Monday 30 November 2015

SpeedRunners with MindCrack #32

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEZ-qzLQG8w

We join Kurt, Coestar, MCGamer and Millbee once again!

First is SpeedHookers at the Silo stage. They make many jokes about sponsorship pitches. Weird glitch moment too where MC skips the loop and gets ahead. Coe wins this one.

Second is SpeedHookers at the Nightclub stage. Millbee wins this one. Lots of funny dialogue from him and MC too! What's the crocodile wrestling thing all about? Some kind of reference?

Third is vanilla at the Library stage. Kurt announces the library is open. I like the idea of him being a door announcer :) Some weird glitchiness happens with hooks. It comes down to the wire with everyone having 2/3 points each! Who wins? Watch to find out!

Kurt Plays Forza Horizon 2 EP22

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYwYK-YzeCc

Kurt survives a murder attempt by a guy driving on the wrong side of the road.

He jumps to the next event, a street race at sunset. He wins this and goes on to the next event where it's sunnier. After this he wins the championship! He also wins big in the subsequent wheelspin!

Far Lands or Bust! #427

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oa_QqkG86Uo

Current distance from Kurt: 108 episodes. Gaining!

Wolfie begins the episode by attempting to use a diving board naturally made from soil instead of using a safe route and misses the little pool underneath. Kurt feeds him the last of his food. Luckily, he finds more pigs soon afterwards.

For the first day, Kurt talks about how weird he feels when he misses updating with more videos and how much better he feels when he records again. I know how he feels when it comes to missing stuff as routine and I've come to know how it feels missing to update my blog! It also feels good to go writing and updating again though!

On the second day it's time for more donator questions!

Patron AxlRosie asks "Did you put any more thought into the puppy project?"

Kurt talks about the project up until this point and gives an update too.

Donator Liz asks if Kurt's been keeping up with the latest Dr. Who. He says he hasn't.

Donator HerrBucket asks "Can you solve a Rubik's Cube?". He never tried to. I haven't either.

Donator Joe asks "How do you feel about Pluto being demoted as a dwarf planet?". He thinks it was the right decision and talks more about it.

A Patron asks "Are you planning on watching any livestream?" He says he might watch something about the Pluto flyby and talks more about it.

Donator Hermani(sp?) asks "What is the longest time you've gone without sleep and what was the reason for it? How does sleep deprivation affect you in general?"

He says he's pulled all-nighters doing art projects and astronomy meets and talks about the Minecon Paris trip too where he didn't sleep on the plane. I agree with him in saying they're no fun. I've done a few of them myself and they're no fun at all.

Donator Ethnicolour(sp?) asks "All of electric cars would you sacrifice speed, range, performance and pay more out of pocket to take home an electric car versus internal combustion engine?"

Kurt says he'd consider an electric car when they become more affordable and talks more about it and Tesla cars.

Donator EMC73 asks "Have you ever done or thought about doing extreme sports?"

He says the closest he's done is ziplining but maybe he could do white water rafting or river kayaking. As for me, I haven't and wouldn't!

Towards the end of the episode, Kurt spots a neat looking lava waterfall and builds his hidey hole nearby. There's a spooky skeleton outside but he sleeps soundly :)

He felt he had a bit of a scratchy voice issue this episode, but he managed well I thought!

Sunday 29 November 2015

SpeedRunners with MindCrack #31

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIfZUYYK0M0

Kurt welcomes us back to SpeedRunners! MCGamer, Millbee and Coestar join us once again too!

First is the Theme Park stage reversed. MCGamer does very well but Millbee wins this one. The inside joke Fajesus is born here!

Millbee wins the second one as well.

Third is SpeedHookers in the Factory stage. Watch for an excellent super slo mo moment between Kurt and MCGamer! Kurt eventually wins this one. Yay :)

Far Lands or Bust! #426

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofJYcqW5GUk

Current distance from Kurt: 109 episodes. Gaining!

Kurt hears footsteps but it's only a pig. On him and Wolfie go to the Far Lands!

BDoubleO from the MindCrack server gave a generous donation from his recent livestream. Good man :)

Kurt comes across fascinating fragmented ice in the water he crosses. It looks pretty sweet and you can see it forming in front of your eyes. Kurt takes a couple of screen shots.

So, Donator BDoubleO asks "Are snapback flat bill hats cool? You are very fashionable and I respect your opinion!"

He says he's not sure as he doesn't have a good head for hats! He generally recommends custom fitted ones. As for me, my head is a bit big for those hats too so I'd usually wear stocking ones too if any.

On the second day, Kurt talks about shopping for a new keyboard and mouse.

While discussing this he expertly drains a zombie spawner. Nothing too interesting in it though.

He talks about shopping for a car too.

On the last day Kurt answers some more donator questions!

Patron Rick asks "What colours do you decorate your Christmas tree?"

Kurt says he has multi-coloured lights, Simpsons and Star Wars ornaments too. :) As for me, I like using the lights and baubles and a Super Mario Star Man too on the tree.

Patron Zack asks "Do you think you and VintageBeef will play F1 when it gets the new engine on the PC?"

Kurt says he'd like to.

Donator Anonymous asks "Would you say there are life lessons you've learned while being on the way to the Far Lands?"

He answers not so much life lessons but more about how to run a show like this. Have I learned any life lessons from watching him? Hm... I can't think of anything but I generally like having someone like Kurt to look up to since he's slightly older than me and he faces things in life I may soon face.

Far Lands or Bust! #425

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lw8iFge_hAg

Current distance from Kurt: 110. Lagging!

We join Kurt as he plants some trees and does a Sean Connery impression!

He talks about the tablet he purchased recently during the first day.

On the second day he answers donator questions.

Donator DeltaWhiskey, a generous donator, asks "So, do you like stuff?"

He says he likes his new tablet :) and talks more about it.

He makes a nice little sand crater by removing a block.

Donator M4C0 asks "Do you have plans to create another charity series in parallel?"

He says he doesn't and is focusing on Far Lands or Bust! right now.

Donator Baldy asks "To celebrate the New Horizons probe waking up, which long term space mission in progress are you most excited in seeing the long term conclusion?"

While asking, Kurt spots a creeper party down in a hole.

Kurt talks about New Horizons, Juno and Dawn as ones he's looking forward to.

Patron ConeDodger asks "Do you think interest in space travel is finally starting to become popular or "cool" again, or am I just looking through rose-tinted glasses again in light of recent events?"

He says it's hard to say. Seems most people may not be aware of a lot of recent goings on.

Patron Devon asks "Have you ever thought about or donated blood before?"

He says he hasn't. No particular reason though besides the needles!

Donator Trake asks "Many episodes ago you spoke about tattoos and how you were interested in them. Have you thought any more since about getting one? What would you do if you did?"

He's still thinking about it. Maybe a tribute to his deceased pet turtle Speedy. Wouldn't bother with tattoos myself.


Saturday 28 November 2015

Kurt Plays Forza Horizon 2 EP21

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=datJ4Qr59p4

Kurt drives around in his souped up old ride and takes on a bucket list challenge in a speedy supercar. He barely fails the first attempt due to flipping in the air before the end. He's not used to the right sided drive either. He wins on his next attempt.

Afterwards he jump cuts to the next race, which is cross country. I guess Kurt picked the older car because "Cult Classics" was the theme. It's a slower race but he comes second which is a pretty good place.

He goes on to the next event and does alright in that one too. Kind of a different game when you're not driving in flashy speedy cars.

Kurt Plays Forza Horizon 2 EP20

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mq-osTj0gaY

We join Kurt as he talks about shopping for a car in real life. Soon afterwards his VW bus is ready and fully refurbished. A new barn find is announced and he shops for a new (in-game) car.

After choosing he takes a road trip to Castelletto. It's a slower car so he jump cuts. It's back to the garage to upgrade this 1970 Nissan Datsun 510. Maybe it's fun to upgrade an older car like this to be more powerful?


MindCrack UHC 19 E03

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Nnaz9H61PE

Back with Kurt and VintageBeef in the spawner they just raided. Kurt hears something and then it's back to whispering. I wonder if that works since they're using microphones? All of a sudden, he and Beef are completely outnumbered and lose... so quickly into the episode too :(

Kurt doesn't respawn so he hangs out with MCGamer, one of the guys who got the drop on them. They chat for a while, since they're still able to talk using Mumble. Kurt can't be seen though so he's like a ghost. Woo!

During UHC, they usually pad out their videos to full length if they die. I don't know if I can do the same with a blog post though!

Friday 27 November 2015

Kurt Plays Forza Horizon 2 EP19

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8wrG-8AHf0

We join again with Kurt as he seeks out the barn in the countryside that's supposed to have a car inside. He eventually finds it and it has a rusty Volkswagen Type 2 inside. It's quite strange to see! Strange it is too that we can just take any car they find in a barn in this game.

Kurt goes on to do a street race event. He lags behind and forgets he turned off the flashbacks. He manages to catch up though and although he comes in 9th, he's still on top in ranking due to winning so much previously.

Afterwards he browses perks and takes a photo of a car. He seeks a cheeseboard in the middle of some café's chairs and hits everything except the cheeseboard!

Kurt Plays Forza Horizon 2 EP18

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pbdAfkkY9c

After mistakenly singing "Big Monkey!" Kurt spots PauseUnpause's Drivatar and gives chase in order to challenge him! He wins but doesn't get as massive a payout he got from the first time he took the Drivatar on.

He moves on to do another bucket list mission. The Lamborghini Veneno he uses kind of looks like the Batmobile... He succeeds in this too.

After this he goes on to do a race in the rain. He comes first. After him is someone named TheeBillMurray, not that we'd ever believe it. No PauseUnpause though...

