Well I am off to a flying start for Diablo 3 season 10. For this season, I decided to play a witch doctor again. I had this whole week off from work so I was able to play lots of Diablo. I am now sitting at over 600 paragon level and I reached my goal of greater rift 70. It is important to reach this greater rift level because at greater rift 70, this is when you unlock the ability to find primal legendaries. Primal legendaries are just like ancient legendaries but have the max stats on any given item. I haven't found any primal legendaries yet but I am hoping to find at least one this season. I also managed to complete the destroyer seasonal journey and I am very close to finishing the conqueror season journey already.
Gearing up my witch doctor has been fairly successful so far. With the Haedrig's gift, you can get the Zunimassa's set, which is pretty powerful. I was playing with the Zuni set for a while but I switched over to the Helltooth set once I found all the Helltooth items and a Sacred Harvester. One of the luckiest re-roll was when a re-rolled my Sacred Harvester. It managed to re-roll into a ancient version on my very first try. I also found a real good ancient Mask of Jeram. These two items made it very easy for me to quickly climb up the greater rift rankings. Unfortunately, I haven't found any ancient Helltooth items yet and I am working my way to finding these items. The only items that are ancient right now are my weapon, my off-hand, one of my rings, my helm and my amulet. I think I need to keep doing regular rifts and greater rifts to maximize the chances of finding more ancient items.
Also this week, I managed to get some BlizzCon tickets. I got mine on Wednesday and I am very happy about going to BlizzCon again this year. I decided to fly out on a Thursday so that I won't have to waste time doing stuff in Anaheim. I usually fly out on a Wednesday (it was a Tuesday last year) so that I could spend time going to Disneyland or something. I already booked my flight and my hotel so the vacation is pretty much set up. This year I am hoping some of my guildies come to BlizzCon with me. I got some extra tickets so I am hoping that they will be going.
Sunday, April 9, 2017
Sunday, March 19, 2017
Diablo 3 Season 9 Review
Well season 9 of Diablo 3 just ended and I wanted to write a review of what I accomplished this season. My main focus for playing this season was to play the crusader since I hadn't played with the crusader since season 4. I ended up doing pretty good overall for this season. I managed to reach paragon level 812, which put me in the top 1000 of all hardcore US players. It was pretty amazing to reach paragon level 812 since I only play solo. This is also amazing in that I reached the same paragon level that I did in season 7. I spent about 134 hours in total this season, which is about the same time I put in during season 8. My top greater rift clear was a greater rift level 71, which was rank 295 for hardcore crusaders.
I was mostly playing the Legacy of Nightmare (LoN) Bombardment crusader. I was playing with the Invoker's set at the beginning but my first crusader died pretty early. The LoN bomb crusader is pretty easy to play with since it doesn't involve much button mashing. It is pretty difficult to gear for and you do unfortunately take a lot damage with it. It really feels different from the witch doctor (which I normally play) since you are more worried about the damage you are taking instead of trying to maximize your damage output. Overall, the grinding aspect was pretty easy since all you needed to do was some lower greater rifts or normal T11 rifts. These took very little time (I'd say about 5 minutes each) because with the speed boosts from your mount and you are only really concerned about killing elites. I did have a lot fun playing with the LoN bomb crusader because back when I played Diablo 2, I played a lot of the conversion-thorn paladin and this kind of reminded me of that. I kind of wanted to play with the Blessed Hammer crusader but it ended up being too squishy for me. I think the damage output of the Blessed Hammer build is fine but managing the damage input is pretty hard.
Overall, I am pretty happy of what I accomplished this season. I ended up finishing the Destroyer seasonal journey and I almost finished the Conqueror seasonal journey. The Conqueror seasonal journey rewards you with the extra stash space but since I already managed to get all my extra stash space, completing the Conqueror seasonal journey wasn't on my to-do list. My overall paragon level now sits at 1239 and my main goal right now is clean up my stash space. It is a real big mess right now because I have all kinds of gear for my witch doctor, my crusader, my demon hunter, my monk and my wizard. For season 10, I am thinking of playing a witch doctor again since with this new season, there is going to be primal ancients and those are pieces of gear that I really, really want. I wouldn't playing a different class (like the Wizard or the Barbarian) but I will probably stick with the witch doctor. The new Necromancer class should be available to play in season 11 or 12 so I will probably be playing that when season 11 or 12 starts. I hope everyone had a fun season 9 and good luck to those playing in season 10.
