Trouble with Blogger, Probably done blogging

I recently went into one of my blog entries and it wasn't the typical text editor I normally see. It was the HTML editor and it said that I had problems with the HTML that needed to be corrected. I have never messed with the HTML side all of the years I've been using Blogger. I went to some entry that I'd done over a year ago, and that text was shown in HTML mode with an error message that there was a problem with HTML coding.

Just now, the entry looks completely off, as if they've made a change without testing it. I need to finish now, as I won't be able to trust the editing process. I would notify them, but they don't seem to make it easy to do that. I'm not sure that it's worthwhile to continue blogging, as only a handful of people read what I write. Some of the older entries have nearly 1000 views but that's over a rather long period of time. 

Be well!

 I will be at my new blog.

Six Months of Solo Leveling:Arise

 It's been about six months since I started playing.  I got the 180 Days of Logins achievement the other day.

 

My Character level is 86 (just today) and my Reputation level is 54.  My last ranking showed me getting closer to the Top 100, but far enough away that it will be a while.

 

I have three weapons for Sung Jinwoo that are level 100.  I have most of the SSR-ranked characters, except for Cha Hae-In, but have her weapon.

 

Our guild moved up to E2 from E3.  I haven't looked to see what's good about that.  There are only three members in the guild, whereas most guilds above us have 50 members and some are by invitation only.  In other games by Netmarble, I avoided organizations because other people would join, suck away the resources, and leave.  That isn't possible with this game.

 

The Army of Shadows has been changing somewhat rapidly lately with more characters and more characters being leveled up.

I've been progressing in the story past the Hidden Chapter 1 and its side chapter.  I'm at the end of Hidden Chapter 2 but can't quite finish yet.

Playing some of the other modes, I'm starting to see all of the extra magical creatures that are hidden later in the stories.

I like the game, especially when the Story mode mixes battles with manga/manhwa or anime.  Seeing things develop makes it more interesting.  It could use more locations.  Most of the arenas are the same with artwork added, but still there might only be four different arenas.  They could use more variety. Later chapters in Story mode seem to tie the same outdoor areas together.  It doesn't seem to be as big as Honkai: Star Rail.  Obviously, it's not big like Genshin Impact.

Choosing the right camera for the job

 I've been around quite a while.  I sold cameras in the 1970s, photographed sports, did graphic design, and made videos at skate parks.

How do you choose the best camera for you?

• Decide what you want to do with it.
• See if there are lenses within the system that will do what you want.
• Choose must-have features and decide what other features would be helpful, but not necessary.
• Decide how much you can pay for equipment and software to support the equipment.
• Find videos on equipment both positive and negative.
• Don't fall in love at first sight.
• Don't be swayed by brand fanatics. 
• Who needs the latest and greatest?

Decide what you want to do with it

  If you're not sure what you want to do with it, you'll be wandering in every direction.  If you mostly want to take video, you shouldn't buy a dSLR because a mirrorless body will be more flexible.  If you want a great dSLR for stills photography, there may be several bodies within a brand that will meet your needs.

See if there are lenses within the system that will do what you want

 You must check to see if the best lenses for the job are available.  If you want to do wide landscapes, you'll want lenses with lower numbered focal lengths and bigger format sensors.  If you're trying to photograph wildlife, smaller sensors will help you cut the effective distance.

Choose must-have features and decide what other features would be helpful, but not necessary

Do you really need 8K video?  Can you live without In-body Image Stabilization?  Do you need 50+ MP?  Do you need weather-resistance?

Decide how much you can pay for equipment and software to support the equipment

You always have to look at every part of your workflow, not just the camera body.

If you're concentrating on stills photography, you'll need a good raw developer.  My favorite is Capture One Pro.  I've been using it since version 3.0.  Some people swear by Lightroom, which I tried when it was new, but like most Adobe software, I swore at it.  If you need something less expensive Affinity Photo by Serif works both as a raw developer and a Photoshop alternative. 

For video, you'll need something that will accept your camera's files.  You can use Da Vinci Resolve, Hit Film Pro, Premiere Pro, Vegas Pro.  Remember to figure the cost of your plug-ins, also.

Great lenses aren't cheap, either.  You'll have your lenses longer than your camera bodies.  Also, if you need to capture video and stills, you might want to have two less expensive bodies that can handle each function separately.

Find videos on equipment both positive and negative

Since there are so many video reviews, it's best to see what can be done.  Don't automatically trust them, though.  View them from a variety of sources.  Don't be surprised if they differ quite a lot.  Be suspicious of overly positive or overly negative outcomes.  I used to see magazines compare technology whether computers or cameras and they would complain about several problems and the product with the most advertising in the magazine would always win. 

Don't fall in love at first sight

It's easy to go into a store and find a camera body or lens presented in such a way that you cannot deny how great it is, even if it doesn't fit your needs.  Six months later, you could be regretting spending the money.

If you already have equipment, try it with something you own.  Capture photos or video on your own card.  Think before rushing into buying.

 Don't be swayed by brand fanatics

 I used to hear something like "My dad's cousin's niece's college roommate's boyfriend's dad uses CaNikon, so you should, also."

I've been to a few stores where I got "Oh, we don't know anything about those.  We only use CaNikon."

When I was selling cameras, I always explained the system and why the bodies were best for certain functionality.  I've met a few sales people who didn't know what they were selling.

Who needs the latest and greatest?

Who hasn't seen the latest technology and wanted it, not because it was necessary, but because it was new?

You can save yourself headaches and money by using something that's been in use for a while and has all the firmware updates to make it reliable.  If you're making money with your equipment, reliability is so important.

Remember that your choice is correct for you

Find what is the best for you and make the most of it.  Try every setting and learn from failure.  Keep the equipment manuals on your phone.  I've seen a load of people who will sneer at you for not using their brand.  Wedding photographers are like that, but hobbyists are worse.  Those who are ignorant of all the choices tend to sneer.  Just keep going and outdo them with better photographs.

135 Format on the way

From my history of photography 

Over the years, I've handled a lot of different camera bodies in various formats.  The first camera I used was a 6x6 box camera using roll film.  I've used very technical cameras since then and with the digital age, I started again.  Since 2004, I've been using Four-Thirds and micro Four-Thirds, both Olympus and Panasonic.  I tried Nikon for a bit, but it was a pain, moreso than during the film era.  Fujifilm made my favorite film cameras, along with Olympus and Mamiya.

I've photographed sports with Four-Thirds and micro Four-Thirds equipment starting with the Olympus E-1 in 2004.  Back then, it was hard to believe that digital cameras would be good enough.  Now, it's difficult to believe that young people are using film cameras or that Pentax and Rollei have developed new film cameras for sale recently.

Back to the present

I just ordered a Panasonic S5 Mk II with 20-60mm f/3.5-5.6 and 50mm f/1.8.  The Amazon 5 payments thing got my attention.  Getting it the next day was surprising.  I guess they didn't want me to have time to think about canceling the order.

It's new for me, but this body has been out long enough to have firmware version 3.1.  Panasonic finally admitted that they needed to provide Phase Detection AF, instead of their hit-or-miss Depth from Defocus technology that was introduced on the GH4.  I didn't like DFD then, and while it's become better, it will never be good enough.

I was looking at another micro Four-Thirds body, an Olympus E-M1 Mk III, which was good and then, there was a Panasonic G9 Mk II trade-in special that was incredible, marking it down US$600 and then, adding your trade-in value.  The G9 Mk II also has PDAF.  They did the same with the GH7.

The problem with micro Four-Thirds is that we don't know when it will end.  135 Format is claiming a lot of the market finally, as mirrorless bodies have taken over in a big way.  I got involved with micro Four-Thirds back in 2012 with the GH3.  At one point, I was taking an Olympus E-M1, Panasonic GH4, GX8, and GM5 to skate parks with me.  Now, I only have the GM5.

Panasonic to Panasonic

The S5 Mk II is about the same size as the GH4.  It's not huge, but it is bigger than the undersized Sony bodies that are difficult to hold but becoming better.  It's certainly bigger than most of the 135 Format film bodies from the 1970s, except for the Nikon F2.

The lenses seem small, but again, they're bigger than equivalent lenses in the 1970s.  However, nothing back then was weather-sealed and not much had auto focus.  The Polaroid SX70 was the first camera I sold (I was in camera sales for a while) with auto focus, and auto exposure was just coming to cameras later in that decade.

