We bought Claire a new pair of shoes this past weekend. Wifezilla noticed her feet spilling out of the old pair, so she was due. She used to have these cute little baby feet, but now they've erupted into monstrous Frankenfeet, requiring bi-monthly trips to Target.
Somehow, Claire has managed to lose this new pair of shoes. She was wearing them Sunday, out in the front, when the girls were carving a pumpkin on the driveway. And now, poof, gone. She's three, so getting information out of her, like "Where are your shoes" has proved fruitless (Her response is a staccato "I don't know" which always makes me burst out laughing).
I wonder if she could be shod? I could drive her out to a nearby ranch and see if they would slap some horseshoe iron on her. I'd like to see her lose those.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
You Have Failed Me For the Last Time, Sony Online Entertainment.
Cue the force choke.
Last week, there were rumblings that Bioware was working on KoTOR III, a MMO version of their signature spin of the Star Wars universe. Behold the official unofficial announcement by LucasArts and Bioware of an undisclosed joint venture. Could this be a mere sequel in the KoTOR line? Unlikely. If it were, the companies would likely simply reveal the new product. The rumor mill spins that SOE's contract isn't up yet and until it is, LucasArts has to keep any gleeful plans it has with Bioware under wraps.
So surely this is the dawn of a new Star Wars MMO. And I find myself squealing like a 14 year-old girl at a Justin Timberlake concert. No, no. I'm squealing like a stuck pig at Easter dinner. It sounds like this: "Eeeeeeeiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeee," only without any snorting.
Suweeet cherry pie!
Last week, there were rumblings that Bioware was working on KoTOR III, a MMO version of their signature spin of the Star Wars universe. Behold the official unofficial announcement by LucasArts and Bioware of an undisclosed joint venture. Could this be a mere sequel in the KoTOR line? Unlikely. If it were, the companies would likely simply reveal the new product. The rumor mill spins that SOE's contract isn't up yet and until it is, LucasArts has to keep any gleeful plans it has with Bioware under wraps.
So surely this is the dawn of a new Star Wars MMO. And I find myself squealing like a 14 year-old girl at a Justin Timberlake concert. No, no. I'm squealing like a stuck pig at Easter dinner. It sounds like this: "Eeeeeeeiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeee," only without any snorting.
Suweeet cherry pie!
28 Weeks Later
***Spoiler Alert. Don't Read If You Haven't Seen the Movie***
I'm a big fan of the first movie, so I had the typical reservations about its sequel, 28 Weeks Later. But it turned out to be a great movie, even better than the first. The writing and acting were top notch, even if the production values were a bit on the scant side. I especially appreciated the moral ambiguity regarding the husband abandoning his wife. Watching the husband run as the infected drag his wife down was as heart-wrenching as it was understandable. The scene where the two are separated in the room is especially poignant; you can see the husband calculate whether he can stay and save his wife, but then ultimately abandon that hope as he flees to save himself.
My only real complaint with the movie has to do with the origin of the second outbreak. It turns out that the abandoned wife possessed some genetic anomaly that rendered her immune to the virus, even though she actively carried it through her bloodstream. Completely believable, to be sure. My problem is that once the army doctor diagnosed her as immune, but a carrier, would the military really leave her unguarded? It seems unlikely. It was a horrible scene to watch the husband sneak in to see his wife, kiss her, and then become infected. The whole time I was wondering, he didn't encounter a single guard to prevent him from entering the room?
But I quibble. 28 Weeks Later proved a worthy sequel to the original. It left an ending open to a third movie, the expansion of the virus to mainland Europe. The third movie could perhaps involve an outright war between the U.S. Army and millions of infected Europeans. I'm envisioning the use of tactical nuclear weapons to wipe out entire infested cities, creating a new world not unlike that of the Fallout series, or even Hellgate: London. It'd be great to see a third movie get a bigger budget to play with, but I don't think either movie has done particularly well at the box office.
