I cancelled my pre order with EBGames after three weeks of dealing with their morons.
I reactivated my EQ2 subscription and bought the newest expansios, Rise of Kunark.
Playing EQ2 again is like going to see an old friend after they've been gone for a while. You knew you'd enjoy it, but you never really realized how much you had missed it until you made the trip.
Now, I gots me some levels to get!! (New server)
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Thursday, November 8, 2007
From "Net Promoter" to "Net Detractor"
Well, I am at my wit's end.
You see, I enjoyed playing the beta of Tabula Rasa so much that I decided to pre-order the game. So I did. When I decided that I would preorder, I considered only one option because I received good experiences with them in the past. I chose EB Games.
In the past, I never had to contact them however.
You see, when it came time for the game to be shipped, a friend of mine, who (and let me underline this point) ordered the game standard shipping from EB Games at my recommendation they do so, received the game four days early.
So I contacted them via email.
The response I got was "Unfortunately, we cannot ship the game itself before the release date." That is a direct quote.
So OK fine - maybe that's a pretext to "you ordered overnight shipping and it's too early to overnight ship". Which of course makes me wonder why I would ever overnight ship on a preorder, but I let it go.
The day before it was to be released comes, no ship. Web site status says "Prerelease". Umm, no. If I am to have it on my doorstep it should already be shipped. But it wasn't.
So, the day of release, I write them again.
I got no response.
So I called them that evening. The person on the phone says "Oh I'm not sure why they didn't sent it already but I'll discount your shipping cost and send an email message to the shipping department so they can get this one shipped out ASAP."
OK that's something I guess but at this point, I'm fairly disappointed at them. The game has already locked me out saying "Your game time has expired."
Two days later, my shipping status changes from "Prerelease" (we are now three days post release mind you) to "Usually ships within 24 hours."
So today, after that status of 3 days, I call. At this point, I'm fairly pissed because if I had walked down to the store and bought my copy in person I'd have been playing.
The person on the phone has the audacity to tell me "We couldn't charge your card. That's why it wasn't shipped." But then he lies to me and tells me "We sent you an email message on the 27th of last month about it." When I tell him I am staring at my Inbox and can read the date and contents of every message they have sent me, including the "We will be shipping you game within 24 hours" message dated on the 29th, his response is "Whether you got that message or not is not important."
Excuse me?
I contacted your company FOUR times since that date. I placed FAITH in your ability to handle my PREORDER correctly.
So I had them fix the address on the card (the apparent problem) and lo and behold, it gets it right. But btw, we have no record of your previous contact with the other agent so you are still paying the shipping costs too.
Never again, EB Games.
You might, when operating correctly, be able to get me my games on time, but if there is the slightest hiccup, your sheer incompetence and lack of interest in the trust I placed in your company has signed on the dotted line. The dotted line says just above it "I will never use your company again, and if I hear of anyone else wanting to use it, I'll advise them not to."
Despair Inc has a message you might want to look up:
Apathy
Maybe if we don't take care of the customer they'll stop bugging us.
You see, I enjoyed playing the beta of Tabula Rasa so much that I decided to pre-order the game. So I did. When I decided that I would preorder, I considered only one option because I received good experiences with them in the past. I chose EB Games.
In the past, I never had to contact them however.
You see, when it came time for the game to be shipped, a friend of mine, who (and let me underline this point) ordered the game standard shipping from EB Games at my recommendation they do so, received the game four days early.
So I contacted them via email.
The response I got was "Unfortunately, we cannot ship the game itself before the release date." That is a direct quote.
So OK fine - maybe that's a pretext to "you ordered overnight shipping and it's too early to overnight ship". Which of course makes me wonder why I would ever overnight ship on a preorder, but I let it go.
The day before it was to be released comes, no ship. Web site status says "Prerelease". Umm, no. If I am to have it on my doorstep it should already be shipped. But it wasn't.
So, the day of release, I write them again.
I got no response.
So I called them that evening. The person on the phone says "Oh I'm not sure why they didn't sent it already but I'll discount your shipping cost and send an email message to the shipping department so they can get this one shipped out ASAP."
OK that's something I guess but at this point, I'm fairly disappointed at them. The game has already locked me out saying "Your game time has expired."
Two days later, my shipping status changes from "Prerelease" (we are now three days post release mind you) to "Usually ships within 24 hours."
So today, after that status of 3 days, I call. At this point, I'm fairly pissed because if I had walked down to the store and bought my copy in person I'd have been playing.
The person on the phone has the audacity to tell me "We couldn't charge your card. That's why it wasn't shipped." But then he lies to me and tells me "We sent you an email message on the 27th of last month about it." When I tell him I am staring at my Inbox and can read the date and contents of every message they have sent me, including the "We will be shipping you game within 24 hours" message dated on the 29th, his response is "Whether you got that message or not is not important."
Excuse me?
I contacted your company FOUR times since that date. I placed FAITH in your ability to handle my PREORDER correctly.
So I had them fix the address on the card (the apparent problem) and lo and behold, it gets it right. But btw, we have no record of your previous contact with the other agent so you are still paying the shipping costs too.
Never again, EB Games.
You might, when operating correctly, be able to get me my games on time, but if there is the slightest hiccup, your sheer incompetence and lack of interest in the trust I placed in your company has signed on the dotted line. The dotted line says just above it "I will never use your company again, and if I hear of anyone else wanting to use it, I'll advise them not to."
Despair Inc has a message you might want to look up:
Apathy
Maybe if we don't take care of the customer they'll stop bugging us.
Friday, November 2, 2007
Boss fight music
So in a totally random topic of the day, I got to talking about boss fight music in games.
And I decided it would be a good thing to blog about. This probably won't be a long post.
But half of what makes a boss fight memorable, IMO is the music that accompanies it. Sound overall plays a HUGE role in a game's delivery.
So, what are my top 3?
I am going to link to non-game play versions of these - as I try to be as spoiler free as I reasonably can be. That way if you play the game, you aren't ruined by seeing what happens.
That means that they might not be as pure as the MIDI in game sound is, but the impact should still be delivered:
Third on the list:
"Clash on the Big Bridge" - Theme from Final Fantasy 5. (I really need to play this game again soon)
Second on the list:
"One Winged Angel" - from Final Fantasy 7. A great game all around with an amazing ending.
And #1:
A recent contender, but deserving of the spot:
"Dark Samus" - from Metroid Prime 3. While listening to the music on this one you cannot fully appreciate it's awesomeness because what you don't see is the the boss's moves are timed to the music. It makes the whole experience VERY immersive.
So, what are your favorite boss fights/boss music?
Let me know!
And I decided it would be a good thing to blog about. This probably won't be a long post.
But half of what makes a boss fight memorable, IMO is the music that accompanies it. Sound overall plays a HUGE role in a game's delivery.
So, what are my top 3?
I am going to link to non-game play versions of these - as I try to be as spoiler free as I reasonably can be. That way if you play the game, you aren't ruined by seeing what happens.
That means that they might not be as pure as the MIDI in game sound is, but the impact should still be delivered:
Third on the list:
"Clash on the Big Bridge" - Theme from Final Fantasy 5. (I really need to play this game again soon)
Second on the list:
"One Winged Angel" - from Final Fantasy 7. A great game all around with an amazing ending.
And #1:
A recent contender, but deserving of the spot:
"Dark Samus" - from Metroid Prime 3. While listening to the music on this one you cannot fully appreciate it's awesomeness because what you don't see is the the boss's moves are timed to the music. It makes the whole experience VERY immersive.
So, what are your favorite boss fights/boss music?
Let me know!
Friday, October 26, 2007
BioShock Review
So, as is par for the course, I sat down and beat BioShock in a few evenings.
So, what do I think of it?
Glad you asked...
One liner: Pretty good game, most of which feels cinematic, with a good dosage of oddities that make it not quite the uber-game it's been hailed as.
So, now for the devil - err, the details:
"... it was not impossible to build Rapture and the bottom of the ocean; it was impossible to build it anywhere else..."
Basic overview:
You are a man who crash lands in the middle of the ocean and is whisked down to "Rapture" - city of free will, free markets and free scientific reign. You fight initially to survive, then to undo the wrongs of those who have created the monstrosity that is now your prison. As arsenal, you can inject ADAM, genetic modifications that change how your body operates, giving you super-human abilities...
First and foremost, this is a FPS in terms of genre. It has the typical elements: point gun, shoot monster, get bigger guns to shoot harder monsters. Collect ammo.
It has some RPG-esque elements as well: Choose which upgrades to "install" at the time being. You start with two solts each in five categories of upgrades, upgradeable to five slots each. You receive quite an array of items for each category and have to choose between them.
But perhaps most significantly, this is movie quality game play. The production values are amazing. Of everything this game has to offer, it really would be a so-so game if this one part did not hold true. But the story, the game decisions, the people you meet, the logs you listen to, all of it - encapsulates you in an epic tale of a good idea driven bad by greed and mistrust.
As you play, you learn that two people who were once partners became rival factions. In the game, you start hearing announcements from prerecorded devices about how bad it is to be a "parasite" - or in other words, a derogatory name for a member of one of the two factions.
These things give the game incredible ambiance.
The genetic enhancements are really cool as well. Your "Adam" is powered by energy called "Eve" (I feel there should be an obligatory drum/hat sound off here...). Eve is kept in fat syringes and then injected in your veins to "reload" when you run out. It is a universal "ammo" for your genetic upgrades and powers all of your enhancements.
Right click and instead of holding your hand out, ready to use a super power, you swap over to the good ol' tried and true gun arsenal. Each has their own ammo - or I should say, set of three possible ammo types. Ammo is found or purchased in about the right amount of frequency, perhaps a bit over-available, but not by much.
The monsters you fight are zombified denizens of Rapture who have gone over the edge of sanity by "splicing" (injecting ADAM upgrades) too far for too long. Now, they retain small semblances of their former self (you find one weeping at the coffin of her daughter - which now has ammo inside - no child) until you attack or alarm them, at which time they go in to a fury and attack you. They shout out at you, in manners that reflect who they were (the doctors, when losing sight of you call out "Nurse, get me that man!" for instance).