I'm charging the S5 Mk II battery right now.  Instead of a separate charger, they have a USB type-A to type-C cable, and a power adapter for AC current.  The light atop the body signals that it is being charged.  That is also the light that signals a connection to the phone app.

The menus are familiar but much has been added since the GH4 or GX8.  It's going to take a while to get the settings right.  I need to set up the custom settings, so that it uses Natural, instead of Standard, and Raw instead of JPEG.  I also need to set a video mode, 1920x1080 at 60p.  While I have computers to handle 3840x2160 or 4096x2160, I don't want to record 4K video.  I found that you must set file format MP4 for 1080p, unlike what I did with the GH4.  MOV format is reserved for 4K and C4K.

I need to order an SD Card for storage.  I have a few around here somewhere, but they're older.  This body uses UHS II cards for speed.  There are two slots but I don't need to fill both.  I'm also considering third party batteries.  There is a brand called Wasabi with a charger and two batteries for US$39.99.  I can't imagine that they'll last a year, but for my casual use, that shouldn't be a problem.  My official Panasonic GH4 batteries were still going after three years.

How much does anyone need?

I've watched a few videos about the S5 Mk II and how it compares to Sony and Canon.  Why don't they compare it to Nikon?  I'm not sure.

24 Megapixels isn't a lot in 2024, especially with Fujifilm's APS-C sensor having 40 MP.  I don't need more and I suspect few people need more, unless they're working professionally.  In that case, they should be using Medium Format.  Lower pixel counts require you to be more careful.  I've been working mostly with 16 MP and occasionally with 20 MP.  I'm sure 24 MP will be fine for me, especially with a dual-gain sensor.  I was using ISO 3200 as my upper limit of acceptable photos for micro Four-Thirds, ISO 4000 for the Nikon D7200, and I expect ISO 6400 will be the reasonable limit for this sensor, but I might push it to ISO 12800.

Thinking about APS-C, there is such a mode, similar to what Nikon does from FX to DX.  It likely works with L-mount lenses that are connected electronically, rather than with manual lenses.  I was thinking about one of the fisheye lenses that are available.  They're mostly the same as the micro Four-Thirds lenses but with a different mount.

I keep thinking about the day in April 2004 when I bought the Olympus E-1, 50-200mm f/2.8-3.5, and 14-54mm f/2.8-3.5.  I spent about US$3000 and this S5 Mk II kit cost about US$2249.  I didn't get a telephoto zoom of any kind with the S5 Mk II, unfortunately.  That would have cost at least an extra US$1000 right now for a Panasonic lens.  Having two lenses that overlap isn't great, but night shooting is possible.

I'm thinking about a Samyang 35-150mm f/2.0-2.8 as a zoom lens to cover a decent range at a big aperture.  There really aren't many telephoto lenses although Sigma's 60-600mm lens (like Bigma, 50-500mm), covers quite a bit, if you have a strong heart and a strong tripod.  The reviews say that there is a problem with the Samyang lens, but you can update the firmware.  Apparently, the lens firmware is updated the way we used to do with the micro Four-Thirds lenses on Panasonic bodies by putting the update on the SD Card.  If the firmware corrects the problem, US$1399 is a decent price for a good, maybe great, lens.

Update 2024.10.20: Yesterday, I took the S5 Mk II out for a few night photos.  I regularly did the same with the GH4 years ago, so I hoped for good results.  However, I might not have had things set properly.  Having a camera for about a week and going for the first try, I might still not have been ready.  Besides, I'm not as steady as I used to be.

This one was taken with Auto ISO.  Later photos were taken with ISO 4000 to ensure that it activated the higher ISO gain but this one looks just fine.  I could see a long spider web thread.

What made the GH4 so impressive is that it could focus in "starlight" EV -4.  The GH3 had that enhancement added via a firmware update. 

I had taken out the GM5 earlier in the afternoon and I wonder if I did better with it.  After eight years, the AF is generally tried and true.

Update 2024.10.24: I went out tonight with the 20-60mm f/3.5-5.6 which seemed like a bad idea.  It wasn't perceptibly worse than going out with the 50mm f/1.8 lens.  Most of the shots had a shutter speed of 1.3 seconds.  I even managed to hold most of them steady.  One thing that seems a bit odd to me is that the 20-60mm doesn't have any OIS (optical image stabilization), whereas the micro Four-Thirds standard kit lenses (14-45mm, 14-42mm) did.  I'm trying to think back to the Four-Thirds Leica/Lumix D lenses and I believe that the standard zoom lenses also had OIS.  The Leica-designed normal 25mm f/1.4 did not.

Thankfully, the IBIS is as effective as that of Olympus.  They started out on the same sized sensor but the 36x24mm vs 17.3x13mm makes for some addition stress.  Getting 96 MP out of high resolution mode is impressive.  Panasonic did a lot of work to make that happen.

Five Months of Solo Leveling: Arise?

 We're still going?  It feels as though most of us are close to being pushing the limits.

One new character and a couple of new weapons.  More mechanics.  Are you excited?

Using all of the coupons, I got a couple of Sung Jinwoo's weapons through Draw, so now, they have at least one Advance.  I needed those upgraded.  Things are moved a bit in the interface and the shop lag is much better.  I'm not sure why they need to animate all of those labels, but at least, the animation is quicker now.  Lag starting in Red gates seems less now.  Sung Jinwoo would always seem to take longer to start moving than the Hunters did.

Update 2024.10.17: Character level is 84 and Reputation level hit 51 a couple of days ago.  Finally was able to craft the exclusive weapon for Anna Ruiz.  Also, got Baek Yoonho and crafted his exclusive weapon.  It feels as though things are moving more slowly.  Challenges are at a standstill, as my characters need to be more powerful.  Apparently, characters at level 65 would be sufficient to handle these challenges, but my characters aren't fully leveled up.  Skill Scrolls are rare and I probably use nine different Hunters, so I can't just concentrate on three to get them to maximum.

Update 2024.10.30: Character level is 85 and Reputation level is 53.  Don't feel the need to update as much.

Watched the livestream and I was surprised that many people are complaining about bans on Android.  Hopefully, they're not doing anything wrong.

 

They increased the character level maximum to 95, just as I was getting close.  Pumpkin weapon is new.  I should pair it with the Marlin board.  I haven't used that or the fiery kebab.

Hope you're having fun.

Update 2024.10.31: Happy Halloween! All that talk of re-balancing has me wondering.

When I finally got to play, my Battle Tier leveled up twice.   Sung Jinwoo's job title changed twice, although one seemed to be the one he already had.  One of the Hunters, went from the 4th spot to the 1st spot and still doesn't seem all that powerful.  Using the codes and everything else, some of the weapons ended up with an Advance.  I'm also managing to level up the weapon skills, where possible.  Most are now at level 7 with one at level 9, but with a couple of them at level 6.

 

I haven't been able to level up artifacts because I don't have the resources.  I'm compensating, but leveling up their skills.  There are still a few level 4 skills on SSR-ranked Hunters.  I've been using a few SR-ranked Hunters, so I need to upgrade them also.

With the job change, they changed Sung Jinwoo's outfit and I guess that's okay, as summer is definitely over, even here in Sunny California.  I'm sure Seoul is much more chilly than here, so I should let him dress more warmly.

Update 2024.11.02: Reputation level is up to 54 and I hit the 180 logins mark.  Since Halloween is finished and so is Dia Del Muertos, they're probably going to change things next week.  Christmas isn't a big holiday in Asia but they'll probably decorate for it and New Year's Day is more important to most Asians, although the Thai calendar is different, as is the Chinese calendar.  Speaking of calendars, Daylight Saving Time is over until Spring and will change at 02:00 Sunday.

Another Gaming Mouse Bites the Dust

 I can't really be this aggressive, can I?

I'm replacing my ASUS ROG Strix Impact III with a Steel Series Aerox 5.  It's been almost one year since I bought it to replace my Corsair M55 RGB Pro.  I broke the left mouse button entirely.  I blamed that on a combination of Genshin Impact and Honkai:Star Rail.

At the same time I bought the ASUS mouse, I bought a Steel Series Rival 3.  Each was around US$30, which isn't much, especially for a gaming mouse.  I've been using the Rival 3 on my M1 MacBook Air, even though the trackpad is excellent.  I have a few games I play and the whole set of buttons makes playing much easier.

A couple of weeks ago, Solo Leveling: Arise was updated and suddenly, it was taking me 3-5 clicks for a click to register.  I noticed that there was a visible lag in movement.  Using the Rival 3, I was still getting some of that, but not as much.  I don't expect anything like that to change because of the Aerox 5.  I'm not sure what the developers are doing, but maybe they haven't had enough sleep.

