Game Review: Ark Survival Ascended

 

With everything going on in Second Life (and a busy editor), it's been a while since our last game review. However, Nydia Tungsten had a little time to check out one: Ark Survival Ascended.  The sequel to the long-running Ark Survival Evolved, the game has been mired in controversy with it's producers accused of cheating those who bought the original. So what did Nydia think of this game?

 

Read Nydia's review in Other Grids MMOs and Games. 

Reader Submitted: Rust Seasons Beatings, Part 2

 

 

 From Snowy AngelBunny Lefavre (Skylark Lefavre). After seeing my "Seasons Beatings" brief the other day, she sent me this picture of a pile of Krampus zombies after they unsuccessfully tried to raid her base in the Angels server. She may or may not be getting coal, but all their weapons should reap lots of metal when recycled.

 

Meanwhile, Back In Rust: Seasons Beatings

 

 

 A number of my virtual neighbors are still going at it in the Rust survival MMO on the Angels server. To make things a little more interesting, Umbra had a mod put in that sends loose zombies every few nights. But this month, they're a bit different. They come out wearing red coats, red stocking hats, and sporting fake white beards. But these guys aren't really Santas, but Krampuses. And they're here not to deliver gifts, but to deliver punishment in the form on knives, pitchforks, and chainsaws.

 

It takes several shots, or a few to the head if you're good, to bring then down. Searching the bodies, you can grab the weapon they were using, plus a few other various items.

 

It's unclear if there will be a special challenge later this month or not. But it is looking more likely that in-game we're just getting coal under the tree.

 

Bixyl Shuftan

 

Misadventures in Rust Angels: The Base Defense Contest

 

As a survival MMO, Rust is among those most noted for it's competitive (or downright merciless in some places) PvP action. Wanting to avoid the "PvP kiddies," many players prefer the PvE servers such as the Angels server for Nydia Tungsten and some of her friends. But how do you keep things from getting too predictable and give something extra special for the players to do? For server moderator Umbra, the answer in August was a race. For September, he had another competition: who could design the best base in terms of resisting a raid.

 

Read the story in "Other Grids, MMOs, and Games."

 

ARK: Fjordur

 

In her latest game review, Nydia Tungsten looks back at an old favorite, Ark Survival Evolved, or simply "Ark" as it's often called. After some time, she lost interest in it due to changes she felt were due to the developers changing things to suit one group of players at the expense of hers. But modifications brought her attention back. Among these is a new map: Fjordur. So what did Nydia have to say about it?

Read Nydia's article in Other Grids, MMOs, and Games.
 

Wedding in The Deathlands

 

As a post-apocalyptic region that describes everyday life as a struggle to survive, one wouldn't expect the Deadlands to be the scene of a wedding. But it was. Rebel Wolf, the local baron, recently announced the place's first wedding. The Newser asked him how it went about.

Read more in People.
 

Game Review: Wasteland Survival

 

As busy as I am with the paper, I do take a little time for games. One that got my attention recently was "Wasteland Survival" on Steam. As the title suggests, the objective is to try to survive in a land laid waste to by disaster. With a dog as your companion, you scavenge for resources while fighting off zombies, animals, and the occasional NPC survivor. The price of the game: Free. So is the game worth playing?

Read the review in Other Grids, MMOs, and Games.
 

Coronavirus Survival Store

As we all deal with the novel corona virus some are thinking of how to ease the struggle in real life and also here in Second Life. One of those who did that here is Jadyn Firehawk. I am sure many of you recognize her name as the owner of the beloved Yosemite region that closed last July. 

Jadyn went into her vast warehouse inventory and searched out all the calming tools she could find. She is hoping to bring some peace and quietude to those searching for it. That was her purpose in Yosemite and though it is gone the spirit lives on.

Go over and take a look at the numerous gifts you can get. I took many of the pieces for myself,

You can find all the articles displayed at her pop up store
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Lorena%20Blue/114/126/3200

Gemma Cleanslate

Reader Submitted: Subnautica Revisited

SL Newser reader Rita Mariner is quite the fan of the game Subnautica. It's unique among survival games in that it takes place mostly underwater. Although she got the game well over a year ago, she continues to play it a great deal. So why so much time in one game? She recently wrote a reader submission to explain why, and a few tips on how to win.

Read Rita's submission in Other Grids, MMOs, and Games.

Rust After Five Years

It's been over five years since the Newser first reported on the survival multiplayer game Rust. It became one of the more noted games of the genre, with it's starting off with just a rock to get everything you have afterwards, and it's sometimes notorious PvP action. Although Rust left "early access" a year and a half ago, there have still been some changes. In this article, yours truly briefly goes over the basics, but most of the article is about what has changed since our last article on the game.

Read the story in Other Grids, MMOs, and Games.