Kurt moves on to a trail race event where the rain stops. If only real life could be like that if you could suddenly make it lovely weather! He wins this one too.

SpeedRunners with MindCrack #30

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLNlDaGMfQs

Hello again to Kurt, Millbee, MCGamer and Coestar!

First up is SpeedHookers in the Alley. It took forever but Kurt wins this one! Was rooting him on for ages!

Second is Powerplant stage flipped. Kurt wins this as well! Oh it's back to Kurt the Flash!

Third is Super SpeedRunners in the Theme Park. Despite the "Go Coe Go Coe" chanting, Kurt wins this as well!

Wonderful win streak and return to form!

Thursday 26 November 2015

MindCrack UHC 19 E03

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yhAuJVAyX8

Back with Team Formula 1! Nice to have Kurt and VintageBeef together. Their finding of each other in the last episode was pretty exciting to watch. Kurt was only digging, but he was looking for a person instead of diamond, so it was really fascinating.

They discover diamonds and have enough resources to make an enchanting table so they're in business!

They hear PauseUnpause above and go all hushed! Kurt enchants an amazing sword but can't exclaim in awe out loud, so he has to toss it to Beef to show him. This is really fun! :)

Pause eventually goes away, though he could be in the Nether. Kurt and Beef continue and decide to go upwards in their caving and exploring. The dynamic between them is pretty entertaining! Kurt eventually finds a zombie spawner and they salvage what they can from it.

Kurt Plays Forza Horizon 2 EP17

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8L36SghyuQ

Kurt begins the episode with a bucket list mission on a golf course and succeeds. After this he challenges a much fancier car's Drivatar and laughs with glee as it gets stuck in a tree straight away. Woohoo!

After this, Kurt heads to the garage to buy a new car. He takes it on a Road Trip to San Giovanni where it rains in the dark again. After this he visits the garage for an upgrade. After this he goes into a race. Some pretty town scenery here. All the other contestants are "Lotus Exige S"es as well.

He wins the race and PauseUnpause appears in the rankings just behind him. No VintageBeef though. Kurt misses him! :)

SpeedRunners with MindCrack #29

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_5DcHJ_udE

Millbee introduces Coestar, Kurt, MCGamer and himself with his smooth late night jazz radio voice.

First is SpeedHookers at the Plaza. Funny moment early on when MC and Kurt stand at the door waiting for someone to open it, even though they're the only two there! Tasty slow mo moment where Kurt hooks Coestar into the spikes, saving himself from them!

Second is SpeedHookers again at the Factory. Another tasty slow mo moment here where MC hooks Kurt away to another path! Good few laughs to be had here!

Third is SpeedHookers another time at the Library. When the door closes on MC, Kurt delivers a snazzy line that's worth putting on a t-shirt!

SpeedHookers seems like a good opportunity to capture all these slow mo worthy moments.

Wednesday 25 November 2015

MindCrach UHC 19 E02

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhnZs7xoKf8

We join Kurt, still roughing it alone, preparing his iron equipment. When he's ready he heads back to the surface and makes his way out of the rainy jungle.

All of a sudden, Guude from the other team is slain by Coestar.

Soon afterwards, Kurt hears a voice! This is the moment we've been waiting for! He goes silent and tiptoes around for a while, doing his Homer Simpson whisper. It turns out to be Millbee, who's on the other team.

Sneaking away, he comes across a village. He doesn't say much in an effort to be all stealthy.

He then digs down and spots VintageBeef's name. Beef's on his team so he spends the next while tunnelling and calling out to him. It's pretty funny hearing them say Marco Polo to each other! They finally meet.

Yay, friends!

OMGchad burns to death. I'm not sure whose team he was on though.

Far Lands or Bust! #424

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRkOaNAk9V0

Current distance from Kurt: 108 episodes. Gaining!

Back with Kurt as he observes the floating seeds in the corner of his hidey hole momentarily. He goes out, grabs Wolfie and off we go once again to the Far Lands!

He talks about a recent live stream he joined with Sevadus for a game called The Crew.

Then he goes into donator questions.

Donator Test4Echo asks a question about getting a second golden apple and Kurt wonders if he had answered it before. (he did! :) )

Kurt comes across a steep drop so he makes a waterfall which looks very impressive as it reaches the bottom and splits. Wolfie makes it without a scratch. Kurt then builds the first elevated hidey hole nearby.

In the morning, after greeting us a Good Waterfallsness, Kurt continues answering questions.

"What is the most important aspect of a game for you? Story? Gameplay? etc"

Kurt talks about the stuff he likes in games and uses some examples, like The Crew from earlier and Driver: San Francisco. That was a fun series he did! He brings up an interesting point about the reason why that game was so good was that it stopped trying to be like Grand Theft Auto. It was pretty original.

As for me, I appreciate the kind of originality that Driver: San Francisco had too. Playability is a fundamental aspect of course but also good quality audio, graphics and entertainment value are important to me. Atmosphere is an elusive thing that warms me to a game as well and it's a wonderful thing when a game nails it.

Kurt reckons that Watch Dogs could've originally been a Driver game — Driver: Chicago. Who knows at this stage?

For what it's worth, I quite like the Wii version of Driver: San Francisco as well as watching the version he played. :)

Donator Alzeroth asks "Do you have any special traditions this time of year?"

He usually does basic stuff like family dinner and gifts time. Same here. I do that as well, going to one family place and then going to another family place for gift exchanging, quality time and noms. :)

Another question "Have you ever regretted showing your face on YouTube?"

He mentions his avatar. I guess people expect him to be wearing 3D glasses or something. He also talks about his vlogging project and what he'd like to achieve with it.

While answering this question, Kurt turns in for the second night and takes a postcard picture of cliffs across the water from his elevated hidey hole. Wolfie seems to creepily respond to his orders to pose a certain way. They both go ahead to climb them afterwards.

Donator Will asks "Do you read all your YouTube comments?"

He doesn't as it's difficult with so many. He also talks more about GooglePlus.

While answering this, Kurt has to do another waterfall drop and Wolfie takes some heavy damage. Kurt feeds him almost his entire supply of food.

Another question from him "How do you decide what video to watch?"

He has his subscriptions and talks about trying to find time to watch videos made by others on the MindCrack server. He's trying to watch other vloggers too so he can learn about it himself.

Donator JB(sp?) asks "Do you send Christmas cards?"

Not usually but he might this year due to his move. As for me I never send Christmas cards. Used to trade them with classmates in primary school though. Nowadays I'd send a text or an e-mail on the day.

At the end of the episode, Kurt places a sapling just above the hidey hole. Poor Wolfie had a dangerous episode but he's still noodling around with us. :) Hope Kurt remembers to hunt pigs for more food.

SpeedRunners with MindCrack #28

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bm1krHXb2eI

Again we join Kurt the Flash, MCGamer, Millbee and Coestar for more SpeedRunners!

First stage is SS Royale with Rocket Runners. This one goes on for a while and as far as wins go it seems to be evenly matched. Kurt seems to stay onscreen the longest but he doesn't win unfortunately.

MC takes offence to "Winner winner chicken dinner!" and some more chicken jokes follow!

Second stage is Nightclub with Super SpeedRunners. This one's really exciting! Watch out for a tasty slow-mo moment where Kurt hooks to get ahead!

Third stage is Warehouse with Super SpeedRunners. Pretty funny to hear MC wail while a cheeseball barrels after him! There's a weird bit in this stage where characters fly up in the air but don't come back down. So the saying in SpeedRunners world is: "What goes up, vanishes!".

Tuesday 24 November 2015

MindCrack UHC 19 E01

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qTuqm-Ybdo

Ultra Hard Core time! Interesting rules this time. Two teams and members are separate and have to find other members of their team. They're also using Mumble, a plugin where you can only hear people speak when they're nearby in the Minecraft world.

So Kurt's alone for a while and prepares his own survival and equipment. It sounds really weird! Being on the same team but he's doing commentary as if he's doing it all solo. Encounters sound like they'll be awkward with them trying to figure out who's friend or foe. Then again, I guess they could just show each other their name tags.

This'll be an interesting season :)

Kurt Plays Forza Horizon 2 EP16

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4l3C2-q8Tfk

Back with Kurt in the garage, doing up his Renault. It pays off as we see later when he enters a few classic rallies and wins.

Nice bounce back from last episode! Though he doesn't do any off-roading here, just normal rallies.

SpeedRunners with MindCrack #27

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOuCTOUtVu8

First one since the hiatus! Game seems to have updated too. Back with Kurt, Millbee and MCGamer for SpeedRunners! No Avidya this time but Coestar is here instead.

First up is RocketRunners in the theme park stage. Kurt wins, making an excellent return!

Second is won by Millbee who just barely beats Kurt.

Third is Super SpeedRunners at the Powerplant. There's a painful moment here where poor Kurt gets hooked twice in a row. It's won by Millbee again.

Monday 23 November 2015

Far Lands or Bust! #423

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwDzFIjfwJM

Current distance from Kurt: 109 episodes. Gaining!

We join Kurt and Wolfie as they continue their journey past the cool archway where the sunset passed through in the last episode. They wave goodbye to the hidey hole and the creeper that was creeping around to greet them good morning.

Kurt shares some MindCrack news and some space news. He also answers various short questions as he continues to get back into the swing of things. At one point he comes into a wide open valley with Wolfie and decides to take panoramic screenshots, though that's not the easiest thing to do when the sun is setting in Minecraft!

On to the next day with more donator questions!

Donator GreenSquiddy asks "Do you enjoy first person space flight sims?"

Kurt talks about the simulators he enjoyed in the past. I don't really bother with flight simulators myself.