Being able to see inside the shell of the mouse is interesting.  I don't know that I needed something this fancy, but it was US$20 off and I hoped that it would be more durable.  However, I'm not likely to ever buy a mouse for over US$100.

 Back in 1991, I bought an IBM L40SX, which was an Intel 486SX (486DX without math coprocessor) laptop computer with just enough storage and RAM for Windows 3.0.  It was available on HSN for 25% of the original US$6000.  I bought a Logitech Trackman laptop trackball for about US$150 because there was nothing else at the time and it hung in the gap between the numeric keypad and the case.  Today, there are plenty of choices, and good trackpads are part of the laptop computer.

In any case, another little journey has started and I'll see how well this Aerox 5 performs.  I suspect it will be fine.  My other Steel Series products have been.

After trying it with a few games, including Solo Leveling: Arise, the Aerox 5 has been responsiveness than the previous mousies.  I had to change some settings on the side buttons because it's much to easy to tap the forward side button with my thumb.  It was sending the F3 key and changing settings while I was playing.  The mouse is a bit bigger than expected, but I'm sure that I will adapt.  The cable is sometimes a pain, but the responsiveness wouldn't be the same using a wireless mouse, especially one with an adapter using an extra port I don't have ATM.

Like a Dragon Ishin!, Fate/Samurai Remnant rather than Assassin's Creed Shadows

 Maybe, from my name you can guess that I'm Japanese.  I'm fairly traditional in my likes and dislikes but I treat everyone with respect from the start.  Only the other person can reduce the respect I feel for them.

Ubisoft just pulled out of the Tokyo Game Show 2024, due to controversy over Assassin's Creed Shadows in Japan.

I have:

• Assassin's Creed: Syndicate
• Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China
• Assassin's Creed Unity

All of the Assassin's Creed games are boring to me.  Technically, they're well made but they could be churned out of the same game generator with different artwork.  Most of Ubisoft's games are similar.  I read someone's comment that the games have no soul.  They don't seem to lend any emotional attachment that I can see.

I wanted Shadows because it's the first one of that series on Mac.  Macs have had enough power for quite a few of the Ubisoft games but they didn't want to spend the money.  It's understandable.

I don't know every detail about the controversy but sticking to typical Japan from hundreds of years ago would be appreciated.  Apparently, they didn't care to do that.  Japan had enough trouble from Westerners hundreds of years ago.  Why create more?  Many tourists don't have respect, so why should a games company?

I saw a deal on Like a Dragon Ishin! Deluxe Edition, which puts you in the role of a Sakamoto, something I can handle most days.  For US$20 instead of US$60, I was quick to buy.  That was quicker than the uncertain man with his head bouncing down the castle stairs.

The really good thing is that it is certified for Steam Deck, which means it probably works well with some tweaking.  I wonder how the new processors from AMD will be next year.  I hope Valve is already designing for an upgraded Steam Deck with a Van Gogh replacement and OLED technology.  The current one I have is fine for many situations, but there are times when it drops because where it should be and I have to be patient.

Anyway, if you haven't heard of gameplanet.com, you're like me.  I've been shopping Steam, Humble Bundle, and Fanatical.  I finally took the Mac Game Store off my Mac.  Game Planet works with ASUS, which is my Windows 11 machine.

Update 2024.09.28: I just did something crazy.  I bought another samurai-era game: Fate/Samurai Remnant.  It's a Koei Tecmo game.  They're big on preserving a sense of history and they've been making huge games about old times in Asia, especially Three Kingdoms games.  I'm sure I saw that the latest was number 14 (XIV) just today.  In any case, I bought the Deluxe Edition for about US$49 instead of US$100.  When I see anything over $40, I have to think a while.  The credit union wanted me to think a while, as well, and asked me if I was really buying it.  I am concerned about fraud because my $10 Walmart gift card was used a couple of weeks ago about 40 miles from here.

When I started it, I started the Japanese version and it reminded me so much of being in Japan, I almost came to tears.  Sadly, I've been in the U.S.A. so long, my ability to read Japanese quickly is less than it needs to be.  Narration was amazing.

Also sadly, until now, I've never met a game that didn't use the Escape key to interrupt things and show an option for the menu or title screen.  Right-mouse button was unexpected.

I need to dedicate some time to playing both games.

Solo Leveling: Arise End of Summer and Four Months of Play

They're about to make some changes and there is a live broadcast in 2.5 hours.  The chat seemed pretty serious about the little girl characters not being appropriate.  It's ridiculous how most of these freemium games are pushing Objectifaction of females, but children should be off-limits.  Every time I play Giant Arachnid with Amamiya Mirei, I'm surprised to see up her skirt when the Giant Arachnid rises from the playing floor.

 

 It feels like a short time and there have been a lot of changes.  When I got my hands on the game, it felt familiar to Hoyoverse Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail.  Many of the items have different names but have similar mechanisms.

The most unusual aspect of the game is the character level.  You earn it by playing.  There is no Trial of Equilibrium or facing a beast of the correct kind to receive the leftovers once it is defeated.  You just play and claim funds and play more.

This is where I am:

Character level 78
Reputation level 43
Battle Tier 20, 288,256
Mining Team Level 24 127/1000
Difficulty 22

Chapter 18 on Normal
Chapter 11 on Hard
Chapter 3 on Reverse

Challenges Chapter 16

That's decent.  I look at CM Prizm with everything at maximum and I feel okay because I worked to get this far.  You can't cheat to accomplish the story levels.  There are no tricks.  I'm sure people pay loads to get the correct weapons that I'm getting more slowly.

I have spent some money, but nothing on the scale that I've seen Genshin Impact players spend.  One person I know spent US$200+ and I was shocked.  I haven't spent anything and I'm at AR 43 now.  It's similar to how I have dealt with Honkai: Star Rail, except that my characters are all at level 80, with decent Light Cones, etc.  I didn't think that I could get to maximum without spending money, but it's possible.

I know that getting from Character level 78 to 85 will be more challenging.  I'm on Story Chapter 18 and it seems to end at Chapter 20 so far.  Difficulty 22 has been difficult enough and I'm not as good with the ice bears on A-rank red gates and I haven't played an S-rank red gate for a while because it just isn't working for me.  I should be playing a higher difficulty but until I can do better, I'm being more cautious.  What's strange is that on the red gates, I'm on manual control and the game still seems to be controlling the player somewhat.

I have all but five of the SSR-ranked characters.  I have all of the SR-ranked characters, working to get all of the exclusive weapons crafted.  The Summer edition helped with great characters and weapons for free.

I've been lucky to draw the best stuff.  For Sung Jinwoo, I was using SR-ranked and R-ranked weapons up until Character level 25 but it's better now, with an SSR-ranked weapon in each category.  It's good to have two SSR-ranked fire element weapons when dealing with the ice bears.  Most of the SSR-ranked weapons have skills up to level 5 and even to level 6 on some skills.  That's too low, I'm sure, but that's why Difficulty 22 is where I'll be for a while.  Getting the level 78 artifacts will have to wait.

Upgrading skills has been expensive in terms of resources.  I'm sure I could do better if I spent actual money on what I need.  I always try to spread the resources to the three (sometimes, six) Hunters I feel can do the most good.  Giving resources to Hunters that have little chance of winning doesn't make sense.

Time to Play

I've been playing for almost one hour.  First thing I've noticed is that I have to click/tap 3 times to get the interface to respond.  I appreciate the maintenance compensation and the codes to redeem, but why make the game perform more poorly?

Having developed business software, language translators, and more, I know that you get it going correctly, first.  Then, you take the time to make it better.  In a year, it will be as smooth as melted butter but I'm playing now.

At least, when playing Gates, it seems about the same as previous versions.  Hopefully, that will be the same for the biggest bosses.

Did anyone get anything useful out of the weapons draw coupon?  I salvaged the whole lot.  Those Hunter weapons needed leveling up, so it wasn't all bad.  Hopefully, I will have all the SSR-ranked Hunter weapons to level 80 within the next two weeks.

Reputation level is 44 now.

Update 2024.09.12: Character level is 79 as of this morning.  I raised my Difficulty level to 23 but will probably raise that to 24 this evening.  I'm not pushing enough to get the better artifacts.  There was a box of level 78 artifacts waiting for me, but I could only choose 1 of the 8 available.

Update 2024.09.13: There was another box of level 78 artifacts waiting for me.  Hopefully, there will be six more and I will get the whole set.  Do I change Sung Jinwoo out of the summer sets of artifacts?