I was mostly playing the Legacy of Nightmare (LoN) Bombardment crusader. I was playing with the Invoker's set at the beginning but my first crusader died pretty early. The LoN bomb crusader is pretty easy to play with since it doesn't involve much button mashing. It is pretty difficult to gear for and you do unfortunately take a lot damage with it. It really feels different from the witch doctor (which I normally play) since you are more worried about the damage you are taking instead of trying to maximize your damage output. Overall, the grinding aspect was pretty easy since all you needed to do was some lower greater rifts or normal T11 rifts. These took very little time (I'd say about 5 minutes each) because with the speed boosts from your mount and you are only really concerned about killing elites. I did have a lot fun playing with the LoN bomb crusader because back when I played Diablo 2, I played a lot of the conversion-thorn paladin and this kind of reminded me of that. I kind of wanted to play with the Blessed Hammer crusader but it ended up being too squishy for me. I think the damage output of the Blessed Hammer build is fine but managing the damage input is pretty hard.
Overall, I am pretty happy of what I accomplished this season. I ended up finishing the Destroyer seasonal journey and I almost finished the Conqueror seasonal journey. The Conqueror seasonal journey rewards you with the extra stash space but since I already managed to get all my extra stash space, completing the Conqueror seasonal journey wasn't on my to-do list. My overall paragon level now sits at 1239 and my main goal right now is clean up my stash space. It is a real big mess right now because I have all kinds of gear for my witch doctor, my crusader, my demon hunter, my monk and my wizard. For season 10, I am thinking of playing a witch doctor again since with this new season, there is going to be primal ancients and those are pieces of gear that I really, really want. I wouldn't playing a different class (like the Wizard or the Barbarian) but I will probably stick with the witch doctor. The new Necromancer class should be available to play in season 11 or 12 so I will probably be playing that when season 11 or 12 starts. I hope everyone had a fun season 9 and good luck to those playing in season 10.
Sunday, March 5, 2017
Vacation Spots that I want to go to
I have a total of 5 weeks of vacation time this year and I wanted to use some of that time to go to different place. Lately, I have been going to BlizzCon, which is in Anaheim, California. I was hoping to go somewhere different this time (although I might end up going to BlizzCon again). The following is my list of places that I would like to go:
1) Hawaii
I have always wanted to go to Hawaii for a very long time. The warm temperature and the beaches are definitely some of the features that I would like to experience. I have done snorkeling in the past and I want to do it again. I am a pretty good swimmer and I like to spend my time sitting out in the sun. I know there are many more outdoor activities in Hawaii and I would love to spend time doing those activities. I don't know which island I would go to but I will eventually have to spend some time researching for a vacation spot. My family have always talked about going to Hawaii but we have never went. I feel this year is a good time to vacation there.
2) Mexico
Other than Hawaii, I would really like to go to Mexico (somewhere on the coast) to experience the same feature as Hawaii. I think places like Cabo San Lucas or Cancun might be good vacation spots for me. Also, I have heard nice things about Puerto Vallarta. Either way, it might be exciting to experience some Mexican culture.
3) Japan
I have been to Japan several times (I think like 5 times). The last time I went there was in 2008, just to see Juno Reactor perform at the Fuji Rock Festival. I am itching to go back to Japan again because I know that Japan is ever changing and I don't think I would recognize all the changes since I visited Japan. I have family living there in Japan so housing won't be an issue. There are lots of good restaurants and shops that I would like see again. The only downside is that the flight to Japan is super long (over 10 hours).
4) Toronto, Ontario
Since my brother is living out in St. Catherines, Ontario, I would like to visit him out there and see what Ontario is like. St. Catherines is very close to Toronto and also Niagara Falls. There isn't much of a reason other than to see my brother and maybe see Niagara Falls.
5) U.S.
Like I stated before, I wouldn't mind going to Anaheim, California again for BlizzCon. I really have a lot fun while I am at Anaheim, although it is harder and harder to find things to do while I am there. I wouldn't mind seeing other parts of the US, such as San Diego or Portland. I prefer staying somewhere on West Coast, since it is pretty convenient to travel to those spots. People have suggested going to Las Vegas, but that doesn't tempt me too much.
Some other vacation spots that I once considered are Australia, Europe and the Caribbean Islands. Those spots are off my list right now because they are too far away from where I live and it might be really expensive to go there. Maybe when I retire I will consider these places but for right now, the top 5 places that I want to go are Hawaii, Mexico, Japan, Ontario and the U.S.
1) Hawaii
I have always wanted to go to Hawaii for a very long time. The warm temperature and the beaches are definitely some of the features that I would like to experience. I have done snorkeling in the past and I want to do it again. I am a pretty good swimmer and I like to spend my time sitting out in the sun. I know there are many more outdoor activities in Hawaii and I would love to spend time doing those activities. I don't know which island I would go to but I will eventually have to spend some time researching for a vacation spot. My family have always talked about going to Hawaii but we have never went. I feel this year is a good time to vacation there.