I'm a big fan of the first movie, so I had the typical reservations about its sequel, 28 Weeks Later. But it turned out to be a great movie, even better than the first. The writing and acting were top notch, even if the production values were a bit on the scant side. I especially appreciated the moral ambiguity regarding the husband abandoning his wife. Watching the husband run as the infected drag his wife down was as heart-wrenching as it was understandable. The scene where the two are separated in the room is especially poignant; you can see the husband calculate whether he can stay and save his wife, but then ultimately abandon that hope as he flees to save himself.
My only real complaint with the movie has to do with the origin of the second outbreak. It turns out that the abandoned wife possessed some genetic anomaly that rendered her immune to the virus, even though she actively carried it through her bloodstream. Completely believable, to be sure. My problem is that once the army doctor diagnosed her as immune, but a carrier, would the military really leave her unguarded? It seems unlikely. It was a horrible scene to watch the husband sneak in to see his wife, kiss her, and then become infected. The whole time I was wondering, he didn't encounter a single guard to prevent him from entering the room?
But I quibble. 28 Weeks Later proved a worthy sequel to the original. It left an ending open to a third movie, the expansion of the virus to mainland Europe. The third movie could perhaps involve an outright war between the U.S. Army and millions of infected Europeans. I'm envisioning the use of tactical nuclear weapons to wipe out entire infested cities, creating a new world not unlike that of the Fallout series, or even Hellgate: London. It'd be great to see a third movie get a bigger budget to play with, but I don't think either movie has done particularly well at the box office.
DX10
I don't have a cutting edge system but any stretch of the imagination. I run an AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 4200 with 2 gigs of RAM and a Nvidia GeForce 8600 GTS on Windows Vista Home Premium 64 bit version. My last two card have been ATIs, but I couldn't find a cost-effective card produced by them that included DX10 compatibility; the 8600 was an affordable way to get into the DX10 door.
I've played a couple of games that have made use of DX10, Book 11 of LoTRO and Hellgate: London. Both instances have been underwhelming experiences, with a tantalizing hint of the greatness that is to come for computer graphics. Hellgate: London I played in beta. The DX10 version of the game made my hard drive churn like my first car, a '76 Honda civic, which translated into about 10 fps, a great slide-show presentation, but not so good for an action rpg. Playing around with some of the video options helped considerably. Turning off the DX10 shadows and sliding down the drawing of distant objects brought the frame-rate up to a playable 20 fps, but still not ideal. Switching back to DX9, I got a smooth and consistent 60 fps, but a noticeable reduction in eye-candy. I will say that after seeing the rendered DX10 textures, it was extremely painful to go back to playing in DX9 mode.
Now, what's interesting is that the Hellgate boards were full of people with 8800s reporting the same frame-rate I had with my 8600. That's encouraging news because it could mean that current drivers are not even close to their full optimized DX10 potential. On the other hand, there were plenty of people of the opinion that the current 8 series are all underpowered for DX10 and only future cards will be able to run it properly.
I'm not so sure I agree with that. I'm sure future cards will blow the socks off DX10 applications. But the current 8 family series can likely run them well if they're using better drivers. Take Book 11 of LoTRO, released last week and included a beta version of DX10. I tried it out and just like HG:L, experienced crippling frame-rates, hovering around 10 fps. But unlike HG:L, throttling back the options to the lowest level granted absolutely no corresponding increase in frame-rate. The frame-rate remained at 10 fps from the highest level settings to the very lowest. This would indicate that today's drivers are not even close to being optimized for DX10. While I didn't see a dramatic difference in textures in LoTRO, I did note more complex shadow renderings; the visual difference wasn't as great as it was for HG:L.
I guess it's also worth noting that both of these games are running a beta version of DX10 and that there's some optimization that can occur in their very own game code that could dramatically improve DX10 performance. Developers of both hardware and software have had to scramble to get DX10 implemented because Microsoft only just released the tool-set this past spring. But given a bit more time, I see these developers catching up with the curve and giving us some really spectacular images to go along with our gaming experience.