In a refreshing break from the norm, this game deserves every inch of its "Mature" rating. My kids will not be playing ANY time in ANY near future. =) Not only do the mobs have no problem spewing out profanities that would make a sailor blush, but the environment is sometimes dripping with blood, or the the questions of morality thrown out of the window. You even make decisions whether to kill semi-innocent little girls for extra power upgrades. (If you choose to kill them, it is at least tasteful about it and the screen fades out while you hear the death scream.)
Finally the deco is very steam-punk. Couple with the unique environment (a city at the bottom of the ocean) that they do take advantage of, and the pixel popping goodness of the engine, it's pretty damned good for a FPS.
So, with all that goodness, why aren't you convinced it's a contender for best game?
Glad you asked, Jimmy.
The game has some problems which kill its enjoyment value. The most troublesome of these, and it's really bad, is the insignificance of death. Now, I understand that the designers didn't want death to be a major hindrance, but really, some hindrance is desirable as it gives the player satisfaction for progressing beyond something that is hard for them. It is so bad in fact, that "zerging" tough monsters (of which there are very few) is a completely viable tactic. ONLY the final battle requires you to complete it in one go.
Another problem is that aside from turrets (which you can disable very easily at any difficulty) there are only TWO mobs in the game outside of bosses. Sure, splicers have different "flavors" but many times it's just a difference in their weapon of choice. Spider Slicers, because they can crawl on walls and ceilings (really cool btw) are the most variant of them, the rest are pretty much just a "he's carrying a different weapon" variety.
The other of the TWO mobs - the "Big Daddy" is a real problem for balance. In the early game, they own you in seconds. No matter how well you net up, it isn't possible to beat them in one go for the normal player, no matter how good you usually are at games. I can imaging that some BioShock aficionados will get to where they can, but that will be the exception, not the norm. But, by late game, due to your upgrades, they become a joke. Actually, everything does. The difficulty ramps down so far that I had to invent new challenges for myself just to keep it difficult. I even decided that for a whole level, I'd only allow myself to wrench stuff to death. (Your melee weapon)
Some levels *drag*. Neptune's bounty is one and it's early on. I almost shelved the game at that point. Couple with the painless death and I had a real hard time staying focused to keep going.
Yes, I'm glad that I did, but the problems were not outweighed by the cinematic quality.
All in all, I'd say the game is good. "Fairly good" perhaps. "Awesome" it is not.
Refreshing, definitely.
Solid Gold, definitely not.
Hopefully, if they make a sequel, they will enhance the good things, rethink the bad, and give us a contender that might even be able to rival "Deus Ex" for FPS heavy weight of all time.
So, what do I think of it?
Glad you asked...
One liner: Pretty good game, most of which feels cinematic, with a good dosage of oddities that make it not quite the uber-game it's been hailed as.
So, now for the devil - err, the details:
"... it was not impossible to build Rapture and the bottom of the ocean; it was impossible to build it anywhere else..."
Basic overview:
You are a man who crash lands in the middle of the ocean and is whisked down to "Rapture" - city of free will, free markets and free scientific reign. You fight initially to survive, then to undo the wrongs of those who have created the monstrosity that is now your prison. As arsenal, you can inject ADAM, genetic modifications that change how your body operates, giving you super-human abilities...
First and foremost, this is a FPS in terms of genre. It has the typical elements: point gun, shoot monster, get bigger guns to shoot harder monsters. Collect ammo.
It has some RPG-esque elements as well: Choose which upgrades to "install" at the time being. You start with two solts each in five categories of upgrades, upgradeable to five slots each. You receive quite an array of items for each category and have to choose between them.
But perhaps most significantly, this is movie quality game play. The production values are amazing. Of everything this game has to offer, it really would be a so-so game if this one part did not hold true. But the story, the game decisions, the people you meet, the logs you listen to, all of it - encapsulates you in an epic tale of a good idea driven bad by greed and mistrust.
As you play, you learn that two people who were once partners became rival factions. In the game, you start hearing announcements from prerecorded devices about how bad it is to be a "parasite" - or in other words, a derogatory name for a member of one of the two factions.
These things give the game incredible ambiance.
The genetic enhancements are really cool as well. Your "Adam" is powered by energy called "Eve" (I feel there should be an obligatory drum/hat sound off here...). Eve is kept in fat syringes and then injected in your veins to "reload" when you run out. It is a universal "ammo" for your genetic upgrades and powers all of your enhancements.
Right click and instead of holding your hand out, ready to use a super power, you swap over to the good ol' tried and true gun arsenal. Each has their own ammo - or I should say, set of three possible ammo types. Ammo is found or purchased in about the right amount of frequency, perhaps a bit over-available, but not by much.
The monsters you fight are zombified denizens of Rapture who have gone over the edge of sanity by "splicing" (injecting ADAM upgrades) too far for too long. Now, they retain small semblances of their former self (you find one weeping at the coffin of her daughter - which now has ammo inside - no child) until you attack or alarm them, at which time they go in to a fury and attack you. They shout out at you, in manners that reflect who they were (the doctors, when losing sight of you call out "Nurse, get me that man!" for instance).
In a refreshing break from the norm, this game deserves every inch of its "Mature" rating. My kids will not be playing ANY time in ANY near future. =) Not only do the mobs have no problem spewing out profanities that would make a sailor blush, but the environment is sometimes dripping with blood, or the the questions of morality thrown out of the window. You even make decisions whether to kill semi-innocent little girls for extra power upgrades. (If you choose to kill them, it is at least tasteful about it and the screen fades out while you hear the death scream.)
Finally the deco is very steam-punk. Couple with the unique environment (a city at the bottom of the ocean) that they do take advantage of, and the pixel popping goodness of the engine, it's pretty damned good for a FPS.
So, with all that goodness, why aren't you convinced it's a contender for best game?
Glad you asked, Jimmy.
The game has some problems which kill its enjoyment value. The most troublesome of these, and it's really bad, is the insignificance of death. Now, I understand that the designers didn't want death to be a major hindrance, but really, some hindrance is desirable as it gives the player satisfaction for progressing beyond something that is hard for them. It is so bad in fact, that "zerging" tough monsters (of which there are very few) is a completely viable tactic. ONLY the final battle requires you to complete it in one go.
Another problem is that aside from turrets (which you can disable very easily at any difficulty) there are only TWO mobs in the game outside of bosses. Sure, splicers have different "flavors" but many times it's just a difference in their weapon of choice. Spider Slicers, because they can crawl on walls and ceilings (really cool btw) are the most variant of them, the rest are pretty much just a "he's carrying a different weapon" variety.
The other of the TWO mobs - the "Big Daddy" is a real problem for balance. In the early game, they own you in seconds. No matter how well you net up, it isn't possible to beat them in one go for the normal player, no matter how good you usually are at games. I can imaging that some BioShock aficionados will get to where they can, but that will be the exception, not the norm. But, by late game, due to your upgrades, they become a joke. Actually, everything does. The difficulty ramps down so far that I had to invent new challenges for myself just to keep it difficult. I even decided that for a whole level, I'd only allow myself to wrench stuff to death. (Your melee weapon)
Some levels *drag*. Neptune's bounty is one and it's early on. I almost shelved the game at that point. Couple with the painless death and I had a real hard time staying focused to keep going.
Yes, I'm glad that I did, but the problems were not outweighed by the cinematic quality.
All in all, I'd say the game is good. "Fairly good" perhaps. "Awesome" it is not.
Refreshing, definitely.
Solid Gold, definitely not.
Hopefully, if they make a sequel, they will enhance the good things, rethink the bad, and give us a contender that might even be able to rival "Deus Ex" for FPS heavy weight of all time.
Note on a change to my blog
I am changing my default font to Calibri and putting Verdana as the backup for those who don't have it. (Anyone who is running MS Office 2003 or Windows Vista already has it.)
But I highly recommend you get it if you can. If you Google it, you'll find legal ways of obtaining it.
The increase in readability is worth it.
But I highly recommend you get it if you can. If you Google it, you'll find legal ways of obtaining it.
The increase in readability is worth it.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
EA is buying BioWare
http://www.bioware.com/bioware_info/press_releases/2007_10_11_EA_to_acquire_bioware_pandemic/EA_to_acquire_bioware_pandemic.pdf
EA has always been a company where I can gather whether or not a game of theirs is good by asking one question.
"Is it a sports game?" The answer to that question is almost always the very same answer to "will it be good?".
So the fact that they are acquiring BioWare makes me want to get started on a headstone that reads "BioWare - your tender touch will be missed".
This does not bode well - mark my words. Not well at all.
EA has always been a company where I can gather whether or not a game of theirs is good by asking one question.
"Is it a sports game?" The answer to that question is almost always the very same answer to "will it be good?".
So the fact that they are acquiring BioWare makes me want to get started on a headstone that reads "BioWare - your tender touch will be missed".
This does not bode well - mark my words. Not well at all.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Bioshock on play
Well, I picked up Bioshock.
First impressions: Death is not penalizing enough, story line is cool, random spawn is too Doom-ish (not a good thing), sound is awesome, presentation is awesome.
I will play through it some more and we will see how it goes!
First impressions: Death is not penalizing enough, story line is cool, random spawn is too Doom-ish (not a good thing), sound is awesome, presentation is awesome.
I will play through it some more and we will see how it goes!
Monday, October 8, 2007
Halo 3
Am I the only person in the world that thinks the Halo series is over-hyped and as a FPS is a bit lack-lustre?
I played the first one. I was bored off my gourd. The largest issue being the amount of down time after each death, but even the battlefields and guns, etc, didn't really seem like they tried.
I see Halo 3 came out and everyone is all ga-ga-goo-goo over it. I have no desire to play. Sure, if I had an X-Box I might try it to see what the big deal is, but my interest level is probably a negative number at this point.
On the other hand, Bio Shock looks fun. It's a PC title (and X-Box, but as previously stated, I don't own an X-Box) and at some point, I plan to try it out.
Oh - and Tabula Rasa - I pre-ordered. It fills my run-around-and-shoot-stuff gaming desires pretty nicely. It has potential - we will see how that potential delivers.
I played the first one. I was bored off my gourd. The largest issue being the amount of down time after each death, but even the battlefields and guns, etc, didn't really seem like they tried.
