Tag: Gaming

Game Complete! The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky

Gaming

So this is a thing I’ve been wanting to do over the years but never got around to doing it: Recording when I finish a game. I am terrible about finishing games, especially JRPGs, so I feel like I need to keep a record of the rare times it actually happens!

I just finished the JRPG, “Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky” (Steam/PC). I’m not going to do a review, but it is an excellent game. But I knew that going into it. Because this is the second time I’ve completed it! I actually played it when it was it initially released in the West on the Playstation Portable (PSP) 10-15yrs ago. I’m pretty sure I still own the UMD disc for my still working PSP.

So why replay this game? Because there’s a second and third chapter to it. I initially expected to play at least the second chapter on the PSP back in the day, but unfortunately it never released to PSP. Instead the second chapter went to the PS3, and I just never got around to playing it.

Then it was re-released on Steam in 2014, and the remaining chapters were finally released on Steam in 2015 and 2017. As such, the second and third chapter have been on my radar for a while. I recently picked up the additional chapters, but since it’s been so long since I’ve played the first chapter, that I’d forgotten most of the story, it made sense to simply replay it. And I’m glad I did.

Some details of this playthrough:

  • Installed: 2022-09-23
  • Start Date: 2022-09-23, est.
  • Time in-game based on Steam: 80.7 hrs
  • Time in-game based on Save Data: 60.5 hrs
  • Completed: 2022-10-26

So 60-80hrs over about a month. Not bad. Especially when most of my JRPGs can take me years to finish, if I even do finish them. I often restart them multiple times, because I’ll sometimes put a JRPG down for a few years and forget everything (Looking at you Final Fantasy XII…).

On to the second chapter! My goal is to finish that one and the third by the end of the year.

Afterwards, maybe I’ll move to some of the other LoH games that I’ve been working on over the years. The LoH series has quite a lot of games, much like the Final Fantasy series. “Trails” is just one subseries of LoH. I played all of and completed 2/3 of the so-called “Gagharv” subseries on PSP back in the day. I also completed the first chapter of the “Trails in the Sky” subseries on my Vita, and have been playing the second chapter on and off for the last few years. See what I mean?

One last thing…

Other games I’ve completed in 2022 so far:

  • Final Fantasy VII Remake (PS4) – Completed on 2nd restart.
  • Desperados III (Steam/PC) – Finished 2022-05-17; started it back in 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic.
  • The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles (Steam/PC), both first and second parts – Finished 2022-09-05; started 2021-07-30.

Going down the Rabbit Wormhole

Gaming

While I’ve dabbled in Wormholes before, I’ve never really gone too deep. Once in a blue moon, I’d spend a few hours scanning an anomaly down, jumping into a wormhole, and then kinda putz around aimlessly.

I’d attempt to hack a data or relic site or engage in some “ninja mining:” relatively quick and short sessions of mining or gas harvesting before PVE enemies (“rats”) or other players show up. I’ve certainly never solo explored chains of wormholes, for fear of getting lost. Boredom would set in quickly and I’d drop exploration again for several months.

I didn’t really learn or retain much as a result. This time, however, I wanted to really get a good taste of what wormhole exploration had to offer. To do that, I put together a basic fitting for a Prospect, a T2 expedition frigate.

[Prospect, Gas Ninja Speed Prototype]
Warp Core Stabilizer I
IFFA Compact Damage Control
Nanofiber Internal Structure II
Warp Core Stabilizer I

5MN Microwarpdrive II
Survey Scanner II 

Covert Ops Cloaking Device II
Expanded Probe Launcher I
Gas Cloud Harvester II 

Small Processor Overclocking Unit I
Small Processor Overclocking Unit I 

Combat Scanner Probe I x16
Nanite Repair Paste x50

This fit comes in at under 50 million ISK. Since my goal was exploration and ninja mining, I focused on cloaking, probe scanning, and resource gathering Defensive capabilities were nil; speed and the ability to run away would be my means of staying alive. It should be noted that this fit is very tight for me: CPU utilization is at 96%, even with CPU Management V.

Probe Scanner window in EVE; shows a system map of the wormhole, with list of 20 anomalies or cosmic signatures.
Lots of sites for gas harvesting in this C4 wormhole!

So far, all is going pretty well. I’ve only come across a handful of people in the wormholes I’ve visited, and only once did someone warp on to grid with me. Luckily, I scanned at the right time, saw the unfamiliar ship on the directional scanner, and MWD+Cloaked away about 30 seconds before an Eris landed and bubbled. I was able to jump out with the enemy pilot none the wiser.

Since I’m mostly solo, I’ve been using Tripwire to help me explore. I can jot down cosmic signatures, record what they are once fully scanned, and track my journey so I know how to get back to high-sec. It even takes some of the work away by auto-tracking and noting where I’m jumping to and from. Pathfinder is another site that provides a similar service that I may try.

Tripwire says I’ve added 262 signatures and added 75 wormholes so far. The longest chain I’ve taken from my “starting” high-sec system is 5 wormholes. I’ve been lucky that I’ve been able to get back to my start each time.

Screenshot of the browser-based Tripwire service. Shows a diagram of connected systems, statistical graph, list of found anomalies/sites, and some of my notes.
The UI of Tripwire from a recent excursion.

In terms of profit, I’m probably ISK-positive, having harvested somewhere between 100-150 million ISK worth of gas. Ninja mining, however, in a single Prospect doesn’t seem to be particularly profitable, especially given how much time I’m spending scanning down the gas harvesting sites or new wormholes. I’ve likely spent at least fifteen hours in wormholes in the last week.

Nor is it without danger. About half of the gas sites I find already have scary Sleeper rats on them. For the rest, I get between five and twenty minutes to harvest before the Sleepers appear. With no offensive or defensive capabilities, I have no choice but to run.

I should also mention that I’m on my second Prospect. I lost one to sentries at a gas site when I accidentally and stupidly decloaked on grid to launch scanning probes. My poor ship, the aptly named, “Junior Prospector” was obliterated instantly. So I’m down about 50 million ISK already.

Screenshot of in-game Mining Ledger, showing graphs of what gas types I've harvested and the amounts.
Definitely harvested more gas than I thought I did.

Overall, however, I’m having a lot of fun exploring wormholes and learning a lot. Aside from breaking the monotony of ice mining or “getting blueballs” in null-sec fleets, I’m finally taking the time to participate in this side of the game. W-Space (or J-Space) is one of four main areas of space in Eve. I play in high- and null-sec all the time — while mostly avoiding low-sec, other than travel — so it’s great to finally get my toes wet here. I’ve even convinced a buddy to join me. Maybe one day I’ll set up shop in a wormhole. I certainly see the allure.

In the meantime, it’s time to get back to exploring the unknown. Back to going down the rabbit hole.