I've played a couple of games that have made use of DX10, Book 11 of LoTRO and Hellgate: London. Both instances have been underwhelming experiences, with a tantalizing hint of the greatness that is to come for computer graphics. Hellgate: London I played in beta. The DX10 version of the game made my hard drive churn like my first car, a '76 Honda civic, which translated into about 10 fps, a great slide-show presentation, but not so good for an action rpg. Playing around with some of the video options helped considerably. Turning off the DX10 shadows and sliding down the drawing of distant objects brought the frame-rate up to a playable 20 fps, but still not ideal. Switching back to DX9, I got a smooth and consistent 60 fps, but a noticeable reduction in eye-candy. I will say that after seeing the rendered DX10 textures, it was extremely painful to go back to playing in DX9 mode.
Now, what's interesting is that the Hellgate boards were full of people with 8800s reporting the same frame-rate I had with my 8600. That's encouraging news because it could mean that current drivers are not even close to their full optimized DX10 potential. On the other hand, there were plenty of people of the opinion that the current 8 series are all underpowered for DX10 and only future cards will be able to run it properly.
I'm not so sure I agree with that. I'm sure future cards will blow the socks off DX10 applications. But the current 8 family series can likely run them well if they're using better drivers. Take Book 11 of LoTRO, released last week and included a beta version of DX10. I tried it out and just like HG:L, experienced crippling frame-rates, hovering around 10 fps. But unlike HG:L, throttling back the options to the lowest level granted absolutely no corresponding increase in frame-rate. The frame-rate remained at 10 fps from the highest level settings to the very lowest. This would indicate that today's drivers are not even close to being optimized for DX10. While I didn't see a dramatic difference in textures in LoTRO, I did note more complex shadow renderings; the visual difference wasn't as great as it was for HG:L.
I guess it's also worth noting that both of these games are running a beta version of DX10 and that there's some optimization that can occur in their very own game code that could dramatically improve DX10 performance. Developers of both hardware and software have had to scramble to get DX10 implemented because Microsoft only just released the tool-set this past spring. But given a bit more time, I see these developers catching up with the curve and giving us some really spectacular images to go along with our gaming experience.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Suweet Cherry Pie!
I like to poke my family members. Metaphorically speaking, not literally. Though I am known to chase my kids around the house with a spent wrapping paper roll. But technically, I'm not poking them. That's more whacking or striking.
Lately, my stick of choice has been truly inspired. I've been singing the chorus line from the song "Cherry Pie" by Warrant.
Over. And over. And over. And over. Again. I sing it so often, my cute little three old daughter Claire claps her hands to her ears and wails for me to stop. Hallie also tried covering her ears, but she gave up on that long ago and now simply runs away as far as she can. Wifezilla, so patient, ignores me and goes about her business as if nothing odd is emanating from my vocal chords. Nerves of steel, that woman.
I have no idea why I'm singing this. I don't even like Warrant (though I do remember appreciating the music video for this song). I guess I'm remembering it from my college days and feel inspired to belt out the signature tag line from the song, "Suweet Cherry Piiiieeeee!" The thing is, I'm annoying even myself. And yet, I continue to "sing."
I imagine this too shall pass and I'll move on to something different, but equally annoying. My concern is that I listened to a lot of hair bands in the 80s and 90s, which means there's a whole mess of bad lyrics and melodies swirling around in my coconut of a head. I even went to a Ratt concert!
"Out on the street, that's where we'll meet.
You make the night, I always cross the line."
Woot! A new chorus line to torture my family with.
Lately, my stick of choice has been truly inspired. I've been singing the chorus line from the song "Cherry Pie" by Warrant.