Does Manage Teams work correctly for anyone else?  I changed the teams to reflect fire, wind, water, etc. and I changed Sung Jinwoo's weapons to match the Hunters but the weapons are changed everywhere.

While working with teams, my Battle Tier was increased to level 21.

Update 2024.09.14: The next set of artifacts box was available.  Now, I have 3 of the 8 in the set.  I will wait patiently.  Lots of little changes but the annoying delays need something to be fixed.  Clicking/tapping up to 5 times to do anything is too much.

Update 2024.09.15: Another artifact box was available.  They all say "Greed" but do they all match?  Reputation level is up to 45.

Update 2024.09.16: Character level is 80.  That was the original limit.  It's also the limit in Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail.  Now, the limit is 90 for Solo Leveling: Arise.  Given that there are no tests or special items to use to rise to this level, does it matter?  Is it just another number?

Update 2024.09.19: The game had a promotion to craft some level 78 artifacts of the kind they gave away.  I had the Boots and Gloves of the Burning Greed, so I crafted the Helmet and Body Armor of the same type.  Unfortunately, I don't know whether I'll get the other pieces of the Burning Greed or fill the extra artifacts of the Burning Curse or the Burning Blessing.  I have some of those.

I've been trying to handle everything in the game and that's just not possible.  I had my birthday yesterday, so I just did as much as I could after going out to eat.  The Guild requires a lot to finish the daily requirements.  I haven't finished the whole set since last week.

The game seems overly buggy right now.  I've seen some small updates, but nothing to take care of the 3-5 clicks/taps problem I have.  I can hope, though.

In the middle of Challenges Chapter 15, I'm making progress.  It requires many of the Reverse Story episodes.  Challenges shows you every corner of the game.

 

Update 2024.09.22: Character level is 81.  Reputation level is 46.  Battle Tier is 22.  Challenges Chapter is 15.  In Story mode, I'm at Normal Chapter 18, Hard Chapter 11, and Reverse Chapter 6.  The Guild is small, with only three of us.  I feel that my levels are okay, not great.  I see the same names at the top and I expect that they started during the beta testing and got some extra free items and then, they spent a lot of money.  I don't want to spend money, even though I have spent some.

 

Update 2024.09.25: Got a Sung Jinwoo weapon up to level 100.  Continuing to progress, even if it is slow.  Managed to get enough resources to limit break another weapon on the way from level 80 to level 100.  Reputation level is up.  Draw tickets have been a bit light lately, so I've been filling the gap with Essence Stones.  Still have a lot but I have to slow down on using them.  Got one of the new SSR-ranked characters but I'd rather have Cha Hae-In at this point.  I could use a second light element character.

I've been trying to get the Hunter's skills up a few levels.  Noticed that a couple of the newer SSR-ranked Hunters have level 3 skills.  Go Gunhee is one of them and he's most powerful.  I can't imagine if everything of his was at maximum levels.

I bought/exchanged the Trinity Force 7-day buff through the Guild Exchange Shop, and it's excellent.  I made it through a rough patch of the story with Kalgalgan and more.

 

Update 2024.09.26: Character level is 82 and Reputation level is 47.  I got another Sung Jinwoo weapon to level 100.  I was working the Gates and the story in Hard, Normal, and Reverse modes.  Tried everything to get enough power to struggle through the Hidden Chapters of the Story.

Playing some of the side stories made me realize that I haven't updated some of the early Hunters I used.  Skills are low on every character but I tried to balance it over the few I needed.  Having so many good Hunters and weapons means that I spread the resources thin.  Returning to early story chapters meant that I would use characters that were fine then, but in Hard mode, wouldn't make it.

As I continue, will SR-ranked weapons for Sung Jinwoo even be useful?  I have two SSR-ranked dark-oriented weapons at level 80.  I only have one wind-oriented weapon and that's at level 100.  As well, my only light-oriented SSR-ranked weapon is at level 100.  Both of my fire-oriented SSR-ranked weapons are at level 80.  The skills of each are level 5 or 6.  I have one water-oriented weapon at level 80 and the other is at level 47.

Update 2024.09.28: Reputation level is at 48.  Most SSR-ranked weapons for Hunters are at level 80.  One is not quite to level 60, another is at level 40, and the third is under level 20.  Having new Hunters and their weapons every month can be inconvenient.  Since I have the whole Greed set of artifacts now, I've got those on Sung Jinwoo and the Battle Tier is up another level.

It's going to be a while for the couple of Precision Design bits I need to Limit Break another weapon past level 80.  They "offered" a pack with one of the Precision Design bits but not two.  I'm guessing that the next "offer" wouldn't be three times the price.  That one might give me two of what I needed, just to keep me wanting more of them.

Update 2024.10.02: Reputation level is 49.  Continuing to continue.  More weapons leveled up.  Using Harper for my daily Level up a Hunter.  Got her weapon with one Advance and a lot of extra pieces in order to craft Advance number two.

Update 2024.10.05: Character level is 83.  The exclusive weapon for Go Gunhee is going to level 100.  Since that weapon had 4 Advances, it was the best to level up.  I also have the light-oriented weapon for Cha Hae-In, but I don't have her.  I just got Baek Yoonho, not beast version but I already have that one.

Recently, I kept wondering about the Army of Shadows.  The game was informing me about changing numbers but didn't remind me about making modifications to the shadow characters themselves.  Suddenly, the battles are going better.  More resources needed again.

I'm still far from the top, not that being at the top would make a real difference in my life, but it would be interesting for a moment.

Once I'm at character level 90 and there is no further to go, can I concentrate on being better?  Will there be more to do?

Update 2024.10.07: Up to Reputation level 50.  The weapon for Go Gunhee is at level 100.

Disappointed in Apple announcements

 While a new set of phones is an annual happening, I'm surprised that Apple wouldn't try to be more giving.

The iPhone 16 will have USB, type C connectors but will have USB 2.0, 480 Mbps speed.  The Pro models will have 10 Gbps speed.

The iPhone 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro will start with 128 GB of storage, even though the 16 Pro will be US$999.

I can't believe that 10 Gbps speed and 256 GB of storage across the line would have impacted their profit margins so much that they would so negative results.

Apple are just too worried about their balance sheet and not how they're perceived.  It's true that moving to Android would be a huge problem for many people.  Today's crowd seems so convenience-oriented that not getting the exact pumps of mocha they wanted will ruin their whole day.

Long time using Macs

I've been an Apple Mac user since 1993 when Atari was failing and Windows wasn't ready.  My first smart phone was an LG Optimus on Android 1.3, as I recall.  It barely had enough storage to update itself, after I un-installed my applications.  I went to the iPhone 4S afterwards and missed the "you're holding it wrong" problem.  I'd had a second generation iPod touch, so switching wasn't a big change.

I give Apple credit for coming up with some good experiences.  Windows and Android wouldn't be where they are today without Apple's leadership.

When I put MacOS Catalina on my mid-2012 MacBook Pro, Mac users were complaining about how horrible it was.  Just prior to that, I had an Omen by HP (2018) laptop computer and Windows update 1709 ate itself and I had to recover Windows 10 from scratch.

More announcements on the way

They didn't mention Macs.

The pandemic is over and the sales of stay-at-home equipment might never recover.  However, they haven't announced any M4 Macs.  The M4 is barely in iPad.  The iPad mini hasn't been updated since 2021.

If they said that the products will be available by Christmas, it would at least be something more than we've been told to date.  You'd think will the Qualcomm Elite X laptop computers actually out for sale that they'd be more energetic about saying something.  Those machines haven't been as horrible or as great as expected but they're available.  If someone starts converting games to work on ARM, I'll be ready on my M1 MacBook Air.  With all of the development studio closures and the layoffs, I'm not sure any of that will be happening soon.  The Resident Evil engine is working on ARM, just fine, though.

Maybe, there aren't enough M4-series SoC to make enough MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac Studio, and Mac Mini units.  They might as well ditch the Mac Pro line.  They screwed that up.  For something similar, Qualcomm is supposedly hiring Intel engineers to likely create desktop machines with interfaces to outside devices, such as graphics cards and internal drives.

Apple needs to "think different" because doing the same thing year-after-year isn't great.  Their security is better than the others but they tend to put certain software updates on the back burner until they make the news report.  Microsoft wouldn't even bother to respond in most cases, but would point the finger at someone else, if necessary.

Extensible Macs?

Will there ever again be Macs that have replaceable storage, graphics hardware, or memory?

