I’m Not Currently Playing The Game
Wed, Jul 9, 2025 Year 3, Summer 02Al and Codey take another look at Len's Island, now that it has released 1.0
Timings
00:00:00: Theme Tune
00:00:30: Intro
00:01:26: What Have We Been Up To
00:11:16: Game News
00:35:00: New Games
00:39:17: Len’s Island
01:30:57: Outro
Links
Harvest Moon Cozy Bundle Delay
Desktop Cat Cafe 2.0.0
Fields of Mistria 3rd Update
Paleo Pines “Players Choice” Kickstarter
Dave the Diver 2nd Anniversary Info
Usagi Shima “Tanabata Star Festival” Update
Bee Simulator: The Hive
Contact
Al on Mastodon: https://mastodon.scot/@TheScotBot
Email Us: https://harvestseason.club/contact/
Transcript
(0:00:30) Al: Hello, farmers, and welcome to another episode of the harvest season.
(0:00:33) Al: My name is Al.
(0:00:34) Codey: And my name is Cody.
(0:00:37) Al: And we are here today to talk about Cottagecore Games.
(0:00:40) Codey: Oh, woo, ow, ow, ow.
(0:00:44) Codey: I love it. I love it so much.
(0:00:47) Al: I tolerate it.
(0:00:49) Al: We are here today.
(0:00:51) Al: We’re going to talk about Len’s Island, the second harvest of Len’s Island,
(0:00:53) Codey: mm-hmm mm-hmm mm-hmm like three years ago yeah yeah much has changed
(0:00:55) Al: because you did do an episode.
(0:00:57) Al: You and Bev did an episode.
(0:01:00) Al: When was that?
(0:01:01) Al: I did have that up here, and then I lost it.
(0:01:04) Al: Yeah, we think it was 2022.
(0:01:06) Al: Yeah, yeah, there we go.
(0:01:07) Al: Oh, April 2022, so more than three years ago.
(0:01:12) Al: Wild.
(0:01:15) Al: Well, I’ll be looking forward to hearing about what has changed.
(0:01:20) Al: So, yeah, we’re going to talk about Len’s Island.
(0:01:22) Al: Before that, obviously, we have news.
(0:01:25) Al: But first of all, Cody, what have you been up to?
(0:01:28) Codey: I have been obviously playing Lens Island the last couple days.
(0:01:33) Codey: I have been, Pokemon Go has been having its like anniversary thing right now and you,
(0:01:40) Codey: there is a chance to get shiny party hat worm bowl, which is my white whale.
(0:01:46) Codey: I have a master ball ready to go for that little guy.
(0:01:51) Codey: And so I’m trying to find one after we record this podcast, I will be going on a walk for
(0:01:57) Codey: as long as I need to.
(0:01:58) Codey: Um, no, I don’t care about that.
(0:02:00) Al: Have you been trying to get a shiny gimme go?
(0:02:04) Codey: I really just want the shiny, shiny party hat worm bowl.
(0:02:07) Codey: And then I will probably just uninstall the game.
(0:02:09) Al: Shiny purple.
(0:02:11) Codey: Shiny party, purple party, purple.
(0:02:13) Al: Party purple.
(0:02:16) Al: Apparently, I’m really struggling with the word party in front of it.
(0:02:17) Codey: Um,
(0:02:19) Al: That’s really hard to say.
(0:02:21) Al: Party purple.
(0:02:22) Codey: Permable.
(0:02:23) Al: Permple.
(0:02:23) Codey: Uh, so I’ve been doing that.
(0:02:25) Codey: I’m still playing honeygrove.
(0:02:27) Codey: I just got the
(0:02:28) Al: Has that, is that changing at all?
(0:02:29) Codey: It’s just continuing. It’s just being the same game. There’s quests. There’s like parts of it that are unlocked. The one thing that I really friggin hate is there’s this ladybug lady who comes and goes. Her name is Abigail and she comes during the weekends and she leaves. It is.
(0:02:30) Al: Or is it just continuing?
(0:02:32) Al: Okay.
(0:02:49) Codey: It is exponentially difficult to get her top tier reward and the things that she wants are things.
(0:02:58) Codey: Nine times out of ten, it’s like plants that she brings that you can only plant when she’s there and if you have planted say you have 20 in your inventory and then she leaves, but the next time she comes you’re back to zero, which I think if they rolled the inventories over, I’d be so I’d participate more because I would feel like I have like a head start to the next time.
(0:03:27) Codey: but they
(0:03:28) Codey: don’t do that and so I’ve just kind of given up and whenever she arrives they
(0:03:34) Codey: like make a big deal about how she showed up and then they cut they send
(0:03:39) Codey: you to her screen and I’m like just let me click X like just let me be like okay
(0:03:44) Codey: cool she’s here goodbye like I don’t want but every single time it cuts you
(0:03:49) Codey: over to her screen and she says stuff and I’m just like leave me alone but I’m
(0:03:54) Codey: still like unlocking parts of the map it’s just I don’t do a ton on it I just
(0:03:58) Codey: every day for word mm-hmm
(0:04:00) Al: Fair enough. I was going, I was going to say, it’s like, oh, I can’t believe you’re just
(0:04:04) Al: playing the same game over and over for years. And then, and then, and then I realized we
(0:04:07) Codey: hit me
(0:04:10) Al: just talked about the ninth anniversary of Pokemon Go. Yeah. Yeah. See, I see I wouldn’t,
(0:04:12) Codey: that and I will literally play minecraft forever for yeah
(0:04:18) Al: but like Pokemon Go is like the thing that I continue forever. And it’s like, yeah, sure.
(0:04:23) Al: I’ll play like party games regularly and I’ll do like, I will obviously play.
(0:04:30) Al: Uh, other Pokemon games, but like, I’ll play them for until the new one comes out and then
(0:04:35) Al: I’ll probably never touch them again, et cetera, et cetera. So it’s like, yeah, but no, I can’t
(0:04:36) Codey: Um, so the other, yeah, the other things I’ve been still doing work, uh, probably
(0:04:41) Al: really judge.
(0:04:47) Codey: won’t be defending in September, but I’ll be defending in December instead.
(0:04:51) Codey: Um, which is not a huge deal.
(0:04:53) Codey: Uh, no, I’ll get it.
(0:04:55) Codey: I would, my degree will get conferred in the spring, which I
(0:04:58) Codey: kind of don’t really care anyways.
(0:05:00) Al: » Just a formality.
(0:05:01) Codey: Um, yeah, it’s a formality and like for jobs.
(0:05:06) Codey: Um, people get accepted to jobs that require PhDs before they’ve even
(0:05:12) Codey: defended, um, cause it’s a pretty, like, once you get to this point, you really
(0:05:17) Codey: have to mess something up big time.
(0:05:20) Codey: Like I would literally have to like stop putting any effort in and just give my
(0:05:24) Codey: dissertation in this format it’s in now for them to be like, you’re not done.
(0:05:29) Al: Yeah, yeah, yeah. You’ve gotten to that point, it’s like you have to really muck things up too.
(0:05:30) Codey: Um,
(0:05:34) Codey: Yeah. So, so I’m not really that worried about.
(0:05:36) Codey: It. I have technicians right now, which is nuts because I, for this whole time I’ve been
(0:05:42) Codey: solo or working with volunteers and the volunteers just helped me in the field.
(0:05:47) Codey: I’ve been doing all the specimens by myself, but I have three henchmen right now. It is crazy. I
(0:05:54) Codey: went from none to three in like a month. Um, a couple of them will be leaving at the end of July.
(0:06:01) Codey: So this month is like a lot of me being working with them and making sure that they’re on the
(0:06:07) Codey: and that we’re getting all the stuff that needs to be done done, which is really nice. Um, and
(0:06:13) Codey: they’re all super great. We have a good little cohort. I’m also going to beetle school in a week
(0:06:18) Codey: and a half. So like fly school, it’s same, same, but it’s Beatles and it’s Arizona,
(0:06:25) Codey: which I’m not excited for that part, but I think it’ll be fine. I, I literally think I just won’t
(0:06:32) Codey: go outside, except for at night, which it’s supposed
(0:06:36) Codey: to be a lot colder at night in the desert area areas.
(0:06:40) Codey: The big thing that’s in my life right now
(0:06:42) Codey: is that I am fostering a stray cat.
(0:06:46) Codey: So I will post a picture of him.
(0:06:47) Codey: He’s gone through a couple name changes.
(0:06:50) Codey: Initially, he was Calvin, and now he is Zuko.
(0:06:57) Codey: And I got him because one of my friends
(0:07:02) Codey: called me one night, like a week and a half ago,
(0:07:04) Codey: and was like, we’ve caught a cat.
(0:07:07) Codey: And I’m like, do you have head injuries?
(0:07:11) Codey: Do you have a cat carrier slash–
(0:07:13) Codey: do you know someone who could take care of this cat
(0:07:15) Codey: until we can get it looked at?
(0:07:17) Codey: And I came, we tried to get that cat.
(0:07:19) Codey: They had caught it in a tote.
(0:07:21) Codey: But then when we tried to move it from a tote to the cat
(0:07:23) Codey: carrier, it escaped.
(0:07:25) Codey: I went back later that day, I ended up finding this boy.
(0:07:28) Codey: And he is just so chill, and just trots right up in purrs
(0:07:32) Codey: and meows, and he just wanted food.
(0:07:34) Codey: So I snagged him.
(0:07:37) Codey: It says, “Zuko-Ime.”
(0:07:39) Al: Ah, I see.
(0:07:42) Al: I get that reference now, I wouldn’t have six months ago, but I get it now.
(0:07:44) Codey: Yeah.
(0:07:45) Codey: Oh, yeah, yeah.
(0:07:47) Codey: So he’s Zuko after, at the end.
(0:07:51) Codey: He’s calm.
(0:07:52) Codey: He’s found his inner peace.
(0:07:54) Codey: He’s just so chill.
(0:07:54) Codey: He doesn’t– in the month and– not month and a half– week
(0:07:58) Codey: and a half that I’ve had him, he hasn’t hissed.
(0:08:00) Codey: He hasn’t raised a claw at all.
(0:08:04) Codey: He and Stella get along really well.
(0:08:07) Codey: Sometimes Stella will come at him pretty fast,
(0:08:09) Codey: and he’s just raised a paw, but that’s it.
(0:08:12) Codey: He doesn’t claw her.
(0:08:14) Codey: He doesn’t hiss at her.
(0:08:15) Codey: He’s just like, give me space.
(0:08:16) Codey: And then she walks away.
(0:08:19) Codey: And we were going to try and go find the other one.
(0:08:22) Codey: We ended up finding it, and it’s a hoarding situation.
(0:08:28) Codey: All of these cats are part of a hoarding situation.
(0:08:30) Codey: There’s 20 cats that are part of it.
(0:08:34) Codey: And so I’ve called the Humane Society and the Humane.
(0:08:36) Codey: and they said that any time they’ve brought a cat that is injured or has something wrong with it to her and been like, “Hey, is this your cat?”
(0:08:44) Codey: Even if they know it’s her cat, she’ll still say, “That’s not my cat.”
(0:08:46) Codey: So they were like, “Don’t worry about it. Just keep trying to find him a good home.”
(0:08:52) Codey: So she also doesn’t believe in spaying and neutering.
(0:08:56) Codey: So it’s just a never-ending cycle.
(0:08:58) Codey: She’s also living with her cat.
(0:09:02) Codey: So it’s just a never-ending cycle.
(0:09:08) Codey: So it’s kind of a big ol’ big thing.
(0:09:10) Codey: But saving this baby.
(0:09:14) Codey: And he’s a good boy. He’s very chill.
(0:09:18) Codey: And that’s really the biggest stuff that I’ve been up to.
(0:09:20) Codey: What about you, Al? What have you been up to?
(0:09:24) Al: Well, I have been playing Lens Island, obviously, we’ll talk more about that later.
(0:09:32) Al: What else have I been up to as I pause the game and scroll back to my list of things?
(0:09:34) Codey: Pause the game.
(0:09:40) Codey: Al, you’re not pausing the game.
(0:09:42) Al: Of course I’m pausing the game.
(0:09:43) Al: Oh, you mean I’m not playing the game, I got you.
(0:09:44) Codey: Yeah, you’re not playing.
(0:09:46) Codey: You’re not playing the game while you’re…
(0:09:46) Al: No, of course not, Mario Kart World, yes.
(0:09:48) Codey: No.
(0:09:52) Al: I unlocked mirror mode, I don’t think I’ve done that in the last episode.
(0:09:55) Al: Who knows, it’s been so long since I recorded that a whole week.
(0:09:56) Codey: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
(0:10:00) Al: And I started doing the mirror mode Grumpries and I don’t think I’m going to finish doing them.
(0:10:09) Al: I think getting three stars in all of them in 150 is probably enough for me. I’m happy with that.
(0:10:15) Al: So we’ll see. Maybe I’ll do more later. I don’t know, but I’ve got what we got left a week and a
(0:10:22) Al: and a half until Donkey Kong.
(0:10:25) Al: Which is the next game to look forward to.
(0:10:30) Al: And I mean, you know, the usual Pokemon here and there.
(0:10:33) Al: I got Shiny Patchourichu yesterday.
(0:10:36) Al: And Pokemon Go, as usual.
(0:10:39) Al: I got my Shiny Game of Go, even though you’re not looking for it.
(0:10:41) Al: I was looking for it.
(0:10:42) Codey: Nope. Yep.
(0:10:42) Al: I got two Shiny Game of Go, one normal and one costume.
(0:10:47) Al: It’s not a costume, though.
(0:10:48) Al: It’s a pretend costume.
(0:10:48) Codey: Yep.
(0:10:52) Al: Yeah, I think that’s about it.
(0:10:54) Al: Kids are on holiday from school now, so it’s all madness.
(0:10:58) Codey: - Mm-hmm.
(0:10:59) Al: And we’ll be going to the Isle of Man in a few weeks.