I see Halo 3 came out and everyone is all ga-ga-goo-goo over it. I have no desire to play. Sure, if I had an X-Box I might try it to see what the big deal is, but my interest level is probably a negative number at this point.
On the other hand, Bio Shock looks fun. It's a PC title (and X-Box, but as previously stated, I don't own an X-Box) and at some point, I plan to try it out.
Oh - and Tabula Rasa - I pre-ordered. It fills my run-around-and-shoot-stuff gaming desires pretty nicely. It has potential - we will see how that potential delivers.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Tabula Rasa Open Beta ...
... is going pretty well so far. There have been some server instability issues, but in a completely unexpected move, Richard Garriot (designer/producer of TR) chatted with people IN GAME (in chat) about them and what they were doing to fix.
That really impressed me.
The game play is surprisingly fast and fun, even though it is still an MMO. There are no "headshots" a`la FPS style games, but there is enough battlefield tactics to still feel pseudo-FPS.
The class system is reminiscent of SWG in that you choose how to level up as you go along. And I really liked that system, so I was happy to see it here.
Pleased enough, I pre-ordered.
I will probably post a more comprehensive view post-launch. I don't like reviewing pre-launch games. I find that to be a violation of the gamer/company trust with an open beta offering.
That really impressed me.
The game play is surprisingly fast and fun, even though it is still an MMO. There are no "headshots" a`la FPS style games, but there is enough battlefield tactics to still feel pseudo-FPS.
The class system is reminiscent of SWG in that you choose how to level up as you go along. And I really liked that system, so I was happy to see it here.
Pleased enough, I pre-ordered.
I will probably post a more comprehensive view post-launch. I don't like reviewing pre-launch games. I find that to be a violation of the gamer/company trust with an open beta offering.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Meme: Ten Fictional Characters
Taken from Chris at 2 Guys (see side bar for URL), here's the next cool meme. (And be sure to read his too)
First, select your ten fictional characters (from any medium) by whichever method you like best. Then answer the questions below.
1 - Samus Aran, Metroid
2 - Neo, Matrix
3 - Gandalf, Lord of the Rings
4 - Minsc, Baldur's Gate Series
5 - Rogue, X-Men
6 - Alicia, Valkyrie Profile 2
7 - Hermione, Harry Potter Series
8 - The Iron Mage, Ptolus
9 - Jean-Luc Picard, USS Enterprise
10 - John Preston, Equilibrium
1. Divide the list up by even and odd. Which group of five would make a better Five Man Band (like a Power Rangers team)? Who would you slot in each position: Leader, Lancer (second-in-command), Big Guy, Smart Guy, The Chick? If you think the team would be improved by swapping one character between the even and odd groups, which ones would you switch?
(I'm going to assume this means don't reorder them, split them left right, left right, etc)
Group 1
- Neo, Matrix
- Minsc, Baldur's Gate Series
- Alicia, Valkyrie Profile 2
- The Iron Mage, Ptolus
- John Preston, Equilibrium
Group 2
- Samus Aran, Metroid
- Gandalf, Lord of the Rings
- Rogue, X-Men
- Hermione, Harry Potter Series
- Jean-Luc Picard, USS Enterprise
Better 5 man band? Power - group 1 - smarts - group 2
G1: Leader: Preston; 2nd: Neo; Biggun: Minsc; Smart: Iron Mage; Chick: Alicia (at age 18)
G2: Leader: Gandalf; 2nd: Picard; Biggun: Samus Aran; Smart: Hermione; Chick: Rogue
Swap: Preston <--> Picard
2. Gender-swap 2, 8 & 10. Which character would have the most change in their story arc? Which the least? Would any of these characters have to have a complete personality change to be believable as the opposite sex?
Neo Most Change. Iron Mage no change at all. None would have to have a complete personalty redux to be believable.
3. Compare the matchups of 1 & 8 and 5 & 9. (Ignore canon sexual preferences for the moment.) Which couple would be more compatible? Which couple would be more plausible to people from either principal's home culture?
Hm so that means Samus + Iron Mage and Rogue + Jean-Luc Picard. Wow, both are hetero matches.
More compatible - Samus pairing, fo sho. Home culture, same.
The Samus and Iron Mage matchup would kick some major ass. Wow.
4. Your team is 3, 4 & 9. The mission consists of a social challenge, a mental challenge and a physical challenge. Which team member do you assign to each challenge?
So, I get Gandalf, Minsc and Jean-Luc.
Hell yeah. Bring it on! Wow the challenges are a bit too perfect for this group. Do I have to spell them out? Really??
OK, Social - Jean-Luc -- Mental - Gandalf -- Physical - Minsc. (No bars a berserker raging, hamster wielding ranger can't bend nor break)
5. 7 becomes 1's boss for a week in some plausible fashion. How's their working relationship?
Hermione gets to boss Samus??
Samus - gone on day one - Hermoine panics - Samus comes back on day seven with fully upraded suit, a few power houses in body bags and a Margarita. Hermione lectures, Samus rolls in to a sphere and ignores.
6. 2 finds him/her/itself inserted into 6's continuity. As far as anyone other than 2 or 6 is concerned, they've always been there. What role would 2 be presumed to have had in 6's story, and could they fit in without going wonky?
Neo inserted in to Valk-world. Neo would have been presumed to be a messenger from the gods with the ability to dodge arrows at the speed of light - or something. And Neo would never fit in. Ever.
7. 3 and 5 get three wishes. The catch is that they have to agree on all three wishes before they get the benefits of any of them. What three wishes would they make?
Gandalf and Rogue's three wishes...
Evil eradicated
Underpriveledged to become priveledged
Instantaneous Travel
8. 1 and 2 are brainwashed by a one-time artifact that works even on people immune to mind control to attack and kill 4. They keep their normal personality, skills and competence level, except any Code vs. Killing has been turned off. Can 4 survive? How?
CORRECTION:
This morning I realized I should have written that they were out to kill Minsc, not Rogue.
I like the old response too, so I am keeping it in, but grayed out.
As for Samus and Neo killing Minsc. Minsc is a good fighter but with no super powers up his sleeve, he's a bit toast. Sorry Minsc.
Samus and Neo are out to kill Rogue.
This is a game of Stratego. By herself, Rogue would be normally toast... Unless she got the first strike. Steal the powers of either and then it's game over for the other. (Kill the first person in the process too.)
9. 6, 7, 9 & 10 must help an orphanage full of small and depressed children have a merry Christmas. Who does what, knowing that at the very least the kids will be expecting a visit from Santa?
Alicia, Hermione, Jean-Luc and Preston?
Jean-Luc will avoid actually being at the whole event. He hates being around kids, but he does like helping kids. So he will be sure to beam down some presents and a holo-emitter for the Santa. Hell, make it two holo emitters and throw some elves in too.
I guess he could cover food too.
Alicia will fit right in witi the kids. She might be something like 16, but she's 8 at heart.
Hermione will try to explain how everything works, including magic, until her audience wanes, at which time, she will will simply resort to trying to look comfortable while sitting in the corner - alone.
Preston will make sure that no one threatens the event. Period.
10. 3 and 8 are challenged to circumnavigate the Earth in eighty days or less, using only forms of transportation invented before 1900. Can they do it, or will they be fatally distracted by sidequests or their own personality conflicts?
Gandalf and the Iron Mage... Both rely on magic and are from Medieval Era times. Let's just assume they don't get that I-Win button.
They'd still pull it off easy. I mean, Gandalf can ride on horses fast as the wind, talk to animals and has an uncanny knowledge of geography. (Being a celestial helps with that I guess)
The Iron Mage is very task focused. It wouldn't matter if he had to bribe, convince or otherwise force people to listen to him. He'd get it done.
First, select your ten fictional characters (from any medium) by whichever method you like best. Then answer the questions below.
1 - Samus Aran, Metroid
2 - Neo, Matrix
3 - Gandalf, Lord of the Rings
4 - Minsc, Baldur's Gate Series
5 - Rogue, X-Men
6 - Alicia, Valkyrie Profile 2
7 - Hermione, Harry Potter Series
8 - The Iron Mage, Ptolus
9 - Jean-Luc Picard, USS Enterprise
10 - John Preston, Equilibrium
1. Divide the list up by even and odd. Which group of five would make a better Five Man Band (like a Power Rangers team)? Who would you slot in each position: Leader, Lancer (second-in-command), Big Guy, Smart Guy, The Chick? If you think the team would be improved by swapping one character between the even and odd groups, which ones would you switch?
(I'm going to assume this means don't reorder them, split them left right, left right, etc)
Group 1
- Neo, Matrix
- Minsc, Baldur's Gate Series
- Alicia, Valkyrie Profile 2
- The Iron Mage, Ptolus
- John Preston, Equilibrium
Group 2
- Samus Aran, Metroid
- Gandalf, Lord of the Rings
- Rogue, X-Men
- Hermione, Harry Potter Series
- Jean-Luc Picard, USS Enterprise
Better 5 man band? Power - group 1 - smarts - group 2
G1: Leader: Preston; 2nd: Neo; Biggun: Minsc; Smart: Iron Mage; Chick: Alicia (at age 18)
G2: Leader: Gandalf; 2nd: Picard; Biggun: Samus Aran; Smart: Hermione; Chick: Rogue
Swap: Preston <--> Picard
2. Gender-swap 2, 8 & 10. Which character would have the most change in their story arc? Which the least? Would any of these characters have to have a complete personality change to be believable as the opposite sex?
Neo Most Change. Iron Mage no change at all. None would have to have a complete personalty redux to be believable.
3. Compare the matchups of 1 & 8 and 5 & 9. (Ignore canon sexual preferences for the moment.) Which couple would be more compatible? Which couple would be more plausible to people from either principal's home culture?
Hm so that means Samus + Iron Mage and Rogue + Jean-Luc Picard. Wow, both are hetero matches.
More compatible - Samus pairing, fo sho. Home culture, same.
The Samus and Iron Mage matchup would kick some major ass. Wow.
4. Your team is 3, 4 & 9. The mission consists of a social challenge, a mental challenge and a physical challenge. Which team member do you assign to each challenge?
So, I get Gandalf, Minsc and Jean-Luc.