Over. And over. And over. And over. Again. I sing it so often, my cute little three old daughter Claire claps her hands to her ears and wails for me to stop. Hallie also tried covering her ears, but she gave up on that long ago and now simply runs away as far as she can. Wifezilla, so patient, ignores me and goes about her business as if nothing odd is emanating from my vocal chords. Nerves of steel, that woman.
I have no idea why I'm singing this. I don't even like Warrant (though I do remember appreciating the music video for this song). I guess I'm remembering it from my college days and feel inspired to belt out the signature tag line from the song, "Suweet Cherry Piiiieeeee!" The thing is, I'm annoying even myself. And yet, I continue to "sing."
I imagine this too shall pass and I'll move on to something different, but equally annoying. My concern is that I listened to a lot of hair bands in the 80s and 90s, which means there's a whole mess of bad lyrics and melodies swirling around in my coconut of a head. I even went to a Ratt concert!
"Out on the street, that's where we'll meet.
You make the night, I always cross the line."
Woot! A new chorus line to torture my family with.
Friday, October 26, 2007
Dagons and Dagons
When my daughter was but a wee little thing, she would say "dagons and dagons" instead of "dungeons and dragons." So cute. I have no idea where she even picked up the phrase since I've never played the game in my life.
But I know plenty of dorks who do. I'm familiar with the two basic kinds of D&D dork: the relatively harmless, pasty-faced, Mountain Dew-swilling variety and the more volatile and dangerous min/maxers. The latter would just as soon kill you as play a gimped character. Both varieties look like the zombies in 28 Days Later, only catastrophically slower. When they shamble down vacant streets, you'll hear them groan "Cheeetoooees" rather than the industry standard "brains." The most pathetic of the lot moan for Funyons.
Lately, I've heard rumblings that D&D 4.0 is in the works and that the developers are implementing changes that mirror today's most popular MMOs. I can imagine both varieties of dork balking at the very notion of these proposed changes. How long before these nerd masses take to the streets in vehement protest?
I think these changes are good. D&D suffers from game-ending class balances issues, especially at higher levels. The swirling rumors report that the developers are redesigning the classes to more closely resemble the class roles in MMOs: tank, healer, dps, cc, etc. I wouldn't be surprised if they're also developing some sort of threat system so that your tank must fight for aggro control against healing and dps compatriots. The possibilities are intriguing and I hope the rumors pan out into a complete overhaul of the game.
While they're fixing class roles and balance, they need to also fix death in Dagons & Dagons. To reiterate, I've never played D&D. But if I had, I might have tried to convince my fellow pasty-faced specimans to change the death penalty in our campaign. And the dorks may have politely listened to me while stuffing Cheetoes into their maws. But they probably voted me down.
Dying in D&D is a huge ordeal, a real kick in the junk. Resurrection is a high level cleric spell that costs thousands and thousands of gold pieces according to the game's bible. If you're a first level (or even sixth, for that matter) character and you die, you're done. You can't afford to be resurrected and no one in your party is high enough to cast it for free. You either reroll and rewrite a new character on the spot or you watch everyone else play. Since most dungeon mistresses won't stop the entire game just to get your new character integrated, you will almost always sit on the bench and spectate. It's a stupid game design and so easily amended.
So, as long as they're copying MMOs, they may as well adopt WoW's philosophy on death: a minute or two of inconvenience, a mild hit on your pocket book, both the equivalent of a swat on the fanny. In WoW, you're back to playing within minutes of dying. D&D should do the same: resurrection in the nearest temple (which could be miles and miles away) and a monetary fine of some kind, say 20% of your most valuable item. And if you can't pay, then you owe it, but you still come back. It's all about playing after all, isn't it?
To summarize, the pen-and-paper classic may be getting a revamp of MMO features and I've never played Dagons and Dagons. If you want, think of me as the OJ Simpson of pen-and-paper role-playing games: I deny playing the game, but write and talk like I've played it since I was nine.
Screenshots or it didn't happen.