(0:11:04) Al: So just trying to see how life is something like near sanity for a while.
(0:11:04) Codey: Oh, woo.
(0:11:10) Codey: - Mm-hmm, yeah, cool, mm-hmm.
(0:11:12) Al: We’ll see.
(0:11:14) Al: But yeah, I think that’s it.
(0:11:16) Al: Let’s talk about some news.
(0:11:19) Al: First up, we have the Harvest Moon Cozy Bundle, which is such a
(0:11:24) Al: stupid name for this, but this is the Lost Valley in Skytree Village ports to Nintendo Switch.
(0:11:33) Al: They have delayed it.
(0:11:35) Al: It was meant to be coming out on the 3rd of July.
(0:11:38) Al: It is now coming out on the 31st of July.
(0:11:41) Al: There you go.
(0:11:42) Codey: That’s the tweet. That’s it.
(0:11:43) Al: That’s it.
(0:11:44) Al: That’s it.
(0:11:45) Al: Who knows what?
(0:11:46) Al: It’s probably some weird thing to do with the physical version or something.
(0:11:49) Al: That’s not a “we found a bug and we need to fix it.”
(0:11:52) Al: That’s not long enough.
(0:11:54) Al: So yeah, who knows what the problem is?
(0:11:57) Al: But I guess we’ll find out.
(0:12:00) Al: Next, we have Desktop Cat Cafe.
(0:12:04) Al: No, goodness sake.
(0:12:06) Al: Desktop Cat Cafe.
(0:12:08) Al: I’ve released their 2.0 version.
(0:12:12) Al: That is out now.
(0:12:15) Al: They have apparently a patience meter for customers.
(0:12:17) Al: I find this funny because who’s going to Cat Cafe for fast food, right?
(0:12:23) Al: you’re going to a cat cafe for.
(0:12:24) Codey: Yeah. Yeah. So I think well, so it’s it is a it’s a cafe that is cats, like your customers are cats.
(0:12:33) Al: Oh, I misunderstood that.
(0:12:34) Codey: Yeah, yeah, so this is this game is the rusty island rust. Yeah, a rusty is like,
(0:12:37) Al: So it is.
(0:12:40) Al: Yes, it’s a rust is like, yeah, yeah, yeah, I knew that much.
(0:12:43) Al: I knew that much.
(0:12:44) Al: I just forgotten that it was a cafe the cats go to.
(0:12:46) Codey: yeah, so they’re, they’re all cats. And it’s very cute. I just thought it was funny,
(0:12:51) Codey: because I’m sure that, like, the patient-
(0:12:54) Codey: -meter or something you can toggle on and off.
(0:12:56) Codey: I’m sure that you could have it be like, um,
(0:12:58) Codey: you could have it be, like, slow-mode or something like that in the-
(0:13:02) Codey: in the bottom, but you basically can, like,
(0:13:04) Codey: make these little cafes across the bottom of your screen,
(0:13:06) Codey: and now they’ve added this patient-
(0:13:10) Codey: -meter, so it’s kind of like-
(0:13:12) Codey: Did you ever play dining- Diner Dash?
(0:13:14) Codey: Or anything like that?
(0:13:14) Al: No, I did not.
(0:13:16) Codey: Okay, so it’s like the-
(0:13:18) Codey: It’s like those types of games where you have
(0:13:20) Codey: orders that are up. I think Overcooked does this,
(0:13:24) Codey: like, orders are there, and then they start getting, like,
(0:13:26) Codey: more and more red, and they start shaking
(0:13:28) Codey: when, like, the person is grumpy,
(0:13:30) Codey: and they might just leave.
(0:13:32) Codey: Um, and so it’s-
(0:13:34) Codey: It’s an incentive to try and make sure
(0:13:36) Codey: that you are prioritizing orders
(0:13:38) Codey: in the order that they were received,
(0:13:42) Codey: and then also, um,
(0:13:44) Codey: that you make sure that each place
(0:13:48) Codey: probably has all of the same-
(0:13:50) Codey: all of the things that they want,
(0:13:52) Codey: and might have
(0:13:54) Codey: your worker cat, like, upgraded to be max speed or max efficiency or whatever.
(0:13:59) Codey: And they also have different traits for your customers now. So it’s like there’s the patient
(0:14:09) Codey: modifier. So it’s a decor item that impacts the nearby customers. So there’s something that you
(0:14:15) Codey: can put down that makes your customers more patient. I think it’d be funny if that was like a TV.
(0:14:21) Codey: If you put down like a TV and then they’re-
(0:14:24) Codey: like oh I’m fine waiting because I have a TV to watch.
(0:14:28) Codey: So they sit down and then they’re willing to wait longer.
(0:14:32) Codey: There’s one that increases their- speeds up their decision time.
(0:14:36) Codey: So because they’ll sit there and they’ll be like hmm what do I want?
(0:14:38) Codey: And so there’s one that makes them decide faster.
(0:14:42) Codey: And then there’s something that boosts how much they’ll spend.
(0:14:46) Codey: So you will end up getting a higher revenue from per customer.
(0:14:54) Codey: Things like that to also improve it.
(0:14:56) Codey: I also think that it’s nice that they changed the order distribution.
(0:15:02) Codey: So it sounds- I haven’t played this but from what it says to me what this sounds like is they had different cafes or different workstations or cafe stations.
(0:15:14) Codey: And some cats might just- like all the cats might just go to one cafe.
(0:15:20) Codey: So you have one cat that’s working one of the cafe stations.
(0:15:24) Codey: Who’s just like absolutely overloaded and then another one is really not that busy.
(0:15:32) Codey: Because it was randomized but it sounds like they’re now assigning those orders based on workload.
(0:15:38) Codey: So if like one station is really really busy cats will be like I don’t want to go there and they’ll go to a different one and that kind of like spreads out the demand.
(0:15:50) Al: Mm-hmm
(0:15:54) Codey: You can also name your cats, name your cafe, different things like that.
(0:15:58) Codey: You can upgrade your stations. The cats will walk faster on paths.
(0:16:04) Codey: So if you draw paths they will speed up on those and you can shift click and copy something from one place to another.
(0:16:18) Codey: This is a really cute game. I do know that Jordan.
(0:16:24) Codey: Jordan is from Morris Games, the dev of Rusty’s retirement.
(0:16:30) Codey: They have been like repping this game and saying that this game is really cute and that they recommend this game.
(0:16:38) Codey: So I’m tempted, especially because I’m about to have to be writing a lot for my dissertation, but I also feel like this is just going to be a distraction.
(0:16:48) Codey: Also, now that I’m looking at it, it’s Windows only, so it doesn’t matter, but…
(0:16:52) Al: Mm hmm.
(0:16:54) Codey: Very cute. It’s fine.
(0:16:55) Al: Sad.
(0:16:59) Al: Yeah, interesting.
(0:17:02) Al: Good, they got a nice new update out.
(0:17:06) Codey: Mm-hmm.
(0:17:06) Al: Speaking of updates, next we have fields of mystery.
(0:17:10) Codey: Fields of mystery.
(0:17:14) Al: Their third major update is coming out on the 21st of July.
(0:17:19) Al: They apparently have new large and extra-large chests.
(0:17:22) Al: I’m very happy about it, because chests are never big enough for me.
(0:17:26) Al: I hate chests being so small.
(0:17:29) Al: Cough, lens, island, cough.
(0:17:30) Codey: Yeah.
(0:17:31) Al: Give me bigger chests.
(0:17:33) Al: Presumably, there’s lots of other stuff.
(0:17:35) Al: I can’t remember whether we talked about the third update or not, because,
(0:17:40) Al: oh yes, it’s bringing
(0:17:43) Al: eight heart events as well, dating a bunch of stuff.
(0:17:48) Al: new mains, new mains monsters.
(0:17:52) Al: The town cap has been raised by five levels, a bunch of stuff.
(0:17:58) Al: I’m still not going to play the game again until 1.0, but good to see they’re just continuing.
(0:18:03) Al: I think that’s the third update this year.
(0:18:05) Codey: Yeah, it’s the third major update this year
(0:18:08) Codey: It’s coming on July 21st
(0:18:11) Codey: so they’re gonna have that like we said bigger storage another thing that some fans in the comment section that we’re really happy about is
(0:18:17) Codey: The auto deposit feature. So being able if you have
(0:18:18) Al: Ah yes.
(0:18:22) Codey: like your
(0:18:24) Codey: Chest open and your inventory open you can automatically like move things between them
(0:18:30) Codey: just like by clicking a button so that if you already have stacks of stuff and you’re
(0:18:35) Codey: inventory it’ll just automatically shuffle everything out of your out of from yeah i
(0:18:40) Al: Yeah, I enjoy that feature.
(0:18:42) Codey: really like that feature as well i’m very happy that they added that um so and I know the fans
(0:18:48) Codey: are as well so good on them
(0:18:51) Al: Next, we have Paleopines.
(0:18:54) Al: They have launched a Kickstarter for their player’s choice expansion to Paleopines.
(0:19:01) Codey: - Mm-hmm.
(0:19:03) Al: It’s already hit his goal, so that’s good.
(0:19:06) Al: There’s 24 days left.
(0:19:08) Al: This, I don’t actually look at it, but it looks like Cody did, so talk about it.
(0:19:11) Codey: Okay, yeah, I did.
(0:19:13) Codey: I will talk about it.
(0:19:15) Codey: So basically, they have gotten a lot of feedback
(0:19:17) Codey: from the players.
(0:19:19) Codey: And so they decided to accommodate a lot of those,
(0:19:24) Codey: that feedback in a DLC and an expansion
(0:19:27) Codey: that is part of this Kickstarter.
(0:19:31) Codey: Kickstarter gives them money to work on the updates.
(0:19:35) Codey: They did mention though,
(0:19:36) Codey: that once the expansions are out,
(0:19:40) Codey: if you’ve already bought the game,
(0:19:41) Codey: it’s just gonna automatically be updated.
(0:19:44) Codey: So even if you didn’t kickstart, it sounds like,
(0:19:47) Codey: as long as you have the game,
(0:19:49) Codey: you will reap the benefits of all of this stuff.
(0:19:55) Codey: So, beautiful game, adorable game.
(0:19:59) Codey: there’s been a lot of feedback.
(0:20:01) Codey: And so they have a couple of different funding goals.
(0:20:03) Codey: So they’ve hit the 75k pounds.
(0:20:07) Codey: Let me figure it out.
(0:20:09) Codey: Yeah.
(0:20:10) Codey: So they hit that, but we’re still on our way
(0:20:15) Codey: to the second stretch goal, which is for automated poop
(0:20:21) Codey: clearing.
(0:20:22) Codey: So the big questions that community members wanted
(0:20:26) Codey: were that they wanted a spinosaurus in the game,
(0:20:29) Codey: and they wanted more dreaming.
(0:20:32) Codey: So that has been hit period, end of story, with their Kickstarter.
(0:20:36) Codey: And so that will, they have slated that to be done in the autumn of this year,
(0:20:41) Codey: which is almost now, honestly.
(0:20:46) Codey: So that they’re expecting that to be done in the next few months.
(0:20:51) Codey: The next thing, the next goal is for the better way to scoop poop.
(0:20:55) Codey: I guess people said that it was something that couldn’t be automated.
(0:20:59) Codey: It was something that was really frustrating.
(0:21:01) Codey: They have made it so there are certain dinosaurs that you can
(0:21:06) Codey: assign to be composting dinosaurs.
(0:21:09) Codey: And they will go and pick the poop up for you and go and put it in the compost bin.
(0:21:14) Codey: Super cool.
(0:21:16) Codey: Another thing about the second stretch goal, which is a quality of life update,
(0:21:21) Codey: is to be able to track the different colors of the dinosaurs in your journal.
(0:21:27) Codey: I know that this game has a lot of different colors,
(0:21:30) Codey: color variance of specific.
(0:21:31) Codey: Dinosaurs, um, and you kind of had to just like know whether or not you
(0:21:36) Codey: already had a color variant.
(0:21:38) Codey: And so they’ve added that to the journal.
(0:21:41) Codey: So you can now see like, Oh, I already have this color.
(0:21:44) Codey: I need this other color.
(0:21:46) Codey: Um, you can see that very clearly in your journal now, or will be able to see that
(0:21:50) Codey: in winter 2025, if they reach that stretch goal.
(0:21:53) Codey: Um, so that would require another 80,000 pounds past, um, the goal.
(0:22:00) Codey: And then…
(0:22:02) Codey: The last one that they have gotten a request for is a swamp exploration.
(0:22:06) Codey: So there’s a swamp area. People really want to go into the swamp, I guess.
(0:22:10) Codey: We all want to be ogres.
(0:22:12) Codey: And so they have slotted that. It’s another Kickstarter stretch goal.
(0:22:17) Codey: And if it is achieved, they expect to have that done in spring 2026.
(0:22:22) Al: One thing I don’t like about this stretch goals thing.
(0:22:26) Al: They’ve written it out as plus 40,000 pounds and plus 40,000 pounds.
(0:22:30) Codey: » Yeah.
(0:22:32) Al: You’re like, but what does that mean?
(0:22:34) Al: What is the total amount there?
(0:22:35) Al: Right? Because you’re not you’re not looking and it’s like it’s fine when you
(0:22:38) Al: get to the first one because you’re like, oh, it’s just 75 plus 40.
(0:22:41) Al: But then you go to the next one, it’s like, OK, well, it’s just 75 plus 40 plus 40.
(0:22:45) Al: And then you go to the last one, you’re like plus 190,000 pounds,
(0:22:48) Al: which, by the way, is more than the rest of them put together.
(0:22:50) Codey: or yeah. No. Yep. Yeah, I agree. But that’s the goal posts and the timelines and everything.
(0:22:51) Al: But you’re just like, OK, so what number is the half?
(0:22:53) Al: 75 plus 40 plus 40 plus 190.