Hell yeah. Bring it on! Wow the challenges are a bit too perfect for this group. Do I have to spell them out? Really??
OK, Social - Jean-Luc -- Mental - Gandalf -- Physical - Minsc. (No bars a berserker raging, hamster wielding ranger can't bend nor break)
5. 7 becomes 1's boss for a week in some plausible fashion. How's their working relationship?
Hermione gets to boss Samus??
Samus - gone on day one - Hermoine panics - Samus comes back on day seven with fully upraded suit, a few power houses in body bags and a Margarita. Hermione lectures, Samus rolls in to a sphere and ignores.
6. 2 finds him/her/itself inserted into 6's continuity. As far as anyone other than 2 or 6 is concerned, they've always been there. What role would 2 be presumed to have had in 6's story, and could they fit in without going wonky?
Neo inserted in to Valk-world. Neo would have been presumed to be a messenger from the gods with the ability to dodge arrows at the speed of light - or something. And Neo would never fit in. Ever.
7. 3 and 5 get three wishes. The catch is that they have to agree on all three wishes before they get the benefits of any of them. What three wishes would they make?
Gandalf and Rogue's three wishes...
Evil eradicated
Underpriveledged to become priveledged
Instantaneous Travel
8. 1 and 2 are brainwashed by a one-time artifact that works even on people immune to mind control to attack and kill 4. They keep their normal personality, skills and competence level, except any Code vs. Killing has been turned off. Can 4 survive? How?
CORRECTION:
This morning I realized I should have written that they were out to kill Minsc, not Rogue.
I like the old response too, so I am keeping it in, but grayed out.
As for Samus and Neo killing Minsc. Minsc is a good fighter but with no super powers up his sleeve, he's a bit toast. Sorry Minsc.
Samus and Neo are out to kill Rogue.
This is a game of Stratego. By herself, Rogue would be normally toast... Unless she got the first strike. Steal the powers of either and then it's game over for the other. (Kill the first person in the process too.)
9. 6, 7, 9 & 10 must help an orphanage full of small and depressed children have a merry Christmas. Who does what, knowing that at the very least the kids will be expecting a visit from Santa?
Alicia, Hermione, Jean-Luc and Preston?
Jean-Luc will avoid actually being at the whole event. He hates being around kids, but he does like helping kids. So he will be sure to beam down some presents and a holo-emitter for the Santa. Hell, make it two holo emitters and throw some elves in too.
I guess he could cover food too.
Alicia will fit right in witi the kids. She might be something like 16, but she's 8 at heart.
Hermione will try to explain how everything works, including magic, until her audience wanes, at which time, she will will simply resort to trying to look comfortable while sitting in the corner - alone.
Preston will make sure that no one threatens the event. Period.
10. 3 and 8 are challenged to circumnavigate the Earth in eighty days or less, using only forms of transportation invented before 1900. Can they do it, or will they be fatally distracted by sidequests or their own personality conflicts?
Gandalf and the Iron Mage... Both rely on magic and are from Medieval Era times. Let's just assume they don't get that I-Win button.
They'd still pull it off easy. I mean, Gandalf can ride on horses fast as the wind, talk to animals and has an uncanny knowledge of geography. (Being a celestial helps with that I guess)
The Iron Mage is very task focused. It wouldn't matter if he had to bribe, convince or otherwise force people to listen to him. He'd get it done.
Friday, September 7, 2007
Women Video Gamers
We need more!!!
So imagine my pleasure at running across an AP news video highlighting that women are being targeted for video game advertisements.
Well it's about time! I mean seriously - the lack of women who can "talk shop" with us video game playing males is disappointing to say the least. Now, I'm sure that some areas have their share, but I suspect that the norm is the traditional "Oh you play video games .... check please!" response.
Pink consoles - go for it! Fitness programs - great!
I'm not sure what the deal is with the paper rock scissors thing though. Is that an insult to their intelligence?? I hope not. I mean really, what kind of sick twisted advertising campaign would that be?
(Note to self, time to go Googling for this ad.)
But at any rate, I really look forward to the days when talking about video games involves an approximately balanced number of people of either gender.
And for the record - my daughter likes video games. =)
So imagine my pleasure at running across an AP news video highlighting that women are being targeted for video game advertisements.
Well it's about time! I mean seriously - the lack of women who can "talk shop" with us video game playing males is disappointing to say the least. Now, I'm sure that some areas have their share, but I suspect that the norm is the traditional "Oh you play video games .... check please!" response.
Pink consoles - go for it! Fitness programs - great!
I'm not sure what the deal is with the paper rock scissors thing though. Is that an insult to their intelligence?? I hope not. I mean really, what kind of sick twisted advertising campaign would that be?
(Note to self, time to go Googling for this ad.)
But at any rate, I really look forward to the days when talking about video games involves an approximately balanced number of people of either gender.
And for the record - my daughter likes video games. =)
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
They finally got to Mii
About the Wii itself:
I like the concept, but some of it needs improvement. You see, I got one last Friday and have already beaten Metroid Prime 3: Corruption.
My biggest problem is that the controller movement is relative movement. I would really like to play a game like Metroid and point at the screen to aim. Or if I can't do that, point my controller around like her gun arm and have that mimic in-game. But if you make such a large motion, the Wii has a hernia and you go out of scope for the sensor and then lots of crying .. or I mean dying. Or something.
As it is, you more or less "tilt" the controller and that does the in game aiming etc. This is not a problem with Metroid, it's a problem with the Wii.
In Zelda, the box says "Swing your controller and Link swings his sword!" Now, that sounds like all kinds of cool, no?
Until you get in the game and realize "swing" means "rattle" and that if you actually DO swing your controller arm, you go off-screen (which the game buzzes you for) and it doesn't register a swing at all.
I hope that some second gen input devices will at least widen the field of view and/or solve these issues.
Now, that said, the Wii does have some nice features. The input method in other ways is quite unique. I really liked the switch puzzles in Metroid, where you rotate your Wii-mote (the controller pad) and the switches in game rotate with it. That sort of thing.
WiiConnect24 is an online service where you can download games. The NES and SNES titles cost 5 to 8 dollars each. That's really handy. =)
The Mii concept needs some polish. They look ridiculous and I don't see any self-respecting game really using them seriously. Metroid has a "bonus" mode that lets you put your Mii on Samus's spaceship's dash as a bobble-head. Looks like they feel it's silly too. =)
About Zelda:
Disappointed. The controller issue I described is part of it. I really want to swing my sword arm and have my swing mirrored in game. Angle, speed, all of it. That would be cool.
But even outside the controller issues, what is with making the series a kiddie game? I feel like I have to lower myself to Zelda's level as a gamer. I want a mature Zelda. You know, those of us who actually remember spending countless hours inside castles, breaking blocks, dodging enemies, to save the princess? Not throwing chickens, shooting slingshots at spiders and tumbling through grass.
WindWaker was a step in the right direction. Too bad they reverted to N64-Zelda style.
Ugh.
About Metroid:
Awesome. Totally awesome.
Even awesomer than that. (Spelling Nazis - I know that the word I just typed isn't in the dictionary. You'll live.)
Whew, where do I begin....
This game really stream lines pointless running around. Almost none. Objectives are clear and marked. Pick ups are (eventually) marked on the maps for you.
Each room feels like it flows properly and has purpose.
The maps are beautiful.
But the best is the epic feeling of the fights. You really feel like you are running around, dodging, weaving, and in short, out-gunning your opposition.
Hyper mode is fun.as.hell. It's a whole lot of whup-ass in a neat little package.
Only one boss feels like cheeze. The rest feel more refined.
The music is appropriate and underscores the areas you go through nicely.
The scripted enemy sequences don't really feel so scripted and the feeling that gives is of some large force actually out to stop you. Like it should.
My only disappointment would have to be that I felt the metroids themselves should have been more populous and more deadly (thus scary opponents). But I'll live. Maybe next time.
This game was so much fun, I am restarting it tonight. Few games grab me like that.
I like the concept, but some of it needs improvement. You see, I got one last Friday and have already beaten Metroid Prime 3: Corruption.
My biggest problem is that the controller movement is relative movement. I would really like to play a game like Metroid and point at the screen to aim. Or if I can't do that, point my controller around like her gun arm and have that mimic in-game. But if you make such a large motion, the Wii has a hernia and you go out of scope for the sensor and then lots of crying .. or I mean dying. Or something.
As it is, you more or less "tilt" the controller and that does the in game aiming etc. This is not a problem with Metroid, it's a problem with the Wii.
In Zelda, the box says "Swing your controller and Link swings his sword!" Now, that sounds like all kinds of cool, no?
Until you get in the game and realize "swing" means "rattle" and that if you actually DO swing your controller arm, you go off-screen (which the game buzzes you for) and it doesn't register a swing at all.
I hope that some second gen input devices will at least widen the field of view and/or solve these issues.
Now, that said, the Wii does have some nice features. The input method in other ways is quite unique. I really liked the switch puzzles in Metroid, where you rotate your Wii-mote (the controller pad) and the switches in game rotate with it. That sort of thing.
WiiConnect24 is an online service where you can download games. The NES and SNES titles cost 5 to 8 dollars each. That's really handy. =)
The Mii concept needs some polish. They look ridiculous and I don't see any self-respecting game really using them seriously. Metroid has a "bonus" mode that lets you put your Mii on Samus's spaceship's dash as a bobble-head. Looks like they feel it's silly too. =)
About Zelda:
Disappointed. The controller issue I described is part of it. I really want to swing my sword arm and have my swing mirrored in game. Angle, speed, all of it. That would be cool.
But even outside the controller issues, what is with making the series a kiddie game? I feel like I have to lower myself to Zelda's level as a gamer. I want a mature Zelda. You know, those of us who actually remember spending countless hours inside castles, breaking blocks, dodging enemies, to save the princess? Not throwing chickens, shooting slingshots at spiders and tumbling through grass.
WindWaker was a step in the right direction. Too bad they reverted to N64-Zelda style.
Ugh.
About Metroid:
Awesome. Totally awesome.
Even awesomer than that. (Spelling Nazis - I know that the word I just typed isn't in the dictionary. You'll live.)
Whew, where do I begin....
This game really stream lines pointless running around. Almost none. Objectives are clear and marked. Pick ups are (eventually) marked on the maps for you.