I bought my M1 MacBook Air with as much as I could get.  It was 1 TB of storage, 16 GB of RAM, and the most cores that the SoC had available.  Even refurbished, it cost quite a bit.  Compared to an Intel quad-core i7, it was a huge step-up in performance.  The graphics hardware still needs more work to compete with AMD or Nvidia but compared to the GeForce 650M or 1050 mobile, it was good.

The EU is calling for removable, easily-replaceable batteries for phones.  Apple pretty quickly abandoned replaceable batteries in Macs back in 2012.  That's why my previous "last" Mac was from the series just before that.  My M1 MacBook Air doesn't have a thing that I can change easily.

Computers aren't as disposable as phones.  I've had 20 year old computers that were slow but fine.  Getting 5.25 inch floppy diskettes to not degrade is another matter.

Apple has shown and sold us machines that need their help to be repaired.  Can they do better?

Have the watches really changed?

I didn't mention the Apple Watch at all, until now.  I don't know that there is anything truly compelling, except for Sleep Apnea detecting.  The size has changed somewhat and the charging is better somewhat.  They haven't figured a way to speed up the transfer of updates to the watch, I'm sure, and I don't remember my 2nd generation iPod touch being so slow, even if it really was.

My Series 7 Apple Watch is sufficient.  It feels as though Apple has made it worse with each update.  The only good things I can say for it are that the original band is still okay, it detected that my heart rate was 192 BPM, and if I'm out walking to the store and forget to start the Outdoor Walk, it will give me an option to start it around 15 minutes later.

Update 2024.09.16: I was just reading an opinion piece about how iPhone 16 Pro didn't get so many pre-orders/reservations because AI wouldn't be available right away.

I'm thinking that people didn't reserve as many because AI would be forced on them.  Besides, the majority of people are probably spending their money on items that are more important to them.  Spending US$1000 or more probably isn't a priority for them.

Update 2024.09.17: Warning!  Updated to iOS 17.7 and macOS 14.7 today.  Went to California DMV to renew my license.  Filled out the application on my phone through the process to be ready for the window.  I got a notification and my application was GONE.  I could not log into the system through the California DMV app but Apple should have been checking since so many people working there live in California.  Maybe, someone at headquarters will return with a story and the fix will be out next week. 

Update 2024.09.30: Macs and iPad mini are supposed to be announced in October.  Hopefully, every Mac will have an update to M4 processors, including the Mac Pro.  The iPad mini will likely get an iPhone processor and hopefully, one that is an A18.  If the iPhone SE replacement in 2025 gets one and the iPad mini does not, it would be unfortunate.  They should have a fix for the wavy display problem, also.

Update 2024.10.07: Mac Studio and Mac Pro will have to wait until 2025 for upgrades.  The MacBook Air was always going to be delayed until spring, along with the iPhone SE.

Update 2024.10.18: iPad mini has been announced.  Going from the A15 to the A17 Pro will be enough to make it more powerful and just enough to keep it going for a year or two.  The better display hasn't happened.  This is the treatment I expect for the iPhone SE, but then, the iPad mini hasn't been the best seller, since it's almost the only tablet of a smaller size.  When the Google Nexus 7 (2012 and 2013) were new, I would compare those with the iPad mini.  Now, it's difficult to find competition for it.  The last 7 inch tablet I bought had performance like 2012.

This seems like pandemic hangover.  They started planning, were interrupted by the pandemic, and have had a rocky recovery.  Quite a few executives have left Apple in the last couple of years, but that also seems like pandemic hangover.  However, they desperately need a visionary.

Update 2024.10.29: The M4 iMac and Mac mini are out.  The MacBook Pro must be next.  The way executives are leaving, you'd think that Apple don't have a plan. Certainly, this release the products one-by-one without an event has been different.  It doesn't lead to "We watched an hour for...that!" reactions although people can and will complain about anything.

Update 2024.10.30: The M4 MacBook Pro models have been announced.  The good thing about all of these announcements is that the base RAM is 16 GB.  The bad thing is that they didn't increase the minimum storage.  How many can deal with 512 GB?  I'm still cleaning out my 1 TB drive regularly to make sure I have enough room.  It feels as though even a minor installation takes a lot more space than expected.  Obviously, Universal Applications take more space because of two executables--one for Intel and another for Apple Silicon.  We last dealt with such issues when moving from PowerPC to x86.

Even the MacBook Air is now at 16 GB of RAM.  Since the CPU and GPU share RAM, it's important that they have more, but usually macOS is so efficient, you'll barely notice a problem, unless you're working on high resolution video...or playing a AAA game that doesn't exist yet.  There are some of those on the way.

Deleting Apple's App Store to be available with iOS 18

 Complying with the European Union's Digital Markets Act has been a dance with Apple.  They don't want to lose a huge source of revenue, some of which they should not be receiving.  e.g., Apple shouldn't be receiving any percentage on subscriptions.  They're not adding any value to the subscription.

Out of the various huge Silicon Valley companies, I trust Apple the most but will never trust them fully.  I'm sure they're positioning themselves to have indirect control of your life from your ears to your car.

Had they all all these products 20 years ago, maybe I would be more invested in what they're doing.  Right now, I'm okay with having alternatives.

The Digital Markets Act is giving consumers in the European Union the possibility of alternatives.  It's also giving consumers the chance to fail, to have unusable devices.

Part of compliance is to allow alternatives for everything, including the App Store.  However, the other part is that you'll be able to delete the App Store.  What happens when a consumer deletes the App Store without downloading another?  Perhaps, they can just use a web browser to download another, if they have a web browser available.  However, they might have deleted the installed web browser, also.

We can guess that the world will come together and have similar laws everywhere, eventually.  We can just view what happens in the European Union to anticipate problems elsewhere.  Hopefully, other governments will do better, but it isn't likely.

By the time all of this is settled, will Apple or Google or Microsoft even exist?

Update 2024.10.23: This shows that the Apple apps will be able to be deleted in iOS 18.2, at least, in the European Union.

Time to give up on Hoyoverse?

 After my recent "fun" with Honkai: Star Rail and my trial of Honkai Impact, I've updated Genshin Impact and visited their new area, Natlan.

I found that I ended up in a battle I couldn't win.  I also couldn't leave.

I'm only at account level 42, although my main character is at level 70.  Genshin Impact developers apparently feel depressed over negative feedback.  I'm considering removing their games from my devices.

This isn't the first time they've put me in a situation that was impossible.  I'm sure with all the money they've made that they're constantly thinking about the money and not how it feels to play when you're not fully leveled up.  If I return in one year, maybe, it will be okay, similar to the Knights of Beauty mess that happened in Honkai: Star Rail.

I appreciate that they're working on ways to make it fresh.  It's always been a struggle to play.  Maybe, this will save me some disk space.

Update 2024.08.30: After I lost the battle a few times, they gave me the option to downgrade my World Level to 4.  I finished the battle successfully.

While I was avoiding being in a loop, I made some progress in the other account on a quest that was taking too long, which got me into another quest that will take too long.

There is a common theme to upgrade the other characters and I haven't had much luck getting the materials, due to battle problems.  Is this the outcome of not spending real money?  It probably hurts.  I still haven't seen Inazuma because I haven't completed some huge quests since I can't figure out the puzzles.  I've tried a couple of walkthroughs.

Natlan is agreeable and there seem to be fewer enemies, but I haven't got into the two specific World Quests.

Solo Leveling: Arise after three months

 I'm at character level 70 and Reputation level 36.  I started playing on May 8, 2024.

I have several SSR-ranked characters:

• Amamiya Mirei
• Meilin Fisher
• Yoo Soohyun
• Alicia Blanche
• Lee Bora
• Woo Jinchul
• Choi Jong-In
• Silver Mane Baek Yoonho
  

I have several SSR-ranked weapons for Sung Jinwoo:

• Moonshadow
• Vulcan's Rage
• Thetis' Grimoire
•  Demon King's Longsword
• Shadow Scythe
• The Huntsman
• Skadi
• Secured Marlin Surfboard
• Demonic Plum Flower Sword

and, more SSR-ranked weapons for Hunters:

• Overdrive Exclusive for Yoo Soohyun
• Sword of Light Exclusive for Cha Hae-In
  
• Bunny Bunbun Exclusive for Amamiya Mirei
• Howling White Tiger's Soul Exclusive for Silver Mane Baek Yoonho
• Ice Witch Exclusive for Alicia Blanche
• Hook, Line, and Sinker Exclusive for Meilin Fisher
• Another Level Exclusive for Woo Jinchul
• Unparalleled Bravery  Exclusive for Seo Jiwoo
• Sturdy Shark Water Gun
• What Never Was Exclusive for Lee Joohee

Building up to level 70 has been interesting.  I was surprised a few weeks back when the enemies were at level 85.  How do you defeat someone 20 levels above your characters?