(0:22:58) Al: I’m not doing all that maths.
(0:23:00) Al: Just show us what number it is. Come on.
(0:23:10) Codey: The Kickstarter itself, you can get rewards that will be in-game and in real life. So
(0:23:17) Codey: things like you’ll get your name in the credits.
(0:23:20) Codey: They might send you pins, they might send you a plush, just depending on which
(0:23:24) Codey: Kickstarter level you choose. Another thing they said is to add a new color variant,
(0:23:30) Codey: which I think is super cool. But then also like what if I chose a color variant and everyone hated
(0:23:38) Codey: it and people just like pooped all over it and I was like oh I actually spent a lot of money
(0:23:43) Codey: to choose. But yeah and again all of the updates that will go to the game for free so
(0:23:51) Codey: if you’re right now I guess if you really want that poop thing help them achieve that part of the goal.
(0:23:58) Al: I love to scoop poop.
(0:23:59) Codey: But yeah that’s interesting. It’s also interesting to me how they’re like
(0:24:06) Codey: it’ll be it’ll be free for you and I’m like okay but like it’s really not free.
(0:24:12) Codey: People do have to pay quite a lot of money to get this.
(0:24:18) Al: Well, so, but is it free?
(0:24:20) Al: Like, is this just to raise money to do it and the actual update will be free for anyone?
(0:24:24) Codey: - Yeah, so that’s what it is.
(0:24:30) Codey: I don’t know, some of this stuff,
(0:24:30) Codey: like some of the other stuff that they want,
(0:24:32) Codey: like for the quality of life update
(0:24:35) Codey: is to be able to reject quests or delete quests
(0:24:40) Codey: because your quest log will just get overrun, I guess,
(0:24:43) Codey: and people just wanted the ability to delete quests.
(0:24:45) Codey: And so that will be a part of the quality of life update
(0:24:48) Codey: that they want to release winter 2025.
(0:24:51) Codey: So that is 80,000.
(0:24:55) Codey: So that’d be 150,000, 155,000 pounds to needs to be what they hit.
(0:25:00) Codey: I think they’re at a 90 something right now.
(0:25:02) Codey: So, but that’s still is like a lot to even just have like this very simple thing.
(0:25:08) Codey: It seems, I mean, it seems simple.
(0:25:10) Codey: I think that part really is fairly simple.
(0:25:14) Codey: They did and they did a good job in their video that they have of explaining why some of these things are not as simple as they seem like adding a Spinosaurus isn’t as simple as it seems.
(0:25:24) Codey: Because of the optimization that has to happen as behind the scenes of adding in Spinosaurus.
(0:25:32) Codey: So I get that, but for certain things like give them the option to delete.
(0:25:38) Codey: I feel like I feel like you could do that.
(0:25:40) Codey: I don’t know, especially if that’s something that like, I don’t know.
(0:25:46) Codey: I don’t know.
(0:25:48) Codey: I don’t know.
(0:25:48) Codey: What if they don’t?
(0:25:50) Codey: What if they don’t hit that?
(0:25:50) Codey: Like, what if they don’t hit that goal?
(0:25:52) Codey: Are they just not going to do these things then?
(0:25:54) Codey: But I also get that they’re independent, like they need to get paid to be able to do these things.
(0:26:02) Al: So I guess that the problem is, because they’ve struggled with money for quite a while. We’ve
(0:26:09) Al: talked about that previously. We’re having issues with publishers and stuff like that anyway,
(0:26:15) Al: whatever. So obviously, they need to make enough money to be able to keep going and be able to do
(0:26:20) Al: what they want to do. And I guess the thing is that saying, “Oh, if we hit our main funding goal,
(0:26:25) Al: we’ll give you these quality of life updates. It’s not going to excite people.” So you go, “Well,
(0:26:29) Al: if we hit this funding goal we’ll give
(0:26:32) Al: you Spinosaurus that sounds much more exciting. Which means that if you don’t put the main
(0:26:40) Al: funding goal as enough to cover everything you want then you won’t be able to include
(0:26:46) Al: the quality of life updates without more money. But then yeah it does feel a little bit like
(0:26:52) Al: not great. It’s like yeah we’re waiting until we’ve got even more
(0:26:58) Al: till we give you some quality of life updates, which yeah, doesn’t feel-
(0:27:02) Al: great, but it’s a difficult one.
(0:27:05) Codey: Mm-hmm, yep
(0:27:07) Al: Anyway, they’ve had their funding goal, so that’s good. They’re going to get the Spinosaurus out,
(0:27:12) Al: and probably we’ll hit the next one. Whether they’ll hit the one after that or not is a
(0:27:18) Al: different question. I suspect they probably won’t hit the Swamp goal. That’s quite a lot more,
(0:27:20) Codey: Yeah.
(0:27:23) Al: but if you really want that, go help them out. You can get a lot of rewards for that as well.
(0:27:32) Al: Go get your plushies, and design your bright pink Spinosaurus or whatever.
(0:27:38) Codey: Sorry, I’m looking at the next thing already and getting confused.
(0:27:41) Al: All right, Dive the Diver!
(0:27:46) Al: A couple of bits of news here. It’s the second anniversary of the Diver, which wow, that’s
(0:27:52) Al: crazy. A couple of things around the DLCs. First of all, the Godzilla DLC is back,
(0:27:59) Codey: Uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh.
(0:28:00) Al: so you can go get it if you didn’t get it
(0:28:02) Al: before that one is a free one go get it now you just have to own the game if
(0:28:06) Al: you own the game you can you can add the DLC you don’t have to play it or
(0:28:09) Al: anything like that yet the itchy bands holiday has also been extended when you
(0:28:17) Al: can get it until the end of 2026
(0:28:20) Codey: Mm-hmm. So this is one that so Ichiban Kasuga is the character. This is what I was just looking at
(0:28:28) Codey: He’s a kid he’s the character in a game a yakuza game
(0:28:32) Codey: and
(0:28:34) Codey: That that game franchise is owned by Sega
(0:28:39) Codey: Toshi hero Nagoshi and Sega and so because people have been commenting
(0:28:44) Codey: They and they mentioned this in their video that people have been commenting about how like this limited availability thing
(0:28:50) Codey: and how it seems kind of like it’s meant to stir up FOMO because
(0:28:55) Codey: they only release some of the DLCs for a limited amount of time and
(0:28:59) Codey: So it like makes you have to buy it during that time and the developer of David Iver said that is not the intention
(0:29:07) Codey: the intention
(0:29:09) Codey: For Sega is to they said the limited availability quote
(0:29:14) Codey: That kind of approach is sometimes requested by large the large IP holders to help protect the value
(0:29:20) Codey: Of their IP
(0:29:22) Codey: so it’s the Sega people basically trying to
(0:29:28) Codey: Protect the value of the IP of this character
(0:29:32) Al: Is capitalism speak?
(0:29:32) Codey: Which to me like is just not
(0:29:35) Codey: It’s capitalism speak, but it’s also like I didn’t even know this game existed until it became a David Iver thing
(0:29:42) Al: I feel like that’s a “you” thing.
(0:29:45) Codey: Okay, but like I just feel like it is
(0:29:47) Al: Yakuza is a pretty big game franchise.
(0:29:50) Codey: Mmm, but like if you had it available all the time
(0:29:57) Codey: There could be some people who play it and then they’re like, I actually like this this Ichiban character
(0:30:03) Codey: what’s he from and then they go play yakuza and
(0:30:07) Codey: if you
(0:30:09) Codey: limit the available the availability of
(0:30:13) Codey: That IP just kind of weird. I don’t know. I don’t like it. Anyway
(0:30:18) Al: I mean, I just, I think the term “intellectual property” is a stupid term anyway, and we
(0:30:19) Codey: There
(0:30:20) Codey: Yeah.
(0:30:25) Al: don’t need to get into copyright discussions, because we don’t need an anti-capitalism rant
(0:30:30) Codey: We’ve already had one per month, but everything ever created ever is original.
(0:30:30) Al: this podcast, even though people are probably looking for one.
(0:30:35) Al: You can’t have intellectual property, it doesn’t make it, it’s just thoughts and ideas.
(0:30:39) Al: Shut up!
(0:30:41) Al: Yeah, well, there is that too.
(0:30:48) Al: Just hate the term so much, “intellectual property”, it’s just because something doesn’t
(0:30:49) Codey: Yeah, no.
(0:30:52) Al: exist and therefore, so we got to create another term to mean something.
(0:30:58) Al: First of all, just call it copyright, right?
(0:31:00) Al: Just be upfront about it.
(0:31:02) Al: What you’re saying is, we get to choose, therefore we’re choosing, it’s our copyright, the law
(0:31:06) Al: gives us the right to choose, therefore we’re going to, that’s it.
(0:31:10) Al: You don’t have to be like “oh, to help protect the value of IP”, IP has a value, right?
(0:31:12) Codey: Yeah. Yep. Yep. Yay. Uh, yeah. So they are re-releasing it because there were people
(0:31:16) Al: nonsense like.
(0:31:18) Al: I think, oops, I did rant.
(0:31:27) Codey: who were worried. They missed it the first time. Uh, this, both of them. I’m talking
(0:31:29) Al: That’s the Godzilla one. No, the In the Jungle hasn’t been unavailable.
(0:31:35) Codey: about Ichiban’s holiday. Oh, okay.
(0:31:37) Al: Sorry, yeah, Ichiban’s Holiday, sorry. It has not been unavailable. It was new,
(0:31:42) Codey: And they’re just making it go. Okay, cool. But they’re going to make sure that it has
(0:31:44) Al: and they’ve given it a longer timeline. It only came out in April.
(0:31:50) Codey: regular discounts going forward, um, to make sure that, yeah. The steam, steam summer sale ends.
(0:31:54) Al: 50% off just now, until the 10th of July, which is the day after this episode.
(0:31:59) Al: So, if you want to go buy it, go do it now.
(0:32:02) Codey: Yeah. And the game itself is currently, is 40% off for the steam summer sale as well.
(0:32:06) Al: Nice. A good game. Go buy it.
(0:32:07) Codey: So hit that up. The last thing that they mentioned in this is the, in the jungle update.
(0:32:12) Codey: So this is a update DLC, whatever, um, that allows like you go to land and there’s a lake
(0:32:22) Codey: and it’ll, it, it adds the ability to catch freshwater fish. Um, and the, the update here
(0:32:29) Codey: is that it’s probably delayed until spring 2026 because they want to make sure that they, uh,
(0:32:35) Codey: make it the best it can be. Yeah. Nope. That’s pretty much it.
(0:32:36) Al: I think I’m done with Dave the Diver.
(0:32:40) Al: I don’t feel the pool to go back and play it.
(0:32:43) Codey: What would be the pull? What would get you?
(0:32:45) Al: I don’t know if there is something like I enjoyed when I was playing it,
(0:32:49) Al: but I just it takes a lot to go back to a game.
(0:32:54) Al: And I don’t think I feel that pool.
(0:32:57) Codey: - Mm-hmm.
(0:32:57) Al: It’s like Isheban’s Holiday.
(0:33:00) Al: Yeah.
(0:33:02) Al: OK, the in the jungle, it’s just more of the same.
(0:33:06) Al: I enjoyed that, but.
(0:33:08) Al: You know, I didn’t even I didn’t even play a huge amount of the Dredge DLC.
(0:33:12) Al: I played the whole the Godzilla one, and that was good fun.
(0:33:15) Al: That was very different.
(0:33:17) Al: The Dredge one was different, but not in a way that felt I wanted to do it.
(0:33:23) Al: And then, yeah, Isheban’s Holiday.
(0:33:25) Al: I don’t really care.
(0:33:28) Al: And the in the jungle is like, OK, fine.
(0:33:31) Al: It’s just a different place that you’re fishing.
(0:33:34) Codey: Yeah and new fish a new fish but it’s fine
(0:33:34) Al: I’m not massively
(0:33:36) Al: interested.
(0:33:37) Al: Yeah.
(0:33:38) Al: Yeah, but that’s the thing, okay, yay, morph- I didn’t even finish catching all the fish
(0:33:44) Al: that were in the game, right?
(0:33:45) Codey: Yeah
(0:33:47) Al: You can’t make me have FOMO for when I hadn’t already completed something in the first place.
(0:33:51) Codey: I agree. That’s where I’m at with any Zelda. I not love Zelda and also Pokemon IP right now
(0:33:58) Codey: They’re like all the new game and I’m like man. I didn’t I don’t even remember playing
(0:34:04) Codey: Scarlet and Violet, so it’s whatever
(0:34:04) Al: All right, finally, Usagi Shima new update, the Tanabata Star Festival update. It’s more
(0:34:08) Codey: Last update, yep
(0:34:18) Codey: So yeah
(0:34:19) Al: of the same. You got it. You like it. Go get your Tanabata bamboo.
(0:34:24) Codey: Yep, so there’s a some new decorations with Tana Bada back bamboo
(0:34:29) Codey: Your bunnies have are carrying little heartfelt wishes that they’re
(0:34:34) Codey: putting on on the Bamboo as their their wishes for the year or their wishes for
(0:34:40) Codey: the the coming time and they’re so cute it’s free update you just do it in the
(0:34:47) Codey: App Store Google Play Store if you already have the game so I am NOT
(0:34:52) Codey: intrigued enough to do this so that’s that’s the updates
(0:34:54) Al: Mm hmm. That’s the updates. We also have a new game, and that is B simulator. Oh, is
(0:35:01) Codey: Mm-hmm
(0:35:04) Codey: The hive I think be simulator has been out for a while this is like
(0:35:08) Al: this an update or a new game?
(0:35:10) Codey: Yeah, so I think the hive is
(0:35:14) Codey: Something a little different. It’s like a twist on the game, but it’s whatever man
(0:35:21) Al: You know, you’re not interested.
(0:35:24) Codey: No, I’m sick and tired of honey bee stuff man like
(0:35:30) Al: » That’s the issue, fair.