Each room feels like it flows properly and has purpose.
The maps are beautiful.
But the best is the epic feeling of the fights. You really feel like you are running around, dodging, weaving, and in short, out-gunning your opposition.
Hyper mode is fun.as.hell. It's a whole lot of whup-ass in a neat little package.
Only one boss feels like cheeze. The rest feel more refined.
The music is appropriate and underscores the areas you go through nicely.
The scripted enemy sequences don't really feel so scripted and the feeling that gives is of some large force actually out to stop you. Like it should.
My only disappointment would have to be that I felt the metroids themselves should have been more populous and more deadly (thus scary opponents). But I'll live. Maybe next time.
This game was so much fun, I am restarting it tonight. Few games grab me like that.
Friday, August 31, 2007
Apologies for being out of service.
I blame the court system. Or at least, the amount of time and effort it requires to prepare for court.
You see, I am still fighting to have my kids in my life, so random stuff like this blog tends to go on back-burner.
Still, it desperately needs some updates, so here they are.
Valkyrie Profile 2 is freaking awesome. The graphics, the sound, the story line, the real-time-yet-strategical-play-with-insane-button-mashing is all there. Yummy goodness wrapped up in a tiny little package. Worth buying and putting in your permanent arsenal.
My friends at work have convinced me to join them in WoW from time to time but I have so far not felt drawn back to the game. I really am "over it".
On the other hand, City of Villains has me captivated. I'm not sure what to say. It brings games back to the foundations. It's about how well you play, not about how you manage inventory. There is no inventory. (Well, some items are quasi-inventory-ish, but that's minor)
D&D 4E was announced. I am disappointed. I will be hard to sell on the idea that we need a new version right now. Time will tell.
Till next time...
You see, I am still fighting to have my kids in my life, so random stuff like this blog tends to go on back-burner.
Still, it desperately needs some updates, so here they are.
Valkyrie Profile 2 is freaking awesome. The graphics, the sound, the story line, the real-time-yet-strategical-play-with-insane-button-mashing is all there. Yummy goodness wrapped up in a tiny little package. Worth buying and putting in your permanent arsenal.
My friends at work have convinced me to join them in WoW from time to time but I have so far not felt drawn back to the game. I really am "over it".
On the other hand, City of Villains has me captivated. I'm not sure what to say. It brings games back to the foundations. It's about how well you play, not about how you manage inventory. There is no inventory. (Well, some items are quasi-inventory-ish, but that's minor)
D&D 4E was announced. I am disappointed. I will be hard to sell on the idea that we need a new version right now. Time will tell.
Till next time...
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Meme: 8 Things About Me
So, I like the idea of community based events (apparently called "memes" - a word I have not heard before I started reading blogs) and there was a recent one on a buddy of mine's blog: 2 Guys Buying Comics
And it sounds fun, so here I go:
- Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
- People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
- At the end of the post, I'm supposed to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
I'm skipping the last step. As Chris has done his already, I really don't have any other blogging buddies to tag.
On with the sharing!
1) I derive the greatest joy in life when I am with my two children, whom I love very much. However, for a few reasons, which I will add up (as tactfully as I can) to a "not-even-playing-ground" I was made the "visiting parent" and get to spend very little time with them. More recently, I have been fighting against allegations from my ex that have precluded me from seeing my children for nineteen (19) months now. It breaks my heart. My children are the only thing I like better than video games or D&D. I hope that some day, they understand just how much they mean to me.
(Sorry for the heavy first bullet, now to lighter things.)
2) I never really got in to comics. I was uninterested in them. Through Chris's influence, I have found a new appreciation for them. I have even begun purchasing D&D related comics. I used to be a big book-reader and I think I viewed them as "infantile" compared to a book. HA! (I've been "showed" that I was wrong.) (Thankfully)
3) I have some fears that people would consider odd. (Of course, the whole "me" package people might consider odd.) I have a fear of wind while inside (but not outside). I have a fear of being alone. (I live alone but have to keep ventrilo or the radio going). I have a fear of spiders, but not tarantulas, which is strange considering it was a tarantula that gave me the fear to begin with. (I don't even pretend to understand this one.) (I woke up with one on my face.) And I have a fear of not-existing. Not really dying, but the act of being dead. (I'm sure this one is a bit more common.)
4) I am *horrible* with names. So horrible, in fact, we planned out our children's names before they were born and I wrote them down on a note card and practiced memorizing them for more than a month each "just to be sure" I would know them before they were born. (And hoping the gender in the exams was correct.)
5) I cry during movies. All the time. I realize that's not "cool" with the men crowd, but so isn't choosing to watch "chick flicks", for which I do. ("Love, Actually" is one of my favorite movies.) That said, I despise gory movies or horror films. I will not go to them. Oh and that Eminem movie that my brother tricked me in to seeing - "8-Mile" I think it was called. (Note to self, the next time someone asks "Hey, want to go see an R rated movie with me?" - ask the title first.)
6) I don't have many positive experiences coming out of childhood. I can remember a few, but even those, I remember how afraid I was constantly of upsetting my parents. Upsetting my parents was something you did *not* want to do. I think I even became as large of a reader as I was in order to escape sometimes. I remember doing things like the spelling bee because I wanted to impress them. I remember being very upset at how unpriveledged I felt. I remember signing up for after-school activities and being in things like the band because they gave me a reason to get out of the house. Even now, I know if they were to read this, the resultant conversation would be very .. miserable.
7) I will drive out of my way to shop at places that are more architecturally pleasing than others. There is a Frys on the way home. I usually avoid it and make a three mile detour to a different Frys. Because the first one bothers me. The lighting is "yellow", the store is falling apart, the floor tiles are crooked, the place just creeps me out. Yet it's a pretty busy store so I'm sure most people probably never notice. (Nor ever drive out of the way) But it's like this for everything. I hate the City Court building because the center is open, but I love the design of the Superior Court building (although I still don't like being in a court building.)
8) I constantly try to improve things about my life. I stopped drinking sugary soda and started on diet, then I stopped drinking diet soda and started on Tea. Then, I decided that most my drinking will be pure water. I relearned a new keyboard layout (Dvorak) because it was more efficient over my old layout (qwerty). I have timed the average drive to work and can tell you that it takes me seven minutes longer during rush hour, and that the path I take now is quicker than my old path by four minutes. I learned to eat with chop sticks because eating slower (like with chopsticks) and with smaller bite sizes (chopsticks anyone?) causes you to feel fuller, sooner, and so you eat less per meal.
So there you have it. More about me than you ever wanted to know.
And it sounds fun, so here I go:
- Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
- People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
- At the end of the post, I'm supposed to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
I'm skipping the last step. As Chris has done his already, I really don't have any other blogging buddies to tag.
On with the sharing!
1) I derive the greatest joy in life when I am with my two children, whom I love very much. However, for a few reasons, which I will add up (as tactfully as I can) to a "not-even-playing-ground" I was made the "visiting parent" and get to spend very little time with them. More recently, I have been fighting against allegations from my ex that have precluded me from seeing my children for nineteen (19) months now. It breaks my heart. My children are the only thing I like better than video games or D&D. I hope that some day, they understand just how much they mean to me.
(Sorry for the heavy first bullet, now to lighter things.)
2) I never really got in to comics. I was uninterested in them. Through Chris's influence, I have found a new appreciation for them. I have even begun purchasing D&D related comics. I used to be a big book-reader and I think I viewed them as "infantile" compared to a book. HA! (I've been "showed" that I was wrong.) (Thankfully)
3) I have some fears that people would consider odd. (Of course, the whole "me" package people might consider odd.) I have a fear of wind while inside (but not outside). I have a fear of being alone. (I live alone but have to keep ventrilo or the radio going). I have a fear of spiders, but not tarantulas, which is strange considering it was a tarantula that gave me the fear to begin with. (I don't even pretend to understand this one.) (I woke up with one on my face.) And I have a fear of not-existing. Not really dying, but the act of being dead. (I'm sure this one is a bit more common.)
4) I am *horrible* with names. So horrible, in fact, we planned out our children's names before they were born and I wrote them down on a note card and practiced memorizing them for more than a month each "just to be sure" I would know them before they were born. (And hoping the gender in the exams was correct.)
5) I cry during movies. All the time. I realize that's not "cool" with the men crowd, but so isn't choosing to watch "chick flicks", for which I do. ("Love, Actually" is one of my favorite movies.) That said, I despise gory movies or horror films. I will not go to them. Oh and that Eminem movie that my brother tricked me in to seeing - "8-Mile" I think it was called. (Note to self, the next time someone asks "Hey, want to go see an R rated movie with me?" - ask the title first.)
6) I don't have many positive experiences coming out of childhood. I can remember a few, but even those, I remember how afraid I was constantly of upsetting my parents. Upsetting my parents was something you did *not* want to do. I think I even became as large of a reader as I was in order to escape sometimes. I remember doing things like the spelling bee because I wanted to impress them. I remember being very upset at how unpriveledged I felt. I remember signing up for after-school activities and being in things like the band because they gave me a reason to get out of the house. Even now, I know if they were to read this, the resultant conversation would be very .. miserable.
7) I will drive out of my way to shop at places that are more architecturally pleasing than others. There is a Frys on the way home. I usually avoid it and make a three mile detour to a different Frys. Because the first one bothers me. The lighting is "yellow", the store is falling apart, the floor tiles are crooked, the place just creeps me out. Yet it's a pretty busy store so I'm sure most people probably never notice. (Nor ever drive out of the way) But it's like this for everything. I hate the City Court building because the center is open, but I love the design of the Superior Court building (although I still don't like being in a court building.)
8) I constantly try to improve things about my life. I stopped drinking sugary soda and started on diet, then I stopped drinking diet soda and started on Tea. Then, I decided that most my drinking will be pure water. I relearned a new keyboard layout (Dvorak) because it was more efficient over my old layout (qwerty). I have timed the average drive to work and can tell you that it takes me seven minutes longer during rush hour, and that the path I take now is quicker than my old path by four minutes. I learned to eat with chop sticks because eating slower (like with chopsticks) and with smaller bite sizes (chopsticks anyone?) causes you to feel fuller, sooner, and so you eat less per meal.
