Super Mario 64 Randomizer – Log 13: Red Coins and Sunken Progress

Progress: 70+ Stars Reached
Platform: Steam Deck
Settings: Vanilla Mario & Music

“Today’s plan was simple. The execution, less so.”

I went in with one goal: finish Jolly Roger Bay and Dire, Dire Docks. Two courses I’d already poked at, now ready to be properly cleared.

Jolly Roger Bay: Chests, Coins, and Precision Jumping

First up was the treasure chest star. Finding the first chest took less time than expected, which immediately made me suspicious.

Chests two and four were conveniently paired together. Chest three, naturally, required a cannon.

With the chests dealt with, only the Red Coin Star and the 100-Coin Star remained.

The 100-coin star was painless. No drama. No surprises.

The red coins were another matter.

One coin sat in a position that rejected every sensible solution I tried. Triple jumps failed. Cannon angles failed. Repeated attempts achieved nothing except frustration.

In the end, the answer was a backflip. One precise position. One clean jump.

It worked immediately.

Jolly Roger Bay: cleared.

Dire, Dire Docks: Clean Water, Better Decisions

Next stop was Dire, Dire Docks.

This time, I changed approach. I focused on collecting all the red coins first, or at least most of them, before worrying about the 100-coin star.

The level behaved itself. No forced exits. No sudden ejections back to the castle.

I didn’t get sucked out of the course this time, which confirms that last log was just bad luck rather than punishment.

With the red coins secured, the 100-coin star followed naturally.

Dire, Dire Docks: finished without incident.

Log 13 Status

  • Total Stars: Past 70
  • Courses Cleared This Log: Jolly Roger Bay, Dire Dire Docks
  • Remaining Stars: 50
  • Wing Cap: Still missing

Two more courses off the board. The castle is opening up fast now.

Fifty stars left.

YouTube – Log 13 Video

Steady progress. Fewer exits. Still no Wing Cap.

Continue the Journey

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Super Mario 64 Randomizer Hub

Game: Super Mario 64

Survivor’s Log: The Outlast Trials – Prime Asset Roulette (Rule Update)

The Outlast Trials – Prime Asset Roulette (Rule Update)

This is a quick update for The Outlast Trials series.

Why I’m Changing the Format

After completing several trials, I realised I was falling into a pattern:
choosing what felt manageable, avoiding what didn’t, and slowly turning the Trials into something predictable.

That’s not really what this game is supposed to feel like.
And it’s definitely not what Murkoff would allow.

Prime Asset Roulette

Going forward, I’m introducing a simple twist:
I’m no longer choosing which Prime Asset I face next.

Instead, I get an external pick (because naturally I’m outsourcing my survival decisions),
and I choose my next trial based on that assignment.

  • I don’t choose the Prime Asset.
  • I choose the trial based on whoever I’m assigned.
  • If the assignment isn’t available or isn’t unlocked, I reroll.

Optimisation is no longer the point.
Unpredictability is.

Is Anyone Else Doing This?

I had a quick look around to see if anyone else was running this exact format.

People are definitely doing roulette-style runs in The Outlast Trials
randomised Trial Maker setups, and other “roulette” ideas —
but I couldn’t find anyone doing this specific version:
Prime Asset Roulette, where the Prime Asset is assigned first and the trial choice is made based on that.

So, either this is genuinely uncommon… or I’m just bad at searching.
Both are possible.

Where This Fits

This series sits under Survivor’s Dread, and the whole point is documenting survival under pressure.
Prime Asset Roulette keeps that pressure intact, even when I’d rather not deal with it.

In other words: Murkoff picks who hunts me next.
I just try to leave with my organs still inside my body.

The Outlast Trials hub:


Outlast Trials Main Hub

Surviving, not suffering.

Customloper is Live – Interloper Weather, Voyageur Loot, No Mercy

Customloper is here.

If you’ve ever thought “Voyageur is too chill, but Interloper is just mean,” this one’s for you.

Customloper is my custom game mode for The Long Dark — combining Interloper-level weather and fire-starting with Voyageur loot and wildlife settings. It’s brutal, but fair. Cold, but not cruel. Wolves still bite, but they’ll give you 24 hours to get your act together.

This isn’t just a settings list. The guide includes:

  • Full breakdown of every Customloper setting
  • Recommended starting regions (and which ones to avoid)
  • Key survival tips that will actually help you not die
  • A full FAQ for confused and/or skeptical players
  • The custom code you can plug in and try for yourself

Read the full guide here:
Customloper Settings & Survival Guide

Coming Wednesday:

The Day 1 Diary — a full playthrough using these settings. Expect regret, cold, and probably rabbits.

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