Author: tomgoldrick

  • Apex Legends Brings Classic Deathmatch Legitimacy to the Battle Royale

    Apex Legends Brings Classic Deathmatch Legitimacy to the Battle Royale

    Boy howdy, Apex Legends is fun!

    This is coming from a stalwart opponent of games like Fortnite, Day-Z, and other battle royales. I don’t touch the stuff. I’d rather play Counter Strike 1.6 any day of the week.

    I hope that helps explain some of my surprise when I downloaded a first-person battle royale looter shooter on my PS4 and had a blast despite losing over and over.

    I was immediately brought back to days of old when I used to grind matches of counter strike, team fortress classic, and unreal tournament. Fast movement, map knowledge, and twitch aiming were key and I felt right at home. Sure, the PlayStation controller is about as wieldy as a bag of lobsters taped to an etch-a-sketch, but with a few adjustments, even a seasoned PC player can feel comfortable (note: not ideal, just comfortable).

    What I’m perhaps most impressed by is how Apex Legends has taken the best aspects of several subgenres of first-person shooter while maintaining a tight focus on gunplay and twitch precision. Somehow, Respawn was able to take the character class system from Overwatch (arguably Team Fortress), the drop-in Battle Royale system from H1Z1 (or whichever one did it first), and the shooting and mobility from Titanfall and make an amazing free-to-play game. Each playable “legend” feels unique and interesting, but none feel like a crutch for players who can’t hit the side of a barn with a bazooka. Despite all of its strategic depth, each match of Apex Legends still essentially boils down to who can shoot each other in the head best. For me, that’s a huge plus, as weird as it sounds.

    I hope I don’t make it seem like Apex is simply an amalgamation of other games’ best features. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. What Apex Legends does is take some of the best aspects of several different games, strip away all of the rotten parts, and improve on the formula in new and interesting ways. Part treasure hunt, part old school deathmatch shooter, Apex Legends is the only battle royale I gleefully recommend.

    So far, my favorite aspect of Apex is its communication features, which is new for me. Being able to mute all VOIP activity and still communicate effectively through the ping system is a godsend for someone like me who plays without headphones and generally hates hearing other people’s voices when I play. Without this feature, I simply would not play this game. Now, if only I could mute all VOIP activity before the match even starts to avoid having randos yell racial slurs at me during character select.

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    That isn’t to say that EA’s Free-to-play Battle Royale doesn’t have its own flaws. Uneven hitboxes, inconsistent gun balance, and a potentially stale map layout are a few I can name off the top of my head, but I have confidence that Respawn will improve and iterate on their success from here. New legends, rebalanced skills and guns, and alterations to the map will go a long way towards revitalizing the player base and give gamers a reason to stay indoors this spring.

    Are you playing Apex Legends? If so, are you playing on PC or console? I’m curious because I play on both and have friends who play on both and may end up writing an article on the differences between the two in the future and would love any different perspectives. Feel free to let me know in the comments below.

     

     

  • Bonnaroo 2018 – Day 3: Who’s On What? Where is That? Is This “This” Tent?

    Bonnaroo 2018 – Day 3: Who’s On What? Where is That? Is This “This” Tent?

    Friday is usually the day that everyone starts to settle in and get comfortable with Bonnaroo. Newbies finally get a handle on the names of Tents and how the campground is broken up into distinct Pods. The crowd gets bigger as more locals and fashionably late attendees begin to filter in. Everyone is setting up for the first wall to wall, action-packed day of the festival.

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    Our Friday plans looked something like this: Japanese Breakfast at 2:15, Arizona at 3:15, Sheryl Crow at 4:15, then Denzel Curry at 5:15, Paramore at 6:15, Sturgill Simpson at 8:15, Khalid at 9:30, Muse at 10:30, then wrapping it up with Bassnectar at 12 and Chromeo at 1:15 AM. Needless to say, it was a lot and I didn’t get to see half of it. Such is the way of the jam-packed music festival.