(0:35:34) Codey: This is not
(0:35:35) Codey: Indicative of anywhere else in the world, but the United States
(0:35:39) Codey: Has held up honey bees as like the poster child of pollinator conservation and the honey bee itself is not native to
(0:35:49) Codey: North America it was brought over because people wanted honey
(0:35:54) Codey: And now it is used because it is act it is an incredibly effective pollinator for certain plants
(0:35:59) Codey: And the only reason it’s really effective is because we’ve decimated all of the houses.
(0:36:04) Codey: We don’t have a habitat for local pollinators and native pollinators, so they don’t live near our farms anymore because we just do this monoculture and we spray all these pesticides.
(0:36:14) Codey: So the natives aren’t there anymore, they can’t do the pollinating anymore, so we have to bring in these honeybees.
(0:36:20) Codey: But honeybees are the equivalent of a chicken.
(0:36:24) Codey: It’s like if we held up a chicken and said, “Let’s save the endangered birds.”
(0:36:34) Codey: That is not… Yes, I agree with what you’re saying, but that is not an endangered… That’s not even a native bird.
(0:36:44) Codey: No. So in the United States, it’s really frustrating. I want to see more stuff about native bees, which is one of the reasons I super loved, Apico and Elle, adding in native bees.
(0:37:00) Codey: He also I mean like that game is more
(0:37:04) Codey: It could have been in the like well first of all it’s a fantasy game
(0:37:06) Codey: But it could have been in nor in not in North America
(0:37:09) Codey: So the bees are there are social bees that live in hives that are native to
(0:37:17) Codey: Where like Europe and Asia and stuff like that, so that’s fine. It’s it’s fine. It’s fine
(0:37:23) Codey: I’ll get off my soapbox, but be simulator the hive is
(0:37:27) Codey: Quote the epic adventure of a tiny bee in a vast world collect pollen race through jet streams
(0:37:34) Codey: And protect your hive from wasps now even bigger with the hive expansion
(0:37:40) Codey: Gather resources build and customize your very own beehive
(0:37:45) Codey: so this looks like
(0:37:47) Codey: You can build your hive in a bunch of different places
(0:37:51) Codey: Also gotta say the hive that the pictures were obscene not accurate. They wouldn’t do they wouldn’t leave this much space, but okay
(0:38:01) Codey: It’s just
(0:38:04) Codey: It’s fine people will enjoy playing it. I I don’t want to poop poo on people’s people’s fun too much
(0:38:10) Codey: I’m down for bug games
(0:38:12) Al: Could be worse
(0:38:13) Codey: Could be worse
(0:38:15) Al: As with many things could be worse
(0:38:17) Codey: But it’s coming out on the 4th of August and there is not a price currently oh, yep
(0:38:22) Al: Ah, well there you go go look at it if you’re interested in it
(0:38:30) Al: Cody will not be playing it presumably
(0:38:33) Codey: No, I will not though if people are interested in I can’t even say this I can never mind redacted
(0:38:40) Codey: I was gonna say if people are interested in learning how honeybee biology happens, but I don’t even know if it’s gonna be accurate
(0:38:46) Codey: I’m gonna have to play it. I
(0:38:48) Al: Oh, okay.
(0:38:50) Codey: Mean I’m not I would have to play it to be able to tell whether or not it’s accurate but
(0:38:54) Al: I thought you were saying I have to play it.
(0:38:56) Codey: No, I
(0:38:58) Codey: cannot
(0:38:59) Codey: Put my thumbs up on this so okay
(0:39:02) Al: Fair enough.
(0:39:03) Codey: So that’s all the news
(0:39:06) Al: Woo!
(0:39:07) Codey: What is the deluxe? Wait a minute
(0:39:10) Al: Oh, the deluxe edition of “Be Simulated the Hive”.
(0:39:12) Codey: Lens island. No lens island. We’re jumping right into it
(0:39:14) Al: Oh, interesting.
(0:39:17) Al: All right, okay. Well, let’s start this then. So,
(0:39:21) Al: this is the second harvest of Lens Island. We had an episode three years ago, three years ago. Goodness me.
(0:39:28) Codey: It’s been a hot minute.
(0:39:30) Al: But three years ago and that was like
(0:39:32) Al: two years after the start of the pandemic, that is where we are just now.
(0:39:36) Al: That’s how much time is changing.
(0:39:38) Al: And like the podcast was three years old at that point.
(0:39:38) Codey: Mm hmm. As each day passes, we get closer to 2050 than we are to 2000.
(0:39:45) Al: And closer to death.
(0:39:49) Al: Sorry.
(0:39:51) Codey: so
(0:39:52) Al: So anyway,
(0:39:55) Al: dumpty dum, we are going to talk about this because I so right.
(0:40:01) Al: Okay, grr!
(0:40:02) Al: Probably should have listened to the other, the old episode, to check what
(0:40:05) Al: was actually covered in that three years ago, but we’ll see how this goes.
(0:40:10) Codey: Yeah I can tell you. I did not but I just remember. So all that really existed in the first episode
(0:40:11) Al: I hadn’t played the game at that point. Oh yeah, did you really listen to it?
(0:40:17) Al: Oh, fair enough.
(0:40:23) Codey: that we played and recorded, all that was really there was a base bare bones island. There was
(0:40:30) Codey: nothing on the first island that you come to. There was no people. So you just showed up,
(0:40:40) Codey: a house. I don’t even think there was a tutorial in the way that there is now. And so you built a
(0:40:47) Codey: house. You could go into the mines. The mines and the dungeon were one in the same. So there or at
(0:40:56) Codey: least I had not encountered anything that was explicitly different. So now they are very
(0:41:02) Codey: different. There are multiple dungeons. And the mines themselves.
(0:41:11) Codey: The mines were about as difficult as they are now. If not, I think they might have been a little bit
(0:41:18) Codey: more difficult because it was really hard. Both. I mean, because before it was the mines and the
(0:41:18) Al: Do you mean the dungeon?
(0:41:24) Codey: dungeon. So it was like all in one. But yeah, you just kind of get, you know, there’s a spawning
(0:41:31) Codey: point for the baddies. They come out, they overwhelm you super fast. I think maybe there
(0:41:38) Codey: there was, I guess there still is a cool down for consuming.
(0:41:40) Codey: Things, um, though now consuming things doesn’t just fill your health.
(0:41:47) Codey: It’s just kind of like Minecraft where it fills your fullness.
(0:41:51) Codey: And when you’re full, full, then your health auto-regenerates.
(0:41:53) Al: Depends which one it is. So the cooked meat from the deer, it heals you.
(0:41:56) Codey: Yeah.
(0:41:59) Codey: Yeah.
(0:41:59) Codey: There weren’t deer last time.
(0:42:02) Codey: Um, it was pretty basic.
(0:42:04) Codey: And then there was one, uh, addition to the Island that you.
(0:42:10) Codey: Could I think unlock.
(0:42:13) Codey: And then you went to another area and it was like a pirates Bay area.
(0:42:16) Al: Mm, OK.
(0:42:17) Codey: And there were people there.
(0:42:19) Codey: And so you could sell and trade things and play pirate games and stuff like there.
(0:42:27) Codey: Um, but nothing was on the main Island that you were on.
(0:42:32) Codey: Um, I also don’t think there was really like the story.
(0:42:35) Codey: So when you play the game now, it has more of the story.
(0:42:38) Codey: It was really just the bare bones.
(0:42:41) Codey: There was farming, um, and there was crafting and stuff, but they have, they
(0:42:45) Codey: fleshed it out so much more and I’m, it’s really gratifying to see where the game
(0:42:50) Codey: has gone, um, and yeah, I think that’s where I’ll pause the, my, my two
(0:42:57) Codey: cents about the second harvest.
(0:42:58) Al: to start with. OK, cool. Yeah, OK, so I guess to give people a quick overview, just in case
(0:43:06) Al: you haven’t listened to the original episode or you’ve forgotten or whatever, it’s a survival
(0:43:12) Al: game. You are a character, you come to an island and you have to survive, you have to
(0:43:20) Al: build a house, you have to do all these things. And then there’s obviously, as Cody mentioned,
(0:43:25) Al: There’s a story to that.
(0:43:28) Al: Yeah, is that enough of a quick overview of what the game is in and of itself?
(0:43:34) Codey: Yes, yeah, so it’s like a survival game, but there are these creatures that you learn in the beginning intro part are used to be people, but they were corrupted by this.
(0:43:50) Codey: What do they call it a light stone or something? It’s like a, but it’s a resource and they got corrupted by it and now they’re these monster things, which changes my morality a little bit.
(0:44:04) Codey: I’m like, Oh, no, like, what if later on down the line there’s you find like a cure and then you’ve killed thousands of these things.
(0:44:14) Al: If you don’t kill them, they’ll kill you.
(0:44:16) Codey: You’re right. They will. They kind of look I really love the art for them as well. There’s they get kind of Demi Gorgon esque like from.
(0:44:26) Al: I did notice that one was very much like the demagogue and from Stranger Things.
(0:44:28) Codey: Mm-hmm, stranger things, yeah.
(0:44:34) Codey: Um, and it is multiplayer.
(0:44:35) Codey: So you can play with one to eight players, which is super nice.
(0:44:39) Codey: Um, able to play with your friends.
(0:44:41) Codey: Um, and there’s a skill tree and there’s a map.
(0:44:46) Codey: I don’t know.
(0:44:46) Codey: It’s, it, it’s, it has a lot of potential.
(0:44:50) Codey: Like it’s a super open world.
(0:44:52) Codey: You can really build it how you want it.
(0:44:56) Al: Yeah, okay, so let’s before we get into the game proper. I want to do my complaining section because
(0:45:02) Codey: - Yeah, I will second some of your complaints.
(0:45:04) Al: So let me get my list and let me pause the game and get back to my list
(0:45:08) Codey: - Yeah, stop playing the game while you’re…
(0:45:09) Al: so controller support in this game is
(0:45:12) Al: Absolutely dreadful. It is just so bad
(0:45:15) Al: So when I first opened it when the when the when it first entered early access over three years ago
(0:45:20) Al: It had no controller support and so basically just didn’t work on the steam deck at all. Okay, fine. Sure
(0:45:26) Al: Whatever. It’s early access. I think that you should have controller support from the start, but whatever fine. I’ll come back later
(0:45:31) Al: I came back later and control support does exist, but it is very bare bones and very terrible
(0:45:39) Al: When I loaded up the game on my steam deck
(0:45:42) Al: You can’t start a game with the controller
(0:45:45) Al: There’s like certain buttons that you can’t even highlight using the controller and select
(0:45:48) Codey: » Yeah.
(0:45:51) Al: Um, and then even when you’re in the game, there’s other things like that.
(0:45:54) Al: Like you can’t.
(0:45:56) Al: Sleep in that you can’t click the sleep button on a bed without
(0:46:00) Al: using the touchscreen stuff like that.
(0:46:03) Al: Like really basic stuff that you need to do.
(0:46:05) Al: Like, I don’t think a single person, uh, who was on the team, uh, tested this
(0:46:11) Al: from like, actually tested controller support.
(0:46:14) Al: I think they, they built in some controller support and they went, yeah,
(0:46:19) Al: that’s good enough.
(0:46:19) Al: That’ll stop people complaining.
(0:46:21) Al: Spoiler alert, it won’t.
(0:46:23) Al: Um, I honestly think it’s
(0:46:26) Al: absolutely dreadful. Like, I think that if you only play games on the Steam Deck,
(0:46:31) Al: or if you only play games with the controller, do not buy this game. That’s it. I cannot
(0:46:38) Al: legitimately say that anybody who does that can play the game. Like, just don’t do it.
(0:46:45) Al: I tried so hard, and I maybe got through like two hours on the Steam Deck before I just broke down
(0:46:52) Al: and load it up on my computer and it’s
(0:46:56) Al: so much better. It’s playable now. I cannot overstate, that’s the word I’m looking for,
(0:46:58) Codey: Yeah.
(0:47:02) Codey: Overstate.
(0:47:05) Al: I cannot overstate just how bad the controller support is. It’s embarrassing how bad it is.
(0:47:12) Codey: I am right there with you so I played a little bit last night. I was playing last night and I
(0:47:18) Codey: was just playing on my Mac with my trackpad and I was like this is not fun because there’s sometimes
(0:47:22) Al: Mm. Yeah, oh, scrolling on the trackpad.
(0:47:27) Codey: you have to double click sometimes you have to scroll like so I was just really struggling with
(0:47:31) Codey: that yeah yeah it was really not fun so I was like okay and I don’t think I have
(0:47:32) Al: Oh, my word, like if you try and like rotate something using the scrolling on your trackpad,
(0:47:36) Al: it just like zooms around in a circle really fast.
(0:47:42) Codey: any mice around the house really I had a couple that were like Bluetooth mice but we’ve lost the
(0:47:49) Codey: donkles for them so I was like well I wonder if you can connect a controller and you can actually
(0:47:56) Codey: just connect an Xbox controller to a MacBook with Bluetooth which was dope so I did that
(0:48:00) Al: Yeah.
(0:48:03) Codey: and then yeah I was like oh this is so cool so then I started up the game and then I couldn’t
(0:48:07) Codey: like you’re saying, couldn’t start the game with the controller. I had to switch to my
(0:48:12) Codey: keyboard and my mouse pad. I was like, okay. And then as I was playing the game, like a lot of the
(0:48:19) Codey: stuff just was counter and like the mapping wasn’t intuitive. So then I changed some of the mapping,
(0:48:25) Codey: but then things were double mapped. It was just like not, not great. And then once I finally
(0:48:32) Codey: figured it out and got it to a position to the settings that I liked, it’s still like, there are
(0:48:37) Codey: There are times when I’ll open up the inventory and it will give me my right
(0:48:42) Codey: thumbstick will give me it’ll be like a mouse on the screen so I’m like this is
(0:48:48) Codey: great I can go wherever I want on the screen and like click whatever but then
(0:48:51) Codey: there’s times when that doesn’t happen and you have to use the d-pad and the
(0:48:54) Codey: like button the left button right button triggers to like choose things and that
(0:48:59) Codey: is not fun I can’t I cannot use a fire pit because if I open up a fire pit and
(0:49:10) Codey: and then I try and move something to the fire pit.