I keep trying to get weapons to their maximum level, and on Sung Jinwoo's weapons, get the weapon's skills to their maximum level.  The main problem is a lack of credits and other resources.  Thetis' Grimoire and Vulcan's Rage are most used right now, but Shadow Scythe and Moonshadow are equally important, along with Demon King's Longsword.  I may still need SR-ranked weapons but with further drawings, more SSR-ranked weapons have arrived.

Getting the Hunters to their maximum is equally important, and equally dependent on resources.  Amamiya Mirei, Yoo Soohyun, and Lee Joohee are my top three at the moment.  I got a number of Lee Joeehee during drawing and therefore, she's very powerful for an SR-ranked character.  She's equipped with the Sturdy Shark Water Gun.  I recently became aware that I could craft an exclusive weapon for her, What Never Was, and I'm getting that up to level 60, but I'm not sure it will be as powerful as Sturdy Shark Water Gun with multiple levels of Advance.

At this level, certain gates are incredibly easy to finish and others seem impossible to finish.  An S-ranked red gate with bears are sometimes possible to finish, but not often.  One thing that was holding me back was that I had Semi-automatic engaged.  That works fine on a normal gate but not on a red gate.  As I've switched to manual, the system isn't fighting me.

I almost always do extra gates after the 15 keys are finished, if just for the weapon upgrade materials and credits.  I don't bother with gold gates at all.  Red gates come in handy occasionally, but as I've leveled higher, I don't see as much return for the effort, even with an SSS result.

Solo Leveling: Arise or Genshin Impact or Honkai: Star Rail?

There are a lot of similarities in how things work.  The technical terms may be different, .e.g. Weapons vs Light Cones but they aren't so totally different.

Obviously, the open world of Genshin Impact is amazing.  Teyvat has a lot to see.  I still haven't seen that much, even though I'm at account level 42.  Honkai: Star Rail has some, limited movement, like an open world on rails.

Solo Leveling: Arise is very limiting at the moment.  Outside of each dungeon, there is no movement.  Even the lobby feels like a dungeon without combat.  Story mode is sometimes engaging, but I'm not sure I would put it on a level with the other two.

The work that went into all three of them is amazing.  The other two are more refined but had rough edges when they were new.  I'm sure that Solo Leveling: Arise will be amazingly smooth at some point.

The various battle modes are good, but it almost always feels repetitive.  There should be more venues, different magical beings, or something else that will surprise.  I'm not suggesting that they have a crossover, as they do with the mobile games but something a bit different would be interesting.

Update 2024.08.13: Reputation level is up to 37 and Character level is halfway to 71 now.  Little by little, everything will be up to maximum.  I've played several battle modes lately, but I can't be sure that there has been progress.  At times, the victories are so easy that I'm not sure that I was playing an S-ranked gate, until I get to a red S-ranked gate and I lose.

I continue to make comparisons with Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail because there are so many similarities.  Nothing works the same but increasing power certainly has similarities with a distinct difference or two.

One question: will Solo Leveling: Arise be around for its first anniversary?  It's moving so quickly, I wonder how it will continue.

Update 2024.08.15: Character level is 71 now.

Update 2024.08.17: Reputation level is up to 38.  Did a 10-ticket Custom Draw and got Phoenix Soul, which seems to be more powerful than Vulcan's Rage, which I've been using.

 

Update 2024.08.21: New codes available and I'm up to Reputation level 39 and Character level 72.

Update 2024.08.25: Character level is 73 and Army of Shadows is up to level 26.  Got Phoenix Soul to level 60, but don't have the Precision Design resource to level break.  I had several of them from the lower levels but can't seem to be lucky enough to get them during Dungeon Breaks.

I've noticed a problem with Dungeon Breaks and Undead Knight Eldhelm.  Sung Jinwoo can't move until attacked.  I haven't noticed a problem with the other bosses.

There seem to be loads of little things to do in the Happy 100th day area and in the Guild area.  The Guild boss is quite frustrating to fight but there are goodies to be had.

 

Reputation level 40 doesn't have any surprises.

Update 2024.08.26: I just slid through Chapters 15.5, 16, and 17.  Character level is now 74. I was working on the Side Chapter from Chapter 16 with Cha Hae-In and the demo version of her was not powerful enough.  Through the battle, the game was automatically switching back to her.  The first time through it, she was killed, so I had two of my own Hunters and they were doing okay, but no better.  With all three at the end, it ended poorly.

The trouble with Chapter 18 is that the battle at level 70 is probably going to be too much.  I haven't had much luck with level 70 battles so far but the battles at 60, 61, and 62 have gone pretty quickly.  Maybe, it could work out okay.

Also, have Sung Jinwoo up to Monarch of Shadows: Rebel Leader.  Now, Character level is 75.  There were 30 extra points for the job change and 5 more points for the Character level rise.  Battle Tier is also up, of course.

Update 2024.08.27: I've got Go Gunhee and Han Se-Mi, along with Emma Laurent.  I've also got the exclusive weapons for the first two.  I was splitting the crafting bits and finished the weapon for Han Se-Mi not long after I got her and then, one of the 100th day celebrations handed me a choice for either weapon.  I can still craft another weapon for Go Gunhee and get an Advance, since I have more than 50 crafting bits.

Also, I'd pretty much forgotten about the Challenge list.  I didn't have enough power to get far at the beginning.  Now, I'm trying to do it all at once.  I will be waiting for Character level 76 to finish the next item in the list, but there is a lot more to go.

Update 2024.08.30: Character level is 76 and Reputation level is 41.  Just got Seo Jiwoo and her weapon was already at level 51.  I've been attempting to complete the Guild Daily List every day, which seems considerable.  The Challenge List is up a couple of Chapters, with Custom Draw Tickets for each completed Chapter.

There are only three of us in the Guild, out of the 50 slots available.  The Guild is only at level 1 and 10% of the points to reach level 2.

Update 2024.09.04: Character level is 77 and Reputation level is 42.  The Summer promotion is almost finished but there are still some weapon fragments to use to craft weapons.

I keep finding bugs, so I hope they're getting them fixed, as well as adding new content.  The Power of Destruction doesn't seem to signal that there has been a second battle finished.  It's not showing up in the Guild List.  The Shop delays seem to be fewer.

They've come a long way in a short time, but to reach the success of Hoyoverse, they're going to need more.

Update 2024.09.07: Reputation level is up to 43.  Trying to hit all of the Challenges to catch up but there are many.  It's like cleaning.  You clean a little every day, it's not bad.  You wait for a week or two, and it's bad.  You wait longer and you need to call for a dumpster.  I think I'm in Challenges Chapter 11 right now.  It's moving pretty well and those 10 Custom Draw Tickets every time you complete a chapter are useful.

Update 2024.09.08: Character level is now 78.  That's only another 7 levels from maximum.  Isn't that strange that it's been about 4 months from level 0 to level 78?  100th Day celebrations are almost gone.  Will there be an update shortly?

Update 2024.09.09: I crafted new SSR-ranked weapons for Hunters.

• Night-Thoughts Exclusive for Emma Laurent
• Unstoppable Frenzy Exclusive for Kang Taeshik
• Intuition Exclusive for Park Heejin

They still have a long way to go before they're ready for battle since the levels are fairly low.  Night-Thoughts might be to level 60 in a day or so, but right now, equipping it drops Emma Laurent by about 8700 points.  It's going to need to be at level 80 before it's actually usable.  Unstoppable Frenzy was created a week or so ago and it's at level 27, which was better than the R-ranked weapon he had.  Intuition is still at level 1.

Quitting Black Clover mobile game after 8 months

Here I am halfway through account level 25, trying to figure out how to complete this blog entry about the game.  I guess thing I should be saying is that I'm tired of the frustration and will remove the game.

I haven't had much luck upgrading equipment, as the game will take gear at level 4 and waste 11 of 12 upgrade pieces.  Enchanting gear takes pieces that don't seem possible to find.  I've used the boxes of such pieces and they seem to give the same pieces I have every time.  This makes me feel that I will get the same result if I buy (with real money) the premium boxes.  I was lucky enough to enchant gear 1 time.

