Storypost | 2018.01.28

Horizon Zero Dawn screenshot Aloy old computer screens the ancients

Few spoilers inside. But first, more renovation.
Garage annex

Garage annex murder room cinder blocks concrete pour renovation

While thinking about re-sorting tools and stuff back into the garage annex, I decided to improve things in that area. The plan is to - piece by piece - replace the grade with flat concrete and retaining wall. The first two areas are bricked and poured, when they dry I can fill dirt back behind the wall so that the piers above sit on more level ground.

After this I can work to the left and right repeating the same procedure, while making a minor other improvements like lighting and a plywood semi-ceiling.
Theatre

Hamilton tickets Broadway San Diego Hamilton Broadway San Diego

Hamilton came to town. Unique, great show - the rhyme delivery gives it so much more density than a standard theatrical piece.
Wedding shoot


I got a request to shoot a small wedding at a house in La Jolla. I even dusted off the ol' FM3A to get some of it on 35mm.

thumbnail Dog Kodak 400TX film boxes
Horizon finale

Horizon Zero Dawn screenshot

I finished up the final few missions of Horizon. The story is great and thankfully peaks before the final action. While I'm still in it, I've decided to do the dlc.

Spoilery imagery:

Horizon Zero Dawn Aloy Meridian power armor Horizon Zero Dawn Aloy deathbringer combat explosions Horizon Zero Dawn Aloy deathbringer combat glowing canisters
Horizon Zero Dawn Aloy zipline descent Horizon Zero Dawn Aloy dodging deathbringer rockets Horizon Zero Dawn Aloy dodging stormbird snow Horizon Zero Dawn Aloy Faro tower
Horizon Zero Dawn Faro computer Horizon Zero Dawn Aloy burning buildings Horizon Zero Dawn Aloy mountains fog
Horizon Zero Dawn Aloy shooting frozen behemoth Horizon Zero Dawn Aloy bird explosion
Horizon Zero Dawn Aloy stormbird haze Horizon Zero Dawn Helis Horizon Zero Dawn headshot
Horizon Zero Dawn Aloy Faro tower Horizon Zero Dawn Aloy pit battle Horizon Zero Dawn Aloy ruins rubble Horizon Zero Dawn Aloy spear attack machine
Horizon Zero Dawn endgame stormbird stream Aloy Horizon Zero Dawn Sylens ending ruins teaser Horizon Zero Dawn Aloy zipline snow
Board games

Pandemic Legacy Season 2 final board

The board game crew finished Pandemic. We managed a victory with a score of 720-something. RIP Scruffy the janitor who carried the cure to save us all.



Review | 2018.01.07

Horizon Zero Dawn screenshot Aloy sneak Thunderjaw

Santa brought me Horizon: Zero Dawn. Here's some media and discussion, nothing in the story beyond an hour of play is spoiled.
Premise

Sit-rep: you are Aloy, member of a hunter tribe in the distant future where modern man has disappeared and left only giant robotic dinosaurs.

Horizon Zero Dawn screenshot focus

As a child, you stumble on a wearable computer called a focus.

Horizon Zero Dawn screenshot focus highlighting lokovision

The device gives you something of a third eye, though plenty of other people have them.
Environments

Horizon Zero Dawn screenshot snowy mountains high desert cactus

It's become common since Skyrim to ooh and aww at the visuals presented to you when wandering open world games. Vistas, lighting, quadruple lens flares - it tends to get kind of cheesy. Horizon isn't much different, but doesn't this just make you go ooh and ahh?

Horizon Zero Dawn screenshot river crossing mounted

The world of Horizon does seem to have more mood to it - if I can risk a qualitative. It's kind of like Fallout in that way, but with a wider, coarser spectrum compared to Fallouts dialed-in grim postapocalypse.

Horizon Zero Dawn screenshot tallneck depth of field

It's also remarkable how they can draw high-polygon-looking stuff really far away while still rendering nearby terrain and, well, not dropping frames. And NPCs that are moving and doing stuff.

Horizon Zero Dawn Aloy tower sunset Horizon Zero Dawn Aloy desert stormbird sand Horizon Zero Dawn Aloy desert riding night charger Horizon Zero Dawn Aloy night machine combat evasion
Horizon Zero Dawn Aloy jungle tallneck Horizon Zero Dawn Aloy cliff waterfall jungle Horizon Zero Dawn Aloy desert birds finger rocks

So combining all the elements of environment - day/night, weather, terrain, lighting - you get an extremely diverse audiovisual experience as you traverse the Horizon map. It's a feast for the eyes, though sometimes you feel forcefed.

Locales


Relatedly, there are a number of small, medium, and large population centers sprinkled across the map. They're all detailed, unique, and striking. But you don't spend much time in them. There'll be a save point, a merchant, and a bunch of NPCs that don't do anything. You can scour for a loot chest, but they're pretty unrewarding. Some have sidequests, and that at least gives you an excuse to roam around, but it's kind of sad that such great designs go to waste. Compare that to a PvP-type game where you end up knowing every map like second nature.

Horizon Zero Dawn screenshot Meridian Aloy bow

The main city, Meridian, is basically all you need since the vendors have the same gear (convenient but unexciting).

Horizon Zero Dawn screenshot face painted npc person

And so the NPCs tend to either be a main character, window dressing, or a quest-giver/target. I guess this isn't abnormal for this genre.
The armory

Horizon Zero Dawn screenshot Aloy snapmaws

As a postapocalyptic barbarian, you get a bow and a spear.