(0:49:12) Codey: It will drop whatever it is I’m trying to move and my inventory will get stuck in return to bag.
(0:49:22) Al: Mm-hmm
(0:49:22) Codey: And I’m like, I don’t have anything in my hand. I can’t do anything.
(0:49:28) Codey: I literally can’t do anything, but I really need to put something in the fire pit.
(0:49:32) Codey: So yeah, I’ve been struggling with that all day.
(0:49:36) Al: There are some things as well that this, because this is the thing, it’s not just like niche
(0:49:40) Al: things that we’re finding that are a problem, it’s very basic things that you do every single
(0:49:44) Codey: Yes
(0:49:44) Al: day in the game that you just cannot do with the controller. And there’s things that are
(0:49:48) Al: just not intuitive when you’re using the controller as well. So it, you know, when you’re like,
(0:49:56) Al: as you say, like dragging something into like the fire pit or on anvil or something like
(0:50:00) Al: that, when you’re on the mouse and keyboard, it’s very obvious, you go like, oh, I just
(0:50:04) Al: Just drag that over, that’s fine.
(0:50:06) Al: When you’re using the controller, it doesn’t really explain what you’re meant
(0:50:11) Al: to do, and very much this whole game feels like it was created for someone
(0:50:16) Al: with a mouse and keyboard and anything else you get, you will be thankful
(0:50:21) Al: that it even exists, right?
(0:50:23) Al: It’s not going to be good.
(0:50:25) Al: We don’t particularly care.
(0:50:27) Al: And maybe I’m being harsh, but honestly, I think that the, I think they
(0:50:33) Al: would have been better just to not have controller support at all and
(0:50:36) Al: absolutely dreadful controller support they have, right?
(0:50:39) Al: Because I saw, great, controller support is up.
(0:50:41) Al: They’ve got, they’ve, they say it works great on a Steam deck now.
(0:50:44) Al: Steam says it’s compatible with, but then you, you know, you click on the button
(0:50:49) Al: and you say, Oh, well, what’s the compatible stuff?
(0:50:51) Al: And it’s like, Oh, some text may need to be manually input, blah, blah, blah.
(0:50:54) Al: Okay, fine.
(0:50:54) Al: Sure.
(0:50:54) Al: That’s not that bad.
(0:50:56) Al: I’ve had plenty of games where it says that, and then it just
(0:50:59) Al: ends up being absolutely terrible.
(0:51:02) Al: Um, I would just say, yeah, just don’t bother, right?
(0:51:05) Al: you clearly don’t want to.
(0:51:06) Al: If you go into the mapping, I don’t know if this was different for you because you had an Xbox
(0:51:21) Codey: Mm-hmm.
(0:51:29) Al: controller, but when I was on that on my Steam Deck, it showed the normal keys. So it showed like,
(0:51:34) Al: like, “Oh, this item is mapped.”
(0:51:36) Al: And you’re like, “But what does that mean on my Steam deck?
(0:51:40) Al: I don’t know what would…”
(0:51:41) Al: So, like, the controller support that they seem to have added is the Steam map a button on the
(0:51:48) Al: controller to a key on the keyboard, not actually building in controller support like they normally
(0:51:52) Al: do. And so, but the thing is that in the mapping, they have, like, two options.
(0:51:54) Codey: Okay, that is different.
(0:51:58) Al: It’s like, “Oh, this is if you’re using a keyboard and mouse, or I can’t even remember what it was.
(0:52:04) Al: What was I looking at?
(0:52:07) Al: Oh yeah, it’s a control screen.
(0:52:08) Al: It’s either WASD or mouse based and it’s like, OK, well, where’s the controller one?
(0:52:14) Codey: Yeah, so on mine, it does have like on the controller screen
(0:52:14) Al: Right. Like, it just seems bizarre, the things they’ve not done.
(0:52:23) Codey: of like change the controllers, update all of that.
(0:52:25) Codey: Half of the screen, there’s like some part of the screen
(0:52:28) Codey: that is like WASD, et cetera, et cetera.
(0:52:33) Codey: And then there’s like below that there’s,
(0:52:36) Codey: it’s split in half that is here is how to change
(0:52:40) Codey: the key mapping for keyboard setup and here,
(0:52:44) Codey: the other side it’s here’s how to change it
(0:52:45) Codey: for a controller setup.
(0:52:48) Codey: So it does exist on mine.
(0:52:49) Al: Interesting, yeah, I’m wondering, I have it open on my computer so I can’t open it on my Steam Deck,
(0:52:49) Codey: I wonder if you just have to scroll really far down
(0:52:52) Codey: in your menu, it might be at the bottom.
(0:52:57) Al: but I’m wondering if that is the issue. Yeah, maybe it’s just doesn’t show it properly because it’s on the Steam Deck, I don’t know.
(0:53:00) Codey: But like that I don’t know I feel like it should
(0:53:04) Codey: I feel like it should like show you that if you’re on the seam deck, that’s what it should show you then
(0:53:08) Al: Well, this is the thing, like why, when you, because the game’s, normally when you’re playing a game with a controller,
(0:53:14) Al: It will notice you’ve pressed a controller input and like all the things on screen will show the controller
(0:53:16) Codey: - Yeah.
(0:53:19) Al: icons rather than the keys. And it does do that for some things. So if you know that, why do you
(0:53:20) Codey: - Yes.
(0:53:25) Al: not show the gamepad controls by default? That’s what I find weird. So yeah, pretty embarrassing,
(0:53:28) Codey: - Yeah, I agree.
(0:53:30) Codey: I agree.
(0:53:34) Al: I think. There’s also like lots of little things like see when you’re on the on a mouse and keyboard,
(0:53:39) Al: you can just use the scroll wheel to change your what item you’re holding, but on the controller,
(0:53:44) Codey: Your hockey.
(0:53:47) Al: at least on the Steam Deck, you have to press.
(0:53:50) Al: Left or right and then press up to select it.
(0:53:53) Al: Why is that the case?
(0:53:55) Al: That is such a weird extra requirement.
(0:53:58) Al: I don’t know why you do that.
(0:53:59) Codey: I don’t get it.
(0:54:01) Codey: Yep, I don’t get it.
(0:54:02) Al: So yeah, it’s a bunch of weird stuff like that.
(0:54:02) Codey: If I scroll over to it, I want to use that.
(0:54:07) Al: Exactly.
(0:54:07) Al: I got like, I died multiple times trying to deal with that.
(0:54:13) Al: And it’s just, it’s really, really weird.
(0:54:15) Al: OK, fine.
(0:54:16) Al: Enough complaining about controller support.
(0:54:20) Al: But we probably shouldn’t.
(0:54:21) Al: Because I actually have some things to talk about the game as well.
(0:54:25) Al: A few more complaining things before we get into things in general.
(0:54:31) Al: See, when you create a world and I ask you to choose the character
(0:54:32) Codey: Yeah.
(0:54:35) Al: and you name it, it says, “What is your character’s name?”
(0:54:38) Al: You put in the name.
(0:54:39) Al: So I put in Al and then it popped up and said, “Where is Len from?”
(0:54:42) Al: And you’re like, I was like, “Oh, did I put in the wrong name?”
(0:54:46) Al: Or did I like, I didn’t type Len.
(0:54:58) Codey: Yep. Yep.
(0:55:08) Codey: Yeah
(0:55:12) Codey: Yeah, I I saw that I know you had already mentioned that and so it was already on my radar and then
(0:55:20) Codey: Yeah, it happened
(0:55:20) Al: Yeah, I went a little bit grumpy in the Slack when I first picked it up on the Steam Deck.
(0:55:26) Codey: It’s fine, it’s fine
(0:55:31) Codey: Yeah, and then
(0:55:32) Codey: the
(0:55:34) Codey: Having the I did the same thing and like it seems like
(0:55:38) Codey: You can have multiple characters per game, per like world.
(0:55:44) Al: Yeah, I think I think you can also have the same character in multiple worlds
(0:55:47) Al: It’s interesting like I I don’t think I would ever like deal with that
(0:55:52) Al: But presumably that’s so you can have like here’s my personal world and also here’s a world with that
(0:55:57) Al: I’m playing multiplayer and I want the same character in both. I
(0:56:02) Al: Kind of get that it’s a little bit confusing because I suspect a lot of people will just be like, oh
(0:56:07) Al: You know, I just I’ve just I want to create a world and I want to create a character within that world
(0:56:11) Al: and it’s a little bit weird that you have to do them set-
(0:56:12) Codey: Yeah
(0:56:14) Al: fight, whatever, I get it. What else? We’ve got the workbench, yes.
(0:56:16) Codey: Yeah
(0:56:19) Codey: There’s that the word workbench
(0:56:23) Al: There’s so many things you can only put up inside, so workbench, anvil, loom.
(0:56:28) Codey: Yeah.
(0:56:31) Al: It seems a bit weird that that restriction, because I said here, is this a survival game
(0:56:36) Al: or a hide-in-your-house game? I get why you would restrict some things to being in houses,
(0:56:42) Al: but like, it’s a pretty common thing.
(0:56:44) Al: It’s something in survival games that you can just put things outside as well, right?
(0:56:46) Codey: I wonder if it’s because like,
(0:56:49) Codey: so I’ve had some of the like creatures come for me at night
(0:56:53) Codey: and they do start damaging your house.
(0:56:56) Al: sure, sure. But like, let me figure that out the hard way. Or let me deal with that if I want to,
(0:57:03) Al: right? Like maybe I want to. I don’t like having to go into my house to get stuff out of my bag
(0:57:10) Al: and to, you know, use my work space. The workspace is so cheap, I would be happy to just rebuild it
(0:57:13) Codey: I wonder, can you like, could you build it in a house and then tear the walls
(0:57:24) Codey: down because I would just build it how you want it and then just put, tear
(0:57:31) Codey: the walls down and just be like, and there it is we’re live testing.
(0:57:34) Al: Yes, that’s an interesting one.
(0:57:35) Al: Let’s see how that works, because presumably, right, like, it’s not going to
(0:57:40) Al: to go, oh, well, I’m going to delete everything in this house now.
(0:57:43) Al: How do I delete things again?
(0:57:46) Al: I’m in the build menu and I select and I
(0:57:50) Al: recycle and then I exit it does seem to be now just open.
(0:57:55) Al: So, in fact, could I just could I just put down our foundation?
(0:58:00) Al: Maybe I can just put down a foundation.
(0:58:01) Codey: Yeah, to be to be determined.
(0:58:04) Al: I’ve run out of wood.
(0:58:07) Al: Goodness me, this game keeps making me.
(0:58:10) Al: Yeah, OK, I’m good, I’m good, I’m good.
(0:58:12) Al: Building a foundation.
(0:58:15) Al: It’s fine, I can edit this and then building a workbench.
(0:58:21) Al: I built it outside on a foundation with no walls.
(0:58:24) Codey: Okay, so, so the only thing you need is a foundation to be able to build onto it.
(0:58:24) Al: And now I can’t figure out how to get rid of it with the hammer.
(0:58:28) Al: Must be enclosed under a roof.
(0:58:31) Al: Oh, I can’t. Oh, I can’t use the word.
(0:58:34) Al: Bench. If I click on the workbench to use it, it says it must be enclosed under a roof.
(0:58:40) Al: But if I can build it, I just can’t use it.
(0:58:41) Codey: Why? Yeah.
(0:58:44) Al: But that’s even more annoying.
(0:58:46) Al: I don’t know how this hammer is meant to work.
(0:58:48) Al: It just like wiggles things when I hit them.
(0:58:50) Al: I can’t get rid of this workbench now.
(0:58:52) Codey: Oh, well, you have to like, it’s not hitting them, you, hmm, it was like a, I think, huh.
(0:59:01) Al: No, A is like move.
(0:59:05) Al: You mean on the controller?
(0:59:08) Codey: Yeah, it was something and then you, I don’t know.
(0:59:12) Al: Trusty wooden hammer for repairing damage buildings.
(0:59:15) Al: Oh, maybe do I just use like the sword?
(0:59:18) Codey: - No.
(0:59:18) Al: I need to Google this.
(0:59:20) Al: I can’t figure out how to recycle this thing,
(0:59:22) Al: because even when I’m in the build menu, when I click on the workbench,
(0:59:27) Al: it just tries to use it.
(0:59:29) Al: Like, am I missing something?
(0:59:31) Al: Like another selector?
(0:59:33) Al: Because like the build menu is not really like.
(0:59:36) Al: You’re not in a different mode, you’re still moving around.
(0:59:40) Codey: - Yeah, can you, here, let me, I’m gonna pull it up.
(0:59:45) Codey: No, this is fine.
(0:59:45) Codey: We gotta know for the fans, for the listeners.
(0:59:49) Codey: Okay, so I hit F to go into the build menu.
(0:59:54) Codey: Yeah, so I hit F, I’m in the build menu.
(0:59:57) Codey: So it’s the menu that has the little showing current thing.
(1:00:01) Al: Oh, I see. Oh, this is really OK.
(1:00:04) Al: I understand. I understand what the issue is here.
(1:00:06) Al: Right. So see if I go into my backpack and I go into the build menu there.
(1:00:11) Codey: No, yeah, you have to. Yeah, correct, correct.
(1:00:11) Al: That is different from pressing F.
(1:00:15) Al: Now I’m in the build menu.
(1:00:16) Al: Now I can recycle it.
(1:00:19) Al: That is so stupid.
(1:00:22) Al: One thing I do like about this is that see if you go in, if you
(1:00:28) Al: So you start off by building wooden stuff and…
(1:00:30) Codey: Mm-hmm.