Patron Devon asks "Have you ever thought about playing through a visual novel? I remember you talking about Millbee's Katawa Shoujo and wondered if you would ever play something similar."

He says he probably wouldn't since there's so much narrative. Hmm... I wonder what Kurt would be like reading on an audio-book or narrating a documentary or something.

Kurt Plays Forza Horizon 2 EP15

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2urINKZ-TM

Kurt's first session since the hiatus! Again, no time at all has passed for me but let's join Kurt as he practises!

He drives around the industrial area getting used to things and smashes up a cheese board for a big money wheelspin! He gets stuck in a tree while challenging someone and nearly breaks the game while trying to rewind his way out of it. It's kind of bizarre.

At another point he puts the car tumbling across a dusty hillside which looks a little too crazy! Then he goes on to do another item on the bucket list. This takes place at night.

After completing this he goes on to do a cross country race. A bit of foul play happens when a couple of the other cars miss a checkpoint slalom but they get to go on anyway. Kurt doesn't do that well in this race and he reacts amusingly, saying "sheet" instead of "cheat" and a couple of other things! :)

Minecraft BINGO Blind Seed Challenge 1,002

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbn9frIpE6M

First Minecraft BINGO for Kurt since the hiatus! It's been updated since so this'll be him getting used to things again.

During the first half it's pretty entertaining to see him clear out a skeleton spawner. Even after all that there's no treasures in it! Noooo!

He nearly makes a complete line but there's no saddle to be found anywhere. Unfortunately he gets blown up by a creeper and is stripped of all his gear! :O It's kind of shocking because I wasn't expecting it at all.

Kurt struggles with a lack of equipment and considers contingencies when, all of a sudden, he finds a saddle in a chest within an abandoned mineshaft! Bingo Bingo Bingo!

It took over 20 minutes but I'll hand it to him. He was rusty and it could've went a lot worse. Well done Kurt!

Sunday 22 November 2015

Far Lands or Bust! #422

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uWmfQ3fSCI

Current distance from Kurt: 110 episodes. Gaining!

Kurt begins another episode and he's hitting the ground running. Well used to things now after the hiatus! :)

He comes across this really cool but dangerous structure which looks like a mountain with a chunk of the side taken out. Peering down into the hole it leaves, Kurt spots lava and quickly backs off so as to not endanger Wolfie. Very realistic volcano looking thing.

Space news! Japan launches Hayabusa 2, an asteroid sample return mission. Kurt brings the details on this and a NASA social event that's taking place.

On the second day, Kurt has a close encounter with a creeper and narrowly slips past it.

He said he went to see Dumb and Dumber To and St. Vincent. It sounds like he had a fun enough time with them. I saw them both as well. Dumb and Dumber To was one of the best and most entertaining movies I had seen in a long time. St Vincent was good too and I'm dedicated to watching Bill Murray movies, even though it was really just another version of Gran Torino.

Kurt takes a screenshot of a cool shadowy arch made by cliffs.

Donator question time!

Donator TheGoofyBison asks "As a high school student that is looking at broadcasting as a potential career path, how viable do you think that YouTube would be as a part time worthwhile venture?"

Kurt gives a thoughtful answer while also adding details about the stuff he did in the past that often relates to broadcasting.

On the third day, Kurt answers more questions after talking about his current video recording and rendering setup.

Patron Adam asks "What was it like to have a sudden and unexpected thrust into the spotlight?"

While answering this question, Kurt takes some damage from Wolfie teleporting into his boat. Hasn't happened in a while but it's still a dangerous thing.

He answers that it was more unexpected than sudden and talks about articles and things written about Far Lands or Bust!

At the end of the day, there's another cool arch in the distance that's in direct line with the sunset, so Kurt takes some screenshots with Wolfie included before making his hidey hole for the night.

Far Lands or Bust! #421

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4J--eETDhMI

Current distance from Kurt: 111 episodes. Gaining!

Kurt and Wolfie begin their regular 3 day episode. They're settling back into routine nicely! Hope Kurt's voice holds up!

Shortly after leaving the hidey hole Kurt sees a cool overhanging cliff and momentarily thinks he's lost Wolfie but he was just stuck behind a dirt block. Welcome back Kurt! :)

He tells us a highly eventful laptop story. Together with all the moving stress he went through, it doesn't sound like a fun time!

Donator Kaveman asks "Have you seen Interstellar?"

Kurt says he did and enjoyed it. He then expands on his opinion. As for me, I saw it and absolutely hated it. It was far too long, bleak and depressing. I hear The Martian, which came out this year, was a lot better. Wish I had seen that instead!

While admiring a mountain, Kurt slips into a hole! Luckily it wasn't too deep!


Far Lands or Bust! #420

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_iTf0Z1hNs

Current distance from Kurt: 112 episodes. Lagging behind but not too badly!

Kurt and Wolfie return! It's been a month in their time! It hasn't been a month in my time but I still longed to see them back because the last episode ended on such an affecting and touching note.

Instead of shopping for Black Friday, Kurt puts a sign in front of his hidey hole and writes "Hidey Hole of Hiatusitude of 2014! Ep419-420" on it and continues with Wolfie on their journey to the Far Lands!

Kurt momentarily worries about being so out of practice but I think he's doing fine. He goes on to explain what the big mystery was about! He moved home! Tune in for details!

Kurt also brings us up to speed with space news; the solar eclipse, the comet landing and his experience of watching the Antares rocket launch failure live online. He also tells us the unfortunate news about Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo.

After a while Kurt finds a zombie surface spawner.

At one point he talks about the trailer shown for the new Star Wars movie. Weird how it's a year later and we're still watching trailers for it! It'll be out soon enough though.

Kurt makes this a long episode spanning several days and it rains on the night he spends in his hidey hole.

Saturday 21 November 2015

Kurt Plays Forza Horizon 2 EP14

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpsAbKXVJtY

Will return to Far Lands or Bust tomorrow! Can't wait to see what's been going on in that time :)

Kurt begins this episode by shopping for upgrades before starting a road trip event in a different vehicle. It takes place in a different car and during a very rainy night. Kurt compares the splash effect here to the one in Formula1 2013. It does look quite basic here. Strange how some things look so good and others look a little bit plain.

When Kurt reaches St Martin he does some upgrading to his Renault Alpine. Afterwards he takes place in the cross country event. He didn't realise it was going to be cross country, but does quite well considering that fact. It even involves going through a golf course! Fore!

Kurt Plays Forza Horizon 2 EP13

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zuyO34aghI

Kurt begins the episode by trying to squeeze between two houses in his Land Rover. Gotta break those signs! After this it's more off-roading which is cool enough to watch.

It's on to the next item in the bucket list, which is all about avoiding the road and "threading the needle" between trees :) It's all at top speed too and Kurt has to do it a few times. Quite entertaining!

After this he makes his way to the next item on the list, which is to do more air tricks in a massive industrial yard full of ramps. Must be fun to just muck around like this. I like when games are more than about doing their job and let you explore possibilities. Anyway, Kurt pulls it off and makes his way to the next point.

Kurt Plays Forza Horizon 2 EP12

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LcQOwbGdxc

We join Kurt as he makes observations on the movement of the shadows in the daytime sun of the game.

After a successful race Kurt gets a green wristband and goes on to challenge someone's Drivatar. He loses but later on catches up with him again to another challenge and wins!

Night falls and Kurt makes his way to the next event, which magically makes it day.

Due to popular demand, Kurt does this cross country offroad race with the hood view! It does look pretty exciting, seeing him go through fields and an industrial yard. He wins the championship and a message comes up saying there's 11 more of them to go. It's a long game indeed!

Friday 20 November 2015

Kurt Plays Forza Horizon 2 EP11

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otIoyED6DUo

Back with Kurt and his souped up Land Rover! He takes it out on a nighttime safari to the next race.

Kurt kind of fusses over the metal carrier thing on the roof and even Ben the voiced companion even suggests that Kurt could change. Don't worry, it's not bad!

The race after has a big offroad portion that has some cool looking downhill portions. This actually doesn't look half bad for a mainstream racing game. It actually has a bit of originality there.

Next up is the 9th item on the bucket list. It's a speed challenge that Kurt pulls off pretty well.

Kurt wraps up the episode by setting down his Land Rover at a nice viewpoint overlooking a vast sunny Italian plain. It is really good looking.

SpeedRunners with MindCrack #26

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_ypwUl7TPE
(This would be the link at least but the video's not working right now for some reason. Alternatively try this one from MCGamer's perspective: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XWGTVdqlPM (at least I think it's the right video!))

The first one takes place in the alley. Avidya wins it flawlessly.

The second one is SpeedHookers at the plaza. Kurt narrowly beats Millbee at this one! Pretty exciting stuff!

Next is RocketRunners at SS Royale. Crazy glitchiness happens when a load of rockets home in on MCGamer, only to change course and go for Kurt! It gets pretty close here but Avidya wins.

SpeedRunners with MindCrack #25

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzoA8hB8fbE

Back with Kurt the Flash, MCGamer, Millbee and Avidya for more SpeedRunning!

First is RocketRunners at the zoo. With just rockets it's hilarious and chaotic and you can get blasted multiple times at once. MCGamer wins this one and he is so happy!

Next is RocketRunners at SS Royale. More of being blasted to smithereens! MCGamer wins this again and it's quickly starting to look like Kurt's the underdog now.

Next is Super SpeedRunners at nightclub. Rockets speed things down so the super speed is really noticeable here! MCGamer wins AGAIN!

What was that I was saying about him being the underdog last episode? What a turn for the tables!

Thursday 19 November 2015

GRID Autosport Career Mode #40

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2EPMr9wJt0

Another series we haven't seen in a while that Kurt revisits. In the first race he does a time trial but there's no driving line. The second race he does with other drivers and tries getting used to it.

