My entire day has been a struggle against that infernal thing known as "RNG." RNG stands for random number generator, and it's just a fancy way of saying "luck." Games are governed by probabilities. It determines whether this enemy will drop something awesome or diddly squat. When the odds I'm facing are 5% and .7%, it becomes an exercise in frustration. Any crafting system that forces players to reset to get what they want is in need of serious renovation. Don't get me started on the ridiculous drop rates. Less than 1%? That's insane.
I suppose that's why the definition of insanity is repetition. Fortunately, I'm a certified nutcase, so something like impossible odds doesn't deter me. It just makes me stronger. After all, how can you explain those three items in my inventory with .7 % chance of dropping? Okay, I cheated a bit. With a special technique, you can quadruple the drop rate, bringing it up to 3%. It's still amazing that I got my first one raw without using the technique. I was trying to get a sword called the Tisiphone Edge. It's apparently the best weapon for three characters in my party. Getting one is already a pain, but getting three? I can't believe I did it.
Did I forget to mention I'm still playing Golden Sun? I've already beaten the game but I don't consider it complete until I've cleared the secret and most powerful boss, Dullahan. Before I fight him, I'm gonna need the best gear. Commence the grind. I don't mind grinding out enemies for rare drops because I'm gaining experience and leveling up. What I hate is savescumming for crafting. There's a sword called Excalibur with 5% chance of being crafted from a rare material. I literally reset my DS for two hours until I got it. After that, I had to go through the same routine for my other materials. The developers must know players are gonna savescum for this. They should've made a crafting system that doesn't require exploitation.
In preparation for Vegas, I ran a few errands today. I took my shirts and blazer to the dry cleaners. My collars were filthy. The only time they got burn was during job interviews. Since I'm still jobless, they were wasted trips.
Target was running a promo on gaming cards. It was buy one get the second one 25% off. It's not brilliant savings but I'll take what I can get. I bought two $50 PSN cards for $87. That money went directly into a preorder for the Destiny Digital Guardian Edition. Before I saw Guardians of the Galaxy, my friend recommended using protein shakes as a substitute for small snacks. I still had money on my gift card balance, so I bought a four pack. I gotta say, this stuff is real heavy. It definitely works as filler.
My older brother got home early today, and since he's my barber, I asked him for a hair cut. I gotta look my best for Vegas. Unfortunately, he did something that hasn't happened in all 20 years of cutting my hair--he cut my ear. The ear is mostly cartilage and there's hardly any nerves so it felt like a pinch. It bled for awhile though. My brother panicked more than it actually hurt. I guess when I'm bleeding all over the place, it tends to scare people.
I'm thought about some things I'd need for the trip. Maybe I should get some swimming trunks for a dip into the pool. I don't know how to swim, but my friend assures me that nobody actually swims in a swimming pool. When I was walking through the aisle at Target, I eyeballed a nice bottle of Grey Goose. Costs about $30. The same bottle would run you $300 in a night club--probably more. That kind of pricing is absolute nonsense, but it works. Never doubt a wannabe's propensity to look the part, which, of course, requires spending the part.
It's funny that I spent the entire day grappling with computerized luck. I'm just getting my feet wet for the real deal. What is Vegas, if not one giant roulette wheel? I hope the RNG gods will be smiling on me that day.
/eventlog