So there you have it. More about me than you ever wanted to know.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Game Has Attention
Picked up new game...
Can't .. put .. it ..down ....
Review .. soon .. when .. I .. beat .. it ....
Can't .. put .. it ..down ....
Review .. soon .. when .. I .. beat .. it ....
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Ending my tenure on World of Warcraft
Here is my post as to why that I left to my guild, with certain sections edited out:
Hey folks:
I have made the tough decision to stop playing WoW.
I don't know where to begin as there is a lot to say.
First, the guild has been uber awesome. The reason I have stayed for so long is the people, it really is.
But at the heart of the matter, I don't really enjoy WoW and as of late, have come to loathe it. I log in to see my friends, but it's rough for me to play at any length. Because I don't like the game.
I know that's a bit weird considering the time I have put in. I love the WoW universe, the lore, the pretty graphics, the getting on and owning noobs sometimes, but the gameplay itself is insulting to me, especially after playing games like EQ and EQ2. The repetitive nature of the game is a let down. The constant grinding, the easy instances, the lack of respect for me as a gamer.
And the icing on the cake is Blizzard's attitude toward its customer base. Their constant rebalancing and "you'll like it or else" attitude is crap.
But the ultimate reason is that I need more me time. I don't know how to say it otherwise. My life completely changed since playing WoW. To be in a group with good people you have to be on constantly or you get left behind for some reason or another.
And it has taken its toll on me. I have gained more than a hundred pounds of weight in the last four years (some due to the ending of a bad marriage, but not all). I have shut myself in night after night, for which friends became a diminishing circle in real life. And I need to find other things to do. Other passions and hobbies.
I'd hate for me life story to be written as "he was a good gamer."
Now there is one MMO that I'll still be in from time to time, but the whole reason is that MMO, Eve Online, is more of a hobby, not a time sink.
And I might play others here and there but never again this dedicated.
It is not likely that I will ever pick up WoW again. EQ II is a much better game. If I ever go back to something, it'll be EQ II.
Finally, I have put in funds to get the guild up and running on this Web site and on Ventrilo.
I want you to continue to use them. I'd hate to miss seeing my friends and talking to them, for which many of you are amongst that number.
[Section Edited out]
You guys are the greatest of my friends and the ones who had me logging in day after day.
[section edited out]
Keep in touch, and talk to me on Ventrilo.
I now take my leave of the guild, satisfied that I am exiting the game at the top. Of all the guilds I have seen, I am proud to have this one listed as my final one.
Good Guild
Thanks,
See you around
Beofox
Hey folks:
I have made the tough decision to stop playing WoW.
I don't know where to begin as there is a lot to say.
First, the guild has been uber awesome. The reason I have stayed for so long is the people, it really is.
But at the heart of the matter, I don't really enjoy WoW and as of late, have come to loathe it. I log in to see my friends, but it's rough for me to play at any length. Because I don't like the game.
I know that's a bit weird considering the time I have put in. I love the WoW universe, the lore, the pretty graphics, the getting on and owning noobs sometimes, but the gameplay itself is insulting to me, especially after playing games like EQ and EQ2. The repetitive nature of the game is a let down. The constant grinding, the easy instances, the lack of respect for me as a gamer.
And the icing on the cake is Blizzard's attitude toward its customer base. Their constant rebalancing and "you'll like it or else" attitude is crap.
But the ultimate reason is that I need more me time. I don't know how to say it otherwise. My life completely changed since playing WoW. To be in a group with good people you have to be on constantly or you get left behind for some reason or another.
And it has taken its toll on me. I have gained more than a hundred pounds of weight in the last four years (some due to the ending of a bad marriage, but not all). I have shut myself in night after night, for which friends became a diminishing circle in real life. And I need to find other things to do. Other passions and hobbies.
I'd hate for me life story to be written as "he was a good gamer."
Now there is one MMO that I'll still be in from time to time, but the whole reason is that MMO, Eve Online, is more of a hobby, not a time sink.
And I might play others here and there but never again this dedicated.
It is not likely that I will ever pick up WoW again. EQ II is a much better game. If I ever go back to something, it'll be EQ II.
Finally, I have put in funds to get the guild up and running on this Web site and on Ventrilo.
I want you to continue to use them. I'd hate to miss seeing my friends and talking to them, for which many of you are amongst that number.
[Section Edited out]
You guys are the greatest of my friends and the ones who had me logging in day after day.
[section edited out]
Keep in touch, and talk to me on Ventrilo.
I now take my leave of the guild, satisfied that I am exiting the game at the top. Of all the guilds I have seen, I am proud to have this one listed as my final one.
Good Guild
Thanks,
See you around
Beofox
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Fear the FEAR!
OK, so I make bad puns - at least I'm not a-feared of doing so! (doh!)
Well, I finished the base FEAR game. I haven't done the expansion but for a bit I'm not gonna either.
And with no further delay, here are my thoughts!
So where to begin...
I am about to make an important distinction here - this game's engine is pretty. But they drag it down by having a 90% lackluster environment.
The details:
First of all, they have depth of field, both in cinematics and when you are using a scope. In fact one scope has to "adjust" in and out as you move from o far to a near target or vise versa. And it looks nice.
Even better, the engine has real-time volumetric lighting effects!! For those who don't understand what a volumetric light is, it is when you actually see light streaming in from somewhere, usually due to dust. And just for further illustration, here is a screenshot:
You can see the light streaming in and they use this effect in plenty of places appropriately. It looks good with a side order of "not slowing things down too much" which is a must.
Speaking of lights, they are dynamic too. Sometimes the building you are in might tremble and the lights go swinging around and they cast their glow on the walls and floors. It's pretty awesome. Not only that, but your weapons get lit appropriately too:
Then, just when I thought I had seen it all, I come across water! And the light reflection off water... O.M.G. It would be hard to top it. It's animated and the animation told me immediately before I could ever see the actual water "there's water over there". A still picture can't really do it justice, but even the still look pretty, so feast your eyes!
For all the light's yummy goodness, it has some serious flaws too. There are two main issues with it. First, there is texture popping, both in physical textures and in lighting itself. First, physical textures:
In the first image, you can see some weird red texture just jutting out. It's not supposed to be there at all. That is a down-ramp in to a parking garage. In the second, if you look near the center, you see two white stripes for the edge of the ledge below but where they cross, the textures compete with each other for z-buffer, causing them to "animate" improperly and "pop" and just generally look bad. While this doesn't happen on large textures (thankfully) it does happen enough to be distracting in some areas. And once you start noticing it, it gets worse.
Now, two more images:
You will notice they are essentially the same image but I just move slightly left and right. And you will notice that there is light streaming on to the floor in one and not in the other.
Which brings me to my next point because I think it's the cause of when you see even these oddities.
Lights get off-screen-culled out of the picture. Off-screen-culling (sometimes "occluded" instead of "culled") is a mathematical process by which the game figures out that since you can't see something (because it's off screen) the game doesn't waste time drawing it (off-screen of course). But the problem with including light is that basically if you are looking in their direction, you see their glow and their shadows, but if you turn around, POOF they are gone, along with their lighting and their shadows. And for the record, I was running the game on "maximum" for the lighting effects which is listed as (draw all lights, all the time).
Bad game engine, bad! No doughnut.
Finally, to come full circle - most of the environment in this game is lack-luster. Each stage has a spot where the lighting is cool (wait till you see lighting through frosted glass!!) but they could have added more diversity and really gone to play with it!
But given everything I'd say game engine is uber.
Speaking of diversity, this is perhaps one of the game's two largest flaws. Most of the game takes place in three buildings. And when it doesn't, you are actually in a run down back-alley. I was so sick of one of the buildings that I actually almost stopped playing. I was SO glad when I got to leave. Come on Sierra, mix it up a little! You spend about 50% of the game (possibly more) in the same office building.
And it's an office building. Been there, done that, got a paycheck to prove it. Don't need that much office in my games.
OK so letting that go, the AI is the second greatest reason I kept going. (Story line, believe it or not was the first.) The AI is complex and impressive. Here is how impressive: I was being shot at, so I was ducked behind a pillar. A second mob (Internet lingo for a hostile) was on the other side of crates from me and "lost me" (my respect for the game includes the fact that mobs are NOT omniscient) and then called over the comm to the other "I lost him!". At which point the other replies back "He's behind those crates!" and the response of "Roger!" and a subsequent running around the crates to find me.
Wow. I don't want to look at the code that can pull off that level of sophistication in an FPS. Just wow.
Mobs will use team tactics, including flushing you out with grenades, attempting to flank you, using suppressing fire to let team mates move from cover to cover, running around to shoot you in the back. It feels like you are playing against an intelligent being.
And the icing on the cake - the game IS NOT CHEAP ABOUT MOBS! Even in the end of the game, where most designers lose focus on core values, the mobs are not cheap, the most obvious of which would be spawning mobs behind you as you cross a threshold or flip a switch. I am pretty sure it happens not even once the whole game (excluding nightmares, which I think is only fair to do).
Even the times that a mob crashes through a wall (rarely), they do it in front of you and they give you warning signs.
Well done and bravo!
While I am on this topic, I do have to point out the other major flaw though. You will fight the same foe (generic soldiers) for 80% of the game.
Variety is the spice of life. I could really use some. Which is ultimately why I'm not dying to play the expansion. I am not ready for more of the same.
Let's see, what else...
Bullet holes are displacement maps. I am of mixed opinion on this. In the middle of a featureless wall, they look great. But if any overlap, they have a tendency to texture pop, if there is a texture background or they are near an edge, you can see that they move around as you move around (they aren't fixed in location) and if one ends up at an edge of a wall, you can clearly see they are a displacement map, not a physical removal of geometry and it stands out. Yes it would be hard to actually remove geometry, but if they at least knocked out edges of walls, perhaps not even the middles, it would help. It got so bad I just stopped looking, intentionally.
Another bad thing is inventory management, mainly with weapons. You can only carry three for starters. After playing, I can honestly say it should be at least four because of the value of the big guns, the need for a long range weapon, the need for a short range weapon and the fact they switch up what ammo is prevalent level by level. But worse, when you drop a weapon (because you have emptied it - more on why in a moment) - if that was the weapon in the middle of the list, YOU CAN NO LONGER SCROLL TO SWAP BETWEEN WEAPONS! - Luckily, dropping the third weapon too and then picking it back up puts it in slot 2 and fixes this, but eww.