2) Mexico
Other than Hawaii, I would really like to go to Mexico (somewhere on the coast) to experience the same feature as Hawaii. I think places like Cabo San Lucas or Cancun might be good vacation spots for me. Also, I have heard nice things about Puerto Vallarta. Either way, it might be exciting to experience some Mexican culture.
3) Japan
I have been to Japan several times (I think like 5 times). The last time I went there was in 2008, just to see Juno Reactor perform at the Fuji Rock Festival. I am itching to go back to Japan again because I know that Japan is ever changing and I don't think I would recognize all the changes since I visited Japan. I have family living there in Japan so housing won't be an issue. There are lots of good restaurants and shops that I would like see again. The only downside is that the flight to Japan is super long (over 10 hours).
4) Toronto, Ontario
Since my brother is living out in St. Catherines, Ontario, I would like to visit him out there and see what Ontario is like. St. Catherines is very close to Toronto and also Niagara Falls. There isn't much of a reason other than to see my brother and maybe see Niagara Falls.
5) U.S.
Like I stated before, I wouldn't mind going to Anaheim, California again for BlizzCon. I really have a lot fun while I am at Anaheim, although it is harder and harder to find things to do while I am there. I wouldn't mind seeing other parts of the US, such as San Diego or Portland. I prefer staying somewhere on West Coast, since it is pretty convenient to travel to those spots. People have suggested going to Las Vegas, but that doesn't tempt me too much.
Some other vacation spots that I once considered are Australia, Europe and the Caribbean Islands. Those spots are off my list right now because they are too far away from where I live and it might be really expensive to go there. Maybe when I retire I will consider these places but for right now, the top 5 places that I want to go are Hawaii, Mexico, Japan, Ontario and the U.S.
Sunday, February 19, 2017
Remix the Remixes
What I love about music lately is the amount of remixes done to the original music. I especially love a good remix since it offers something else from the original music. What makes a good remix is open to discussion but in my opinion, a good remix will have elements of the original music plus something else that will make it stand out from the original. If the remix doesn't have elements of the original music, the listener won't know if the remix is actually a remix or just an original piece of music. The remix also needs something different from the original music so that listener knows that they are listening to a remix. A good example of this is the remix below. It has both elements of Lucio's music plus music from the Heroes of the Storm. Check it out here:
You can clearly hear both music elements clearly (the faster portion of the music belongs to Lucio's music while the slower music belongs to the music of the Heroes of the Storm). These two music elements is blended together very nicely so that it fits with each other. This remix probably wouldn't have worked if either music portion wasn't sounding too great or if the two combined elements didn't mesh with each other.
There are many remixes that I really love listening to over and over again. One is the remix of Samurai (done by my friend Juan Obando). What he did was add some drums to the original music of Samurai. Since Samurai is already my favorite music, the added drums were a nice bonus to the music. I also love listening to unseung's remixes (especially his Masters of the Universe, Pistolero, God Is God and Navras). Unseung does a wonderful job of putting film quotes (and other various quotes) into the original music. It gives the remix an added depth that wasn't previously there. There are plenty more examples of "good" remixes but I won't try and cover all of them right now (maybe later).
Unfortunately, with "good" remixes, there are also examples of "bad" remixes. Again, I won't try to name these remixes but there are plenty of examples of what I call "bad" remixes. Sometimes the remix will take the original music too far so that the original music gets lost in the remix. Other times, the remix isn't too much different from the original making it hard to differentiate from the original music. Anyways, I always take the time to listen to these remixes, especially when I really liked the original music. I hope one day to learn how to remix a music piece. I have no clue as to how to do it since composing music isn't my thing. I envy anybody that can make a good remix.
You can clearly hear both music elements clearly (the faster portion of the music belongs to Lucio's music while the slower music belongs to the music of the Heroes of the Storm). These two music elements is blended together very nicely so that it fits with each other. This remix probably wouldn't have worked if either music portion wasn't sounding too great or if the two combined elements didn't mesh with each other.
There are many remixes that I really love listening to over and over again. One is the remix of Samurai (done by my friend Juan Obando). What he did was add some drums to the original music of Samurai. Since Samurai is already my favorite music, the added drums were a nice bonus to the music. I also love listening to unseung's remixes (especially his Masters of the Universe, Pistolero, God Is God and Navras). Unseung does a wonderful job of putting film quotes (and other various quotes) into the original music. It gives the remix an added depth that wasn't previously there. There are plenty more examples of "good" remixes but I won't try and cover all of them right now (maybe later).