Black Clover (Clover being used in Japan and elsewhere for the card suit Club) is an anime that's been used as a basis for a mobile game.  I'd never seen anything of it until I'd downloaded the game.  Tower of God: New World is another game of similar circumstances that I'm playing.

Many of my characters are at level 15--maximum, several of those are LR.  I have some UR and SSR gear but it has barely got the four-player team to over 150,000.

I read someone's experience of using the original beta test game and that it was possible to finish the story in a week.  I looked at the chapters as I finished chapter 4 and there were a total of 10 chapters.  Maybe, it's possible to go more quickly if you spend money.  I haven't.  I also get the feeling that since he had an early version there was less to finish.

Now, the problem I'm seeing is that my characters are under-powered compared to the enemies in chapter 5.  So far, they've been victorious but the difference in power has been about 5000 and suddenly, it's 10,000. More recently, against the final underwater mage, I'm about 5000 over the requirement and still can't win.

How to organize

If I remember correctly, I started with Asta and Yuno.  Then, they give you a few other characters and if you're lucky, you will get an SSR level of character.  I was using Nebra Silva (SR) and Charlotte Roselei (SSR) as the other two on my team.

Right now, Asta and Yuno are both at LR level.  I'm also using William Vangeance (SSR to LR), Fuegoleon Vermillion (SSR to LR), and Charlotte Roselei (SSR to LR) on my team with Asta.  I've switched things around a bit for the task.

I also got Rades Spirito, Vetto, Sally, and (Costume Party) Charmy Pappitson starting out as SSR.  I have many SR characters and too many R characters.  I've been trying to bind the personal (those that have the same character) skill pages to the correct characters but everything is so tiny, it's difficult to see, especially with so many Silva family characters.

With an overload of those skill pages, you can enhance them to 5 levels.  (This is like Light Cones in Honkai: Star Rail or Weapons in Genshin Impact.)  Then, I found that I could bundle those that were extra, through Inventory, and Sell them.  My first thought was "What if no one wants to buy them?" and that's not a problem.  They're not up for anyone else to buy.

Around 1 a.m. Pacific Time (PST), a new day starts for the game.  I'm not sure why.  I've got three games from one Korean publisher and two change days at 4 p.m. and the other at 9 p.m.  Regardless, pick up the free items, summon once for free, and collect Asta's income.

From what I can tell, if you can find enough SR mage pieces, you can upgrade your SR characters to SSR once they reach Bond level 1.  You can upgrade them again, to UR, at Bond level 6, and to LR at Bond level 10.  Even if you don't have any SSR characters, you can end up with high ranking characters.  You can tell the characters original ranking by the color of the label in the character list because it doesn't change.  Finding the mage pieces is not easy, although some show up as you reach higher Bond Levels.  Since four are necessary for one character, you must choose carefully which character will ascend to the top.

 How to increase power

I've been using Normal Challenges to elevate my characters' power, specifically Evergreen Forest and Bond Patrol.  At the top, I've got one character at Bond Level 13 and three others at Bond Level 10.  They're all LR characters now.

I've been switching back and forth with the lower level characters to fight in Evergreen Forest for potions in order to raise their Bond Level, since they're not powerful enough for Bond Patrol yet.  If you use those Clear Tickets you've been getting for free, you can zoom through the level again and again.

My account level is Rank 17 and I've just (2024.03.07) completed Chapter 4.  It feels as though I've just begun to make progress.  It's 2024.03.12 and I'm at Rank 21, a few steps into Chapter 5.  It's 2024.08.08 and I'm now halfway through account level 25, as it's been for months.

I've got to believe that I would have gone further and faster if I had concentrated on raising the Bond Level more quickly for more carefully chosen characters.  I wasted gold on combining R characters, but fully equipped, they're no match, until you turn them into SSR or higher rank, if that is even possible.

I have made progress with characters but no matter, I'm stuck.  It's better than I quit now.  The frustration is so much, and I have many other games (without much frustration) that make more sense to play.

Razer Edge on the way--It's here!

 If you've been following for a while, you know that I haven't been happy with the Google Pixel 6a.  It was much less powerful than my OnePlus 8T, but compatible with my Razer Kishi V2.  Obviously, I play too many games.

I had been looking for a Razer Phone 2 for a long time, but those days are long gone.  The Razer Edge is only available as a phone on Verizon, and I'm not switching.  Since Android 14 on the Pixel 6a wiped my data, I haven't had an Android phone.  I've been using it on Wi-Fi only.  The Wi-Fi only Razer Edge will be just fine.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon G3X Gen 1 will be so much better than the SoC in either phone.  The Snapdragon 865 in the OnePlus 8T was fine and I got it specifically because the Snapdragon 888 was overheating in several phones.  Hopefully, I won't experience that.

The 144 Hz refresh rate of the OLED display is faster than the 120 Hz of the OnePlus 8T or the 60 Hz of the Google Pixel 6a.  I'm betting not much is ready to use it, though.  There don't seem to be many "holy shit!" games on Android.

 However, even the ligher ones tax the Pixel 6a, which is why I wanted something better.

Newegg has a deal on the Razer Edge with a coupon for US$100 off US$299.99.  Getting a product for 66% is good.

I'm guessing that with Steam Deck doing well and ASUS and Lenovo creating competitors, plus the previous Windows-baseed handhelds, Razer Edge hasn't been the big seller that they had hoped.

The only thing that might be a problem for me is that not all games use Google Play Games for their status updates.  The good thing for me is that, since Android 14 wiped out the other information, I won't be worrying about those other games.  I will likely have to transfer my music from my Google Drive backup.

Update 2024.07.20: It has arrived.  The device directed me to connect the two devices with a cable to copy information.  It connected to my main Android account easily.  That set off the Google warnings immediately.

Then, it updated some system software, asked for permissions, etc.

The strange thing is that it's only using Android 12.  It also didn't copy my second user account and barely copied any of the apps.

There doesn't seem to be a way to add another Home screen to host my games.  I really don't want to use the apps drawer every time I want to start them.  They probably think that everyone is going to use their Nexus app, even when the Kishi V2 Pro is not connected.  I'm not sure that is a good choice.  By the way, the Kishi V2, Pro or otherwise, takes power from the USB type-C port.  If you're not well charged, you could go into the danger zone quickly.

The newer controller seems better with controls that are easier to find while playing.

They refer to the Edge as a tablet.  It's certainly big but what is a tablet these days.  Is a 6.8 inch display big enough for a tablet?  My Google Nexus 7 tablets were just a bit bigger but there are a lot of phones on the market that are almost the same size.  I don't know I'll be putting it in my pocket to game out of the house.  This one is Wi-Fi only and, while I can provide an internet connection from my phone, it wouldn't be wise to have two devices without power.

It's almost charged to a good level again.  Once I get my apps downloaded, I'll see how powerful it is.

It's powerful enough.  It's like the Snapdragon 888 with a GPU upgrade.  Device warms up too much.  Graphics flow smoothly.  I suppose it's a good thing that they didn't upgrade to Android 13 or Android 14.  Perhaps, the 5G version is capable of being upgraded.  It's a bit sad that it only has 128 GB of storage and 6 GB of RAM.  My OnePlus 8T had 256 GB and 12 GB, respectively.

There is a huge black frame around the display.  People talk about bezels but this feels more like an artificial frame that has nothing to do with the actual display.  However, it's rounded in the corners and covers some of the display so it's difficult to press buttons.

Kishi V2 Pro feels like the older version, but with force (haptic) feedback.  It's quite responsive on Asphalt 9 Legends/Legends Unite, although the game seems a bit sluggish since its re-design.

I've tried all of my Netmarble games and they work fine.

Those would be: Tower of God: New World, Seven Knights II, Solo Leveling: Arise, and Grand Cross:Age of Titans.

Black Clover M and Sword Chronicles: Awaken are also working just fine.

There are a lot of little, strange things about the interface that don't make sense but I suppose they wanted everyone to have the Nexus app running as their main interface.  If you want a machine that isn't a phone, this is a good device.  If you need a phone, buy something from OnePlus or Samsung, especially if you can get a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8, Gen 3.  For the price I paid, it was an easy choice, US$100 for the controller and US$100 for the device.

Update 2024.08.02: Something was odd when I was updating a game.  There wasn't enough space.  I've been using a Google Pixel 6a with two accounts on 128 GB of storage.  The Edge only has one account on 128 GB of storage.  It's certainly possible that the games have become larger.  However, there seemed to be plenty of space and I removed some screenshots and it was fine after that.