But I know plenty of dorks who do. I'm familiar with the two basic kinds of D&D dork: the relatively harmless, pasty-faced, Mountain Dew-swilling variety and the more volatile and dangerous min/maxers. The latter would just as soon kill you as play a gimped character. Both varieties look like the zombies in 28 Days Later, only catastrophically slower. When they shamble down vacant streets, you'll hear them groan "Cheeetoooees" rather than the industry standard "brains." The most pathetic of the lot moan for Funyons.
Lately, I've heard rumblings that D&D 4.0 is in the works and that the developers are implementing changes that mirror today's most popular MMOs. I can imagine both varieties of dork balking at the very notion of these proposed changes. How long before these nerd masses take to the streets in vehement protest?
I think these changes are good. D&D suffers from game-ending class balances issues, especially at higher levels. The swirling rumors report that the developers are redesigning the classes to more closely resemble the class roles in MMOs: tank, healer, dps, cc, etc. I wouldn't be surprised if they're also developing some sort of threat system so that your tank must fight for aggro control against healing and dps compatriots. The possibilities are intriguing and I hope the rumors pan out into a complete overhaul of the game.
While they're fixing class roles and balance, they need to also fix death in Dagons & Dagons. To reiterate, I've never played D&D. But if I had, I might have tried to convince my fellow pasty-faced specimans to change the death penalty in our campaign. And the dorks may have politely listened to me while stuffing Cheetoes into their maws. But they probably voted me down.
Dying in D&D is a huge ordeal, a real kick in the junk. Resurrection is a high level cleric spell that costs thousands and thousands of gold pieces according to the game's bible. If you're a first level (or even sixth, for that matter) character and you die, you're done. You can't afford to be resurrected and no one in your party is high enough to cast it for free. You either reroll and rewrite a new character on the spot or you watch everyone else play. Since most dungeon mistresses won't stop the entire game just to get your new character integrated, you will almost always sit on the bench and spectate. It's a stupid game design and so easily amended.
So, as long as they're copying MMOs, they may as well adopt WoW's philosophy on death: a minute or two of inconvenience, a mild hit on your pocket book, both the equivalent of a swat on the fanny. In WoW, you're back to playing within minutes of dying. D&D should do the same: resurrection in the nearest temple (which could be miles and miles away) and a monetary fine of some kind, say 20% of your most valuable item. And if you can't pay, then you owe it, but you still come back. It's all about playing after all, isn't it?
To summarize, the pen-and-paper classic may be getting a revamp of MMO features and I've never played Dagons and Dagons. If you want, think of me as the OJ Simpson of pen-and-paper role-playing games: I deny playing the game, but write and talk like I've played it since I was nine.
Screenshots or it didn't happen.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Shackin' Up
Well, I beat the land rush and scored a sweet pad. It's your standard house, no frills. But it's got a nice location. Turns out Turbine creates instanced housing, organized by named neighborhoods. So, the same instance will be replicated as housing sells out in each neighborhood. My house is in Ramsward. It cost a gold to purchase, 50 silver a week to maintain.
The second shot is from my doorstep. Ah, so peaceful. Hits the spot after a long day of killing orcs and kicking hobbits.
The last shot is from the inside. It's a shack, so it only has two rooms. I've already applied a green painted wall and stone flooring. The blue shimmering represents areas I can still furnish. Some are furniture slots, others are for rugs, and still others are for paintings. I like this because it takes away from the clutter issue I wrote about earlier. You can't just buy a table and plop it wherever you want.
All basic furniture can be purchased by a vendor in the instanced neighborhood, for very reasonable prices. I know player crafters can make the good stuff, which should fuel some good industry on the auction house. I've already unlocked the chest storage unit, and I know there's a hearth option too, I just haven't found it yet.
All in all, a big thumbs up from me on housing in LoTRO. You done good, Turbine.
Cereal Wasteland
I'm going to admit upfront that I am the kind of caddish husband who crabs about chores that I don't have to do. Case in point, grocery shopping.