(1:00:31) Al: And then once you unlock the ability to be able to do stone stuff, you can actually,
(1:00:35) Codey: Mm-hmm.
(1:00:37) Al: in the build menu, click on something and upgrade it to stone.
(1:00:39) Codey: Mm-hmm.
(1:00:40) Al: Which is a nice thing that I will see.
(1:00:45) Al: And it just costs, it costs the same, right?
(1:00:48) Al: You’re not saving anything, but it does mean you don’t have to like scrap it and then build
(1:00:51) Al: it again.
(1:00:52) Codey: Woof.
(1:00:52) Al: You can just go around and tap on everything and upgrade them.
(1:00:55) Al: All right, okay, fine.
(1:00:58) Al: complaint still stands. Let me put a workspace.
(1:01:01) Al: The map is not amazing. I originally said it’s terrible, and then I’ve changed my mind
(1:01:12) Al: on that. It’s not terrible when you’re using mouse and keyboard, it’s OK. So when you’re
(1:01:20) Al: on the Steam Deck and you tap on the map, it shows blueberries, and there’s no way to
(1:01:25) Codey: Mm-hmm.
(1:01:26) Al: get rid of those blueberries. On mouse and keyboard, if you tap it again, you can change
(1:01:31) Al: what the icon is, and if you right click it, it gets rid of it. But there’s no way to do that
(1:01:34) Codey: Yep.
(1:01:34) Al: on Steam Deck. So you just end up having blueberries all over the map.
(1:01:38) Codey: If you accidentally click on the map.
(1:01:41) Al: I also feel like I should be able to zoom in further on the map. That’s the thing. Oh no.
(1:01:44) Codey: Sorry, I just got stung by bees.
(1:01:48) Codey: I just learned that, that that’s a thing that can happen in the game.
(1:01:51) Al: That might be a thing that I was noticing. I don’t know, because there’s so many things that seem,
(1:01:56) Al: this is a thing that I’ve been annoyed, there’s so many things that seem to hurt you and I’ve
(1:02:00) Al: I have no idea what’s happening.
(1:02:01) Codey: Okay.
(1:02:02) Al: So it’s like I’ll be cutting down a tree, and then suddenly I’m taking damage and I have no idea why.
(1:02:04) Codey: Uh-huh.
(1:02:06) Codey: Is it after the tree– is it when the tree starts falling?
(1:02:09) Al: Yes, but it’s falling the other direction, so it’s not falling on top of me.
(1:02:11) Codey: Yeah, it’s bees. It’s bees. That’s exactly what just happened to me.
(1:02:13) Al: It’s bees. How am I meant to know it’s bees? There’s no… I can’t see anything.
(1:02:17) Codey: So, I heard it. Do you have your sound off?
(1:02:19) Al: Oh, look, look, that’s an accessibility issue you shouldn’t require people to have sound on,
(1:02:27) Codey: There was there was a there was a very small there
(1:02:27) Al: to hear, to do something. There’s no visible bees.
(1:02:32) Codey: I mean it I couldn’t imagine I can understand not seeing that the the small
(1:02:42) Al: Anyway, OK, fine, yeah, the map is not great, but whatever, it’s fine on mouse and keyboard
(1:02:51) Al: as with so many things.
(1:02:53) Al: I will say, here’s a positive thing, the accessibility around difficulty is good, like in your world
(1:03:00) Al: you can change a whole bunch of settings, you can choose permadeath, you can choose
(1:03:05) Al: what happens to your backpack when you die, you can choose your starting health, what
(1:03:10) Al: damage you take, your backpack size.
(1:03:12) Al: There’s so many things you can change to make a game easier or harder, which is good.
(1:03:18) Al: I like this.
(1:03:21) Al: If you turn off sound, that doesn’t turn off all the sound.
(1:03:24) Codey: Mm-hmm.
(1:03:25) Al: There’s still sound when you’re loading a game, and weirdly, when you eat something.
(1:03:31) Al: So I’m just sitting here playing the game while recording.
(1:03:34) Al: Anytime I eat something, complete silence, and then…
(1:03:39) Al: It’s so weird!
(1:03:42) Al: All the sounds to have to hear is the eating sound.
(1:03:45) Al: Goodness.
(1:03:46) Al: Right.
(1:03:47) Al: Fine.
(1:03:48) Al: I think that’s my general complaints done.
(1:03:52) Al: So which of the things that I’ve got listed are things that didn’t exist in the game?
(1:03:56) Codey: Uh, so the, oh, the things that the mechanics.
(1:03:57) Al: I guess all of the things existed in some level, right?
(1:04:02) Al: The mechanics, yeah.
(1:04:02) Codey: Hunting, sailing, uh, there’s also fishing, but, um.
(1:04:04) Al: Oh yeah, I haven’t got to the fishing yet, sadly.
(1:04:09) Codey: Also the, yeah, the fishing, there’s the guy for the fishing.
(1:04:10) Al: can’t do everything in just 10.
(1:04:12) Al: 10 hours and it’s hard to put more time in.
(1:04:17) Codey: Um, there’s like a, I’m pretty sure there’s a fishing port guy.
(1:04:23) Codey: Um, and I just.
(1:04:23) Al: I would believe it.
(1:04:26) Codey: Had I also similarly have not gotten to that point.
(1:04:31) Codey: Um, so yeah, there was a lot less, um, nope.
(1:04:36) Al: So, the sailing didn’t exist, did you say?
(1:04:38) Codey: And I don’t even think you could swim.
(1:04:39) Al: Interesting.
(1:04:40) Al: So, you just had the one island, and there was nobody on the island, right?
(1:04:44) Codey: Yeah.
(1:04:45) Codey: And then there, you could build.
(1:04:46) Al: It was very, very bare bones then.
(1:04:48) Al: It was like, here’s the general concept of the game, and the mines, and building, presumably,
(1:04:51) Codey: Yeah.
(1:04:55) Al: you could build.
(1:04:56) Codey: Yeah, yeah, you could build the building hasn’t changed that much.
(1:04:57) Al: Yeah.
(1:04:58) Al: It’s presumably expanded what you can build, and stuff like that.
(1:05:00) Codey: Um, yeah.
(1:05:04) Al: A lot of this game is very kind of.
(1:05:06) Al: Bare standard, not bare bones, standard survival game.
(1:05:12) Codey: Mm hmm. Oh, I don’t have a dog yet.
(1:05:12) Al: Hey, I just, I just unlocked a dog.
(1:05:14) Al: I’ve got a dog now, a dog friend.
(1:05:17) Al: It’s, it’s at the end of the first dungeon on the first island.
(1:05:20) Codey: Oh, I can’t.
(1:05:24) Codey: I’m still so messed up on that dungeon. I want to improve my
(1:05:24) Al: You got to go save him.
(1:05:26) Al: You got to go save him.
(1:05:28) Al: It actually wasn’t too difficult.
(1:05:30) Al: The, I don’t know if they reduced the difficulty maybe, but it wasn’t,
(1:05:34) Al: it wasn’t huge. I mean.
(1:05:36) Al: It took me a couple of tries, but there was only one
(1:05:38) Al: particularly difficult bit right at the end. And if you’re
(1:05:40) Al: good at dodging, it ended up not being too hard. Anyway, be
(1:05:44) Codey: Yeah, I will.
(1:05:44) Al: that as it may. Go get your dog. Right, let’s talk about the
(1:05:48) Al: sailing then. Because one of the things about this game is that
(1:05:52) Al: obviously you’re on an island, and there are other islands. And
(1:05:58) Al: in a very Animal Crossing-esque way, you have to go to other
(1:06:00) Al: islands to get certain plants and other things, which is.
(1:06:06) Al: I think fine. I quite enjoy the sailing. It’s quite fun. I look
(1:06:11) Al: forward to upgrading my sailing boat because I think that’ll
(1:06:15) Al: make it even more fun. It’s a little bit slow when you’re
(1:06:18) Al: trying to get across the map to an island where you know
(1:06:21) Al: something is that you need. But I suspect the other boats are
(1:06:26) Al: much faster. And there’s also currents in the water that allow
(1:06:30) Al: you to go super fast, which are fun as well. Although the
(1:06:33) Al: The problem is there are one direction, so if I–
(1:06:36) Al: if I go really far up the map on one, then I’m stuck and I have to go the slow way back.
(1:06:41) Al: Not ideal, but yeah, no, I think that’s fun.
(1:06:49) Al: It adds more to the exploration, right? You’re not just exploding an island,
(1:06:52) Al: you’re also exploding the sea. Some islands are terrifying.
(1:06:54) Codey: Mm-hmm.
(1:06:56) Al: I just came across an island that is just covered in deadly spiders, and it’s scary.
(1:07:00) Codey: Yeah, I haven’t gotten to that island.
(1:07:04) Codey: What?
(1:07:08) Codey: I have sailed a little bit I haven’t come upon upon like a decent amount of scary things so I don’t have that same experience.
(1:07:18) Codey: but I mean it was it was all right I like the how that different
(1:07:24) Codey: look pretty different and seem like their own things like
(1:07:31) Codey: some of them have dungeons on them as well. So I like I like
(1:07:36) Codey: that aspect of it for sure. Yeah, I know it’s pretty pretty
(1:07:42) Al: Farming, you said farming existed in the first version you played?
(1:07:50) Codey: Yep, seems pretty similar where you can plant things in rows and you have a watering can, you can water them and then you just come back and get them and I don’t… is there like a quality system now at all?
(1:08:05) Al: Yeah.
(1:08:09) Al: I’ve not seen anything like that, no, it does seem to just be you grow them or not.
(1:08:13) Al: One thing I find a bit weird is that, see, when you click on it,
(1:08:13) Codey: Mm-hmm. Yep.
(1:08:16) Al: I know you get a site later on that you can use to the only harvests
(1:08:22) Al: crops that are ready, but there’s no clear, certainly the first time you’re
(1:08:29) Al: growing, there’s no clear visual indicator to see that it’s fully grown.
(1:08:32) Al: And if you click on it, you can click harvest.
(1:08:35) Al: At any stage, if you harvest it before it’s ready, you’ll get the seed back.
(1:08:39) Al: And if you harvest it when it’s ready, you get the thing and sometimes you’ll get a seed.
(1:08:44) Al: I just find it a bit weird that there’s no like indication on that.
(1:08:47) Al: Like you can click harvest at any point.
(1:08:48) Al: It doesn’t look any different if it’s ready or not.
(1:08:50) Codey: Mm-hmm.
(1:08:51) Al: And that’s weird to me.
(1:08:55) Al: Like at least show the little icon.
(1:08:55) Codey: There was, it did look different.
(1:08:57) Al: It does look different, but if you’ve not done it before, you don’t know what to expect, right?
(1:08:58) Codey: Yeah.
(1:09:01) Codey: Yeah.
(1:09:02) Al: Like if you’ve not grown this crop before, how do you know what it looks like in
(1:09:05) Al: the final stage?
(1:09:06) Codey: Yeah, you’re right.
(1:09:07) Codey: Uh, not much, like, not much explanation there at all.
(1:09:13) Al: No, it’s pretty self-explanatory farming.
(1:09:16) Al: If you’re looking for a complex farming system, this is not it.
(1:09:19) Al: But it’s a fun part of an overall survival game, right?
(1:09:25) Al: Like you want it there because it allows you to grow food and it allows you to make money.
(1:09:31) Al: and, you know, that is a useful part of the audience.
(1:09:35) Al: Overall experience and obviously allows you to grow things that you use and other things like you can grow cotton that you make cloth with, you can grow flowers that you can sell, you can grow blueberries and other fruit and vegetables that you can either eat or sell, depending on what they are, which you need everything with, like, you need all these things.
(1:09:58) Al: So I just have a bunch of farming plots that I’m growing everything in.
(1:10:04) Al: You grow, you like build.
(1:10:05) Al: You grow old to these farming plots, rather than using a hole or whatever and slightly easier and quicker.
(1:10:17) Al: I guess it’s definitely focused on the like, yeah, farming is here, but farming is here to give you other stuff rather than farming is here to be a core part of the game.
(1:10:29) Al: And that’s kind of a perfect example of that.
(1:10:31) Al: It’s like, you don’t have to hold, you just tell the land, sorry.
(1:10:35) Al: I need to stop saying “ho”. You don’t need to tell the land, you just put out of this farming plot
(1:10:43) Al: and then you plant and you water and then eventually you harvest. What I do really like
(1:10:49) Al: is there’s like a “plant all” button, so if you have multiple of one crop you can click “plant
(1:10:55) Al: all” and it’ll do up to nine of your crops, which is, I like that, this is good. I like quality of
(1:11:05) Al: farming, don’t make me just constantly click, because so many farming games do that, right?
(1:11:09) Al: The difficulty is just in how long you take to press buttons, not anything else, and that’s fine
(1:11:19) Al: in some games, because like in Stardew that’s the whole point. The whole point is you are building
(1:11:24) Al: this farming empire and you have to start out small and you just have to live with that,
(1:11:29) Al: but the point of this is about the exploration and the survival, and so I don’t want to have
(1:11:33) Codey: Mm-hmm.
(1:11:34) Al: have to go through the long
(1:11:35) Al: process of clicking everything if I don’t need to.
(1:11:38) Codey: Yeah.
(1:11:41) Codey: Have you done much with the skill tree?
(1:11:43) Al: I’ve done a little bit of the skill tree.
(1:11:45) Al: I’ve not figured out how I’m unlocking credits for it.
(1:11:49) Al: It’s just every so often that icon has a little extra icon on it that tells me I’ve
(1:11:53) Al: got something that I can unlock.
(1:11:55) Codey: you haven’t seen the level up thing. Okay. Yeah, do you see below your health indicator, a
(1:11:57) Al: Oh, is it from the look?
(1:11:58) Al: I’ve only I’ve only noticed that once.
(1:12:03) Al: I did. Is that what it is?