"I'm really feeling it!" Kurt says as he makes a SpeedRunners reference. Does he know that it came from a Nintendo game? Maybe he does but the guys have made it their own thing. :)

Later he's up for the Endurance event, his least favourite; on Spa, his favourite track. And it's at night! And in reverse! Poor Kurt has a very uncomfortable time and crashes out after using all his flashbacks. He tries again after adjusting a few settings.

He fares much better and decides to wrap things up with this game for a while since he has all the Forza and Formula1 stuff to play. Looks like he has wrapped it up too since it's a year later and I don't see any more videos ahead in this playlist.

SpeedRunners with MindCrack #24

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQ3im7C0nj0

Once again it's back with Kurt the Flash, Avidya, Millbee and MCGamer.

SuperSpeedRunners in the Factory. Millbee wins this one. Avidya was doing great for a while and Kurt came back a good bit too but Millbee speedily crept past both of them. Which one of them started singing "I Believe I can Fly"?

SpeedHookers in the Powerplant. It gets neck and neck here with the score but Millbee wins here too.

Neck and neck aside from MC. Poor guy. Kurt may not be winning as much but MC's the underdog here.

SpinTires #43

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2DCuO7vXaA

Kurt hopes to wrap up the river map with this episode. He starts another lumber delivery in the dark of night.

Again it involves crossing the river! He gets stuck and takes a lot of damage but thanks to the current he's still able to get up on the island. He then decides to bring another truck out to it for repairs, which he does successfully. The repair truck has a much easier time to cross as the spot is much more shallow. The repaired truck now continues on but gets stuck again shortly afterwards so Kurt has to do a jump cut to a part where he has the river crossed. Finding a safe route must be like looking for a light switch in the dark...

We rejoin Kurt at the other side at last. He went through quite the ordeal but he's finally on his way to making the final delivery! He hums the Hawaii Five-O theme happily and reflects on the various misadventures he had during this map. He says how he may wait until the next update to play again. It'll be quite a long time away.

Until then I'll miss this series and I'll also miss wondering what the heck is the story behind those abandoned apartments by the river.

Wednesday 18 November 2015

SpinTires #42

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDLz7DLogxc

It's been a while! We join Kurt on a new day and a new session. He talks about planned updates to the game, including the multiplayer saving he wanted so it's good times ahead.

He begins by doing another lumber delivery, which involves another river crossing... and it never fails to be nail bitingly tense. He struggles to get the truck across to the island but it's very troublesome. He has a better time making it the rest of the way to the other side but it's still troublesome.

Now that he's out of the water he has to deal with a big muddy patch, which lasts well into the evening with its own struggles.

It's nighttime when he finally delivers his lumber and he unloads it with exhaustion.

F1 2014 Gameplay (Press Preview)

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0F8PdfkHytg

First post about a Formula1 game!

Today Kurt has the chance to play an early version of the most recent Formula1 game he got from Codemasters. Only trouble is there's no online multiplayer at this stage.

He tries out the Canadian Grand Prix.

I had do look up what a St. Louis Sidestep was. The Urbandictionary entry for it has Kurt's name in the example! Well at least I know what it is now!

Kurt says he wasn't sure about going for the game but that was before he got to try it out. Now it's a year later and he's still making videos about it so he must like it!

Far Lands or Bust! #419

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45ZXnpAxDOI

Current distance from Kurt: 111 episodes. No change!

We join Kurt for an episode that'll be shorter and it's going to be the last one before all the crazy secret happenings that'll put this series on hiatus for a while. That means it'll be a few days until I cover another Far Lands or Bust! episode. There will be other ones to blog about in the meantime though.

Kurt spends this episode giving an introduction to this series for newcomers. I know I'm a seasoned Far Lander but I don't mind. Kurt often does re-introductions for the sake of newcomers and since there are over 400 episodes at this stage, it's only the right thing to do! Even if I wanted to complain about it, I really shouldn't! Besides, recaps are enjoyable!

Be sure to watch this episode though. It's unmissable! Kurt finds a skeleton spawner and a very dangerous one at that. Watch and see how he handles the savage skeletons and how he manages Wolfie's safety at the same time. It's very exciting!

He ends up making the spawner room his hidey hole and prepares it for sleeping. He invites Wolfie in again and talks to us more.

Even though I'm watching this archived I still have that sad feeling of a long goodbye from Kurt's voice. It's kind of silly because I can just jump into the next episode straight away but that feeling is still there. The end slate of the episode is different too and we get a nice warm sentiment.

I wanna jump to the next one! Gotta tough it out with my own commitment to blogging on Kurt's other videos though! :)

Tuesday 17 November 2015

Minecraft BINGO - Blind Seed Challenge 40,004

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8V6TGv5L4c

Today Kurt does a seed challenge that is just one less than the other seed. I wonder if that's significant in any way?

He's gonna aim for the middle vertical row on his card with the flint, sign, cauldron, sapling and fermented spider eye(he's now an expert in making these!).

The flint, sign and sapling he finds easily enough in a cove area but has to do a bit of searching for cauldron iron. Some more time is taken trying to find a spider for its eye but he eventually finds one as it turns night.

Bingo! Bingo! Bingo!

It was a speedy challenge for Kurt: 11 minutes and 15 seconds he took, which is his best yet!

Far Lands or Bust! #418

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-hlhH9w0KE

Current distance from Kurt: 111 episodes. Gaining!

The episode begins with Kurt staring at Wolfie waiting for him to bark. He got the spend the night inside. Very kind of Bella to think of him :)

Lots more work to do outside the hidey hole with the submerged spawner nearby. Kurt has a bit of trouble draining it while fending off a creeper too.

Finally on his way, Kurt reminds us again about the October 23rd solar eclipse and of the little break he's gonna be taking. He sails along in a boat and notices some weirdness about nearby toilet brush shaped trees and the shade of turquoise the sky has.

On the second day, Kurt answers a string of questions from Donator Cheesus:

"Would you rather live in an old European style city with brick and stone tenements and cobble roads or a modern one with steely glass and concrete skyscrapers?"

Kurt talks quite a bit about the types of modern conveniences he likes so check it out! As for me I do like the modern conveniences, but I would have slightly different preferences to Kurt.

"I recently had a little fender bender. It was my fault which makes me curious, have you ever been in a car accident?"

He hasn't. I haven't either, knock on wood.

"Do you like pistachios?"

He does but doesn't have them often. I'm kind of the same. I stay away from hazelnuts though.

Along the way he's drawn by the prospect of a zombie spawner but gives up on it. He has a job trying to convince Wolfie not to go after the zombie too!

After a strongly built elevated hidey hole, Kurt answers more questions.

Patron David asks "Considering your training in design and your interest in cars, have you ever considered a career in automobile design?"

He did in high school where he did sketches and drafts of cars and airplanes and talks more about it.

Donator Anonymous asks "There have been YouTube channels in the past that were shut down for whatever reason so my question to you is, what would you do if you could no longer use YouTube to publish your videos?"

Kurt gives a thoughtful response that's worth checking out. I'd like him to be able to continue what he likes doing.

While answering this question, Kurt comes across a vast landscape devoid of trees and hills from a height. It's very impressive so he takes a screenshot. He's right, it would be a pretty place to have a house.

Donator TestForEcho(sp?) asks "What if you were lucky enough to find a second golden apple?"

He would hope they'd stack! He'd definitely take another then as they're so rare.

Kurt ends the day with Wolfie outside but not to worry, Wolfie likes it outside. :)

Minecraft BINGO - Blind Seed Challenge 40,005

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnCwU0VKTyM

Now for another standard blind seed challenge from Dr. Brian with Kurt!

Taking a look at his card, Kurt decides it's best to go caving as soon as possible. However, there's no open caves handy and he finds a jungle temple instead. Some lovely treasures in here! Lots of redstone, gold and an emerald even.

Soon after the temple he digs his own hole out and comes across an abandoned mine shaft. He's in a good spot now for items and just needs to find lots of iron. The mobs nearly kill him here though and there's the threat of nearby cave spiders but he handles everything well.

The middle vertical line is where he gets his bingo which has the bone, gunpowder, compass, cauldron and sapling. His final time is 14m17s. Nicely done!

Monday 16 November 2015

Far Lands or Bust! #417

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1n2zrJjsBrM

Current distance from Kurt: 112 episodes. Gaining!

We join Kurt and Wolfie for a new day! That creeper we spotted last night seems to have despawned so safely onward we go! In the wrong direction!

It's only for a few minutes though as he figures it out quite soon. At least there's another chance to see the floating sand island we saw in the last episode.

Kurt talks more about his mysterious goings on that'll make videos stop coming for a while. What could it be? In any case, it doesn't matter to me right now as I'm playing catch up. Someday I will! I'll find out the big mysterious secret sooner though.

Kurt talks about the partial solar eclipse in the Chicago area. I think I remember an eclipse like this happening but it was just cloudy in my area. It did get fairly dark though.

He thinks there might be a zombie spawner and digs out one block of dirt but it just turns out to be a small dark cave underneath. Kind of startling to see it one block down but I guess anything can be expected.

On the second day Kurt talks more about space news. Tune in to find out more!

Now for donator questions!

Donator Meer(sp?) and their 3 year old Bella ask "My 3 year old daughter Bella loves Far Lands or Bust! and has really been wanting to know why Mr. Kurt is mean at bedtime and makes Wolfie sleep outside?"

Kurt says hello! and narrows his eyes at Wolfie. "Did you have something to do with this?" he wonders suspiciously.

Of course, we all know Wolfie doesn't usually come in to the hidey hole and a creeper might invade in the time it would take to get him in but Kurt promises to bring Wolfie inside at the end of this episode if he remembers.