In all fairness to me, I used to do the family grocery shopping. Yup, I'd cram the two snotbags in the cart and proceed to collect food, mostly not at random. I must have done a bad job of it because Wifezilla politely took over the chore. Maybe it was all those unlisted Ding Dongs I threw in. I wasn't trying to do a lousy job so that I wouldn't have to grocery shop anymore; I just like Ding Dongs.
Now, Wifezilla has successfully cut off my Ding Dong supply line. But at the same time, she's mangling my cereal selection. Right now, my only choices are Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Cocoa Pebbles, or some Frosted Mini-Wheats that seem to be topped with some mysterious pink coating that is supposed to taste like strawberry.
Though she claims otherwise, I've informed her of the cereal staples: you've got your Captain Crunch, your Honeycombs, your Pops. In a pinch, I'll even stoop to eat Honey Nut Cheerios. You can't stray from the staples!
But stray she has, and now I'm daily projectile vomiting the contents of my breakfast across the room in spectacular fashion.
In all fairness to me, I used to do the family grocery shopping. Yup, I'd cram the two snotbags in the cart and proceed to collect food, mostly not at random. I must have done a bad job of it because Wifezilla politely took over the chore. Maybe it was all those unlisted Ding Dongs I threw in. I wasn't trying to do a lousy job so that I wouldn't have to grocery shop anymore; I just like Ding Dongs.
Now, Wifezilla has successfully cut off my Ding Dong supply line. But at the same time, she's mangling my cereal selection. Right now, my only choices are Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Cocoa Pebbles, or some Frosted Mini-Wheats that seem to be topped with some mysterious pink coating that is supposed to taste like strawberry.
Though she claims otherwise, I've informed her of the cereal staples: you've got your Captain Crunch, your Honeycombs, your Pops. In a pinch, I'll even stoop to eat Honey Nut Cheerios. You can't stray from the staples!
But stray she has, and now I'm daily projectile vomiting the contents of my breakfast across the room in spectacular fashion.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
New Look for LoTRO Site
The programming hobbits at Turbine have been busy. Book 11 comes out tomorrow. Despite that, the LoTRO site has a spanking new look (long-time coming, I might add). They've updated their Lorebook too (think WoW's Armory), so I'm looking forward to poking around there as well.
Hand Me The Smelling Salts Please
Because I think I just fainted. Gamespot is reporting that Bioware's long-rumored-but-never-revealed MMO may be . . . KoTOR 3!
Oh please, please, please let this be true.
Knights of the Old Republic is one of my all-time favorite games. It's definitely my most favorite Star Wars title ever. And I think there's solid traction for this rumor. I've heard rumblings that LucasArts is most displeased with Star Wars: Galaxies. And if that title's subscriber count has really sunk to the cellar depths of 20,000 peeps, it can't be long for this world.
I'm going to keep my fingers crossed from here on out until Bioware's MMO is officially announced. Starting now.
Seriously, fingers crossed 24/7 until an announcement.
How am I typing this blog if my fingers are crossed? Easy. I'm smashing my face against the keyboard. I have to do a lot of backspacing corrections, but it gets the job done.
Oh please, please, please let this be true.
Knights of the Old Republic is one of my all-time favorite games. It's definitely my most favorite Star Wars title ever. And I think there's solid traction for this rumor. I've heard rumblings that LucasArts is most displeased with Star Wars: Galaxies. And if that title's subscriber count has really sunk to the cellar depths of 20,000 peeps, it can't be long for this world.
I'm going to keep my fingers crossed from here on out until Bioware's MMO is officially announced. Starting now.
Seriously, fingers crossed 24/7 until an announcement.
How am I typing this blog if my fingers are crossed? Easy. I'm smashing my face against the keyboard. I have to do a lot of backspacing corrections, but it gets the job done.
Hallie Baggins
It's just now dawned on me that Hallie is a hobbit. She eats two breakfasts, first breakfast at home and second breakfast at school. Her lunch is an hour before noon, so she also partakes of elevensies. She enjoys gardening and the outdoors, and is actually kind to small woodland critters.
