  I'm considering making a day-by-day guide to maxing all stats and social links, but that would be a huge undertaking and someone else would probably have made one before I was done.


The other games I've finished are Hitman Go and The Turing Test.  I'm not very dexterous so the traditional Hitman games are hard for me (I would assume, I never actually tried them but other games in that style are hard for me).  I like the Go games, like Hitman Go and Lara Croft Go because they change the gameplay to something I'm better at.  It's solely a logic puzzle, not a logic puzzle with added dexterity and I enjoy that.  And I liked that I could play these well-known series' in a style that I enjoyed and so gain some appreciate for what everyone else is playing even if I don't want to play the main games.  Speaking of games I'm not good at The Turing Test is technically the first first-person shooter game I've ever played, though it's really more of a puzzle game that uses a gun, like Portal (which I have played for several minutes with a friend).  It made me a bit dizzy at first, and I did struggle, but most of the puzzles are static logic puzzles, and there's only a few that require carefully aiming while moving or anything like that.  I liked that you could replay any chapter you wanted, so if you missed the optional puzzle you could just go and do that without replaying the entire game.  There's no way to backtrack, each puzzle is in a discrete area, so replaying the chapters was the only way.


Apart from finishing games, I've also been permanently removing games from my Steam account.  I get a lot of games from Humble Bundled which sometimes means they come bundled with other games, which I am less interested in.  I added those games to my Steam account but never played them.  Those, I've been playing a little bit and then deleting them if I don't enjoy them.  I did also delete a few games I bought like Ms Splosion Man, which I bought in 2014 and have played for less than 2 hours, and Layers of Fear, which I got for £2.99.  The latter made me feel sick and dizzy and the plot and gameplay weren't enjoyable enough for that.  If I spent £3 on a coffee that made me feel that way I'd chuck it out, so same logic (if I spent £3 on alcohol that made me feel that way, that would be a lot of alcohol for very little and I'd still need to be in the right mood).  This does throw off my spreadsheet calculations about what I've spent on games and the time spent playing them, but the point of this whole thing isn't really to save money.  I mean, I don't want to spend money on games I don't want, but the biggest goal is to get my unplayed games down.  I've already spent the money anyway, not deleting the game doesn't save me anything.


Anyway, at the moment, I own 225 games and I've completed 109 or 48% of them.  I have 10 in progress, 34 I've played to some extent and 72 I've never played at all.  I'm so close to halfway!


Sunday, 20 September 2020

Sims 3: Zodiac Challenge - Chapter 5, The Dragon(s)

 


Back in the present, Richard and his perfect aptitude test go back to university.




He meets a fellow werewolf - who recognises that he's the dragon heir - so that's cool.  He did dewolf, but the moons of the future, the present, and university are not synced up, so he immediately got hit with another full moon on arrival.


However Richard and Chelsea are getting letters to one another, it's working.  So, he sits down to write her another one.



He also works on his bot building and builds a bot!  Richard did not inherit his grandmother's evil trait, but considering he has a secret lair where he builds robots and will soon earn a doctorate, I can see how he might come across like a mad scientist.  He is not though.  At most, he is a mad engineer.


He gives his robot - RJ-73 - the Competent Cleaner and Afraid of Humans trait.  The latter doesn't bother Richard - because werewolves are not considered humans - and it will keep the robot hidden.  Unfortunately, since the secret underground lair has an outside entrance and no door, the paparazzi wander downstairs and upset the robot, so Richard chases them out.  The paparazzi may be his lifelong enemy - having an enemy is a requirement of the Dragon heir - but hopefully something better will turn up.  I'm still annoyed I'm missed my chance to have him rescue a descendant from non-existence.  She could then be his enemy via never forgiving him for sentencing the rest of her family to never existing while she - and Richard - are the only ones who even remember them.  



Richard has finished his degree, and, weirdly, RJ-73 opens a copy of the grades as well.  RJ-73 doesn't even go here.  I just realised, RJ-73 can stand for "Richard jr".  The name was randomised, but that's a nice coincidence.