    Depending on how my night went, I usually end up skipping the first one or two acts of the day and depending on my plans for the next morning, I may skip the last act of the night, especially if they start after midnight. That means that Japanese Breakfast and Arizona were off the table, as well as Chromeo. I ended up making it to Sheryl Crow, but the combo of a lack of shade at the main stage and the Tennesee heat at 4 PM created some serious issues for heat exhaustion. My girlfriend and I had to take it easy for the next few hours to cool down and rejuvenate, meaning we missed out on most of Denzel Curry. We went back to our camp around then but were able to hear most of Paramore’s set from there thanks to being in Pod 3 and having a direct channel to What stage.

    We passed on T-Pain to hang out with our friends at camp, but I had to go in to see Sturgill Simpson. Thankfully, it was one of the best sets of the entire festival. He really killed it, which helped make my decision easier to see him a few months later in Mansfield with Willy Nelson so much easier. That man can play the guitar like nothing else.

    At this point, my girlfriend and I had gone our separate ways. I suspect she went to see Khalid, but we met up again for Muse, which was another stellar show. I know they get a lot of flack for sounding samey, but a similar sounding band can still rock the hell out of a show. Here’s a little clip from their set on my Instagram.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BkP-N5SnCGj/

    From there, we ended up grouping with some of our other friends for Bassnectar. Now, I’m not a huge EDM fan, but I always find I enjoy their shows at festivals thanks to the pageantry of it all. Giant light shows, blaring music, and a sea of excentric festival goers all combine to create a dream-like scene of sights and sounds. Check out of some of the set on my Instagram below.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BuB0ivtnf2i/

    For first time Bonnaroovians, here are a few tips for how to get the most out of your non-festival hours (if they exist), sleep, and staying hydrated.

    • Sleep When You’re Dead: is not a healthy attitude to take towards music festivals. I’ve seen plenty of people go HAM on day one or two and then crash for the rest of the week, ultimately having an awful time. Instead, I suggest you go hard from around 2PM to around 2AM. If Kalliope is your thing, you may need to move it closer to the AM by a few hours, but ultimately, this schedule will give you all of the time you need to explore the festival, see the shows you want to see, and get the sleep you need to get to keep going for 5 days straight.
    • Hydrate or Die-drate: Drink lots of water, always keep a water bottle with you, and remember to catch some shade if you’re getting too warm. Tennessee in June can be really harsh, especially in an open field with 80,000 other people. Luckily, Bonnaroo is great at ensure that clean water is available all around the festival grounds. Keep your map on you to know exactly where the closest water fountain is to you.
    • Eat Food: Humans can’t survive on salvia and coffee grounds alone. Instead, try eating some food. It’s good for you. Also, you’ll like it a lot. Trust me.
    • Drink/Act Responsibly: Make sure you pace yourself, kiddo. This is day 1 and you have two other days to go, not to mention your trip home. You’ve got plenty of time to become a swamp donkey over the weekend. Save it for then. (I’m considering leaving this note up for the rest of the blog. It’s important to keep in mind.)

    Next week, I’ll cover what happened on Saturday and provide some tips for how to stray off the beaten path and find unique experiences on the Farm. If you’d be interested in reading more about my experiences traveling and visiting music festivals, feel free to shoot me a comment to let me know.

  • Bonnaroo 2018 – Day 2: First Day of Bonnaroo Proper

    Bonnaroo 2018 – Day 2: First Day of Bonnaroo Proper

    Although move-in day was amazing last year, Bonnaroo didn’t officially start until Thursday. Despite what you might think, the first day of Bonnaroo is usually pretty mellow. Everyone who moved in early had a crazy time the night prior and everyone who moved in on Thursday is tired from moving in. The gates to Centeroo opened around noonish, giving attendees something to look forward to as they tried to cure hangovers and catch some delicious food before going in.

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    Thankfully, mellow was the name of the game for my Thursday plans. I didn’t have any shows I specifically wanted to see until 8:45 PM, which was a blessing because it allowed my girlfriend and me to wander Centeroo aimlessly for a while discovering new bands and side attractions.