Kurt answers another question about his recent 30 minute Minecraft BINGO challenge.

Patron Eric asks "Kurt I just found out that I am going to be a father yesterday. Do you have any advice for introducing my child into astronomy from a young age i.e. educational programmes or locations that might be of interest to youngsters and also, when are you going to jump on the dad train?"

Kurt congratulates him and says he's going to avoid that station! On the third day, Kurt answers more of the question after doing a daring waterfall descending stunt with Wolfie.

Kurt says just to generally make it part of everyday life and tells a story about how Neil deGrasse Tyson got interested too. He also talks about the idea of having kids and about being at that age of being asked about having kids. He doesn't have any plans.

As for me, Kurt's around my age so this kind of thing to think about having kids comes up too. I really don't know myself. Like Kurt I'm just not sure about it.

Donator GrumpyOldMan asks "Are there any spicy foods you like?" 

Kurt says he goes more for taste than heat and gives some good examples.

I'm more or less the same. A bit of spice is nice but nothing too severe please!

Kurt digs out a hidey hole from some troublesome sand and Wolfie comes in with him. Yay Bella :)

Minecraft BINGO - 30-Minute Seed Challenge 30,003

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6pLKrU_kAQ

Another bingo challenge from Dr. Brian where Kurt has to simply get as many items on the card as possible within the 30 minute time limit. No need for lines this time!

Kurt first checks off the brick from some lucky nearby clay find. Then he cooks some sand for a bottle.

He keeps an eagle eye out and manages to make an item display box and a book. After this he goes caving in a big hole and finds gold almost straight away. Tons of mobs here too! Quite a lot of fun here to see as he tries to mine for gold!

Some weird glitchiness happens when a furnace turns into a cobblestone block! At least it's in a different spot in the inventory. Here he checks off the gunpowder, bone and gold items on the card.

He finds enough iron to make the cauldron item and checks that off too.

Kurt finds many spiders and explores further for a potential spider spawner. Turns out his instinct was right and he's rewarded with one :) In the surrounding chests he finds a bucket, redstone for a compass and a saddle. While waiting for stuff to cook he grinds for a piece of flint too. He crafts some railway tracks.

He's unsure about how to make the dye but after a bit of guess work he pulls it off! He also finds some emerald while trying to find diamond.

He digs straight up into an ocean and skillfully makes it out of the water without taking any damage. Afterwards he gets milk from a nearby cow.

He gets a bingo line from collecting a sapling and some fireworks happen but the game continues!

There's a bit of a nail biting delay in trying to get a fish but he pulls it off. Tossing the fishing pole away, he seeks a brown mushroom for soup. Eventually he finds one and checks more stuff off his list.

More time is spent figuring out how to make a fermented spider eye. Kurt pulls this off too! What a dynamo!

Unfortunately it's the wrong time of day to go looking for an enderman but Kurt ends the episode with a pretty good score: 19 out of 25 items found.

I think it's a nice take on the usual formula. It seems more fun to check lots of items off the list rather than having to make them line up but then maybe it's due to this being the twist on the norm.

Far Lands or Bust! #416

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJOgKSPZjqQ

Current distance from Kurt: 113 episodes. Falling behind! All those Forza videos in a row made things delay for a while but not too badly.

It's been a while! We join Kurt and Wolfie as they exit their very symmetrical hidey hole.

He finds a super cool land formation, two tunnels in a row where water flows through. After this some C418 music plays and Kurt gets all sentimental, saying how it's very nostalgic for him.

Throughout the first day Kurt talks about more space stuff and sees some more cool land formations.

On the second day Kurt goes into questions.

Donator Zack, who generously gave more donations than questions, asks about Kurt's data backup process. Kurt goes into detail about it. He sounds well prepared!

While answering this question, Kurt sees a lone tree standing on a tall pillar of dirt which looks pretty cool!

Second question from him "Do you have a favourite quote?"

He doesn't really have one but mentions how some quotes come up now and again that he likes.

Third question "Who is your favourite person in history and why?"

Kurt doesn't really have one of these either but talks about Neil Armstrong long into the second evening.

From Twitter: "What's the public transport like in America? Have there been any improvements? Have you used public transportation anywhere else in the world?"

He doesn't use it often and talks about factors like how America has sparse settlements outside of big cities. He prefers using his own transportation. He also tells a story about his time in Portland.

As for me, I use it and it's okay. Sometimes things get crazy busy at peak times but I'm served well enough in my area.

From YouTube in the comments on the last episode, Olora(sp?) asks "When was the last time you had to record while feeling not at your best? I ask because recently I have been unable to communicate effectively and I was wondering how do you as YouTubers overcome this, particularly when producing very frequent and up to date content?"

While answering this question, Kurt makes sand fall in a really neat chain reaction style and nearby there's a floating sand island that he partially topples. The game makes a spooky noise as if angry so he scampers off with Wolfie!

He doesn't really have specific examples but he does talk about stuff that would motivate him if he needed to as well as other factors.

When it comes to me and motivation among other factors to make content... well I'm still kind of starting out but I haven't really had any issues with that so far.

Kurt talks about this until the end of the third day when he sees a creeper spawn some distance away and immediately digs out a hidey hole. Hopefully that creeper won't be greeting him good morning in the next episode!

Sunday 15 November 2015

Kurt Plays Forza Horizon 2 EP10

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j31X6GFDuN4

Whew! I'm exhausted from covering so many Forza videos in a row! This'll be the end of the combo, which will be broken by Far Lands or Bust! tomorrow.

We join Kurt on the morning after the festivities where he concentrates on the Wheelspins and the message centre.

Next is an event about an off-road trip so Kurt chooses a Land Rover. Unfortunately it's DLC so much agitation and confusion ensues. :(

Montellino is his destination for the event so he drives there in the new Land Rover, while these sports cars try to run him off the road and into trees. He eventually lets them go past as he's got some more signs to smash up. After a while he arrives at the event.

After he arrives he gets an offer for easy money and the job is to take a photo of his Land Rover. Strange world!

Kurt Plays Forza Horizon 2 EP09

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nHgim5zAPE

On Kurt's way back to Sisteron, he spies PauseUnpause and challenges him to a race. Pause crashes so Kurt whizzes past him and goes on to pick up a huge bounty!

He's further off course in Nice now so he heads to the garage.

After this he goes on fun road trip smashing up signs.

Kurt goes into an unusual event where you race against a train! How strange it is, being at the starting line and there's a train there alongside you! During this race Kurt comments on how the train smoke looks very low-res for a next gen game. He also says how he can do without the shaky cam but hey the shaky cam is next gen too! I'm with him there. I hate shaky cam.

But hey the fact that there's a race against a train at all is interesting.

Kurt continues his road trip into the night and arrives at the festival. He jokingly turns down an offer from the in-game announcer to go partying.

Kurt Plays Forza Horizon 2 EP08

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oddu4J2w17Y

We join Kurt at a car meet. He says he wants a certain car and regrets buying the car he got but man, I can't really tell the difference with regards to their desirability :/

So, the reason Kurt has so many of these videos up in a row relates to the big news making him very busy during the month of recording.

Kurt races in the Sisteron GT Cars and wins, also coming first in the point rankings.

Funny moment happens when he accidentally challenges a Ferrari driver to a race. He beats it but goes way off to another part of the map so he decides he might as well challenge the bucket list event in the local industrial area.

The industrial area looks like a fun wide open place to explore. It's a nice change of scene too. No racing to do either but just to ramp up in the air a certain amount of times for the bucket list event.


Saturday 14 November 2015

Kurt Plays Forza Horizon 2 EP07

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSuTDZLeZdA

Hang in there. These Forza marathon posts will go on for another day.

Kurt drives cross country during the night with a gigantic moon and enters the High Speed Sprint event. After this he does another Wheelspin. Sun is rising now at this stage.

The next event is a street race during light rain. A couple of his competitors drop out due to an accident.

Things are getting more difficult so Kurt goes to soup up his vehicle. The voiceover here interrupts his own commentary!

A "10 minutes later" caption appears and Kurt takes to the road again after upgrading. He goes on to the 3rd item in the bucket list event and wins.

In a later race he does pretty well and towards the end of the video he parks at a scenic viewpoint and plays around with the graphics options.

Kurt Plays Forza Horizon 2 EP06

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNq7iX-0D8I

Next up, Kurt smashes a bonus board near some lilac fields. Disappointment sets in when he sees that the lilac flowers are 2D images that rotate to your viewpoint. Getting a Wheelspin, he wins a Mazda RX-7.

Now it's nighttime and he makes his way to the next event. He gives a pro tip about dimming interior lights so that you can adjust better to seeing outside. He also meets VintageBeef's Drivatar again, a little more advanced this time.

He goes to the meeting point and there are other drivers there who gather and talk about trading cars. I guess that's what rally car enthusiasts do in real life when they gather at the side of the road and near petrol stations and car parks.

Kurt then goes car shopping and colours the car he won in the Wheelspin.

In the next race Kurt meets PauseUnpause's Drivatar as well as Beef's.

Later on when he's smashing signs, Kurt has a theory that the developers put the guy's face (one of the announcers?) on them because they knew that players would find him annoying and get some satisfaction out of it. Sounds plausible enough...

Towards the end of the video Kurt visits a Barn that has another car inside. Who owns this barn? Are we allowed to be here? It's in the dead of night too so it's kind of spooky here.

Kurt Plays Forza Horizon 2 EP05

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8awk_PPFbHs

We join Kurt back in nice sunny weather. He published about half a dozen of these videos in a row! It'll be quite some time before we get back to Far Lands or Bust!...

After the first race the game hangs on the scoring screen and Kurt worries if it's broken, but it resumes thankfully.