Richard hoverboards to his graduation, which is more than I got to do this year.  It had me invite his family - Remy and Hialeah specifically - but neither turned up.



Richard gets an offer no other university graduate has had.  Maybe it came with one of the packs I got at Christmas rather than the original university pack?  I can't remember exactly when Hialeah, Remy, and Dan graduated.  Anyway, Richard doesn't accept any of those and instead begins a career as an athlete.  I am choosing to believe he is a lacrosse player and refusing all evidence to the contrary.


I left RJ-73 alone for a bit and he did this.  I don't know what that is or how he got it, or how to get it back.


Now he has his first degree, Richard takes Remy and Hialeah to the future!  Hialeah's descendants have disappeared.  Remy and Richard don't tell her.  


We arrange a wedding...


Remy now has a descendent, Tory Locklear, who we invite to the wedding.  Tory seems starstruck by Hialeah.  He almost seems more interested in her - and more knowledgeable about her - than he does Remy, his actual ancestor, despite Remy being the most famous sibling, having recently hit 5 stars.  This is a future plot point.


I made a cute af park for Richard and Chelsea to wed in.  I like to think that when Richard donated his lottery winnings to the future fund, he insisted that part of the fund be used to create Gateway Park.  I didn't get a big overview picture, but there's a little wedding island where the stage and wedding arch are, and a bandstand with a dancefloor and a buffet.

Hialeah was wedding photographer, because that's a fun skill.


My game looks prettier because, when I first started playing and it kept crashing, I turned all the settings way down, which seemed to help.  For this session, I turned them all way up, which seemed to make the game freeze a bit more and saving took ages.  Next time, I'm going to turn down some stuff but not everything, and we'll see where we end up.



Remy is really, really happy to have a descendant.  He was really shook to have no descendants and also to himself not exist in the future, and has been having an existential crisis over it (in my head, the game doesn't do that).  I've been thinking about why Remy is so upset while Hialeah isn't bothered, and I've had a few ideas.  

Firstly, Hialeah is just more self-assured than Remy.  She's the eldest and she's always been very confident.  She's an athletic genius, she has yet to find anything she can't do.  If she's not in the future it's probably because her future self is travelling the world or has left the planet as an astronaut or something.  

Secondly, Hialeah is a vampire while Remy is a ghost.  Neither have yet seen a vampire die, but they both saw a ghost - their father - return to the netherworld.  Plus, Hialeah can make anyone she likes immortal but Remy can't do that.  He can just watch them die and hope they come back, but he knows most people don't.  

Thirdly, Hialeah came to the city for her own ambition, because she wanted to live in a vibrant city, be a celebrity, and succeed in her career.  Remy did come for those reasons, but he also came because he was running away from Dan.  He loved his brother, and that's why he couldn't watch him grow old and die, like their father had done for their mother.  As well as their emotional closeness, Remy and Dan are also close in age, so it would also remind him of how old he, Remy, was, and how close he would be to death if he hadn't been born dead.




Chelsea takes a moment to be happy at being married before sharing her first dance with her new husband.  The game didn't add her to my family, despite acknowledging that she is now Richard's wife.  I considered leaving her in the future and drawing out their long distance relationship a little longer, but that didn't make sense.  Richard has seen his and Hialeah's descendants disappear, why would he take the risk that his wife would disappear as well?


Hialeah also takes some pictures here.


Before they leave, Remy vows to Tory that he won't let anything happy to him.  He will protect him.  He isn't clear on what from, because he doesn't want to alarm Tory (who look a bit like Robert Pattinson, am I right?).  Tory is happy to have such a good friend and "uncle".  Yes, for storyline purposes, while Remy knows that Tory is his descendant, Tory doesn't know that.  Tory believes he's descended from Hialeah.

