[Level 117, NG4, Normal Difficulty] The big update was released today and I was able to enter the game at about 3:30pm or thereabouts. I entered cautiously because I wanted to study the new settings, especially the FPS and other display setting. But first I looked at the new difficulty settings.
Getting a 2% XP Boost
There are a lot of new ways to improve leveling up. They involve raising aspects of the game’s difficulty. I chose one that gave me a +2% increase in XP by no longer getting a health regen by eating food. I like the food regen feature but at Level 100+ you have to eat a lot of food to get a noticeable effect. So, it will be fun to see what happens. I’ll prolly still eat food instinctively for a while. I mean, hey, this is gaming and once you create a habit it is hard to break it. I’d chose other nerfs but I’m still struggling with various aspects of the game; I’m still not a very good in a starship battle.
New Maps make Exploring more Enjoyable
Next I rushed right into the new maps! I love them. I had landed at New Atlantis before the update, so like a lot of players that’s where I first saw the maps. I immediately noticed all the location, but to the top of the map I saw my outpost on the other side of the lake. So, after activating all the stores and locations in New Atlantis, I headed over to the outpost. I call the outpost “Jemison HQ Sandstorm”. Sandstorm is derived from my last name, Sands, but I’m thinking of changing it to Sandstorm.
I Love Decorating my Starship!
I don’t have any pictures of what I’ve been doing with the new Decorate feature for the starships, but there were several must-haves and I got them setup. First, I added some Storage Containers to increase my ability to store more cargo, but also to keep my resources sorted out. I also added an extra bunk bed, so now my Class B starship has seven bunks available to match my crew size capability. Then I went to the armory! I added more weapons racks plus six mannequins to put space suits on. THIS is so cool! I still need to fiddle around some more but I’ll be building a Class C starship soon, so I may wait to do a photo shoot until then.
The Display Settings
I put Display Setting last because I realize that the television I use as my display device is substandard for this Next Gen game. Right now I have two 50″ televisions at home and they are both substandard. All I need to do is get rid of one of them and buy a new one, but I just haven’t gotten around to it. NONETHELESS, I did play with the Display settings and got much better lighting and sharpness.
CONCLUSIONS: You done swell, Bethesda & Microsoft. Much love to all of the guys and gals who made this update great. Keep them coming!!!!