Kurt goes on to do the Bucket List again and yeah it seems like it's presented as little challenges like in Wario Ware :) Is it as good as the Heart Attack Mode in Outrun 2 though? I kind of doubt it. The car here is really fast and everything just whizzes past. Kurt reckons the trees have magnets in them as he always finds himself veering towards them. He completes the event and searches for the next rally race.

The next one takes place at the airport! Kurt makes his way there with the GPS. He gets another chance at a Wheelspin and makes big money indeed!

Kurt chances the interior view again even though it's cross country! The daredevil! This time, apple shrubs are flying in his face. This leads into the airport with less shrubs but it's an interesting change of scene.

Kurt tries the event again with the third person view and fares much better, doing an exciting ramp jump into the airport at one stage.

Friday 13 November 2015

Kurt Plays Forza Horizon 2 EP04

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLezIzz9jBE

We join Kurt as he further tinkers with his new Subaru.

Kurt tries out his new ride on the Montagne Hill Climb event. Driving on some gravel, Kurt comments how it's really bright and how it's almost radioactive. I've seen that on very sunny Summer days, how the sun can make the gravel seem really bright and blinding.

After this event Kurt has a look at some Drivatars duking it out. He then decides to challenge VintageBeef's Drivatar with its Ford Focus car. The area here is very pretty, like some kind of riviera area.

The next event Kurt participates in takes place during very rainy weather. Things look very shiny and skiddy here.

Kurt earns a Wheelspin roulette thing. I like the way he says "Big money, big money, big money!"

He ends the episode out on doing doughnut skids in the rain

SpeedRunners with MindCrack #23

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rc6Z2seVH4A

Today Coestar joins us again with Kurt, MC and Avidya.

In the first round Avidya unfortunately disconnects but is still there in voice. He's able to join again soon afterwards though. Coestar does a pretty good Macho Man Randy Savage impression! Not big into wrestling myself but that voice is very iconic and I often hear the Game Grumps do impressions of it. MCGamer wins this one! Well done!

Next is the power plant stage with super speed runners. They all panic as this one is chosen on the fortune wheel. It makes things very interesting for us as it shows us what it'll be like with the more level playing field. Poor Kurt does badly on this one. At one point the laser stuns them all at the same time and they're struggling to get their characters to snap out of it.

Next is the theme park flipped horizontally. Kurt has a really tough time shaking the others off as they're really good at keeping on his tail. MCGamer wins this one too.

Kurt Plays Forza Horizon 2 EP03

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30FqLkA5C4U

Back with Kurt and he shows us what the unlocking and wheel spin gimmicks are like in the game. He goes driving for a bit and shows us the interior view as well. He's moved on from the Bucket List event.

This event he moved on to is back at the cliff side and jets are flying back and forth leaving smoke trails. He comes first. I'm not sure how this one works because he's racing the planes, but they're flying back and forth so I'm not sure what's going on.

A voice announces he's unlocked Hospital Records Radio and he imagines the sound of MRI machines. It does seem kind of strange!

Back on the road and it's night. From the interior view we sometimes see patio furniture fly across the windshield when Kurt misses a turn. The mayhem!

Nice Massena is the next area he reaches and Kurt gets an achievement. Kurt wonders if there's an option to turn those things off.

Kurt has a look at the Horizon Online feature and the lady announcer's voice gives a sales pitch for it over a trailer. It's kind of a surreal thing to see in a video game you've already bought.

After this Kurt buys a Subaru and tinkers around with it, looking at upgrades and colours.

Thursday 12 November 2015

SpeedRunners with MindCrack #22

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-SF7Ryxrhw

Today there's no Millbee so instead we have Coestar joining Kurt, Avidya and MC.

The first stage is SS Royale. Coestar chooses to play as a fiery tiki-like character. Coestar wins this one. The playing field seems pretty level and Kurt isn't constantly kicking butt so things get quite interesting. Weirdly at one stage the screen shrinks and you can't see anyone on there. It's just the screen scrolling by itself.

For the second round it's on the SS Royale again. Everyone is getting really good at the game. That screen shrinking seems like a nuisance and when you're way out in front, you can't see anything ahead because the edge is right in front of you. Makes it pretty difficult to stay in front.

Coestar wins this one as well. Smashing debut!

Kurt Plays Forza Horizon 2 EP02

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Gn929ptyFY

Today we join Kurt as he talks back to his GPS system. I suppose it is a bit cheeky for a GPS system!

The first area he drives on is in Castelletto, Italy. "Catch up!" he says to VintageBeef's Drivatar.

Next he has a chance to go into a Rivals Event with VintageBeef's time so he goes into it and beats his time. Later he comes across his Drivatar and goes all up in his face about it. Ahh, rivalry! :)

So I'm starting to see more of what this game is about. There's a kind of open world aspect where you can drive to the next area in the region on which you're going to race, while being guided by the cheeky GPS. Compared to the other Forza it's not really taking place on racetracks either.

There's a funny moment where Kurt bumps off someone and goes right into the trees.

Onward to the Festival Cross Country event. Kurt mentions how the words are barely legible because the sun is directly behind them. He's right and it's a problem in video games today where the words are barely legible.

The event itself looks insane, especially from the hood view. Kurt panics as he tries to look through shrubbery, crops and bales of hay getting in his view. He's blinded by them but still manages to win the event!

He declines to race in the Plump Daddy event. What kind of a name is that for an event anyway?

He drives to the next event called The Horizon Bucket List. The first one is driving a car like you stole it which he completes before the video ends.

This event sounds interesting in its presentation. Is it a bunch of quick challenges thrown at you like in Wario Ware or something? Let's find out in the next episode!

SpeedRunners with Mindcrack #21

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHkc-o_3gQ8

First stage is Library with RocketRunners. Kurt and Avidya are well able to keep up with one another! MCGamer and Millbee bring their own dynamic too and often slip through into the lead when the other two are preoccupied. There's a really tough to reach platform and Kurt always just misses it just by a little.

Next stage is Nightclub. Oh poor Kurt just gets hung in mid air at one point with no hope of recovery! It was tough to watch!

Next stage is Library with SuperSpeedRunners. Kurt makes the jump he kept missing earlier and celebrates happily!

Everyone's really stepping up their game! Giving our Kurt a real run for his money. I guess it makes things interesting but we will still root for him!

Wednesday 11 November 2015

Far Lands or Bust! #415

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zgvbohi1sf0

Current distance from Kurt: 112 episodes. Gaining!

Kurt is greeted with the familiar green glint of a creeper on waking up and quickly deals with it.

He braves a tunnel but is greeted with its zombie dweller so he runs off.

In Kurt's area there was a special lunar eclipse called the blood moon.  I think I remember that lunar eclipse happening. There wasn't any redness viewable here though.

More space news from Kurt about a NASA social centred around the Orion Capsule. It's a pretty big deal as it has a future in a Martian mission so have a listen. Kurt talks about it until the end of the first day and talks about NASA socials during the second day.

Now for questions!

Donator BaconRobot asks: "Are you a fan of any sports or follow any sports teams?"

Kurt isn't really and I'm not either. He does talk a bit about how big baseball is in the Chicago area.

Into the third day and away from sports! It's back to normal and answering a question about how the compass works.

Twitter question: "Pineapple on pizza. Yes or no?"

He wouldn't normally and he describes what he'd usually have on pizza. As for me pineapple is alright but I prefer sausage and bacon.

While answering this question, Kurt greets a pack of wolves on a beach. Woof woof!

Next question: "What is your favourite ice cream flavour?"

He's not big into ice cream anymore but lists a couple of types. I like mint choc chip!

Next question: "When will you launch your vlog channel?"

Check out KurtIndeed on YouTube!

So Kurt was short on donator questions and took some from Twitter. At least he has a back up plan for that kind of thing.

Kurt Plays Forza Horizon 2 EP01

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRRy5XMMxzw

First episode of Forza Horizon 2! I don't know what the difference is between this and the other Forza and why they have different numbers so let's have a look.

Kurt comments on the intro with its stock models and everything. Flashiness is another part of motorsports that bewilders me. Kurt goes on to sing the "doooooon't copyright ID meeee!" song. :)

Straight away he starts in a yellow car on a cliffside road. It's pretty fast and reminds me a bit of Outrun 2. Probably doesn't have much else in common with Outrun 2 though.

Between this race and the next one there's more stock footage of people having a party. Kurt would rather drive and I would rather go home and watch Far Lands or Bust!

PauseUnpause and VintageBeef's drivatars are here too.

Kurt asks if European weather has sunshine and rain at the same time and the answer is a big YES!

SpeedRunners with MindCrack #20

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kh2Kvy30680

For the first stage there's some kind of slow hazard switched on. Kurt isn't quite so Flash but he wins anyway!

Next it's the Alley with SpeedHookers. Avidya does really well this episode and MCGamer does pretty well too, which gets him really excited! Have a listen to his antics! Millbee wins this one.

Finally it's the power plant with Super SpeedRunners. Avidya wipes the floor with everyone here!

Tuesday 10 November 2015

Far Lands or Bust! #414

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Kph3osA4TY

Current distance from Kurt: 113 episodes. Gaining!

Kurt begins the morning thanking all the fans for the support and understanding about how busy he's gonna be over the coming month (of October 2014). Far Landers are the best :)

The noise of the real life road works construction machines outside continues and Kurt worries about the recording but it doesn't sound too intrusive at all to me.

There's not much space news apart from it being the 10th anniversary of Virgin Galactic's first venture.

Now for donator questions!

Patron Jason asks "Do you believe Microsoft would attempt to stop YouTubers from making revenue from ads displayed in Minecraft videos? Also how would this affect other popular Minecraft related channels?"