Monday, 14 September 2020

PSYCHO-PASS: Mandatory Happiness - Steam Achievement Guide

  • When I refer to Save N1, Save T2, etc, it doesn't matter where they are as long as you remember which one is which.  Since Nadeshiko and Tsurugi's saves are separate, I gave them the same numbers, e.g., Save N1 for Nadeshiko, Save T2 for Tsurugi, etc.  Once you've done all of Nadeshiko's achievements, feel free to save over her saves and vice versa.  Alternatively, you could do what I did, and start all of Nadeshiko's saves from DATA 91, and all of Tsurugi's from DATA 81.
  • If I just tell you to save and reload within the same bullet point then that's the only time you'll reload that save, so don't worry about where it is.  Avoid saving over one of the numbered saves. 
  • There are achievements for endings and routes, the latter generally being who you spend time with at a certain point.  I've tried to be efficient, but the route achievement Toy Box Bros appears on the way to two ending routes in this guide.

Achieved 100,000 Points, VOICE Complete, SCENE Complete, PICTURE Complete

  • To access the mini-game - a version of 2048 - go to 'extra' then 'play game'.   You can choose either free-play mode or to work through stages.  I found I generally got around 10,000 points for getting to 2048 in freeplay.  The bonuses for first completing the stages get higher than that, but you can only earn each one once.  There are 9 levels with 9 stages each.  You'll probably still need to do a few freeplays.
  • The trick to 2048 is to keep one corner - I choose lower right - as your 'high number' corner.  You then try to build your numbers, from low to high, along the bottom edge.  You should always be pressing down and right, and only ever press up or left if you know your highest number will stay stuck in that corner.
  • To spend the points, go to 'content viewer' instead of 'play game'.  Here, you can spend your points to unlock all of the voice clips and images.   You'll only be able to purchase the images after unlocking them in the story.  Some of these will require bad endings.
  • SCENE Complete should unlock naturally, as you get all the other achievements.  If you're missing any, check this guide.  I found I had to do Childhood's End twice, despite having already gotten the achievement, to get 27 and 32, and there might have been a few I got through my blind playthroughs before explicitly trying to get all the achievements.  There are also a view obtainable through bad endings.  Unfortunately, I didn't always record which bad endings I completed.  Loading save T5 and making other choices will unlock two bad endings with pictures and scenes.


First Playthrough - Nadeshiko

Creating Save N1

  • Choose Nadeshiko.
  • Inquire.
  • Inquire about friendships.
  • Choose to head to the mall.
  • Take the supplement.
  • "It's possible".
  • Ask Kagari and Kunizuka.
  • Take the supplement.
  • Analyse Area Stress Level.
  • Perform a balanced search.
  • Give order to infiltrate.
  • Don't stop him.
  • Don't take the supplement.
  • Accept it.
  • Take the supplement.
  • Secure the fire extinguisher.
  • Create Save N1.

Creating Save N2


  • Load Save N1.
  • Join Akane's team.
  • Wait for molotov cocktails to deplete.
  • Continue interrogation.
  • Search for fire extinguisher.
  • Try to force your way through.
  • Call out.
  • Take the supplement.
  • Create Save N2.

Creating Save N3, Demon's Whisper


  • Load Save N2.
  • Attend hypnotherapy. 
  • Demon's Whisper.
  • Isolate then exile.
  • Because of the risk.
  • "Understood".
  • Eat with Tsurugi.
  • I regret it.
  • He's not the only one who's wrong.
  • You have become human.
  • Create Save N3.

Happy Family

  • Load Save N3.
  • I'll go with you.
  • Happy Family.

Childhood's End

  • Load Save N3.
  • Go to Sibyl.
  • Childhood's End.

Creating Save N4, All the Colours

  • Load Save N2.
  • Leave.
  • Yes.
  • All the Colours.
  • I experience deja-vu.
  • Take the supplement.
  • I understand.
  • Eat it.
  • Request back-up from Tokyo.
  • Can't agree or disagree.
  • Pull the trigger.
  • Create save N4.

When the Time Comes

  • Load Save N4.
  • Give up.
  • I need more time.
  • When the Time Comes.

Answer Revealed

  • Load Save N4.
  • Hug.
  • Via sea.
  • Answer Revealed.

