The Division - 3 Tips to How To Level Up to 25 in 6 hours

I must admit for $15 The Division is a great game.  I'm late to the movement for this game, but I came at the perfect moment.  From what my co-op partners tell me, the new DLC just hit and new content is available for the first time for everyone. That being said, it's a new game for everyone 2 years after it's release.  I'll get straight to the point and not tease you.  Here is how you can level up to 25 in 6 hours.

1.  Make friends with a high level player - I want to stress this more than anything. You can level up fast by co-op with higher level players b/c the experience you get from complete missions on their level will jump your level up anywhere from 1 to 5 levels.  I rolled with someone level 30 when I was level 5.  In 2 hours, I was level 18. 

2.  Optimize your gear - I really didn't pay attention to this, and that was the reason I died quick.  Try to get your toughness and DPS at least to 10,000 and have all your armor gear at least at 75.  Watch what mods you get b/c some will give you resistance and bonus that will give you a real advantage.

3. Don't go into the Dark Zone alone - I don't care if you're 1 or 30, you'll never defeat the dark zone alone.  I had people betray me in the dark zone and steal my loot, so be careful who you partner with as well.  Folks are sick and sadistic in the DZ.  The DZ is worth it, b/c you can get rare gear in there that will give you an advantage early on.

I hear a lot of  hard core video gamers brag about spending real money/cash to get rare cache's and unlock features in the game.  I don't see the point when you can get to the same levels with a little extra effort or intelligence. Remember, it's expensive to be dumb.  Don't spend cash to get an advantage with the Division when you can exploit the game mechanics.

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Stardew Valley Top 10 Tips and Tricks for Console

If you're a couch potato like me during the holidays, then you have found a good game to invest 10 or 24 hours of your vacation time.  For me, I have found this highly addicted game called Stardew Valley.

I paid like $20 for the game, and it was well worth the invest.  This game has everything: dating/marriage simulator, exploration, farming, city build, tower defense, level up, fighting, shooting, and trading.  The sole purpose of this game is to grow crops on your grandfather's farm and get along with the citizens in the nearby town.

I have played through the game a few times, so I will give you 10 tricks and tips to get be successful on the game.

1.  Unlock the Community Center and take note of all the crops or resources townsfolk requested.  Basically this is your cheat sheet for which crops are worth growing each season and which resources are valuable in the game.

2. Hold off on Getting Married/ Be good friends first.  I'm not saying be a player, but I will say keep your options open.  Most character have recipes or give good gifts one you reach level 7 friendship.  The only character that I befriended that was a waste of time was Maru.  I gave her a lot of gifts but she never gave anything back even up to level 10 friendship.  I married Emily, but she did not do much as a wife.

3. Use staircases to go deeper into the mines.  I was fighting and mining level by level, and I completely forgot that a staircase can take me to the next level.

4. Click on the journal when it's past 2 AM.  No joke.  You can click on the journal and it will give you an extra 15 minutes in game time to get to your home without the penalty.  If you stay out past 2 AM, then you will pass out and will be found by a citizen or JoJo Mart Representative without most of your money and items.

5. Upgrade your equipment in the off seasons when it's not useful. In the fall or summer upgrade your Ax.  In the winter upgrade your water can and hoe.

6. Check the bulletin board to gain extra cash and friendship points.  Citizens will for extra items that you have or seasonal items you can obtain.

7. Fishing and foraging are your best sources of income - Basically you can fish and get a quick $1000 in a day.  Foraging for will berry or items can net good money in pinch.  Also, you don't have to wait until the end of the day to put items in the chest for sell.  Pierre buy most goods, and Willy will buy most fishing goods.

8. Make Scarecrow ASAP - The crows will eat your seeds without a scarecrow.  Note that the scarecrow range is 8 x 8 so make sure you are covered.

9. Make a Silo ASAP and don't cut down grass until the Fall - If you have chickens, ducks or cows, then the animals will eat the grass and you won't have to feed them $50 hay bells every day.  Those hay bells will become costly in the winter.  I don't know if you're animals die if you don't feed them for a while, but I do know they will not produce product when they're hungry or irritated. Don't forget to feed your animals on rainy or snow days.  Also no grass in the winter, so get a Silo asap and start stocking up on hay.

10.  Pace yourself - Don't grow too much too soon or raise too many animals.  Too many crops to tend to means you have water them everyday and tend to them.  Too many animal mean you have to feed all them, and in the winter that will be costly when you run out of hay.

Bonus - Marnie and the Mayor are having an affair.  You can collect evidence such as the Mayor's underwear in Marnie's room.  It's a little joke developers put in there for gamers who don't pay attention to the items they collect and why its collected

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Street Fighter 5: Tips and Tricks To Get Ahead of the Competition

"Ryu, you'll never find the answer you are seeking if you just proceed blindly.  Take some time, stop and think on your path.  Ponder where you've been and ultimately, where your fist will lead you."
     ~Gouken

"I understand that Master.  I'm going to work harder, and I'm going to get stronger!
     ~Ryu

For those of you that want to come and try your hand at being a Master of Martial arts in Street Fighter V, then here is a few tips and tricks to get you ahead of the competition.

