Halloween Eve will be a Scream!

I'm sending out a last minute reminder to not miss my Halloween Eve party tonight starting at 8pm MST!  There will be games.  There will be music.  There will be prizes!!  Let me give you a rundown of what's up for grabs so far (prizes subject to change - but probably won't).

Funko Pop -- BB-8 figure, new in box

Two $10 Steam Virtual Gift Certificates*

Two Candy Coffee/Drink Cup Prizes

$10 Playstation Store Gift Card

Two 5000 Star Wars: The Old Republic Cartel Coin Virtual Gift Certificates*

I'm not kidding!  So join me for some WoW/SWTOR game action and a chance to win these fantastic prizes!

www.twitch.tv/scrappywheelz

* Virtual Gift Certificates are to be redeemed either in app or in game.  Steam gift certificates will be redeemed through the Game Gifting function.  This will require the winner to select the Steam item of their choice and be friended with Scrappywheelz in order to recieve the prize.  Star Wars: The Old Republic cartel coins can only be redeemed in game.  Selections for cartel market items will be selected by player and then items will be gifted through in game transfer - either in game character trade or though the mail.

~~~  Scrappywheelz  ~~~

GirlStreamer's Stream Team

I found out recently that a group I belong to has asked me to be on their stream team.  GirlStreamers is a group of women supporting each other in our shared passion of streaming live gameplay, creative arts, or whatever on Twitch, YouTube and other internet platforms.

When you first start streaming, there is a learning curve.  And it may not necessarily something you could figure out on your own.  So unless you know a person who has been streaming for a while, there's not really any place you can goo.  One of the great things about humans is we like community, even if its for the sense that you're not alone.  Fortunately, Twitch's whole bread and butter is community.  Not just game or interest communities, but also streamer communities.  So it was that when I first started streaming I was looking for somewhere to bounce ideas off of more knowledgeable people but also find other people that liked some of the same things I liked.  I had tried applying to one group who I only heard back from after I had been with my current group for a month.  Tried to tell me that my stream wasn't good enough in their opinion.  //shrug//  Lucky for me they did, because then I probably wouldn't have found GirlStreamers.

GirlStreamer's whole philosophy was inclusion in what ever form that means.  It doesn't matter if you've been streaming 5 minutes or 5 years, doesn't matter what game you play or if you don't play in favor of showing your creative side, doesn't matter if you're biologically female or just identify as such -- all are welcome.  So when I joined and got that first few 'welcomes' from ladies in the Discord chat of the group, I knew I had made the right decision.   I have been displaying proudly the Flower of Life on my Twitch overlays ever since.

Within the hierarchy of the group, there were a few tiers.  And one of the topmost was the "Stream Team".  Its something I had been working towards for the last few months.  I view it giving back to the group that has helped me through so much.  So what does that mean?  It means I'm locked into their servitude FOREVER!!  No, not really.  Here's the 411 --

How will this affect your current streaming schedule?

       *  Not at all.  In fact, I purposely chose a time where my schedule would be uninterrupted.  Same Bat Day, same Bat Time - Sunday's from 8pm MST to 10pm MST.

If you're on the GirlStreamer's Stream Team, what are you going to be streaming?

        *  The same thing I always do on Sunday  nights - Star Wars!

So if everything is the same, then why bother?

        *  Well, its not all the same.  You'll notice that my overlay will be different, representing the GirlStreamer's group.  And at some point, I will either play a commercial or send a shout out to one of GirlStreamer's sponsors.  

And its worth the bother -- not only because the way I will connect with my audience, streaming from GirlStreamer's Twitch channel, will plop me right in front of their audience, which is a lot bigger than mine.  Having that much exposure can at worst produce nothing at all and was the same before I started, or at best, it could be fantastic for my stream, bringing in new folks to my channel.

Let me give you a list of relevant links that relate to GirlStreamers and my streaming taking place tonight. --

Their Website & Twitter -- www.girlstreamers.com    @girlstreamers

Twitch Stream -- www.twitch.tv/girlstreamers_   (this is the addresss you want to use Sunday night!)

Some of our sponsors:  E-win Racing Gaming Chairs
                                      GLOMTOM - Gaming Accessories
                                      LootCrate - Gamer Subscription Box
                                      Simple Jerky
                                      Punks Paracord

Just ask me about the discount codes were offer as part of their sponsored stable!

I'm very excited for tonight and hope to see a bunch of you there.  Cause who better to screw stuff up in front of then your devoteds? LOL