The Burdened

  • Load Save N1.
  • Join search team.
  • Go the first floor.
  • Ambush.
  • Interrogate.
  • Investigate second floor.
  • Try to force your way through.
  • Call out.
  • Don't take the supplement.
  • Leave and recover naturally.
  • Yes
  • The Burdened.  You can continue playing from this point if you like.


Violet

  • Load Save N1.
  • Join search team.
  • Go to first floor.
  • Throw stun grenade.
  • Investigate second floor.
  • Try to force your way through.
  • Call out.
  • Don't take the supplement.
  • I don't want to remember.
  • Yes.
  • Violet.  You can continue playing from this point if you like.

Lady Talk

  • Load Save N1.
  • Join search team.
  • Go the first floor.
  • Ambush.
  • Interrogate.
  • Investigate second floor.
  • Try to force your way through.
  • Call out.
  • Take the supplement.
  • Leave and recover naturally.
  • Lady Talk.  You can continue playing from this point if you like.


Light and Shadow

  • Load Save N1.
  • Join rescue team.
  • Wait for molotov cocktails to deplete.
  • Continue interrogation.
  • Give order to back down.
  • Try to force your way through.
  • Push cabinet, seal the exit route.
  • Don't take the supplement.
  • Leave.
  • Yes.
  • Light and Shadow.  You can continue playing from this point if you like.

Second Playthrough - Nadeshiko

Creating Save N5

  • Choose Nadeshiko.
  • Track.
  • Inspect the administrative district.
  • Head to mall.
  • Take the supplement.
  • It's possible.
  • Ask Kagari and Kunizuka.
  • Take the supplement.
  • Inspect with Akane.
  • Question friends.
  • Question residents.
  • Conduct an internal investigation.
  • Take the supplement.
  • Accept it.
  • Take the supplement.
  • Shoot.
  • Create save N5.

An Angel's Smile

  • Load Save N5.
  • Join rescue team.
  • Order a frontal assault.
  • Proceed.
  • Aim dominator.
  • Use stun grenade.
  • Call out.
  • Don't take the supplement.
  • Leave and recover naturally.
  • An Angel's Smile.  You can continue playing from this point if you like.

Creating Save N6

  • Load Save N5.
  • Join search team.
  • First floor.
  • Aim and call for surrender.
  • Go forward.
  • Head down the passage.
  • Use stun grenade.
  • Call out.
  • Don't take the supplement.
  • Create save N6.

Goddess of Guidance

  • Load Save N6.
  • Attend hypnotherapy.
  • Nod profusely.
  • Join the rescue team.
  • Have Akane eat it.
  • Request back-up from Tokyo.
  • Keep quiet and pull the trigger.
  • Goddess of Guidance.

Create Save N7, Resting Leadership

  • Load Save N6.
  • Leave and recover naturally.
  • Resting Leadership.
  • Don't take the supplement.
  • Leave it to me.
  • Eat it.
  • Request back-up.
  • It's an unforgivable belief.
  • Create save N7.

Guardian of Life

  • Load Save N7.
  • Your view is mistaken.
  • Keep quiet and pull the trigger.
  • Guardian of Life.

Thus, Fate has Proclaimed the End

  • Load Save N7.
  • I can understand.
  • Any last words?
  • Thus, Fate has Proclaimed the End.

Eternal Cradle OR Eternal Abyss

  • Load Save N6.
  • Attend hypnotherapy.
  • Object.
  • He's a seed.
  • Join rescue team.
  • Have Akane eat it.
  • Request back-up from Tokyo.
  • Save and choose "I'm part of Sybil" for a bad ending and an image.  Then reload and choose "I am your mother".
  • Eternal Cradle OR Eternal Abyss (this is the entire name of a single achievement, it's not two separate ones).