She doesn't really look like a hobbit though. She's about the right height, but skinny and pretty. And no hairy feet. I think I can fix that though. A wig cut in two pieces and some crazy glue ought to do the trick. Now I just need to get Wifezilla to hold her down while I peform some makeshift surgery.
I'm not sure how many kicks in the face I'm ready to endure to get the job done.
She doesn't really look like a hobbit though. She's about the right height, but skinny and pretty. And no hairy feet. I think I can fix that though. A wig cut in two pieces and some crazy glue ought to do the trick. Now I just need to get Wifezilla to hold her down while I peform some makeshift surgery.
I'm not sure how many kicks in the face I'm ready to endure to get the job done.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Bad Movies In Disguise
I usually do a pretty good job of vetting movies, so it's not often I stop in the middle of watching one. But I just couldn't finish watching Transformers.
The movie started out strong. The opening scene of the military helicopter transforming and then rampaging an army base in Qatar was very cool. But the movie was only downhill from there. My eyes were glazing over by the time the Transformers were at LaBefouf's house trying to stay "hidden" while searching for some glasses. I don't know how, but the makers of the film managed to drag that scene out for what seemed like an eternity. I finally hit "stop" on the remote when a Transformer popped a nut out of his crotch and "peed" on a Sector 7 government agent. I think I might be about thirty years too old for this movie.
Surprisingly, Netflix is full of glowing user reviews of this steaming pile. Their praise reminds me of the same denial Star Wars fans went through at the release of Episode I.
The movie started out strong. The opening scene of the military helicopter transforming and then rampaging an army base in Qatar was very cool. But the movie was only downhill from there. My eyes were glazing over by the time the Transformers were at LaBefouf's house trying to stay "hidden" while searching for some glasses. I don't know how, but the makers of the film managed to drag that scene out for what seemed like an eternity. I finally hit "stop" on the remote when a Transformer popped a nut out of his crotch and "peed" on a Sector 7 government agent. I think I might be about thirty years too old for this movie.
Surprisingly, Netflix is full of glowing user reviews of this steaming pile. Their praise reminds me of the same denial Star Wars fans went through at the release of Episode I.
Friday, October 19, 2007
October Guild Names of the Month
Each month, I'm going to select two guild names of note, and dub them "Guild Names of the Month." One will shine like a beacon of hope, the other will live in infamy. I'd like to make this a monthly installment if I can and based on the quality of guild names I see everyday, I shouldn't want for material.
October Guild Names of the Month
Pit of Infamy:
--Sorry I Punched Your Cat--
This is a WoW guild on Silvermoon. Horde even. I appreciate the name's sentiment. I really do. For some, there's nothing better than punting a cat across the room. My objection to the name has nothing to do with violence against felines. It's the fact that they hedged. They punched the cat, but then apologized for it. They need to man up and own that punch. --NOT Sorry I Punched Your Cat-- or --I Enjoyed Punching Your Cat-- might have earned them aBeacon of Reasoned Judgement. As is, they're animal abusers AND gutless.
Beacon of Reasoned Judgement:
--Manifest Destiny--
Another Horde WoW guild on Silvermoon. I like this guild name because it covers all the bases. Whether the guild is casual leveling, PvP, or hard-core raiding, the nameevokes images of rapid expansion at the expense of the technologically handicapped, a philosophical juggernaut especially effective over the open prairie. Too bad WoW doesn't have bison in it because these guys would pwn.