~~~  Scrappywheelz  ~~~

TwitchCon Keynote 2017

I am not going to attempt pretend that all the cool things offered at TwitchCon I had any access to.  I did make it a point to watch the keynote address, since that's usually when you get the biggest goodies they have to offer so you can feel glad you spent all that money, took time off from work and family, so  you could be there to hear it.  This is my first TwitchCon in any format and their keynote did not disappoint.

Here are the highlights from Keynote:

1. Premiers - a way for content makers to showcase and advertise special content.  The keynote gave the example of one of their partnered beta testers put together a special edit of a few of her favorite moments.  According to her, it was like having a big party for all her viewers.  I can only imagine that if I understood Premier's format and intention, then this could be used to highlight any number of special events for your stream - fundraisers, giveaway parties, birthdays, etc the list could go on forever.
2. Achievements - This is #2 on my list of 'excited for' improvements on Twitch.  I had been gunning for Affliate since I first started streaming but the thing was, even though they listed out the minimum requirements for attaining Affliate, they basically just said under all that "When you reach this nebulous and unquantifiable goal, we'll send you a letter.  Just watch for it."  Ok so I was paraphrasing but that's what it was like.  With Achievements, gone is the mystery and uncertainy.  Achievements will spell out how to obtain both Affliate AND Partnership using defined goals, that once reached, will mean a guarentee invitation to each level.  While being able to see how close you are to reaching each level, based on the slide example, it could be used as a way of seeing where your stream is excelling and where it needs some work.  They are planning rolilng this out in November.
3. Stream Summary - Another fabulous addition for content creators.  As I mentioned, Achievements can be used as tool to improve your stream, Stream Summary was designed specifically for that.  It will break down different aspects of the last stream you had in to useful tidbits like most active chatter, number of follows/subs/donations, stream length and demographics for viewership, most clipped, etc.  All this information can be parlayed into a visual representation of the health of your stream, or places where you could improve.  End of November is when they annoucned this will be available.
4. Rooms - I girl-clapped and cringed at the same time.  This new Twitch functionality will have a lot of implications for your stream.  Imagine have the ability to have chat conversations with your viewers during a stream while able to chat in a separate chat with your mods or subs.  I adore this idea.  However, its just one more section of screen that I have to babysit during the 100 other things I'm trying to do during a stream.  Rooms will be available some time in December.
5. Rituals - they were very brief in mentioning this Twitch function, so I may have completely misunderstood Rituals' benefits other than Twitch's attempt to replace third-party apps or programs, such as Nightbot or Anhkbot.  From the slide it looked like it had new viewer greeting in chat functionality, as an example.  Hopefully Twitch will release further information before Rituals is released.
6. Extentions - Unless I'm some sort of special snowflake that I didn't know I was, I'm already using Twitch's Extentions.  StreamLab's offers an extention that gives my viewers a little bit more interactivity than I would normally have - automatic Scrap accumulation based length of viewership, a bouncing treasure chest with bonus Scraps that all my viewers need to do is use their mouse to click on their screen, a music queue if I wanted to use it, and Scrap redemption prizes that I create myself.  Regardless, sounds like they are full steam ahead to offer user made extention platforms that can only do really awesome stuff as a content creator.
7. Raids - Spend any time discussing Twitch and streaming and this will come up eventually.  For those not 'in the know', a raid when one streamer drop-hosts their viewers on another streamer.  The idea is usually a high-viewership streamer either drops their already accumulated viewership or plans in advance a viewership to drop on a streamer that they want to help out.  This is the holy grail of new streamers.  Apparently now, Twitch has bestowed their blessings and have sanctioned this idea and make it part of their offerings to streamers and viewers.  They were not very specific about how this would translate to any functionality of your Twitch options, so I'm hoping closer to its release date they will let us know how Raids will work in the future.
8. Gifting Subs - This is hands down #1 in my book.  And they announced that this ability will be available right before the Holidays.  My guess would be sometime before or close to Thanksgiving.