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    We ended up seeing Frenship at the This Tent, then Flor at the On Tap Lounge, Elohim at the This Tent and Pigeons Playing Pings Pongs at the That Tent to round out the night. We saw Flor just a month or so prior in Providence at The Strand, so it was cool to see them again up close and personal. They even ended up covering a Post Malone song, much to my girlfriend’s delight. You can watch a part of that song on my Instagram below.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/Bjv1KDjHu2J/

    In general, I would always suggest that a new festival goer, especially someone interested in going to Bonnaroo, set their expectations very specifically. You will never be able to see all of the bands you want to see unless you have a very limited scope. That means that you need to be flexible and willing to let things go if circumstances require it. I didn’t have much on my list of bands I “needed” to see on Thursday, yet Elohim and Pigeons ended up being two of my favorite finds from the festival so I’m glad we took things easy and explored.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BkLPJj0gSdh/

    For first time Bonnaroovians, here are a few tips for how to survive the first day in Centeroo without burning out or losing out on too much:

    • Hold On To Your Schedule: You may be able to remember the times and stages for all of the bands you want to see, but what about everything else that’s going on? Keep your schedule handy so you can jump around from event to event without missing a beat, even if you don’t know who anyone is.
    • Not All Who Wander: When all else fails, do not be afraid to wander around and get lost for a bit. The best things from Bonnaroo are born from spontaneity. You can always follow your map or signage back to where you want to be if you actually get lost.
    • Food Trucks: While festival food is notoriously overpriced and under satisfying, some of the food trucks that frequent Bonnaroo buck that trend. If you can find it, grab some good grub while you listen to sweet tunes.
    • Drink/Act Responsibly: Make sure you pace yourself, kiddo. This is day 1 and you have three other days to go, not to mention your trip home. You’ve got plenty of time to become a swamp donkey over the weekend. Save it for then.

    Next week, I’ll cover what happened on Friday and provide some tips for how to pace yourself through a festival. If you’d be interested in reading more about my experiences traveling and visiting music festivals, feel free to shoot me a comment to let me know.

  • Bonnaroo 2018 – Day 1: Move-In & The Great Fire of 2018

    Bonnaroo 2018 – Day 1: Move-In & The Great Fire of 2018

    Traveling from our cabin to the local Walmart in Tennessee is part of our yearly Bonnaroo ritual. The parking lot fills to the brim with festival goers and locals alike, creating an interesting mix of hippy aesthetics clashing with the southern backdrop. If you’re not in the network of people tracking official notifications on their phones, it’s just as easy to wait in Walmart for the crowd to start moving if you want to get in the front of the line to get in on Wednesday.

    “Good morning, Manchester Walmart!”

    In reality, what pod you end up in is kind of a crapshoot. You can do your best to get there early and line up on the highway, but there will always be people ahead of you and there will always be the chance that you will get the best spot of your life and the worst festival experience or vice versa. Shout outs to pod 10 in 2015. You should go in with the attitude that you get what you get and you make of it what you will. Any other strategy will result in disappointment eventually.

    Case in point: the first thing we ran into after getting into Bonnaroo was seeing the Great Fire of 2018.

    Our first impression was that we were going to have to pack up all of the things that we had just unpacked because the festival was canceled. How could a fire that big not be bad news? Well, thanks to Reddit, we found out that it was actually an automotive plant that was on fire, not Bonnaroo itself. With that mystery solved, we proceeded to unpack our stuff and set up camp.

    I always suggest moving in on Wednesday if you get the chance. Not only is it less of a hassle, but you get a full day to explore the campgrounds, vendors, and the secret sets/smaller shows that pop up in the pod tents.