When you find a new weapon - if you already have one equipped, you get half the ammo of if you didn't have it equipped. So for the weapons I like, I found myself unrealistically dropping my weapon each time I saw another so that I could grab it with 100% ammo (not 50%) and then picking up the one I dropped (which dropped weapons remember their ammo count when you drop them).
That's bad design.
Also, I wish that all guns started at a full clip, but as you killed your foes, any shots they fired were depleted from the weapon, that would make the immersion factor even more and the reward for quickly neutralizing foes even more rewarding. (Get more ammo.)
Regarding one of the characters in the game, the game pulls one of my classic "no no"s of plot design. Some day I'll make a list so I can link to it, but suffice to say that you get ripped off on a wholesome level with one of the antagonists.
Back to what's good. Slow motion not only looks super cool, it has well-placed story line value, it works really well with the sound and makes sniping more sensible.
Oh yeah, they have slow motion you can trigger pretty much whenever, it just has to recharge after. The slow motion I used throughout the game. And unlike another game I've played in the past, I don't find it to be annoying and cheap. In some places you just plain have to use it, especially if you are running on hard difficulty.
Did I mention it looks nice?
When you take damage, if it nearly kills you, but leaves you alive, your difficulty rating determines a minimum life level and you will slowly regen back to that level. This is a god send and even more fairness in my opinion. It makes receiving a clipping blow at near death an immediate risk without being a level-killer. I wish more FPS's did this.
The story line takes itself seriously. This is the number one reason I kept playing. It grips you right off, leaves questions that it answers in nibblets throughout, and plays up the "creepy" factor well. In fact, had it not been so gripping, I would have stopped due to the creepy factor cause I'm a wimp when it comes to creepy. I've avoided Silent Hill for that reason. But the way the story is told, in flashbacks, nightmare sequences, comm buzzes, phone messages - it gives the game a suspense/thriller aspect that when coupled with first person is GREAT!
The ending is also pretty cool. I'd say about 10% WTF, 10% rolling eyes sarcastically, and 80% awesome.
The story line has a few plot holes though. I'd rather not go in to it, because I don't like giving stuff away whenever I can avoid it, but there be plot holes, yo. Not major gaping ones, but there are.
Don't let that stop you though - the game really delivers. The story becomes more and more compelling as you play and that's a good thing. =)
There is no shortage of blood or language in this game. The intense amount of blood is appropriate for the environment. Here is one of the more tame versions in fact:
It gets much more gruesome than that. Much more. And it enhances the story and the environment.
This is a Mature 17+ game by the way. And they utilize it. (THANK YOU!)
I even like the fact that when you snipe an enemy team member, the other people in the squad run for cover and sometimes yell out "shit!" or "fuck!" or even as they throw grenades, the occasional "die mother fucker!"
Thanks for not being ashamed to treat me like an adult. I really appreciate it.
So what does all this add up to?
I highly recommend a play through.
And the following was completely unnecessary, but I'll forgive them.
(Note, as I reach the end of the article I just realized all the images I uploaded were BMPs. If you are on dial up I apologize for the excessive file sizes when you click in to images and will make sure not to repeat this blunder)
Well, I finished the base FEAR game. I haven't done the expansion but for a bit I'm not gonna either.
And with no further delay, here are my thoughts!
So where to begin...
I am about to make an important distinction here - this game's engine is pretty. But they drag it down by having a 90% lackluster environment.
The details:
First of all, they have depth of field, both in cinematics and when you are using a scope. In fact one scope has to "adjust" in and out as you move from o far to a near target or vise versa. And it looks nice.
Even better, the engine has real-time volumetric lighting effects!! For those who don't understand what a volumetric light is, it is when you actually see light streaming in from somewhere, usually due to dust. And just for further illustration, here is a screenshot:
You can see the light streaming in and they use this effect in plenty of places appropriately. It looks good with a side order of "not slowing things down too much" which is a must.
Speaking of lights, they are dynamic too. Sometimes the building you are in might tremble and the lights go swinging around and they cast their glow on the walls and floors. It's pretty awesome. Not only that, but your weapons get lit appropriately too:
Then, just when I thought I had seen it all, I come across water! And the light reflection off water... O.M.G. It would be hard to top it. It's animated and the animation told me immediately before I could ever see the actual water "there's water over there". A still picture can't really do it justice, but even the still look pretty, so feast your eyes!
For all the light's yummy goodness, it has some serious flaws too. There are two main issues with it. First, there is texture popping, both in physical textures and in lighting itself. First, physical textures:
In the first image, you can see some weird red texture just jutting out. It's not supposed to be there at all. That is a down-ramp in to a parking garage. In the second, if you look near the center, you see two white stripes for the edge of the ledge below but where they cross, the textures compete with each other for z-buffer, causing them to "animate" improperly and "pop" and just generally look bad. While this doesn't happen on large textures (thankfully) it does happen enough to be distracting in some areas. And once you start noticing it, it gets worse.
Now, two more images:
You will notice they are essentially the same image but I just move slightly left and right. And you will notice that there is light streaming on to the floor in one and not in the other.
Which brings me to my next point because I think it's the cause of when you see even these oddities.
Lights get off-screen-culled out of the picture. Off-screen-culling (sometimes "occluded" instead of "culled") is a mathematical process by which the game figures out that since you can't see something (because it's off screen) the game doesn't waste time drawing it (off-screen of course). But the problem with including light is that basically if you are looking in their direction, you see their glow and their shadows, but if you turn around, POOF they are gone, along with their lighting and their shadows. And for the record, I was running the game on "maximum" for the lighting effects which is listed as (draw all lights, all the time).
Bad game engine, bad! No doughnut.
Finally, to come full circle - most of the environment in this game is lack-luster. Each stage has a spot where the lighting is cool (wait till you see lighting through frosted glass!!) but they could have added more diversity and really gone to play with it!
But given everything I'd say game engine is uber.
Speaking of diversity, this is perhaps one of the game's two largest flaws. Most of the game takes place in three buildings. And when it doesn't, you are actually in a run down back-alley. I was so sick of one of the buildings that I actually almost stopped playing. I was SO glad when I got to leave. Come on Sierra, mix it up a little! You spend about 50% of the game (possibly more) in the same office building.
And it's an office building. Been there, done that, got a paycheck to prove it. Don't need that much office in my games.
OK so letting that go, the AI is the second greatest reason I kept going. (Story line, believe it or not was the first.) The AI is complex and impressive. Here is how impressive: I was being shot at, so I was ducked behind a pillar. A second mob (Internet lingo for a hostile) was on the other side of crates from me and "lost me" (my respect for the game includes the fact that mobs are NOT omniscient) and then called over the comm to the other "I lost him!". At which point the other replies back "He's behind those crates!" and the response of "Roger!" and a subsequent running around the crates to find me.
Wow. I don't want to look at the code that can pull off that level of sophistication in an FPS. Just wow.
Mobs will use team tactics, including flushing you out with grenades, attempting to flank you, using suppressing fire to let team mates move from cover to cover, running around to shoot you in the back. It feels like you are playing against an intelligent being.
And the icing on the cake - the game IS NOT CHEAP ABOUT MOBS! Even in the end of the game, where most designers lose focus on core values, the mobs are not cheap, the most obvious of which would be spawning mobs behind you as you cross a threshold or flip a switch. I am pretty sure it happens not even once the whole game (excluding nightmares, which I think is only fair to do).
Even the times that a mob crashes through a wall (rarely), they do it in front of you and they give you warning signs.
Well done and bravo!
While I am on this topic, I do have to point out the other major flaw though. You will fight the same foe (generic soldiers) for 80% of the game.
Variety is the spice of life. I could really use some. Which is ultimately why I'm not dying to play the expansion. I am not ready for more of the same.
Let's see, what else...
Bullet holes are displacement maps. I am of mixed opinion on this. In the middle of a featureless wall, they look great. But if any overlap, they have a tendency to texture pop, if there is a texture background or they are near an edge, you can see that they move around as you move around (they aren't fixed in location) and if one ends up at an edge of a wall, you can clearly see they are a displacement map, not a physical removal of geometry and it stands out. Yes it would be hard to actually remove geometry, but if they at least knocked out edges of walls, perhaps not even the middles, it would help. It got so bad I just stopped looking, intentionally.
Another bad thing is inventory management, mainly with weapons. You can only carry three for starters. After playing, I can honestly say it should be at least four because of the value of the big guns, the need for a long range weapon, the need for a short range weapon and the fact they switch up what ammo is prevalent level by level. But worse, when you drop a weapon (because you have emptied it - more on why in a moment) - if that was the weapon in the middle of the list, YOU CAN NO LONGER SCROLL TO SWAP BETWEEN WEAPONS! - Luckily, dropping the third weapon too and then picking it back up puts it in slot 2 and fixes this, but eww.
When you find a new weapon - if you already have one equipped, you get half the ammo of if you didn't have it equipped. So for the weapons I like, I found myself unrealistically dropping my weapon each time I saw another so that I could grab it with 100% ammo (not 50%) and then picking up the one I dropped (which dropped weapons remember their ammo count when you drop them).
That's bad design.
Also, I wish that all guns started at a full clip, but as you killed your foes, any shots they fired were depleted from the weapon, that would make the immersion factor even more and the reward for quickly neutralizing foes even more rewarding. (Get more ammo.)
Regarding one of the characters in the game, the game pulls one of my classic "no no"s of plot design. Some day I'll make a list so I can link to it, but suffice to say that you get ripped off on a wholesome level with one of the antagonists.
Back to what's good. Slow motion not only looks super cool, it has well-placed story line value, it works really well with the sound and makes sniping more sensible.
Oh yeah, they have slow motion you can trigger pretty much whenever, it just has to recharge after. The slow motion I used throughout the game. And unlike another game I've played in the past, I don't find it to be annoying and cheap. In some places you just plain have to use it, especially if you are running on hard difficulty.
Did I mention it looks nice?