All these changes in general are very satisfying.  Any time Twitch can offer more user-friendly functionality or useful additions is always a good thing.




~~~   Scrappywheelz   ~~~

Its a Dead Man's Party . . .

https://katiecandrawblog.wordpress.com/

I'm sure you've noticed by now that I've changed my overlay to something a little more festive for the season.  I love Halloween!  I used to love it for the candy, but as I've gotten older its for the costumes and the parties.  So I'm having a PARTY!!  On Monday, October 30st, I am holding a Halloween Eve stream.  There will be games!  There will prizes!  There will be Star Wars!!

There will be plenty of prizes to win - SWTOR cartel coins, steam games, and the Piece d'Resistance -- A Funko Pop BB-8 figure!  Its new in package and so freaking adorable I don't know anyone who wouldn't want one.

So let's talk party!  Starting at 8pm MST, I will be streaming Star Wars: The Old Republic.  During the 4 hour stream,  we'll play games that will either earn you Scraps, gift cards, etc.  Then, at about 10:30pm MST I will do the raffle for the BB-8.  The longer you're in my stream, the better your chances to win.  Hint:  Join me for my regularly scheduled streams through the month and earn more Scraps to increase your chances to win as long as you're a follower.

Let's get loudy and rowdy! Rock to my awesome Halloween playlist and watch for the floating jack o' lantern for bonus Scraps.

Also a brief reminder that my Scrapping Cancer event is still going on.  Any bits given or donations made to Paypal will go directly to my nephew's cancer fund.  And he also has a YouCaring fundraiser as well, in case you'd rather donate to his fund more directly.  Any little bit helps!  Let's beat childhood cancer -- Go Team Gabe!

www.twitch.tv/scrappywheelz

~~~   Scrappywheelz   ~~~

TERA, Arsenal . . . New Gear Progression!

Ok so before my watchers start throwing old Jedi robes and burn out lightsabers at me let me explain.  Just as I was a founder for Star Wars: The Old Republic, so I am a founder for TERA as well.  Its gives me access to play at subscriber level without having to pay a sub fee every month.  Its gives an alternative if I start feeling a little burned out from SWTOR.  Plus, who doesn't love Team MLP!! (My squad of Elin all named after My Little Pony characters.)  And overall I like playing the game but not as much as I do SWTOR.

A friend of mine told me that TERA is getting ready for a major update come October 10th (what is up with major updates for the 10th??)  And one of the biggest is the new gear progession - new tiers,  new enchanting mats, new tier names!  That is one major overhaul.  So for all my friends who love TERA and are curious about the coming updates Tuesday, check out this super funny yet dorky video about the new gearing progression.  Good job, guys, on the vid!

~~~   Scrappywheelz   ~~~~

www.twitch.tv/scrappywheelz

Sub-tober, extended!

In the smallest blip at the top of the blog post, it was announced on Twitch's blog that they are extending half priced subs through October 18, 2017.  That gives you about 13 more days to show the love to your favorite content creator by subscribing to their channel.  As stated in the above graphic, get 50% off the 1st month of any new sub.

And speaking of showing the love, I'm still actively fundraising for my nephew, Gabe, who is in the hospital fighting lymphatic cancer.  All bits thrown my way and all PayPal donations made through my channel will all go towards the fund set up to help his parents with the expenses that come with being in the hospital for almost two months.  Not to mention that he will have to have at-home doses of chemotherapy until the doctors declare him in remission.  There is also a YouCaring account set up for him, if you'd rather donate directly.  Every little bit helps and is immensely appreciated!

Tonight we continue with Chapter XV: Battle of Odessen.  See you at 8:30pm MST at twitch.tv/scrappywheelz!



~~~   Scrappywheelz   ~~~

SWTOR Roadmap Reviewed

So my man of the hour, Keith Kannig, released the lastest roadmap for Star Wars: The Old Republic on Monday.  I'm one that will mull over things and see what other people are saying before I start throwing out opinions.  Hence the few days delay in my own review.