(1:12:04) Al: Did that give me the numbers?
(1:12:05) Al: Sorry, I’m fighting just now, I don’t have the time to look.
(1:12:09) Al: Just give me one minute, I’ve nearly done, I’ve nearly done, I just killed the last blob
(1:12:13) Al: that they’re going from, so I’ve just got one enemy left to go.
(1:12:14) Codey: - There you go, yeah.
(1:12:19) Al: I think I’m done now.
(1:12:20) Al: OK, yes, what am I looking at?
(1:12:22) Codey: Okay. So when you look at the main part underneath your health bar, five, so you are level five.
(1:12:23) Al: Sorry.
(1:12:24) Al: Oh yes, it says “experience 5”, right?
(1:12:30) Al: Yes, so you get one pair, you get one pair level.
(1:12:31) Codey: That is how you have gotten those. Mm hmm. Mm hmm. Yep. I think it’s cool because I
(1:12:35) Al: Yeah, I only noticed the upgrade screen once.
(1:12:42) Codey: think you can like it increases your health as a base thing. It you can depending on where
(1:12:49) Codey: you’re at in the game, you can improve.
(1:12:52) Codey: You’re farming or you’re, um, gosh, what are the different options?
(1:12:59) Codey: Let me open it up.
(1:13:01) Codey: Let’s see.
(1:13:01) Codey: You got, uh, mining so you can be a skilled crafter, which gives you less
(1:13:07) Codey: hunger drain and, uh, a chance to gather double things they’re skilled
(1:13:13) Codey: assassin, which increases, uh, the, your chance to harvest the dark essence,
(1:13:19) Codey: which is what the bad guys drop.
(1:13:22) Codey: Increases your bonus, bonus critical hit chance and, um, more healing when you’re
(1:13:28) Codey: full, another option when you first start is, um, skilled explorer.
(1:13:32) Codey: So it’s a chance to double the fish or the meat collected and increases your
(1:13:36) Codey: base damage and then skilled farmer, um, which increases, um, you can double the
(1:13:42) Codey: seeds that are collected from plants, gives you 10 to your total base health
(1:13:45) Codey: pool and increases your healing from cooked food.
(1:13:48) Codey: So, and with all of these different skill trees, like.
(1:13:52) Codey: You unlock the things around it.
(1:13:55) Codey: And so you can, um, like I have one that allows me to double the mine, the
(1:14:01) Codey: limestone that’s mined or double the clay that’s mined so you can, and it
(1:14:08) Codey: allows you to see where, what is next, like what you would get next on the
(1:14:13) Codey: skill tree, uh, or like where the skill tree goes, you can say like, Oh man,
(1:14:17) Codey: I really want the master farmer one.
(1:14:19) Codey: so I know I’m gonna have to make it.
(1:14:22) Codey: That direction.
(1:14:24) Codey: So I hate when things are like, they have a skill tree, but they don’t let
(1:14:28) Codey: you even access to the higher tiers to see what they even are.
(1:14:33) Codey: It’s like, what if, what if I don’t even know if I want whatever this is?
(1:14:37) Al: Yeah, no, I like that it’s got that. It’s fun having the ability to be able to see what
(1:14:44) Al: things are. And it’s like, yeah, there’s the survival section, there’s the farming section,
(1:14:52) Al: there’s the building section, and there’s the combat section. So it’s built out like
(1:14:57) Al: that. I quite like that. Oh, I finally found how to get the tutorial stuff back. Oh, wait,
(1:15:05) Al: Oh, wait, no, I can’t. That’s not how that worked.
(1:15:06) Codey: You’re talking about trying to access the tutorial information. Yeah, I I’m not sure how to do that
(1:15:07) Al: I thought I’d got to it. Yeah.
(1:15:13) Al: I saw it because you can see the quests both previous and forward, and I saw the tutorial
(1:15:20) Al: completed, but you click on it and it does nothing. I thought it was going to show me
(1:15:23) Al: all the tutorial information again, but nope, I hope it did not. I like the upgrading of tools
(1:15:33) Al: and stuff is interesting. So the way that that
(1:15:37) Al: works is you go into the workbench and you upgrade the workbench and that gives
(1:15:42) Al: you access to more blueprints and the blueprints are for upgrading tools or
(1:15:46) Al: for building new tools and you just you use them at the the anvil I think it’s
(1:15:51) Al: it’s got it does have a little bit of the crafting the infinite crafting
(1:15:56) Al: problem that a lot of games do where there are just so many different things
(1:15:59) Al: that you have to do to get one thing but it also doesn’t feel incredibly
(1:16:07) Al: annoying and I think that’s because the amount of times you’re doing it is not
(1:16:11) Al: very high so like I’m not constantly going into a whole bunch of different
(1:16:17) Al: menus every single day to do these things it is every week or so you’re like oh I
(1:16:24) Al: can now do this because I built to that point and so now I have to go into three
(1:16:28) Al: different places to do it but I’m not doing that every time and that I think
(1:16:32) Al: is the key and what in why I don’t find it annoying
(1:16:35) Codey: Mm-hmm. Did you do you find a dungeon map at any point? Do you know?
(1:16:37) Al: no there is the the caves has a map the mine which seems to be that the mine runs
(1:16:49) Al: under the whole map and you can go to different islands from inside the mine
(1:16:53) Al: which is interesting
(1:16:54) Codey: Yeah, yeah, I think that that’s accurate.
(1:16:58) Al: um I like the mine in that you can build inside there
(1:17:03) Al: what I don’t like about the mine is you can’t build wooden stuff in there you
(1:17:07) Al: can’t build stone and up which yeah because I I got very confused initially
(1:17:08) Codey: Oh, I didn’t know that. I’ve I’ve only ever. Uh-huh.
(1:17:13) Al: and couldn’t figure out how to build and then realized it’s because I was trying
(1:17:16) Al: to build wooden stuff not stone stuff okay fine
(1:17:19) Codey: Yeah. I only ever.
(1:17:20) Al: whatever feels unnecessary
(1:17:24) Codey: Never try and build stone because I’m almost always hitting my max inventory for stone.
(1:17:30) Al: Yeah, it definitely, I’m at the point now where I’m like, yeah, I’m definitely getting
(1:17:34) Al: much more stone than I am with. It’s much quicker to get stone than it is to get wood. So,
(1:17:39) Al: yep. Especially in the mine, right? Because that’s what you find in there. You find stone in there.
(1:17:43) Codey: Yep. So it’s, I’m just going to build stone while I’m in the mine.
(1:17:47) Al: I really want to upgrade my toolbar items. I’m assuming there’s a way you can do that in here
(1:17:53) Al: somewhere. Because like, I currently, you start off with six items. Oh, yes. Here’s the thing.
(1:18:00) Al: Annoyed me. Eating. How do you eat, Cody?
(1:18:01) Codey: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. You just click, you put, you have to have it on your toolbar.
(1:18:09) Al: You have to have it on your toolbar.
(1:18:11) Al: You can’t eat something in your bag.
(1:18:12) Al: You have to go into your bag and drag it
(1:18:14) Al: from the bag into your toolbar and then you can eat it from your toolbar.
(1:18:19) Al: That is so clunky.
(1:18:20) Al: That is very frustratingly clunky.
(1:18:22) Codey: Yeah, I get that.
(1:18:25) Codey: I agree.
(1:18:26) Al: Yes, I want to add more stuff in my toolbar.
(1:18:30) Al: Is there an option to upgrade that?
(1:18:32) Al: Feels like something that would have it.
(1:18:33) Al: Oh, one plus one extra hotbar slot in the Master Crafter.
(1:18:36) Codey: Yeah. Okay.
(1:18:37) Al: No, I want more. That’s ages away.
(1:18:39) Al: Yeah, I need to do one, two, three, four, five, six more points to get to that.
(1:18:40) Codey: You have to become the master crafter for that.
(1:18:48) Codey: Yeah, ‘cause then you can have, so I always have, you always want to have your pickaxe, your axe, and your sword, and then also, I guess, if you’re going, maybe your torch, yeah.
(1:18:58) Al: Mm hmm. Yeah. Your torch.
(1:19:05) Codey: And then, so that leaves you one slot for food, yeah.
(1:19:09) Al: Which is probably food, exactly.
(1:19:11) Al: And so then if you’re like, I want to do farming, well, I have to keep switching
(1:19:16) Al: out my farming tools because sometimes you want the watering can and sometimes
(1:19:17) Codey: Mm hmm.
(1:19:20) Al: you want the safe.
(1:19:21) Codey: Yeah.
(1:19:23) Codey: Not ideal.
(1:19:24) Al: So I would like one more slot, but, yeah, six more levels before I can get to that
(1:19:29) Al: point.
(1:19:31) Al: OK, so we talked about sailing, we talked about farming.
(1:19:35) Al: It’s probably not much to talk about the mining.
(1:19:37) Al: we talked about building in the main and.
(1:19:39) Al: It’s kind of pretty standard mining, right?
(1:19:42) Codey: Yeah, I like that there’s, um, there are torches around the place.
(1:19:46) Codey: So you have, it’s clear where that wants you to go.
(1:19:50) Codey: Um, cause you can just follow where the torches are.
(1:19:53) Codey: And I like that it kind of helps you understand, um, like where you’ve
(1:20:02) Codey: already been, um, especially if you are directionally challenged.
(1:20:08) Codey: I’m not, but some people are.
(1:20:10) Codey: Um.
(1:20:12) Codey: I think I would like if I was able to put an access to the mine wherever.
(1:20:18) Codey: Um, I built my initial house in probably not the best place.
(1:20:24) Al: Oh, see, I build it right next to the initial tone, so I’m very close to the mine.
(1:20:26) Codey: I should probably, I should probably honestly just do that, yeah.
(1:20:28) Al: You can just move stuff, just move.
(1:20:31) Al: Yeah.
(1:20:32) Codey: Because it won’t be that hard to, well.
(1:20:36) Codey: I’ll just build another house, let’s be honest.
(1:20:38) Al: Yeah, two houses, why not?
(1:20:41) Al: In this economy.
(1:20:42) Codey: And then I can go back in this economy.
(1:20:44) Codey: Yeah, I can go back and delete the other house, but.
(1:20:46) Codey: Um, I mean, I guess like that doesn’t really tell you where to place your house either.
(1:20:52) Codey: It’s just kind of like, now go build a house.
(1:20:54) Codey: And I’m like, well, I don’t know where I want my house.
(1:20:56) Codey: I ended up building it like in this random place that was near blueberry patches.
(1:21:02) Codey: I don’t know.
(1:21:04) Codey: I, it could have been better.
(1:21:06) Codey: I could have been, I could have done better, but.
(1:21:10) Codey: Um…
(1:21:12) Codey: Yeah. So the mine is pretty simple. There are some things in the mine, um, like you will
(1:21:18) Codey: come upon like other, not civilizations, but like other areas where people clearly have been, um…
(1:21:23) Al: And there’s sometimes notes and stuff like that, so you’ll be like, oh, I had to hold
(1:21:27) Al: up here to get to save myself from the monster.
(1:21:31) Codey: I do like there’s also this mechanic, or not mechanic, but like there’s this thing where
(1:21:38) Codey: there are these tablets.
(1:21:42) Codey: There are tablets that are all over the map in different places.
(1:21:46) Codey: And there’s a ring of them that have words, but you can’t read the words.
(1:21:50) Codey: But then you’ll find a tablet that helps you learn that language.
(1:21:56) Codey: And then certain letters will pop up on the words.
(1:21:59) Al: Yeah, so I’ve learned a bunch of stuff, but I’ve not found anything to read yet.
(1:22:04) Al: I don’t know, where are the things that you need to read?
(1:22:04) Codey: Oh, it’s to the left of the dungeon, the dungeon entrance.
(1:22:10) Al: Oh, like outside the dungeon.
(1:22:12) Codey: Yeah, there’s a ring of like five stones, and that’s where I’ve done it.
(1:22:22) Al: Oh, okay. Yeah, I was looking for things in the dungeon, not outside it. That was my confusion.
(1:22:30) Codey: Oh, I need glass? That’s lame.
(1:22:34) Al: Yeah, it does have that problem that a lot of these games have where you’re like,
(1:22:38) Al: “Okay, so I need this thing. Where do I get this thing from?” And then you end up Googling it.
(1:22:43) Codey: Oh I know I found glass before it’s just.
(1:22:46) Al: I’ve got glass here, but I had this issue with cotton. I was like, “Oh, I need
(1:22:52) Al: some, what’s it called, cloth.” And I was like, “Okay, where do I get cloth from?
(1:22:59) Al: What am I meant to do here?” And then you realize that you go and Google, and you’re like, “Oh,
(1:23:03) Al: it’s on certain items. Sorry, certain islands. The Mediterranean Islands, apparently, is what
(1:23:10) Al: they’re called.” Okay, sure. I went to a bunch of islands, and I found some cotton on one. I don’t
(1:23:15) Al: know what made it Mediterranean, but apparently it was. So yeah, I find that funny as well.
(1:23:22) Al: Oh, yes, here’s one other thing that I really like. We’re now just playing the game and thinking
(1:23:22) Codey: Okay, I’ve set a new bed.
(1:23:27) Codey: Mm-hmm.
(1:23:29) Al: of things that we want to talk about. I like how if you cut down a tree and it hits another tree,
(1:23:34) Al: it cuts down that tree. I like that sort of thing where it’s like, yeah, there’s just
(1:23:35) Codey: That was all, yeah.
(1:23:40) Al: cause and effect in the game. And obviously that also, if it falls into your house,
(1:23:45) Al: it damages your house. Okay, fine. That’s one of these things you have to deal with.
(1:23:47) Codey: Yep, if it falls on you.
(1:23:52) Al: But, yeah, well, I’ve not had that, because how are you managing to have a fall on you?
(1:23:57) Al: Because it follows the opposite direction from the way you’re hitting it.