Third Playthrough - Tsurugi

Creating Save T1

  • Choose Tsurugi.
  • Inquire.
  • Check residence.
  • Head to library.
  • To study room floor.
  • It's just a job.
  • Take the supplement.
  • Maybe.
  • Bring Ginoza.
  • Take the supplement.
  • Inspect with Akane.
  • Investigate the Nursing Commufield.
  • Question neighbours.
  • Infiltrate.
  • Endure.
  • Take the supplement.
  • Go to counselling.
  • I will if I can.
  • Take the supplement.
  • Protect.
  • Lunge.
  • Create Save T1.

Creating Save T2

  • Load Save T1.
  • Join rescue team.
  • Pick up metal plate.
  • Advance.
  • Guard.
  • Create Save T2.

Creating Save T3, Man of Stone

  • Load Save T2.
  • Use stun grenade.
  • Point dominator.
  • Don't take the supplement.
  • Reject advice.
  • Man of Stone.
  • Think it over alone.
  • Don't take the supplement.
  • Volunteer to be on the search team.
  • Investigate.
  • Bring them along.
  • Stop by Tsurugi's residence.
  • Have Nadeshiko eat it.
  • Ask for the public's help.
  • Hesitate
  • Create Save T3.

A Night to Kill

  • Load Save T3.
  • The one who judges.
  • A Night to Kill.

Those Capable

  • Load Save T3.
  • Your Mother.
  • Those Capable.

The One Who Seeks Chaos

  • Load Save 1.
  • Join search team.
  • Go to first floor.
  • Identify yourself and aim.
  • Go forward anyway.
  • Head down the passage.
  • Use stun grenade.
  • Fight together with Kogami.
  • Don't take it.
  • Reject Nadeshiko's advice.

Create Save T4

  • Load Save T1.
  • Join rescue team.
  • Pick up metal plate.
  • Advance.
  • Entrust rear guard with extinguisher.
  • Use stun grenade.
  • Create Save T4.

Surprise Weekend

  • Load Save T4.
  • Fight together with Kogami.
  • Take the supplement.
  • Take advice.
  • An incomplete existence.
  • Surprise Weekend.  You can continue playing from this point if you like.

Toy Box Bros

  • Load Save T4.
  • Point your dominator.
  • Don't take it.
  • Reject advice.
  • Toy Box Bros.  
  • Think it over alone.
  • Take the supplement.
  • Volunteer for the search team.
  • If you haven't previously had Tsurugi eat the curry, save here and let him do so to unlock a picture and a scene in the gallery (scene 55).  Then reload and have Nadeshiko eat it.
  • Ask for the public's help.
  • Create Save T5.

Return of the Masked Princess

  • Load Save T5.
  • What do you want to do?
  • Save and choose "a hard punch" for a bad ending and an image, then reload and choose to shake hands.
  • Return of the Masked Princess.

Floating Ark

  • Load Save T5.
  • I want to run away.
  • Be more human.
  • Floating Ark.

Fourth Playthrough - Tsurugi

Creating Save T6

  • Choose Tsurugi.
  • Inquire.
  • Inquire about friendships.
  • Head to library.
  • Take the supplement.
  • Maybe.
  • Track residency card.
  • Take the supplement.
  • Hurry.
  • Women with young children.
  • Stand firm
  • Endure.
  • Take the supplement.
  • Go to counselling.
  • I will if I can.
  • Take the supplement.
  • Protect.
  • Lunge.
  • Create Save T6.

Grapplers

  • Load Save T6.
  • Join search team.
  • Go down to first floor.
  • Ambush them.
  • Go forward anyway.
  • Head down the passage.
  • Use stun grenade.
  • Point dominator.
  • Don't take it.
  • Reject advice.
  • Grapplers.  You can continue playing from this point if you like.

Creating Save T7

  • Load Save T6.
  • Join rescue team.
  • Pick up metal plate.
  • Advance.
  • Entrust rear guard with extinguisher.
  • Use stun grenade.
  • Point your dominator.
  • Create Save T7.

Bedtime Stories

  • Load Save T7.
  • Take the supplement.
  • Take Nadeshiko's advice.
  • An incomplete existence.
  • Bedtime Stories.  You can continue playing from this point if you like.