The future is quite beefy for the next couple of months.  The meat and potatoes of it all is the United Forces updates, starting with some major updates with the release of game update 5.5 on October 10, 2017.  The official release date for United Forces is November 8, 2017 where we will see some very juicy changes.

The first change is the most important and informs all the other exciting changes coming up.  Yes, we are seeing server merges this year!  On November 8, 2017, SWTOR will be consolidating what servers they have currently to the following:

There is a huge article regarding the mergers and how it should impact or not impact your characters, legacy, guilds and GTN.  For the sake of time, I'll refer you there.

With the new servers established, they have finally decided to implement a system people have been enjoying for a while in World of Warcraft - cross-server queuing.  This is not just for PvP or Flashpoints, this affects everything!  Uprisings, Ops, GSF are all included.  And if you haven't figured it out yet, this means shorter queue times because you have a bigger pool of people to pull from.  Unfortunately this will not affect the quality of the player one would queue up with, and they weren't exactly clear if the group organizing algorithm sets up a balanced group (tank, heals, dps), or its same ol', whatever-we-can-get group.  Regardless, the mere fact that queue times will be shorter is always a reason to celebrate.

Now on to the highlights!  And when I say meaty, I meant it!

-- Starting on November 8, 2017, they will be bringing back the double CXP/EXP bonus through November 14, 2017.
-- Be a subscriber from November 8 through November 27 and you will earn a new mini-pet, Mini Mogul (Karraga the Unyielding), to be delivered to your mailbox on November 28.
-- At the same time, you also have the ability to earn a new companion, Darth Hexid, by completing Group Finder PvE or PvP instances.  He, too, will be sent to you by mail on November 28.
-- United Forces PvE and PvP group finder achievements.
-- New Legacy perks - for every character you have at 300 galactic command level, you give your Legacy a 25% bonus cxp boost, up too 100%.  Apparently, you have to buy the first 25%, but then the other levels are free.  Even better -- these perks are retroactive!!

Now a word about Galactic Command Crates.  We are getting an additional crate slot which is meant to give an improved higher tier item drop rate.  This also includes a chance at Unassembled Components.  They are also planning on changing the way Disintegrate works.  Instead of command experience, it awards Unassembled Components.  This might be disappointing except for the fact they are making UC Legacy bound, making tiering up alts a lot easier.  People had been asking about a new gear tier.  There will not be one, though the roadmap did say they planned on making an upgraded augment available.

One of the more interesting parts is the new flashpoint "A Traitor Among the Chiss".  Ensign Temple will be returning, and we find out how what happened in "Crisis on Umbara" is directly linked to what the Traitor may be up to and why.  This flashpoint's release is scheduled to coincide with the United Forces release date of November 28.

And last but not least (in my opinion), the highlight of the roadmap.  They mentioned they will be allowing Legacy banks to hold credits.  Thank you!!  Toon hopping to find wayward credits gets really old, really fast.

So with all that said, what is your favorite part of the roadmap?  What are you looking forward to most?

Remember to join me tonight at 9pm MST for the continuation of my Veteran Mode Eternal Empire chapters, starting with my favorite chapter - Chapter XIV: Mandalore's Revenge.  You can find me at www.twitch.tv/scrappywheelz.