Reader Submitted: Subnautica Below Zero, Part Two

Last month, Rita Mariner wrote about the sequel to the popular aquatic survival game Subnautica, "Subnautica: Below Zero." Since then, the early-access game has continued to develop, and Rita's continued to play, noticing both the changes and the deeper sea levels that getting better equipment has allowed her to do. So she decided to write once again about the game.

Read Rita's reader submission in Other Grids, MMOs, and Games.

Reader Submitted: Game Review - Subnautica Below Zero

A few months ago, Rita Mariner sent the Newser a walkthrough of the underwater survival game Subnautica. Lately, she's been playing a sequel: Subnautica Below Zero. Taking place some time after the events in the original, this time the player has to deal with surviving the cold waters of the polar region of the planet. So what does Rita think of the game?

Read Rita's reader-submitted review in Other Grids, MMOs, and Games.

Reader Submitted: Game Review - Subnautica, Part Seven

Rita Mariner has been writing a series of reader-submitted articles on the water-based survival game "Subnautica." Today, we present the seventh and final part of her review. Here, she describes to get what you need to reach the last of the alien buildings you'll need to get into. You'll finally be able to deal with a certain problem that's been attracting a certain kind of monster to you for a while. And not every creature you meet is out to get you. Finally, there's what to get for the last big thing you'll need to make: the escape rocket that allows you to leave the planet and win the game.

Read Rita's reader submission in Other Grids, MMOs, and Games.

Reader Submitted: Game Review - Subnautica, Part Six

For the past few weeks, Rita Mariner has been doing reader submitted articles on the aquatic survival game Subnautica. In earlier chapters, she described getting started and then going out beyond your initial area. In this story, Rita describes what could be called the end of the middle part of the game, in which there's just one more kind of resource left to gather. Getting to it however means braving some dangers and some strategy.

Read Rita's reader submission in Other Grids, MMOs, and Games.

Reader Submitted: Game Review - Subnautica, Part Five

Rita Mariner has been doing reader-submitted articles about a new favorite game of hers: the ocean-based survival game of Subnautica. In earlier parts of the series, she wrote about what to do at the start and the middle part of the game. Part five is about what do do when getting to the Lost River, having to deal with acidic spots and still more powerful creatures.

Read Rita's reader submission in Other Grids, MMOs, and Games.

Reader Submitted: Game Review - Subnautica, Part Four

Rita Mariner has been doing reader submissions on the ocean-based survival game Subnautica. In earlier chapters, she described getting started and then going out beyond your initial area. In the fourth article of her series, having just gotten the "Prawn suit," you'll be able to dive deeper. You'll be needing to, to find more resources and more blueprints to things that you'll need. But to get the rewards, you'll have to go through the risks of monsters and hostile environments, all while keeping an eye on your oxygen supply.

Read Rita's reader submission in Other Grids, MMOs, and Games.

Reader Submitted: Game Review - Subnautica, Part Three

Rita Mariner has been sending in reader submitted articles about the undersea survival game Subnautica. In her third story, which takes place in the middle part of the game, she describes how as your character progresses, your end goal of escaping the planet is within sight. Unfortunately, a nasty surprise is discovered that threatens your ability to realize that.

Read Rita's reader submission in Other Grids, MMOs, and Games.

Reader Submitted: Game Review - Subnautica, Part Two

Last week, Rita Mariner sent in her first of a number of reader submitted articles about Subnautica. Subnautica is a single player survival game taking place in an ocean of an alien planet. In Part Two, she describes what happens after the beginning part of the game as you venture further from where your life pod landed. As you explore more and gather more resources, you become able to build better tools. But you will be needing them to face greater dangers.

Read Rita's reader submission in Other Grids, MMOs, and Games.

Reader Submitted: Game Review Subnautica

With most popular survival games these days, your biggest enemy is other players, usually in some jungle or forest. Not so in Subnautica. This survival game takes place in an environment not often seen in gaming: underwater. The game is also has only a single player mode, so the only things after you are hostile species of wildlife, and the elements, and your thirst and hunger. Newser reader Rita Maniner has been playing the game, and recently sent what will hopefully be the first of a few reader submissions on it.

Read Rita's article in Other Grids, MMOs, and Games.

Ark Survival Evolved Update: New Map, New Version, and Lots of Mods

It's been a little over a year since I last wrote about Ark Survival Evolved. In that time, quite a lot has happened. Mods have been introduced to the game to give it interesting and helpful twists. There's a new official map: Ragnarok. There's a new version of the game out: Aberration. And of course there's more dinosaurs to fight or tame. But the game itself remains the same: survive hostile dinosaurs, and in certain servers hostile players, and improve yourself, your tools and weapons, and your home base.

Read more in Other Grids, MMOs, and Games.