Birdie for the Win
If you're like me and you spam those projectile moves or hit knee kicks until you chip away at an invincible opponent, then you will appreciate these tricks and tips.  In order to get the maximum return on your investment of learning character moves list then play as Birdie.  He has a lot of health and hard hitting moves that are simple to learn.  Half circle backwards or forward will do a lot of damage.

V-Gauge and Reversals
In Street Fighter 5, Capcom have introduced a new bar that sits on top of your EX Meter. The V-Gauge builds up as you lose health, so characters with low health (such as Nash) are able to build their V-Gauge up quicker than a more robust character like Birdie. This can be used for a lot of stuff, but one of the most useful utilization of the V-Gauge is a V-Reversal. This move can be executed by pushing forward and all three punches (or kicks, depending on the character) at once. It can be used in a pinch to escape from deadly combos, provided you're already blocking.

Don't Jump!
For some players. it can be tempting to jump forward into an opponent and open a combo. However, this can leave you incredibly vulnerable and open to a 'punish,' a combo specifically designed to take you down when your opponent sees an opening in your defenses. Most characters have a specific anti-air move that can shut you down immediately. It's a tough habit to break but once you gain full control over movement you'll be playing much better.



V-Trigger
Another use for the V-Gauge are V-Triggers, a mode that powers your character up and can grant new abilities that can change the tide of battle. This is not a comeback mechanic like the revenge meter in Street Fighter 4, which was used for instant, high damage Ultra combos. Instead, the V-Trigger activates more special abilities for your character; play around with different characters to find your favorite V-Triggers and understand the trump cards that your opponent can throw at you. My personal favorite is Ryu's Denjin Renki, which enables you to charge your Hadoken, and at full strength can break through shields and build up your Critical Arts meter to gain access to your super move more quickly.

                                     

Train in between matches
You can enable Training mode in between matches to ensure you always remain concentrated and ready to fight at any time. Spend that time breaking down your character: what normal attacks connect into each other? What could be a good 'poke' to keep distance? Keep these things in mind while in training mode, as when you fight against an enemy, every single piece of information is useful to you.

Things like knowing to do a light punch with a long range could take your opponent out of a combo, and give you an opportunity to fight back. Keep exploring your character in Training mode; the benefits will surely help you in the long term.



It's all about that space, no trouble
It's not a good idea to rush into your opponent, mashing every button as you move. Keep an eye on what they do when the round starts, try to predict what they might be about to do, or what they're trying to make you react to. The space in between the characters is the key to planning out strategies. Many characters have a projectile move that can be used to keep this buffer between you and your opponent, and you should only rush in when you can combo and keep the pressure on your opponent up. When they start to fight back it's called a 'trade' - when this happens it's usually best to put up that barrier of space around you again and recuperate from the assault.

Don't Starve: Shipwreck Tips and Tricks

I didn't have a chance to play Don't Starve: Reign of Giants DLC, so this expansion was an interesting new adventure for me to dive into for my free weekend.

First of all Don't Starve: Shipwreck is for the hardcore survivalist gamers only. Aside from the obvious of being stuck on an island alone, there are some new features that worthy of your investment.  There are 100s of new items, recipes, resources, and enemies. My favorite new feature is the ability to travel from island to island in a boat or raft. You can fish, use nets, and traps while on the boat.

Each new season brings longer nights and shorter days, mixed with adverse weather like hurricane winds and rainy weather that affect your health and sanity. Being wet or cold can seriously decrease your sanity meter, and you will start random fires or start to see shadow creatures that will try to kill you. Learning which shelters and outfits to wear will improve your survival rate.

In previous versions of Don't Starve, food and building resources limitations were the greatest challenge.  Now that you can get in a boat and sail to a better opportunity, that's the least of your concerns.  The biggest challenging feature of Don't Starve: Shipwreck is maintaining your sanity and not getting poisoned.

In order to survive here are the best two tips.  In order to maintain your sanity, here is a good tip. Make a crock-pot. Then find a jungle tree grove, and chop down the tallest tree in order to get a banana bushel.  Once the stormy weather starts, collect the hail that drops.  Add a bushel of bananas, two pieces of ice/hail, and a stick into the crock-pot.  Your new recipe should grant you a banana Popsicle which will restore your health, food meter, and give you 30 sanity.Also, in order to take on the poisonous creatures and tree guards, instead of making the wood armor, find the recipe for the seashell armor which is invincible.

Thank me later, lol.  With the right tools and resources you can over come any challenges.  I'm glad I can help my fellow video game hobbiest.