Toy Box Bros, Symbol of Faith

  • Load Save T7.
  • Don't take it.
  • Reject advice.
  • Toy Box Bros
  • Think it over alone.
  • Don't take it.
  • Volunteer for the search team.
  • Have Nadeshiko eat it.
  • Ask for the public's help.
  • Talk.
  • Save and ask Nadeshiko to deal with it to unlock another picture in the gallery.  Then reload and settle it personally.
  • Symbol of Faith.

Fifth Playthrough - Tsurugi

Creating Save T8

  • Choose Tsurugi.
  • Inquire.
  • Check residence.
  • Investigate.
  • Study room floor.
  • It's just a job.
  • Don't take it.
  • Don't screw around with me.
  • Bring Ginoza along.
  • Don't take it.
  • Hurry.
  • Women with young children.
  • Infiltrate.
  • Shout.
  • Don't take it.
  • Don't go to counselling.
  • Don't take it.
  • Protect inspector.
  • Lunge at the molotov.
  • Go down to first floor.
  • Use a stun grenade.
  • Head down the passage.
  • Save here and choose to force your way through to get a bad ending and unlock scene 50 and picture 11 in the content viewer.  This completed my pictures.
  • Reload and use stun grenade.
  • Point your dominator.
  • Don't take it.
  • Create Save T8.

Duel on Table

  • Load Save T8.
  • Reject advice.
  • Duel on Table.  You can continue playing from this point if you like.  This was my final scene, though, if you're following this guide in order, both pictures and scenes will likely be complete after playing through the next section.

Summoning Mephistopheles, Song of Magic

  • Load Save T8.
  • Accept advice.
  • A powerless existence.
  • Summoning Mephistopheles.  
  • Think it over alone.
  • Take the supplement.
  • Join rescue team.
  • I am your father.
  • It's emotion.  
  • My final TIPS definition unlocked between these choices.
  • Persuade Kogami to be your ally.
  • Propose a deal.
  • That's right.
  • Live for our sake.
  • Have Yukari open it.
  • Stop Alpha.
  • Take her hand.
  • Song of Magic.

Thursday, 10 September 2020

Sims 3: Zodiac Challenge - Chapter 5, The Dragon(s)

 


Hialeah's been seeing another celebrity, Lola Belle, but secretly.  Hialeah is openly lesbian and proud, but Lola doesn't want to publicly come out as bi or pan or whatever she is (she had a kid with a male sim, so presumably not lesbian).

They argue about this a lot.  Hialeah doesn't like not being publicly acknowledged by her girlfriend ("romantic interest" since Lola doesn't want to go public).  This time, Lola appeases her by giving Hialeah a job redesigning Lola's mansion and letting Hialeah - who is a vampire, remember - drink her blood.

Meanwhile, Richard has continued to work on his future technology skill.







On this trip to the future, Richard brings Remy, to introduce him to Chel.  They seem to get along, although she's a bit surprised that Remy is a ghost.

Remy hides it well, but he's a little shocked.  Not that he has no descendants, since he's commitphobic, but that he isn't here already, since he's immortal.  His whole life, Remy has known that he won't die.  That's motivated his behaviour, largely in leaving his best friend/brother Daniel to move to the city with Hialeah, so he wouldn't have to watch Daniel grow old and die while Remy remains young forever.  So being confronted with a future in which he is absent is a shock for him.


On this visit to the future, Hialeah has descendants, so they meet up with a few of them.  That surprises Remy too, since he had no idea Hialeah might ever want children.  She's immortal though, it could happen.


Speaking of Hialeah, she does a great job remodelling Lola's house and they woohoo in celebration.  Hialeah coyly suggests that someday they might decorate a house together.  Lola...does not respond as well as Hialeah had hoped.




They argue again.  Presumably, Hialeah is shouting that Lola can't just appease Hialeah by acting like a vampire juice box and expecting it to work every time.




















Hialeah suggests that they remain just friends.  Then they woohoo again.  Presumably the line here is "I wish I knew how to quit you".