See you then!



~~~   Scrappywheelz   ~~~

Salt Lake Comic Con 2017

Salt Lake Comic Con is in its 5th year this year.  We've been to every single one.  And each time Dan Farr and Bryan Brandenburg find ways to not only improve upon a good thing, but always bring quality content.

Unfortunately for us, this was the poor year.  Well, we've never had a rich year but seems the finances were less tight around the time of the other years we've been to.  So things like photo ops and autograph signings were not in the budget.  But that really didn't matter because there was other things you could do that was included in with the price of the ticket.

We have a sort of tradition when we go to cons.  Unless there is a panel or something else we can't miss, we take a stroll through Artist Alley first.  You get a few bad apples in there (think - why would you pay money for a booth to embarrass yourself like that?) but for the most part, the art quality is amazing.  My daughter is obsessed with finding as much chibi and anime art as she can find.  Her big prize this year was finding the Tentacle Kitty booth and was estatic that she had the money to get one.  Its cute in its weird way.  It sort of went with her kitty cosplay theme.

A few artists that have done work for Magic: The Gathering were there also, and we admired it greatly.  My husband's always happy to see SaberForge there and he appreciated that this year they were offering mystery boxes so that you could get yourself a nice looking saber for less than normal asking price.  A new vendor I found there was Synthesis Studios, who made soap, lip balms and bath bombs.  They had a fantasy theme to most of them and I was impressed to find out that she made most of the molds she used for her soaps herself.  Sorry!  I really was going to buy something we just had to leave at an awkward time.  Probably next payday, you'll get an online order.

KidCon area was next.  In years past we've had such a good time.  But when we got there, there seemed almost nothing to do for the kids.  Jingles the Unicorn was there and she's always a favorite with the kids.  And they had a little race track for the kids to do races on, similar to the one they had at Game Con.  But the princess tea party wasn't there and there seemed to be less games available to play.  The story time area was empty most of the time.  There was no visible schedule for it so parents didn't know when to bring the kids for story time.  There was an author that tried to start a story time a little before we left.  He and another staff member at the Con tried their best to round up an audience for him, but the poor guy only got to read to a handful of kids.  I hope for the sake of KidCon that the powers that be focus on that part of the con as integral like they advertise it to be.  Pleasing kids is super easy and it doesn't take much decoration or much money to get them involved.  But it does take consistency and a little forethought to what kids like to do in order to not only engage them but help their parents encourage them.

Some things I'd like to see next year at the KidCon is:
* bring the princess tea party back.  Kids of either gender absolutely loved the princesses, and the ladies were always so nice and welcoming.
* Change the layout - put big kid stuff in the back and the littles stuff in the front.  Make sure that families aren't tripping over or having to run an obstacle course in order to get to the different sections.  Include vendor space either within or just outside KidCon.  You'll make parents happy not to have to search for kid friendly items, and you'll make vendors happy because they're easy to find.
* Post schedules!  You wouldn't not post a schedule for the panels.  You want people to show up for them.  Same with events at the KidCon.  Let parents know what is going on and when.  Put it on the website and available for view on the app.

Maverick gasoline stations booth was heaven to my oldest son.  They had a climbing wall!  He not only enjoyed the climbing wall a ton, but was so excited to get the freebie backpack they gave him.  Good job for thinking outside the box, Maverick.  I'm sure my son wasn't the only one who enjoyed it since it seemed to be non-stop busy.

I was disappointed that I didn't get to go to more panels than I did.  Seems that morning and the day before was a rush of unending things to do or be worried about.  So much so that I didn't even take a serious look at the day's schedule until it was half way through the day.  Brandon Mull's panels are always fun, with his stories and his goofy laugh.  My daughter and I were excited to hear about some of his upcoming novels.  It also reminded me that I hadn't finished a few of the other ones he had.  Gotta get on it!   The second panel we went to was a discussion on women in comics and movies and how their roles have evolved over the years.  It was a great discussion in the modern equalizing in gender roles and that's always a positive conversation for my daughter to hear.

And lastly, a grand high five to the guys at Gaming Con.  You should have seen my boys' eyes bug out of their head when they saw the console/computer set up near the entrance.  Like earlier in the summer, the consoles and computers were available to play for free, as long as people took turns and played nice.  It was a good distraction for them especially since they HATE shopping.

I'd say overall this year's Salt Lake Comic Con was pretty decent.  There are things I would change or recommend to improve.  However, our experience was, for the most, part fun. As always, they were able to bring in some pretty big names, and the stars had a good time here from some of the Tweets I've seen.  A big thank you to all the volunteers!  This con wouldn't run as smoothly if it wasn't for them.

Next up - continuing with my Veteran Mode Chapters with Jenna Ado on Wedneday, October 4th starting between 8:30 and 9pm MST.  Join me in my channel at www. twitch.tv/scrappywheelz!

Also, a reminder - all bits and direct Paypal donations made to me on my Twitch channel go directly to my nephew's fund as he fights lymphatic cancer.  For more information, or for a more direct way to donate to his fund, go to his YouCaring page - Team Gabe.



~~~   Scrappywheelz   ~~~