Gaming

Couldn't play Ark last night due to a buggy update that kept crashing at 65%. No doubt GFN will be patching it again for the next few days so the Red Obelisk will have to wait.
I should have switched straight to that spooky voice tree quest in Witcher 3 but I wasted too much time re-trying the update so in the end I just wasted more time looking through the Steam Summer Sale for things that I can't afford anyway.

Yay, Ark wasn't patching or updating!

And I successfully found some of those "things". (Took me ages to find the little box next to the rubble!) There was a note about a creature and further on there was a bit of story/information about the Obelisks and a reference to a cave of some kind. Interesting stuff.
I'm getting ever closer to that red one....



I also had a bit of a panic when I started getting a water alert. Despite going around the coast I haven't actually been in the water for ages cos my dino friend keeps detecting the dangerous underwater beasties so I keep well away. However I thought I was gonna have to go for a risky skinny dip but thankfully a very sudden and convenient rain shower topped up my water skin. Rain, glorious rain.

I then continued further on round the coast but then I saw a large dinosaur I hadn't seen before. Not a big long-necked one, it was a Theropod-type thing, looked as big as- if not bigger than my Parasaur and was coloured really pale. I pinged the radar and my friend confirmed it was a predator.
I didn't fancy my chances with it so I backed away returning to the beach as the light faded to make myself a camp fire and cook those compys that I just killed.
The game really has a very different feel when you're riding with access to the sneaky predator senses, it allows you to plan a bit better in advance. I think I may have to find another way around that bigger dino, maybe even find a safe water crossing to bypass it completely.

Oh and PS. I did work out how to "unskin" my saddle.

Wild boar!
At least they weren't killed by an excess of potatoes.

I did not know that about the toe-dipping.
I just knew that if you went fully underwater into "swimming mode" then it filled your water level and your waterskin, and the same thing happens when it rains.

After checking the wiki I think that the predator that scared me was maybe a Carnotaurus. Maybe.
I shall walk around it anyway.
I'm also a little worried about approaching the Obelisk. I have a sneaking suspicion that it may involve some kind of very dangerous baddie or maybe even some kind of Boss fight. (If you know, don't tell me. No spoilers. ) So I definitely want to put down a bed and some storage before then in a place where my dino can stay safe. All of which will allow me to walk around and die on foot without losing anything.

While on GFN last night I noticed that the recent Tomb Raider games have returned to the service after being previously removed by the publisher. I have the first of those in my Steam library so I may have a go on it over this weekend. I do still have the older games installed on my PC but I've got to an awkward point in those where I haven't been progressing much. I wouldn't say I'm completely stuck but I'm not entirely sure what the current puzzle wants me to do. So it should be fun to try one of the recent games instead with the nicer maxed-out graphics.

Just been researching Dino stats and I've come to the conclusion that if it was a Carno I saw then I have no chance of surviving a fight.
I was quite surprised to find that the Parasaur attack is only rated 12, about half of what you get from a spear and axe. Combat seemed much easier to me when riding, but maybe that's due to the relief of knowing that the dino dies before me.
I really need a Pike but that needs metal which needs forging and smithing and better crafting than I can do at this time.
But during my stat comparisons I also discovered that the Paras have another trick as well as the radar. If you press C then they do some kind of shout that scares off the annoying smaller predators. I'll try that the next time they bother me.

So I think the best plan is indeed to look for another place to cross the water, but I may sacrifice one of my sleeping bags to go in for a closer look on foot. Maybe I could even annoy the Carno and lead it further away before dying so I can do a quick local respawn and a safe crossing.