Richard and Remy got stuck in the future because there was a full moon and Richard turned into a werewolf and werewolves can't go through time portals.  So Richard worked on exploring the future a little.

Wednesday, 9 September 2020

Sims 3: Zodiac Challenge - Chapter 5, The Dragon(s)

Richard moves into his student accomodation.  It was technically a two-bedroom house, but I took the other bed out because he is very rich and famous and every woman he walks past falls in love with him, and he can do without that nonsense right now.  He decorates his wall with photos of his siblings, and his picture of Chel.




Richard's doing Business as his first degree.  That guy sitting next to him is dating the teacher, there's some scandal for you.


Richard spends his time making friends - mostly by telling jokes, so he can complete all the charisma skill goal things, which he does successfully - and studying.  He sends friendly texts to Hannah a few times, and writes Chel a few love letters.  He's planning to bury them in a specific spot which he will tell Chel about next time he sees her, so she can dig them up and read them.


Richard finishes his first term with an A and plays a celebratory game of lacrosse - like his brothers - before heading home.  They all play lacrosse because their father is Cherokee-inspired and it's a way of remembering their heritage.  It's not perfect, but there are limited options in the game for that sort of thing because it's not actually our world, it's a vague simulation of it.  Hence, "Cherokee-inspired" and not "Cherokee".  Hialeah and Saoirse didn't play lacrosse because Hialeah prefers solo sports, like running and dancing, and Saoirse didn't go to university, preferring to learn to raise horses hands-on like her parents did.


Back at home, Richard calls Hannah.  She asks him about uni, but he barely responds because he's thinking of what he needs to tell her.

He tells Hannah that they can't be together.  She's...not happy.  He can't explain why, just that one day he loved her completely and the next day he didn't.  Or, rather, he thought what he felt for her was love but then he felt something else that revealed his feelings for her were not as truly love as he was capable of.  She's Rosalind, not Juliet.  Hannah is a bookworm, but she does not appreciate this analogy and storms off.




Back in the future, Richard's descendants have disappeared.  He's not sure how to feel about that.  Yes, they were real people...but he never met them.  He never knew any of them.  And, for all he knew, they disappeared not when he broke up with Hannah, but the second he decided to break up with Hannah.  Any specific child they would have would depend on the exact moment of conception, to have their specific combination of the parental genomes, and so even something as simple as his feeling differently might have resulted in changes to his descendants, even if he had stayed with Hannah and married her for their sake.  Maybe being unhappy would have resulted in stress that reduced fertility, meaning one of their children wasn't conceived, even if he hadn't left her.  Maybe.  Maybe he's making up excuses.


Also, Remy has a single descendant now, which is a bit weird because he's both gay and commitment-phobic, but maybe he donated sperm at some point.  She does have his last name though.  I'm not really sure how Richard leaving Hannah for Chel results in Remy having children at some point, but Remy's immortal, we have time to figure out that plot point.


Anyway, before all that, Richard has something he needs to do.


When he arrives at Chel's house, he can't quite read her face.  Also, I'm not sure why he's in swimming gear, he's probably just hot.


Richard shoots his shot again and this time Chel is far more responsive.


Richard proposes.  He knows they've only met once, and he knows the odds are against them.  But, he's a Dragon.  He's self-assured, direct, dignified,fiery, passionate, and decisive (Link).  He knows this is right - what's there to wait for?  Dragons are also tactless, arrogant, imperious, demanding, intolerant, and impetuous.  He knows what he wants, why shouldn't he ask for it?  Why shouldn't he make this happen?




Chel and Richard take a photo together and he leaves to work on his advanced technology skills




As he practices wind-carving, a thought occurs to him.  Why didn't Chel - or Emit, or anyone else - ask about his future descendants, who now no longer exist?  Could it be that they don't remember them?  That Chel has no idea that he sacrificed all those lives to be with her?  On the one hand, that's good because it means she doesn't feel the pressure of those lives no longer existing, but, on the other hand, that means he now has to decide whether to share that information with her or keep it as his own private burden.