While answering this question Kurt breaks the side of a hilltop lake and watches it flow all the way down before riding it down himself. Whee!

Kurt says he doesn't think so and discusses all sides of the situation and other elements at play.

After answering the question, Kurt spots an overhanging stalactite! Pretty neat! He takes a screenshot of it along with Wolfie. After this he turns in for the second night on top of a dangerous looking hill.

In the morning Kurt explores a cool looking canyon nearby. He descends using water and feeds Wolfie afterwards when he comes down less carefully. It's a really cool canyon to explore and is full of wonder but has no exit so Kurt has to make one and ascend once more.

Dedicated Donator Alzeroth asks "In Far Lands or Bust! you walk and explore the endless world of Minecraft. If you could freely walk and explore any fictional world besides Minecraft, what would it be and why?"

Kurt thinks hard about it but says he'd love to explore the real world and universe and goes into detail.

As for me I'm not sure. I love the worlds in Nintendo games so it's kind of a given that I'd like to explore worlds from Super Mario Bros. 3 or Koholint Island. Lots of other video games have amazing worlds in them too.

Second question: "You mentioned that many people have tried and failed to follow in Far Lands or Bust's footsteps. What do you think cause people to give up in their journeys?"

You know, this kind of hits home for me! If you like, I'm making a Far Lands journey of my own in trying to catch up with Kurt! I also worry if my commentary has the potential to infringe on what Kurt's doing, which is why I worry about trying to say things in my own words and if I'm almost transcribing what's happening. Hmm... I guess I'm still developing things.

Kurt has a good answer for this question but you'll have to watch the video! Go on! I post the questions here so that I can answer them from my own perspective when applicable! (and of course because these are Kurt's donator questions so they deserve to be glorified in bold)

Also, this challenge I'm setting for myself is going well so far but it is challenging! I hope I can continue to do this catch up!

Last question: "Other than The Simpsons, do you have any other favourite TV shows or cartoons from your childhood?"

Kurt mentions Tiny Toons and Animaniacs. Two of my childhood favourites too. I'm only a couple of years younger than Kurt is, so it's kind of the same stuff we watched I'd imagine. At least from the American side anyway.

As Kurt digs out the final hidey hole of the day, he invites not only the viewers to donate to Child's Play Charity, but the construction workers outside too! Woo! C'mon everybody!

Channel Update Number Five October 4th, 2014

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ld35AB3kQuA

Kurt changes the title of these videos to "Channel". He thanks his Patrons for the continued consistent support! It's great he's doing well :)

October is gonna be busy for him and it's related to all the crazy phonecalls he's been getting in the middle of his recordings etc. Anyway it's something he's been coy about revealing but he will reveal it in time. I'm hardly going to go crazy with rumours though, since I'm blogging about it a year later! :)

He talks about a podcast and his newly made YouTube vlog channel KurtIndeed, ready for the subscribing!

There's an update about Spreadshirt stuff.

Someone may have said this to Kurt already but "chuffed" is another way of saying you're pleased. 'Til next time!

SpeedRunners with MindCrack #19

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lji4c7Hhgo

Today Kurt the Flash begins with the others on SS Royale. He doesn't do too well to start with, despite what everyone was expecting. Avidya has the same costume as him, only a different colour, hence the "Bizarro" title.

Next in the random selection is Plaza. Kurt does much better here as he comes back with the skill that made him legendary!

The Zoo stage is next with Super Speed Runners. As you can imagine, it makes for a really exciting finale! A funny part happens when a door doesn't open and Kurt falls behind due to initiating a taunt! Gah! Other funny things happen during this one and they all have a good laugh! MCGamer nearly splits his sides!

Far Lands or Bust! #413

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BM__l3YrQB0

Current distance from Kurt: 114 episodes. Gaining!

Kurt carefully exits the luxuriously sized hidey hole and recalls the last episode. He takes a screenshot of the top of the basin from below with the pink wool structure on top and the eerily similar shaped hole the TNT left on the cliff face underneath. Then it's off we go to the Far Lands!

Kurt sees a tall structure in the distance and wonders if it'll generate a mountain or a floaty thing. That's the kind of adventuresome thing we come to expect from this series! :) He heads off to "inwestigate"!

It turns out to be a cool floaty thing. Kurt talks about the recent local construction work and how it's still going so he's taking a hurried moment while it's still quiet to record an episode.

Now on to donator questions!

Donator Y asks "What is Pluto doing recently?"

Not much apart from the New Horizons spacecraft that'll be passing by in less than a year. That year has passed now so I wonder what news came of it?

Kurt decides against accidentally using a bed to cross water and risk a soggy mattress. Soon afterwards he builds his 1st elevated hidey hole near a hill with a solitary tree on top. Not before having to shoo Wolfie off the platform though!

In the morning Kurt starts hearing machine noises but goes on to answer another donator question.

Donator Seán asks about MindCrack UHC. Unfortunately Kurt missed the recent season due to scheduling. The question is "Which MindCrackers do you think would make an interesting UHC pairing? Are there any MindCrackers you haven't been teamed up with in the past that you'd like to play with? Or any ones that you have played with that suit your style and play personality and also any ideas you'd like to see in future UHCs?"

He mentions a few people for various reasons like the astronomy interest and dynamic enjoyed from previous play sessions. He'd like to see the shrinking border idea come back too.

At one point Kurt finds a big hole that has a little garden at the bottom. It's really cool looking but dangerous for Wolfie!

At the end of the second day, more machine noises happen!

Donator Rick from the UK asks about parallel universes, like if there were a parallel universe Kurt, what would he be like?

Kurt likes it as a thought experiment but also taking it lightly. He discusses it for a while.

I'm the same. Fun to think about but just fun to think about!

Before answering another question, Kurt nearly loses the boat out at sea.

A Patron asks "Would you ever like to fly an airplane or get a pilot's licence?"

He said he would but was more interested when he was in middle school. As for me I wouldn't be too pushed about it.

While answering this question he sees a cool little floating concrete sand structure thingy. Looks a bit like a Space Invader!

It's a goodnight woof from Wolfie set to a lovely sunset and Kurt turns in to a hidey hole for the night, despite the noisy construction machines outside!

Monday 9 November 2015

Kurt Plays Forza Motorsport 5 - EP05

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULCrS6RiWsk

Today Kurt begins racing in Prague, Czech Republic for a Track Days event and switches to the hood view. He does very well on this.

Next track is in Nurburgring, Germany for an actual race. Some nice clear skies here. Kurt braves a third person view and in the home straight swishes the camera around like The Matrix before going back to the hood view. At one point during the race, VintageBeef's drivatar rams him from behind with his yellow car! Kurt quickly shakes him though and Beef disappears. Kurt calls him "Well Done Beef"!

After this, Kurt goes shopping again and we get dialogue from James May. He buys the black Fiat for the Supermini and goes racing on the Road America track. The hood view is a little strange because there's no apparent hood. Some hiccups here but he pulls through.

Next track is Laguna Seca where Kurt predicts he'll flip over on the corkscrew turn. It's a chase event too. On this track he does a 360 spin and says "Like a glove!". Been a while since I heard him say that :) he goes on to win and relives the moment of spinning by looking at the game's replay function. Like a glove indeed!

Far Lands or Bust! #412

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kk85KF_eQmQ

Current distance from Kurt: 115 episodes. Gaining!

40 seconds pass before Wolfie decides to bark! We join Kurt in the fog as he accidentally pressed the F key in the last episode. It quickly clears though and off we go!

Donator RandomFrenchGuy didn't ask a question but left a generous donation. Nice one!

Today in real life Kurt was awakened by some construction work taking place outside. He describes the various noisy tools and machinery and records this episode in haste before they start again.

He finds a wealthy pink sheep, sings the pink sheep song and shears its woolly abundance. Towards the end of the first day he hunts for some pigs that Wolfie defeats impressively in mid-air!

On to the second day and donator questions!

Donator HiddenWindshield(nice name!) asks about Wolfie and stuttery terrain damage "Do you think it will get bad enough to be an actual threat to Wolfie's life?"

The terrain wiggle will get worse as I saw lately when I saw a recent Far Lands or Bust during a livestream...

The question continues: "If by chance it gets so bad you'll have to leave Wolfie behind at some point? Or will you stack up on pork chops and try to forge ahead regardless?"

Kurt says it'll be an interesting challenge and he talks more about it.

I think he will forge ahead with the accumulating challenge. It's been challenging so far due to cacti and cliffs along the way and it looks like he will.

Donator ScubaSteveDan asks: "Have you ever played the popular Skyblock map for Minecraft?"

Kurt says he hasn't and talks about the challenge maps he's done so far, like the ones he's played with 2Girls1Minecraft.

Another question from him "What do you like better - livestreaming or YouTube?"

He's more comfortable with YouTube for now and he discusses pros and cons of each.

He sees a pig take damage after spawning into a leaf block. This is the kind of challenge facing him ahead with Wolfie. Hope he manages well! On the third day he notices Wolfie took damage when they walked through a forest. I wonder if he's eventually going to try and avoid forests and leaf blocks?

Kurt admires more of the mountainous land generation before going into another question.

Donator Apaulon(sp?) from Hamburg asks: "I often notice how most of you MindCrackers successfully try to account for possible reactions from your viewers. It's amazing that all of you seem to talk seemingly quite free while you know that there are thousands of people out there. Are you afraid of saying something dumb or wrong? How do you account for that? Has YouTube made you more careful and reflective about your wording?"

Kurt talks about this, comparing livestreaming and pre-recording with regards to it. He also talks about family friendly non-sweary delivery and compares it to how it may or may not be how you naturally are, giving an example of another MindCracker. It's an interesting answer.