(1:24:00) Codey: I’ll like run in that direction like preemptively.
(1:24:03) Al: Why? Why?
(1:24:07) Codey: I don’t know to go catch what I know is gonna fall.
(1:24:10) Al: Also, if you get the dog, the dog goes and gets the stuff for you.
(1:24:14) Codey: Oh my gosh that’s so cute. I don’t have the dog yet.
(1:24:16) Al: Right.
(1:24:19) Al: Don’t forget the dog!
(1:24:21) Codey: It appears Al that you can build things.
(1:24:27) Codey: So I’ve built another house and here’s a
(1:24:30) Codey: workbench and I can’t, I just built, I haven’t fully enclosed it.
(1:24:35) Codey: I just built a small roof over it.
(1:24:37) Al: Oh, so it doesn’t need to be enclosed, it just needs a roof.
(1:24:40) Codey: So I built, yeah.
(1:24:42) Al: But you need something for the roof to be on.
(1:24:45) Al: So did you build one wall and then the roof on the one wall?
(1:24:46) Codey: I built like a half wall.
(1:24:48) Codey: Yeah.
(1:24:49) Al: Interesting.
(1:24:50) Al: OK, OK, maybe I’ll…
(1:24:51) Codey: But then there’s a lot of stuff I can just build outside too.
(1:24:55) Al: Not the workbench, for some reason.
(1:24:58) Al: OK, is there anything fundamental we’ve not talked about?
(1:25:01) Codey: I don’t think so.
(1:25:02) Codey: I think we’re good.
(1:25:03) Codey: I think we’re just playing the game now.
(1:25:04) Al: I guess I need to talk about why I, I guess I need to talk about the fact that I.
(1:25:07) Al: Actually like the game now.
(1:25:09) Codey: Mm-hmm.
(1:25:10) Al: Uh, well, I started playing on my computer, but the problem with this, the
(1:25:10) Codey: Yeah, so what changed for you?
(1:25:17) Al: problem with this is that I don’t know whether I’ll be able to continue playing
(1:25:20) Al: this game because like I don’t game like this, right?
(1:25:23) Al: Like I could do this for this.
(1:25:26) Al: Cause I knew it was going to be like a limited amount of time, right?
(1:25:29) Al: I’m going to go, Oh, you know, I know, I know that by today I was going to be
(1:25:34) Al: finished so I could spend 10 hours.
(1:25:37) Al: on my computer playing the game but like I mostly game sitting in the lounge next to my wife
(1:25:46) Al: watching tv together right like that’s how I like to game I don’t like to game sitting in my office
(1:25:52) Al: on my own you know so it’s a little bit sad but that is essentially how I started liking the game
(1:25:59) Al: is I started playing it how they wanted me to play it which sounds like an obvious thing but
(1:26:05) Al: I feel like being able to.
(1:26:07) Al: To play with a controller is something that should be you should be able to do and actually enjoy it and yeah nah.
(1:26:13) Codey: - Yeah, I mean, I think it is new.
(1:26:18) Codey: It just came out 1.0.
(1:26:20) Codey: So here’s hoping that it’s something they can update
(1:26:24) Codey: because I also was having fun playing on the couch
(1:26:32) Codey: with Jeff, we were watching “Love is Blind”
(1:26:35) Codey: and I can’t really sit there with like on the couch
(1:26:40) Codey: with a mouse and keyboard.
(1:26:44) Codey: And I don’t, the track pad does not spark joy.
(1:26:48) Codey: So I would like more options.
(1:26:53) Codey: I think it would behoove them to let some,
(1:26:56) Codey: one of their developers spend a smidgen of time
(1:27:01) Codey: actually figuring out some of the stuff.
(1:27:04) Al: I agree. All right.
(1:27:08) Al: I think, yeah, my summary, I guess, oh, wait, that’s I can just repair that.
(1:27:13) Al: I’ve been building there’s a bit.
(1:27:18) Al: There’s like a random part off the north
(1:27:21) Al: of the island with a broken bridge, and I’ve just spent ages building a custom
(1:27:22) Codey: Mm hmm. Oh yeah, you can just repair the one. Yep. Yep.
(1:27:25) Al: bridge to get over there, and apparently I could just click on it and repair it.
(1:27:29) Al: That was so much easier.
(1:27:34) Al: I don’t know what to say.
(1:27:37) Al: OK, so my summary about this game, because
(1:27:41) Al: this is what I do again, if you play on the Steam Deck and you don’t want to play
(1:27:46) Al: on a computer, don’t buy it, if you play with a controller and you don’t want to
(1:27:48) Al: play with a mouse and keyboard, don’t buy it.
(1:27:50) Al: If you like survival games,
(1:27:54) Al: I mean, I guess I don’t have a huge amount of experience with survival games,
(1:27:57) Al: so I don’t know whether this is a good survival game.
(1:27:59) Al: But what I will say is I’m having fun with it.
(1:28:02) Al: It’s obviously not a cottage gorga-
(1:28:04) Al: It is very much stress. Everything is stress because it’s not only the dungeons and the mines that have the combat, they come to you in the middle of the night and also you die of hunger.
(1:28:16) Codey: Oh, I didn’t, I didn’t know that.
(1:28:19) Al: If you’re not careful, you’ve got to keep eating.
(1:28:23) Al: There’s just so many stressful things that can happen.
(1:28:28) Al: I’m currently hungry because I ran out of food and I was hunting.
(1:28:34) Al: I got too hungry while I was hunting.
(1:28:37) Al: And so now I’m losing health, so I gotta get some food in me.
(1:28:41) Al: Let’s eat some pumpkin, shall we?
(1:28:44) Al: Yes, so I think it’s I think it’s fun.
(1:28:47) Al: If you like survival games, you probably already know about this game and know whether you want to continue playing it or start playing it depending on what you like in survival games.
(1:28:58) Al: So I guess it’s hard to make a concrete “this is or isn’t a good game” because-
(1:29:04) Al: It’s not something that I have much experience with, right?
(1:29:07) Al: I would have played Minecraft a lot. That’s probably the only other survival game I’ve properly played.
(1:29:13) Al: And obviously it’s not like Minecraft because Minecraft is very much focused on the building.
(1:29:20) Al: And this has building, but that is a side thing.
(1:29:23) Al: This is about the survival more than anything else.
(1:29:26) Al: And to be honest, I played Minecraft a lot in creative mode.
(1:29:26) Codey: Yeah, I think I think it’s a good survival game. I I do enjoy it. I am enjoying it. I think that
(1:29:37) Codey: the biggest thing that would make this go from being like a seven out of 10 game to a nine out
(1:29:44) Codey: of ten would just be the controller support and making the controls a little bit easier.
(1:29:52) Codey: I don’t really have any issues with, I mean, I mean, they can always add more complexity.
(1:29:56) Codey: More, you know, recipes or whatever people want to do.
(1:30:00) Codey: But I also, I just, I do like the game as it stands.
(1:30:06) Al: I don’t want more complexity. I think it’s complex enough, but maybe that’s what people
(1:30:11) Al: like. I don’t know. Maybe this is why I don’t particularly play survival.
(1:30:16) Codey: Yeah, I think I agree with you. I’m also of the mind that this is complex enough for me. I feel
(1:30:22) Codey: like I could dump 20 hours into this and have all the answers I need to any questions that I
(1:30:31) Codey: might have, but I do think other people might be wanting a smidge more, so.
(1:30:37) Al: Possibly. It’ll be interesting to see how it goes, because they do have a timeline of a roadmap of things they want to do, and so, you know, it’d be interesting to see how that goes.
(1:30:47) Codey: Yeah. Yeah. 100%.
(1:30:52) Al: All right. Anything else to say? We happy? We done?
(1:30:56) Codey: I’m good, yeah.
(1:30:57) Al: I think we’re done. All right. Well, Cody, thank you for joining me to talk about Len’s Island, the second harvest.
(1:31:00) Codey: Thank you.
(1:31:05) Al: That makes it sound like we’re talking about.
(1:31:07) Al: Like a DLC for it or something, Lens Island, the second harvest.
(1:31:14) Al: Thank you for coming to join me for the second harvest of Lens Island.
(1:31:18) Al: That’s probably better wording, right?
(1:31:18) Codey: there we go. Yeah, I think that’s the blueprint. Yeah, thank you for having me. This has been a
(1:31:20) Al: Let’s go with that.
(1:31:26) Codey: lot of fun to rejoin this game and revisit it and see where it’s come. It’s come a long way
(1:31:35) Codey: from when we first played it three years ago. And while I’m not mad, I’m just a little disappointed.
(1:31:43) Al: I will say I just noticed fully harvestable crops do have a little sparkle on them when they’re ready.
(1:31:48) Codey: Um, yeah, yeah. I am on Instagram at hiking beagle be eagle. I am on blue sky at Cody Mathis,
(1:31:51) Al: But again, the problem with that is you still don’t know until you’ve done it.
(1:31:56) Al: Sorry, where can people find you on the internet?
(1:32:08) Codey: which is just my name. Um, and that’s about it. Bye. You well.
(1:32:14) Al: Yes, you can find me at thescotbot on massadon.scot. You can find the podcast on Tumblr and other
(1:32:21) Al: places at THSpod. You can send us feedback on our website, harvestseason.club, where you can
(1:32:29) Al: also find links to everything else to do with the podcast. We will be going on a very short break
(1:32:34) Al: later this month when I’m busy for a couple of weeks. During those couple of weeks, we will have
(1:32:41) Al: some greenhouse episodes that have been recorded.
(1:32:44) Al: We’re going to start off the month of the Shire because
(1:32:48) Al: Tales of the Shire is coming out in August, and hopefully the first episode after our break,
(1:32:55) Al: assuming nothing goes wrong, will be the Tales of the Shire episode.
(1:32:58) Al: That is currently the plan. I don’t promise things, but oops, there we go, I told you.
(1:32:58) Codey: - Mm-hmm.
(1:33:03) Al: So in the run-up to that, we’ll be having two greenhouse episodes,
(1:33:07) Al: which are about the Lord of the Rings. I don’t know how they’re split up,
(1:33:11) Al: because I wasn’t in it. It was Cody and Johnny.
(1:33:14) Al: And I told them to give me two episodes.
(1:33:14) Codey: Oh, so what we and we did we sure did. Um, they are split up. The first episode is about the Lord of the Rings franchise. So the three, the fellowship the two towers and the return of the king.
(1:33:26) Codey: We mentioned the Hobbit a smidge, but we don’t get that deep into it. And then the second episode is about the hobbits. So the three movies and the book itself.
(1:33:38) Codey: And we kind of go over our experiences with the material.
(1:33:44) Codey: Movies versus books, hot takes we might have. Yeah, it was, it was really fun. I’m always down to yap about
(1:33:50) Al: I love a hot take.
(1:33:55) Al: I haven’t listened to them yet, so I will be looking forward to listening to them
(1:33:59) Al: while I edit them probably later this week, maybe not.
(1:34:03) Al: I’ve got a couple of weeks to edit them, so who knows when it’ll happen.
(1:34:06) Al: But, yeah, so if you want that access to that, you have to join the Patreon,
(1:34:11) Al: patreon.com/thspod, that’s where you can support the podcast and get access to all
(1:34:16) Al: bonus, bonus episodes of the podcast, including those two.
(1:34:20) Al: Upcoming ones. You also get access to the Slack, where you can chat to everybody who’s in the Slack, that includes all the main hosts and a bunch of other people who are all fun to chat with. We have some good conversations there.
(1:34:40) Al: So come and join us there. Yeah, I think that’s everything. Am I missed anything? I don’t think I have.
(1:34:43) Codey: yeah I will I will post uh pictures of of zuko in that chat um that will be what I post from this
(1:34:51) Codey: episode uh and because he’s a goboi um but other than that I don’t really have uh much else to post
(1:35:02) Al: All right, well, I think that’s everything.
(1:35:05) Al: Thank you again for joining me.
(1:35:06) Codey: thank you for having me
(1:35:07) Al: Thank you, listeners, for listening.
(1:35:09) Al: And until next time, have a good harvest.
(1:35:11) Codey: Have a good harvest!
(1:35:12) Theme Tune: The harvest season is created by Al McKinlay, with support from our patrons, including our
(1:35:23) Theme Tune: pro farmers, Kevin, Stuart and Alisa.
(1:35:27) Theme Tune: Our art is done by Micah the Brave, and our music is done by Nick Burgess.
(1:35:32) Theme Tune: Feel free to visit our website harvestseason.club for show notes and links to things we discussed
(1:35:37) Theme Tune: in this episode.
(1:35:47) Codey: I’m so grumpy that I can’t there’s like gemstones that I can’t get.
(1:35:54) Al: I just upgraded my bag again.
(1:35:56) Codey: I need to upgrade my pickaxe but in order to do that I need to be able to smelt.
(1:36:08) Codey: I need the smelter out.
(1:36:08) Al: How do you get the smelter? Yeah. Well, yeah, I know, but like, what level is that? Smell,
(1:36:12) Codey: How are you asking how to get it? You have to upgrade the workbench.
(1:36:17) Codey: I want to get the blueprint for the smelter and then oh it’s just yeah it’s
(1:36:21) Al: smell. Oh, I’ve got the blueprint for it. You just need iron. I just need iron. I’ve
(1:36:25) Codey: very low yeah yeah I want to do that because there’s this there’s the the
(1:36:27) Al: got almost enough for that. Smelt, minerals into precious ingots.
(1:36:38) Codey: things in the mine that are like they clearly have gemstones in them and I
(1:36:43) Codey: I want the gemstones because I am greedy.
(1:36:47) Codey: Ooh. I don’t know. Does it allow you – well, I remember something like that being in the base game or the early access.
(1:36:50) Al: Ooh, I just unlocked the warp portal. I don’t know how to use it. How do I use that?
(1:36:56) Al: Have you not done that before? Warp.
(1:37:03) Al: Aha. Ooh, I just warped to another island.