 I just can't imagine that one account has suddenly become bigger than two accounts put together.  Maybe, it's Android 12, although I had two accounts on the OnePlus 8T but I had 256 GB of storage.

Solo Leveling: Arise after two months

 I'm at character level 60 and Reputation level 27.  It's been about two months.  I'm slowing down compared to the first month, but I didn't see that level with Honkai: Star Rail until about eight months.

 

There are many obstacles still but here is something I just learned.  You can play the story in Hard mode and get Essence Stones and Weapon Enhancement material without destroying your progress in Normal mode.  I've been struggling with Gates to get all the enhancements I needed and suddenly, I've been able to get quite a bit by playing the first few chapters in Hard mode.  I still don't have enough credits to apply the enhancements but it helps.

I'm currently waiting for about 90 minutes for the newest update.  There is a new character and at least one new weapon, including a Fire-oriented SSR-ranked weapon for the main character.  I watched the live stream for the first time.

Hopefully, new weapons will be attainable without money.  I really don't like to spend and I didn't spend any money with Honkai: Star Rail or Genshin Impact, unlike most people who play.

Update 2024.07.10: Battle Tier is at level 15, after getting Aquamarine earrings for one of the top three characters and getting them to level 14, as well as getting her weapon to level 60. 

The 20 custom draws didn't get me the new fire-oriented weapon or the new character but I got some already-owned characters which makes the Advance multiplier rise.  I'm still trying to get everyone up to level 60, so it's better to Advance.  It would be good to have SSR-ranked weapons for the SSR-ranked Hunters.

Update 2024.07.11: I just noticed that the updated game has ignored my graphics and language settings.  It didn't mess with my progress, thankfully.  I'm guessing that they didn't test.

Got the Aquamarine earrings for the other of the top three characters and now, the total power is over 180,000 and I still can't start Chapter 15.  I continue to run out of time on the first episode, even with the wind-oriented weapon.

Update 2024.07.12: Character level is 61 and Reputation level is 28. Some of those delays with the blue progress circle that you dislike so much get worse at character level 60.

Update 2024.07.14: Character level is 62.  Is there more resistance at difficulty level 16?  I'm not always completing S-ranked Red Gates.  Then again, I'm finishing SSS on A-ranked Gates.  Who knows?

Update 2024.07.15: Reputation level is up to 29.  Got some custom draw tickets and got one Hunter SSR-ranked weapon and another for the main character, plus another Thetis' Grimoire, so that gives an Advance level progress.  The Grimoire is already powerful at level 80, but as I reach new difficulties, it will need to be even more.  Sadly, I didn't get a fire-oriented weapon for the main character and I'm still using an SR-ranked weapon.  The SSR-ranked water-oriented weapon I got is good, but not necessary.

I got Chapter 15 started.  I didn't complete the first two episodes as quickly as the award requires, but I finished.  Having a wind-oriented weapon at level 80, along with Thetis' Grimoire at level 80, things can be done.  The total power is a bit over 186,000.  Now, it says that you need 150,000 to start Chapter 15.  Am I not understanding?  If I had two wind-oriented weapons, it might have been smoother and quicker.

Update 2024.07.18: I'm up to Reputation level 30 and Character level 63.  The total power is a bit over 190,000, which is close to the next Battle Tier level.

 

I have two Hunter SSR-ranked weapons to get to level 80.  They're both around half that now.  I've got enough SSR-ranked Hunters that I need something special.  I keep wishing for a fire-oriented SSR-ranked weapon for the main character but that hasn't happened.  I got some Advances on the others, though.  Struggling is expected, though.  I'm not spending bunches of money.  I spent some money early in the game and didn't get as much as I had hoped.

Update 2024.07.22: I'm up to Reputation level 31 and Character level 64.  I tried Difficulty level 20 but that didn't go well and I've brought it back down to 18 for the moment.  Raising the Artifacts level is going slowly.  So few work and it uses up resources too quickly.

Update 2024.07.25: I'm up to Reputation level 32 and Character level 65.  Got Yoo Soohyun and her weapon.  Getting them up to the best levels.  She's looking powerful.  Sword of Light still the most powerful Hunter weapon at the moment.  Crafted the weapon for Silver Mane Baek Yoonho, which should make him much more powerful.

Update 2024.07.27: Since I've rearranged the weapons, Hunters are in different order.  Yoo Soohyun has low skill numbers, so she's probably the most powerful, once skills and artifacts and her weapon are at a higher level.

 

Update 2024.07.29: Character level is 66 and Reputation level is 33.  Hunters have been re-arranged a bit, as I've got the artifacts on Yoo Soohyun at a higher level.  Haven't got her weapon above level 75 because I'm trying to bring the main character's new weapon, Vulcan's Rage, up to level 60.  This is the first SSR-ranked fire-oriented weapon for Sung Jinwoo that is available.  I also haven't touched Demonic Plum Flower Sword at all, even though that is brand new.  I have two other SSR-ranked dark-oriented weapons.

It feels as though Difficulty 18 is back where I expect it.  I should be up a level or two soon.  (We use the word "level" a lot in these games, don't we?) 

Update 2024.07.30: There is maintenance tomorrow and since the end of the second month is about here, there should be another, bigger maintenance and changes the next week.  I'm sure they are still introducing all of the battle modes they originally planned.  They probably have a plan for the whole 12 months.  Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail were that way.  Hoyoverse has had a couple of weeks with Zoneless Zone Zero.  I seem to remember their crying for Genshin Impact players after a few months of Honkai: Star Rail.

Have you played other Netmarble games?  I'm playing Tower of God: New World, Grand Cross: Age of Titans, and Seven Knights II.  They're all good but very different.

Back to SLA, I need to get weapons to maximum.  I've managed to Level Break several weapons and I have enough weapon enhancement materials but I don't have credits and I don't want to spend real money.  I played 12 more gates this morning and that's helped, but increasing skills and weapons levels takes credit and the gates helped but it's not a perfect solution. 

If you haven't seen the latest codes from the live stream, here they are!

I'm waiting for Tower of God: New World to open up at any moment and another two hours or so for Solo Leveling: Arise.  Other games will be offline Wednesday but of course, I'm not playing them right now, for whatever reason.  Will I pay US$18.99 and get Sung Jinwoo's summer outfit?

 

Update 2024.07.31: New artifacts exist, and I've brought them up to level 15 and the Battle Tier power is over 200,000, putting the team at level 17.

Update 2024.08.02: Got another set of artifacts from the summer theme.  They're also in the 60s, rather than the 40s and maybe a 50 that I've been using.  Character level is 67 and Reputation level is 33.  Finished a couple of gates this week and the final damage total was over 1 million.  I wasn't quick enough to get a screenshot but it's happened twice.

Update 2024.08.04: Character level is 68 and Reputation level is 34.  Things have opened up again.  There was something about Reverse.  Smashing watermelons is interesting.  Out of 15 SSR-ranked characters, I have eight, including

• Amamiya Mirei
• Meilin Fisher
• Yoo Soohyun
• Alicia Blanche
• Lee Bora
• Woo Jinchul
• Choi Jong-In
• Silver Mane Baek Yoonho

That's quite a few but the second most powerful right now is an SR-ranked hunter, Lee Joohee, with quite a few duplicates making Advance a huge difference.  Making progress is slow but good.  These summer weapons are interesting.  The shark surfboard and there are also shark water guns are both SSR-ranked and in my arsenal now.  It's difficult to find enough weapons for the Hunters.

Update 2024.08.06: Reputation level is 35.  Amamiya Mirei is third most powerful Hunter right now.  Got her exclusive weapon and got it again, so she is strong.  I like the sweeping way her character moves.  Maybe, it's just some of the Summer battles but she seems so powerful.  It should be interesting to handle gates with her.

Update 2024.08.09: The character level is 69 and Reputation level is 36.  I've given Lee Joohee a Shark water gun that has a number of Advance progressions.  She was the most powerful Hunter again, until I had another Advance on Bunny BunBun and Amamiya Mirei is now the most powerful.  The Battle Tier is the same but at 222,000+ they're close to the next level.

Need so many resources to level up the weapons and skills.  Coming up on character level 70, skills can be enhanced further.

Update 2024.08.11: Character level is 70.  Never thought when I started the game that I'd go this far and it's been only three months.  Further upgrades to skills are available at this level.  Battle Tier is level 17 now, exceeding 228,000.  I'm not sure that the numbers for Sung Jinwoo really matter or it's just something to give us a sense of control.