I said it before but I'd like to keep things family friendly with my content here as well.

After answering this question, Kurt comes across a cool formation out of bare solid rock, calling it a basin. It does actually look like the result of some glacial activity! Pretty cool and dramatic looking :)

Kurt decides to hang out here and makes some TNT to make up for the lack of it in the last celebratory episode. He climbs up to the top of the basin and sets it off. He also places the 4 pink wool he sheared earlier.

Getting dark now! Kurt quickly dives into a hidey hole that the game pre-made; he only has to put a roof on it. It's quite luxurious otherwise with its smooth stone interior! He has a bit of fun when he forgot the workbench outside and tries to get Wolfie to join him. After some funny awkwardness, Kurt just leaves him outside as usual and takes his workbench inside.

Kurt Plays Forza Motorsport 5 - EP04

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGSDTBU78Tg

Kurt greets us in a sing song way. It's nice and he might as well, because the footage he recorded during the recent livestream got copyright claimed. Oh well. He's turned the music off completely now.

He goes shopping in the Middle Grand Touring for a Ford GT. Afterwards he goes racing on Long Beach track in California, using the interior view. He's not a big fan of this track as it's all built up around like Monaco.

Finishing the race he adds his own music by humming as it's a bit quiet! I think it's better than the in-game celebratory music anyway!

The next race is on the Bernese Alps track in Switzerland for a chase event against one other guy. Is this a real life track?

Next is off to Silverstone in England for a signature event. "Take that!" he says to VintageBeef's drivatar as he overtakes it. For this video, Kurt is challenging himself not to use rewinding flashbacks so it's quite interesting for him!

Sunday 8 November 2015

Far Lands or Bust! #411

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTIpdLzuOUo

Current distance from Kurt: 116 episodes. No change!

It's an important episode number! 400 episodes ago Kurt decided to strike off for the Far Lands! He talks about this during the first day and about the original blog post Notch made on Tumblr about the Far Lands.

He doesn't have anything special planned but he comes across a surface spider spawner and becomes quite excited! No golden apple but some cocoa beans and wheat.

Some more space news too. NASA were doing another social event around this time on the east coast that Kurt talks about.

On the second day he mentions an upcoming partial solar eclipse while trying to figure out how to make cookies. Eventually he just looks up the recipe.

While descending a snowy mountain he imagines a floating formation nearby to be a helicopter. :) Wolfie hurts himself here so he experiments to see if he can feed him cookies, of course being apprehensive about the chocolate in them. He can't and so he just has them for himself while feeding Wolfie the normal food bones.

Now for donator questions!

Donator Randomitionist(sp?) asks "Hey Kurt, how do you manage to fill 30 minutes of silence by yourself? Do you prepare topics to discuss while recording or do you improvise?"

He says both! He uses a notepad window on another monitor with topics and questions and manages from those.

He talks more about it towards the end of the second day, how he developed over the years and about editing and stuff. It's true, he has improved a lot but he wasn't doing too badly at all back then either. Always very watchable and listenable :)

Donator NedgeRios(sp?) asks "What is the worst dentist or doctor experience you've ever had?"

He tells a doozy of a story with a dentist whom he dubbed "Dr. Green Teeth". Tune in to the video to find out! There are funny bits and not so funny bits. It's quite eventful and leads to the end of the third night.

Kurt digs a hidey hole out of the flat ground this time and has some cookies while inside. To celebrate he places down a chest and puts cookies inside, arranging them in the shape of the number 411.

It's a milestone of watching for me too and I hope I can keep interest long enough to catch up with Kurt. After 11 episodes of Minecraft Adventures and 400 episodes of Far Lands or Bust! watched already, I'm well on my way! :)

(4/4) MindCrack Server: Caving Craziness - Weekly Livestream

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFKwyoD2xiA

Final 20 minutes of craziness with Kurt!

He decides to wind down and finish up, making a chest next to the bed. It's only the best of a couple of hours on YouTube we're watching but on Twitch he's been streaming for about 3 hours, doing Forza as well.

After he does this he dashes off to finish off the zombies making that noise. He nearly gets lost trying to find the source of the zombies but finds lots of gold instead.

There are a few moments of panicked excitement towards the end; falling in on some enemies and getting chased by a cave spider.

At the end Kurt sorts some of his stuff out in the chest and settles in the round room with the bed, goofing around with the third person view for fun and bidding us all farewell.

(3/4) MindCrack Server: Caving Craziness - Weekly Livestream

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFKwyoD2xiA

Kurt begins the third half hour by exploring the newly found ravine via a makeshift waterfall. There are some mobs littered about the walls so Sniper Kurt takes 'em out.

At the other side of the ravine there's a really tall waterfall that's lit up. Does it go up to the surface? That's what we're here to find out.

Kurt explores the abandoned mine shaft and he finds lots more gold and mobs and even another ravine!

Fatigue is beginning to set in and Kurt can feel it in his gluteus maximus from sitting and in his ears from the headphones. Hope there's no more back pain though. He takes some sips of water and hangs out with the Twitch chat for a little bit.

Kurt ventures through the mine shaft and finds loads of redstone. I'm losing count of the amount of ravines he's finding now!

AvidyaZEN briefly joins to make sure it really was on the MindCrack server Kurt was playing. He must've been impressed with all the ravines from watching the livestream!

After the ravine exploring, Kurt explores some mine shafts and raids their treasure chests. Still no diamond though...

The half hour ends with the discovery of a big round room with plenty of redstone but no diamond. Kurt decides to place a bed here and rests for a while.

Saturday 7 November 2015

(2/4) MindCrack Server: Caving Craziness - Weekly Livestream

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFKwyoD2xiA

The caving craziness continues into the second half hour!

Kurt explores more and seeks out the source of zombie noises. He digs further and further until he discovers that it's coming from the surface at night instead of another epic cave.

After a surprise creeper blast he decides to go defeat a slime instead of caving. After this he goes back to his little base by the farm.

Dawn breaks and BlameTheController joins the server. Kurt and him greet one another in the chat.

Back in the cave, Kurt rediscovers the double ravine he found previoiusly. "Why did I leave this horrible place?" he says jokingly as a creeper rains down past him and a skeleton starts shooting at him. Kurt bests it and wins pants enchanted with projectile protection. (try saying that ten times fast!)

He walks along the bottom of the ravine and knocks other mobs down from higher up. He climbs up to plunder a dropped bow from a skeleton and a creeper blasts him back down to the bottom. Whoops!

He comes across several more creepy creepers and has some amusing encounters with them.

At one point he stumbles across a spawner dungeon raided by paulsoaresjr.

He has 29 levels now and is looking for diamond. He's trying to do as much exploring as possible without having to do too much digging or branch mining.

He eventually finds gold and turns into Prospector Kurt, putting on a funny accent for it and all. :) Before he can get to it however, he has to deal with lots of mean mobs. On making sure the coast is clear, he discovers another massive ravine! Tune in to check out his amazing exclamation!

There's lots to explore now. The ravine even has an abandoned mine shaft next to it. Kurt retraces to mine for gold. Towards the end of the second half hour, he explores more caves near the border and begins to explore the ravine.

(1/4) MindCrack Server: Caving Craziness - Weekly Livestream

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFKwyoD2xiA

First half hour of the livestream for this post! Kurt begins the stream with his air conditioning switched on and the server all to himself.

Kurt visits VintageBeef's place and the Bentley replica is still outside. Wonder how he reacted to Kurt building it?

He makes his way back to his little base near the farm. He stores some stuff here and prepares for caving.

Kurt does some more wandering around in the middle of the night. Someone from the chat asks "Do you play a musical instrument?" and he replies, talking about how he took piano in college for credit. He tried guitar at one point too.

Kurt decides to go to bed but there are monsters nearby so he has to deal with them first.

During the next day a chatter asks "Kurt, will you be using face cam?". He's not a big fan of face cam and puts his effort into using the microphone well. As for me I don't mind just listening to a let's player as they play while watching just their footage. Since I started watching them in 2008 or so I've gotten used to it.

Another chatter asks "How can I be party of the MindCrack server?". Kurt responds appropriately as to the nature of the MindCrack server being white listed and no one can just join.

Another one asks him if he's going to make a home on the server. He says he is and he's just waiting for some lag thing to be resolved.

At this point he's caving, collecting stuff, dealing with enemies etc. It's amazing to see how fast the mobs move when a creeper is about to blow up. Kurt sees this a few times and then goes to attack a dark silhouette at the world border... but it turns out to be a witch!

Kurt gets poisoned and he flees in a panic, dealing with another skeleton and eventually he just blocks himself into a corner until the poison stops and he regains his health. Close call with all those experience levels on him!

He comes out and kills the witch that was just above. Is it the same one as he ran from? It seems like it.

Kurt Plays Forza Motorsport 5 - EP03

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81hJi6iAcKU

We join Kurt as he continues using the car's interior view for a little while longer and starts another race. He has to rewind a few times and comes in fourth. Even though he doesn't come first this time, the dramatic music still plays like it's some biblical epic or something.

The next track he tries is Yas Marina in Abu Dhabi, UAE on the V8 Supercar event. This time the driver side is on the right and Kurt notices that the driver extends his pinky finger as he shifts the gear which is kind of amusing. There's a weird beam cutting across the windshield so Kurt switches back to his usual hood view. It's a pretty tough event.

American Street Muscle event next in Silverstone, England. During this race he talks about the relief he feels about console gaming where you're assured of the graphical capabilities on its own terms rather than going to the trouble of configuring your PC to try and get the best results. He fares much better in this race too.

Afterwards, Kurt goes shopping for another car where we get some more Jeremy Clarkson dialogue and cars that are day 1 DLC. Yikes...