When you take damage, if it nearly kills you, but leaves you alive, your difficulty rating determines a minimum life level and you will slowly regen back to that level. This is a god send and even more fairness in my opinion. It makes receiving a clipping blow at near death an immediate risk without being a level-killer. I wish more FPS's did this.
The story line takes itself seriously. This is the number one reason I kept playing. It grips you right off, leaves questions that it answers in nibblets throughout, and plays up the "creepy" factor well. In fact, had it not been so gripping, I would have stopped due to the creepy factor cause I'm a wimp when it comes to creepy. I've avoided Silent Hill for that reason. But the way the story is told, in flashbacks, nightmare sequences, comm buzzes, phone messages - it gives the game a suspense/thriller aspect that when coupled with first person is GREAT!
The ending is also pretty cool. I'd say about 10% WTF, 10% rolling eyes sarcastically, and 80% awesome.
The story line has a few plot holes though. I'd rather not go in to it, because I don't like giving stuff away whenever I can avoid it, but there be plot holes, yo. Not major gaping ones, but there are.
Don't let that stop you though - the game really delivers. The story becomes more and more compelling as you play and that's a good thing. =)
There is no shortage of blood or language in this game. The intense amount of blood is appropriate for the environment. Here is one of the more tame versions in fact:
It gets much more gruesome than that. Much more. And it enhances the story and the environment.
This is a Mature 17+ game by the way. And they utilize it. (THANK YOU!)
I even like the fact that when you snipe an enemy team member, the other people in the squad run for cover and sometimes yell out "shit!" or "fuck!" or even as they throw grenades, the occasional "die mother fucker!"
Thanks for not being ashamed to treat me like an adult. I really appreciate it.
So what does all this add up to?
I highly recommend a play through.
And the following was completely unnecessary, but I'll forgive them.
(Note, as I reach the end of the article I just realized all the images I uploaded were BMPs. If you are on dial up I apologize for the excessive file sizes when you click in to images and will make sure not to repeat this blunder)
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Next up: FEAR
So, I saw FEAR Gold Edition on the shelf for 20$.
It's one of those games that never attracted me (bad marketing IMO) but that I would periodically hear people say "I should go play FEAR again."
The latest person to say that was a coworker of mine who's opinion on video games I hold in higher regard than most.
So I grabbed it.
And last night I fired it up.
And I should have done this game a lot sooner.
Once I finish it (by the end of the weekend, tops) I'll have a review.
But so far, I've been pleasantly surprised.
It's one of those games that never attracted me (bad marketing IMO) but that I would periodically hear people say "I should go play FEAR again."
The latest person to say that was a coworker of mine who's opinion on video games I hold in higher regard than most.
So I grabbed it.
And last night I fired it up.
And I should have done this game a lot sooner.
Once I finish it (by the end of the weekend, tops) I'll have a review.
But so far, I've been pleasantly surprised.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
StarCraft: I Love The Smell Of Napalm In The Morning
Aside from the fact that some of the quotes are obvious ripoffs of pop culture references (even if they DO work for the characters) StarCraft has to be one of the most immersive and enjoyable games ever.
As far as RTS's go, it's probably my #1 favorite.
So that's why, when I saw the StarCraft Battle Chest on the shelf for ten dollars I bought two!!
My reasoning of course: I want to be able to play it multiplayer if any of my gaming friends come over.
And then, one of my friends came over!
==WE HAD A BLAST!==
As far as RTS's go, this game has one of the best storylines ever and even as far as the whole game genre as a whole goes, it's still damned good! And it's fun and generally unobtrusive.
What's more, the three playable races, as you play each, you start feeling like you are a part of that race hell-be-damned to the other races. Down with them all! (But leave Jim Raynor alone!)
The game is pretty good at balancing too. I don't feel underhanded playing any of the races, they just all take a different play style to manage effectively. (Meaning if you aren't familiar, you'll get your ass handed to you.)
It's a pretty old game by gaming standards these days, and some of the major upgrades in RTS's and how they handle are certainly missed. Sometimes, the pathing is extremely dumb, and some stuff should be more intuitive. Also, I really like being able to assign one of me worker units to patrol and "auto repair".
There are times, the computer opponent feels like it is cheating because of how fast it responds to things. Attack something with a cloaked unit, it immediately uses an ability directly at their location to expose that unit.
You get an army mobilized - the computer attacks it, and your base, and your forward position - ALL AT THE SAME TIME!!
But then, the computer is genuinely stupid at times too. If I take out a missile turret, it will usually never rebuild it - leaving me with a perfect opening now to just go in and begin decimation.
Things like that.
But hey, what the computer might lack in good sportsmanship, the game makes up for in game play. It's fun.
And I'm glad I tried it again. I am having a ball.
En Taro Adun, reader!
Monday, June 11, 2007
NWN2 drivel
Over the weekend I had the extreme pleasure and pain of dusting off NeverWinter Nights 2.
For the most part, it is highly enjoyable but there are some aspects that significantly detract from what could make it an extremely fun game.
For the good parts:
First, the story line. It's detailed, well-thought and interesting. If anything, the story is the one reason I keep coming back.
Item crafting is cool too! I like making my own weapons. And by leveraging the leveling on my comrades I can usually get my magical armors, etc.
It's D&D! And it's the second-best implementation of the core rules I've seen. (ToEE was better, but that game has a slew of issues all it's own).
Ultimately these things keep drawing me back.
But, I get disgruntled easily and here is why:
Camera controls - you have to hold the middle mouse wheel down to pan the camera - and there is no option to change it to the right mouse. Even to simply swap the buttons.
Keyboard: While actually playing the game (but thankfully not in the login screen for multi-player and not in the character creation) - the game remaps my keyboard back to QWERTY - even though QWERTY is not even installed on my computer. It refuses to use my Dvorak key layout for the in-game shortcuts. As a result, I have to press "p" to rest, and "J" for my character screen, etc. It's bad. And it's frustrating.
And when I go to remap the keyboard, the remap screen swaps BACK to Dvorak, so then I go to press "R" where "R" is on my keyboard, but then it inserts "O". I gave up and am relearning the keys by position instead of letter - "Rest" is top row, fourth key.
And then, we arrive to the worst of it all.
In order to do anything significant while in town, you have to interact with the NPCs, but every time someone does (like to talk, or to open a buy window, or anything really) all the other players freeze while they get to watch what the first one chose. This causes so much dialog related down time it is insane and again, frustrating.
So, since I am playing with friends, I am going to finish doing so, but the game will be going back on my shelf when I am done.
And really, that's a shame. Because the story and possible interactivity cries out to keep going.
The frustration factor keeps it in check.
For the most part, it is highly enjoyable but there are some aspects that significantly detract from what could make it an extremely fun game.
For the good parts:
First, the story line. It's detailed, well-thought and interesting. If anything, the story is the one reason I keep coming back.
Item crafting is cool too! I like making my own weapons. And by leveraging the leveling on my comrades I can usually get my magical armors, etc.
It's D&D! And it's the second-best implementation of the core rules I've seen. (ToEE was better, but that game has a slew of issues all it's own).
Ultimately these things keep drawing me back.
But, I get disgruntled easily and here is why:
Camera controls - you have to hold the middle mouse wheel down to pan the camera - and there is no option to change it to the right mouse. Even to simply swap the buttons.
Keyboard: While actually playing the game (but thankfully not in the login screen for multi-player and not in the character creation) - the game remaps my keyboard back to QWERTY - even though QWERTY is not even installed on my computer. It refuses to use my Dvorak key layout for the in-game shortcuts. As a result, I have to press "p" to rest, and "J" for my character screen, etc. It's bad. And it's frustrating.
And when I go to remap the keyboard, the remap screen swaps BACK to Dvorak, so then I go to press "R" where "R" is on my keyboard, but then it inserts "O". I gave up and am relearning the keys by position instead of letter - "Rest" is top row, fourth key.
And then, we arrive to the worst of it all.
In order to do anything significant while in town, you have to interact with the NPCs, but every time someone does (like to talk, or to open a buy window, or anything really) all the other players freeze while they get to watch what the first one chose. This causes so much dialog related down time it is insane and again, frustrating.
So, since I am playing with friends, I am going to finish doing so, but the game will be going back on my shelf when I am done.
And really, that's a shame. Because the story and possible interactivity cries out to keep going.
The frustration factor keeps it in check.
Monday, June 4, 2007
3D Renders
Well, for my "table-top" D&D games, I use a "virtual" table top, called MapTool.
It allows me to create maps, position figures, roll dice, etc - with my players. VERY handy indeed.
And as my players are about to approach a cut-over I set for them, we are about to implement the full facing rules (from Unearthed Arcana).
Well, there's a horrid lack of top-down figures, even when googling for them.
Recently, however, I was turned on to a progam called "Poser" and then found out a free consumer level competitor was out there, "DAZ|Studio".
And wow. I had a BUNCH of fun making figures and renders in it this weekend. As a result, here are a few examples:
Even though I am using the free program, I have been so impressed I am seriously considering just using the "real" program. (It has more features)
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
First Post
Hello future readers!
I am starting this blog as a place for me to brain dump my opinions and random thoughts, etc.
Since my interests include being a father, playing video games and playing Dungeons and Dragons, and since I already have a blog dedicated to being a father, it made sense to me to separate out the other two to a blog of their own.
So, here it is.
Who knows how often I will post, or how much or little at a time, but Blogging is about having fun while sharing ideas, so committing to having to get posts out isn't my style.
That said, I am very opinionated and these subjects are huge, so I don't forsee any problems with content.
Oh and I guess I should mention it - I sometimes whip out those big words and strings of dizzying sentences - it's just who I am.
Till next post -
Keith
I am starting this blog as a place for me to brain dump my opinions and random thoughts, etc.
Since my interests include being a father, playing video games and playing Dungeons and Dragons, and since I already have a blog dedicated to being a father, it made sense to me to separate out the other two to a blog of their own.
So, here it is.
Who knows how often I will post, or how much or little at a time, but Blogging is about having fun while sharing ideas, so committing to having to get posts out isn't my style.
That said, I am very opinionated and these subjects are huge, so I don't forsee any problems with content.
Oh and I guess I should mention it - I sometimes whip out those big words and strings of dizzying sentences - it's just who I am.
Till next post -
Keith
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