Horizon Zero Dawn screenshot weapon wheel

It does get a little better, you get:

Horizon Zero Dawn screenshot armor Carja Blazon Heavy

There are some clothing options that emphasize element resistances, stealth, midriff, etc. Each can be modified to boost certain properties.
Combat/tactics

Horizon Zero Dawn screenshot heavy weapons glinthawk

This is probably the most interesting and surprising part of the game. Most of the game revolves around hunting dinos - sometimes its a quest, sometimes you need their loot drops, and sometimes you just can't avoid it. But how you go about this business felt like Monster Hunter or Shadow of the Colossus.

Horizon Zero Dawn screenshot exploding dino

They aren't easy. Best I know, there's only one machine that can be one-shotted (with a critical hit) where most machines take dozens of hits to down. And the moment a second dino is in play, things get considerably more difficult.


Stealth killing the preferred method since you can land a critical and, later, override (hack them to your side). You need tall grass or an approach angle that you can be confident in. Most times this approach is implausible due to terrain or overlapping fields of vision.

Horizon Zero Dawn Aloy cannon combat Horizon Zero Dawn Aloy ropecaster bird tactics
Horizon Zero Dawn Aloy override tactic Horizon Zero Dawn Aloy charger mounted combat bow Horizon Zero Dawn Aloy behemoth fire attack desert cactus

Alternatively you can go mounted, send in a hacked dino, stay at long range, or melee.

Horizon Zero Dawn screenshot snapmaw

Your general combat tactics may dictate what you target on the machines. Each dino consists of:
Horizon Zero Dawn screenshot Aloy bow shock arrow

The depth of the combat system and reliance on inventory, intelligence, and skill makes fighting machines frightening but interesting and rewarding.
Multisided


Dinos hunt humans, humans hunt dinos. Some humans hunt humans, some dinos hunt dinos. And it plays out like this without particular concern for the player. You can stumble into ongoing combat and just be a fly on the wall. You can override machines and get a helping hand. Sometimes friendly NPCs will happen upon on your battle and help out.
Things to do

In terms of quests, HZD isn't too different from its peers like Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, Witcher, and Skyrim. It really only sets itself apart by the lack of unique rewards for doing things - it's all just xp and generic resources. E.g. here's an extraordinary reward box containing two common part drops and meager resources:

Horizon Zero Dawn screenshot extraordinary reward box lens

The upside is there aren't a trillion of each activity and the breadth keeps things fresh, so here goes...

Horizon Zero Dawn screenshot Aloy city ruins the ancients

Obviously there's a main quest where you, presumably, uncover the mysteries of yourself and the ancients. No spoilers.

Horizon Zero Dawn screenshot bow hunting

Run errands for people. Usual stuff here: hunt someone/something; track using your spidey sense; agree to do something that's obviously a trap, walk into the trap, spray the walls with 'em. There's always a premise that ranges from thin to not-as-thin.

Horizon Zero Dawn screenshot Aloy bow Stormbird fire arrow

Hunt stuff. The Hunter's Lodge rewards you for taking down the biggest baddies, but you also can bag components that are prereqs for traders to give you the high end equipment.

Horizon Zero Dawn screenshot bandit camp Aloy depth of field wall

Clear bandit camps, by stealth or by Leroy Jenkins.

Horizon Zero Dawn Aloy mountains tallneck ruins Horizon Zero Dawn Aloy mountains tallneck ruins timing Horizon Zero Dawn Aloy tallneck climbing
Horizon Zero Dawn Aloy tallneck perched Horizon Zero Dawn Aloy tallneck rappel override

Climb up so-called Tallnecks, unlock points of interest in a map region.

Horizon Zero Dawn Aloy cliff jungle waterfall climb Horizon Zero Dawn Aloy night point of interest vantage Horizon Zero Dawn Aloy vantage Lake Powell

Climb cliffs, get a pretty view, learn history by linking vantage points to your focus.


Clear cauldrons (the places where the robots are made) and gain the ability to override them - so here's an example of a cool game-changing reward. Of course, it means you have to defeat a tough enemy in an enclosed space:

Leveling

Horizon Zero Dawn screenshot skill tree prowler brave forager

Levels give you hp and access to a modest set of combat skills. It's nice to not be buried under 3% fire damage boosts, but it also means you don't really end up with a character build. The really useful ones:

Horizon Zero Dawn screenshot Ravager Aloy bow

Multishot. Reduces accuracy, increases damage.

Horizon Zero Dawn screenshot mount resting

Call a mount. It really beats having to find a herd, sneak up on it, and override one.

Horizon Zero Dawn screenshot patrol paths stealth hunting

Enable sneak kills on elite-level humans.
Photo mode!?!?!?!1?!

Horizon Zero Dawn screenshot photo mode

Notice all these amazing screencaps with no HUD or regard for the protagonist's wellbeing? That's because you can hit pause and do all the things you might with a real camera.
A few more shots

Horizon Zero Dawn Aloy behemoth overridden Horizon Zero Dawn bellowback fire ring combat Horizon Zero Dawn cauldron hanging jumping puzzle
Horizon Zero Dawn Aloy night fire combat Horizon Zero Dawn Aloy defeated stormbird Horizon Zero Dawn Aloy hologram map Horizon Zero Dawn Aloy patting rockbreaker
Horizon Zero Dawn Aloy perched waterfall Horizon Zero Dawn Aloy plane wreckage view Horizon Zero Dawn Aloy rappel jungle
Horizon Zero Dawn menu crafting items bony meat Horizon Zero Dawn charger Aloy riding bandit camp
Horizon Zero Dawn Aloy castle snow Horizon Zero Dawn Aloy night stormbird sky ominous Horizon Zero Dawn Aloy thrown from charger combat