Unfortunately, with "good" remixes, there are also examples of "bad" remixes. Again, I won't try to name these remixes but there are plenty of examples of what I call "bad" remixes. Sometimes the remix will take the original music too far so that the original music gets lost in the remix. Other times, the remix isn't too much different from the original making it hard to differentiate from the original music. Anyways, I always take the time to listen to these remixes, especially when I really liked the original music. I hope one day to learn how to remix a music piece. I have no clue as to how to do it since composing music isn't my thing. I envy anybody that can make a good remix.
Wednesday, February 8, 2017
Overwatch + NHL mashup
When I play Overwatch, I often think to myself that we have seen these characters before somewhere. These Overwatch characters often have the same characteristics as to other forms of media. One particular mashup that I have seen before is when somebody made a mashup of The Simpsons characters and to various NHL team logos. I have often wondered if this could be done with Overwatch characters and NHL team logos. Although my graphic design isn't the greatest, I managed to do a couple of "paint"-esq (very rough artwork designs) of various Overwatch/NHL team logo mashups. I tried to make the mashup based on the team logo as well as the Overwatch characters design philosophy. Some of these were easy to mashup but others need a little bit of an imagination. These mashups could even be used for the new Overwatch League (hehe). I hope you enjoy these.
1. New Jersey Reapers
This one was real easy to do. Reaper represents pure evil and so does the devil in the New Jersey Devils.
19. Minnesota Bastions
Both are related to the wild (Bastion was found hibernating in the wild).
Overwatch announced their latest hero, Orisa, so I decided to match her up with the NHL's newest team, the Las Vegas Black Knights.
1. New Jersey Reapers
This one was real easy to do. Reaper represents pure evil and so does the devil in the New Jersey Devils.
2. Colorado Meis
Since the Colorado Avalanche represents cold weather, this made sense to mashup with the Mei character.
3. Winnipeg Pharahs
Since both have characteristics of flying (the Winnipeg Jets and Pharah's rocket boost), this was another easy one to do.
4. Los Angeles Reinhardts
"Ah it's good to be king" is something this team might say.
5. Dallas McCrees
They both represent the "cowboy" characteristic. They must play their games at "high noon".
6. Philadelphia Mercys
They are both know for their wings.
7. Boston Roadhogs
Roadhog's face matches nicely with the Boston Bruins logo.
8. Detroit Torbjorns
"For the last time, I'm Swedish!" They both like making things (Torbjorn likes to make turrets, Detroit likes to make cars). I also could have matched Torbjorn to the Calgary Flames since both have small-ish players and his mustache stands out like Lanny McDonald's.
9. Ottawa Soldier 76'ers
Soldier 76's face is much like the Ottawa Senator's face.
17. Columbus D.Vas
D.va has a skin called "b-va", which resembles a bee. A blue jacket is a variant of a bee. (maybe the june bug skin could be called a blue jacket skin?)
18. Edmonton Zenyattas
I guess they both are related to oil?
10. Tampa Bay Hanzos
Hanzo has his storm bow, which is kind of like lightning.
11. Florida Junkrats
Junkrat's face matches nicely with the panther. Also, the Florida Panthers used to have a habit of throwing rats onto the ice after scoring a goal.
Hanzo has his storm bow, which is kind of like lightning.
Junkrat's face matches nicely with the panther. Also, the Florida Panthers used to have a habit of throwing rats onto the ice after scoring a goal.
12. Phoenix Sombras
The coyote is depicted as a trickster, which is what Sombra is.
13. St. Louis Lucios
They are both known for their music.
14. Buffalo Genjis
They both represent swords.
14. Buffalo Genjis
15. Carolina Tracers
Tracer's chronal accelerator is much like Carolina's hurricane.
16. San Jose Winstons
There can be a debate of who has more hair: Winston's Yeti or Brent Burns?
16. San Jose Winstons
17. Columbus D.Vas
D.va has a skin called "b-va", which resembles a bee. A blue jacket is a variant of a bee. (maybe the june bug skin could be called a blue jacket skin?)
18. Edmonton Zenyattas
19. Minnesota Bastions
Both are related to the wild (Bastion was found hibernating in the wild).
20. Toronto Widowmakers
Spiders can be found on tree leaves?
21. Washington Zaryas
21. Washington Zaryas
Both are known for their Russian. It's pretty cool to see a Russian standing in front of the US capital.
22. Montreal Anas
Both are very old (the oldest in fact).
23. New York Symmetras
I couldn't come up with a good match for Symmetra so I matched her with the New York Rangers.
Bonus: 24. Las Vegas Orisas
Overwatch announced their latest hero, Orisa, so I decided to match her up with the NHL's newest team, the Las Vegas Black Knights.
Extra Bonus:
I decided to do one more for the leader of the Overwatch + NHL mashup. Can you guess who that is?
Hopefully I will time to make up some more mashups in the future. There were some teams that I left off so hopefully Overwatch will make some more characters. I hope you enjoy these for now.
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