    Last year, I spent most of the evening in the House of Yes’ barn near Pod 3. The House of Yes is a Brooklyn-based theatre production that set up in their campground venue and was promoting their dress rehearsals on Wednesday. I went in expecting a dress rehearsal and instead got one of the most entertaining experiences of the whole week. Here’s a little taste from my Instagram. 

    https://www.instagram.com/p/Bjtb8IdnQ2C/

    Needless to say, Wednesday was a resounding success! Not only did we see one of the best shows of the event at the House of Yes, but we also had the chance to relax after setting up camp and enjoyed a few leisurely walks through the campgrounds. If you can take the extra day off, arriving on Wednesday will make your entire Bonnaroo experience better.

    Next week, I will go over what happened on Thursday, the first official day of Bonnaroo proper. My goal is to have a post for each day of the festival and then one for our trip home.

    For those curious, here are a few tips for moving in and setting up camp at Bonnaroo:

    • Follow Instructions: Don’t be a jerk to the volunteer staff and always follow instructions.
    • Claim Your Ground: Once your vehicle is parked, get out and unpack your biggest stuff first. This will help claim the ground around your car, just in case nearby attendees feel inclined to encroach on your space. It’s always a good idea to radiate positivity, but there are also practical things you can do to make your experience better.
    • Set Up A Marker: Unless your vehicle is a giant neon orange truck, you may want to set up some sort of land mark or flag for your campsite. This will especially help at 4 AM when you and your friends are crawling back to bed.
    • Check Your Exhaust: Unless you brought a separate generator, you may need to turn on your vehicle to charge batteries, etc. In that case, you want to ensure that our exhaust is not blocked or headed straight into someone else’s camp/tent. The way that Bonnaroo has been setting up camp lately, this is less of an issue, but it is always a good thing to check on just in case.
    • Secure Your Valueables: Yea, yeah… radiate positivity and all, but also lock up your crap. I have been robbed at Bonnaroo before (nothing more than a few bucks, but still a bummer). Lock your valuables in your vehicle if possible.
    • Get Some Rest: This is especially true if you’ve just finished a 1,500 mile road trip to Tennessee. Your legs are going to thank you for it in the long run.

    If you’d be interested in reading more about my experiences traveling and visiting music festivals, feel free to shoot me a comment to let me know.

  • On the “Do the Thing” Mentality or On Unremarkable Advice

    On the “Do the Thing” Mentality or On Unremarkable Advice

    When I venture into the unknown territory of a new hobby, my first course of action is to gather up and subscribe to as many relevant newsletters, email reminders, and social media outlets that produce quality content on the subject as possible. Writing wasn’t any different for me in this regard. I was immediately drawn to Medium as a great toolkit for honing my skills and learning from other writers. Little did I know just how much unremarkable advice about writing is out there.

    The “Do the Thing” mentality, movement, whatever you want to call it, works under the basic premise that success comes to those who work hard and believe in themselves. All one needs to do is “do the thing” and all their problems will wash away and their true life’s calling will be revealed.

    The trick is that life’s just not that simple.

    So, you can imagine my surprise when my email inbox was suddenly filled with headlines like “How Writing Everyday Helped Change My Life” and “5 Habits from Successful Writers” despite neither of those articles offering any actionable advice or information other than “Writing good! Do the thing!” For those looking for actual, factual advice, there is plenty of fantastic writing advice floating around the web, you just have to know where to look. In this case, I prefer to stay away from these vapid, faux-motivational fluff pieces that serve only to inflate their author’s ego and needlessly fill up your inbox.

    Here is a good rule of thumb if you want to quickly and easily identify a piece of unremarkable advice:

    Is the lion’s share of the article’s content summed up in the headline without any additional information that might help better illustrate the author’s point of view?

    Ding, ding, ding!

    Underneath it all, it’s undeniable how relatable these articles are. Humans happen to like things that relate specifically to them and their experiences, so it makes sense that there would be a market for articles that do little but offer a brief, albeit overtly circle-jerky, reprieve from staring at a blank page, wracked with writer’s block.

    “Writing good! Do the thing!”

    After the fourth or fifth article like this, it starts to feel more like a pep talk after an exhaustive hot yoga session rather than a clarion call to aspiring authors to pursue their passions.