October Guild Names of the Month
Pit of Infamy:
--Sorry I Punched Your Cat--
This is a WoW guild on Silvermoon. Horde even. I appreciate the name's sentiment. I really do. For some, there's nothing better than punting a cat across the room. My objection to the name has nothing to do with violence against felines. It's the fact that they hedged. They punched the cat, but then apologized for it. They need to man up and own that punch. --NOT Sorry I Punched Your Cat-- or --I Enjoyed Punching Your Cat-- might have earned them a
Beacon of Reasoned Judgement:
--Manifest Destiny--
Another Horde WoW guild on Silvermoon. I like this guild name because it covers all the bases. Whether the guild is casual leveling, PvP, or hard-core raiding, the name
Thursday, October 18, 2007
HG:L Single-Player Demo
Here's the link for Hellgate:London single-player demo. I'm getting a nice steady 144 kb/sec, so looks like a good server.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Hellgate: London Goes Gold
Gamespot reports that Hellgate: London just went gold and is lock solid for a Halloween release date. They go on to mention that a single-player demo could be released as early as tomorrow.
I've been beta-testing this game the past two weeks and will be first in line to buy it October 31st.
I've been beta-testing this game the past two weeks and will be first in line to buy it October 31st.
Everquest II: Rise of Kunark
Everquest II is fast approaching another expansion release, this one entitled Rise of Kunark. Their last expansion, also released last November, was absolutely outstanding. If it weren't for WoW and LoTRO, I'm sure I'd still be playing it.
While no MMO comes close to WoW in terms of intense raid content, I do think Everquest II offers more overall content than any other MMO on the market. It's nearly the perfect game for the casual gamer.
While no MMO comes close to WoW in terms of intense raid content, I do think Everquest II offers more overall content than any other MMO on the market. It's nearly the perfect game for the casual gamer.
The Wife
I just saw a bumper sticker that rocked me to my core. It states in green letters on a yellow background "The Few, the Proud, THE WIFE."
I've got my wife doing most of the work around the house. The last thing I need is her uniting with her "sisters" under the banner of this clarion call, getting some crazy notion that I can do more vacuuming or change more diapers or take out more garbage.
I wonder if the car is still outside? I could sneak out there and scrape it off. Use my shifty stealth moves. I've got to move fast, my domestic workload could be at stake.
I've got my wife doing most of the work around the house. The last thing I need is her uniting with her "sisters" under the banner of this clarion call, getting some crazy notion that I can do more vacuuming or change more diapers or take out more garbage.
I wonder if the car is still outside? I could sneak out there and scrape it off. Use my shifty stealth moves. I've got to move fast, my domestic workload could be at stake.
WWTD?
Anyone catch that disgusting display by Ellen DeGeneres on her own show yesterday? I did. It was the fourth freaking lead story on the NBC Nightly News last night, so I had no choice.
My problem isn't with Ellen, but NBC News. If Ellen wants to go on TV and make an ass of herself, I say she should knock herself out. But there was absolutely NOTHING nationally news worthy in her rant and shame on NBC for even mentioning the story, let alone giving it full-blown coverage. Nothing like chucking your journalistic integrity out the window for some high profile ratings.
Brian Williams needs to start wearing a bracelet inscribed with WWTD?: What Would Tom Do?
My problem isn't with Ellen, but NBC News. If Ellen wants to go on TV and make an ass of herself, I say she should knock herself out. But there was absolutely NOTHING nationally news worthy in her rant and shame on NBC for even mentioning the story, let alone giving it full-blown coverage. Nothing like chucking your journalistic integrity out the window for some high profile ratings.
Brian Williams needs to start wearing a bracelet inscribed with WWTD?: What Would Tom Do?
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Peter, Peter, Pumkin Eater
LoTRO inspired me to go back and reread the Lord of the Rings. I first read the books when I was a precocious 10 year old. Ok, so I wasn't precocious, but mean as hell. What can I say? It was fun kicking the other kids in the shins with my cowboy boots.
I might have read the trilogy again later in high school. I definitely remember reading it in college. I worked in the periodical section of the university library and instead of shelving books, I'd hide in the stacks and read about Frodo and Sam hugging each other ever so tenderly. I was so crazy back then.
So it's been a good fifteen years since I last read the books. Nope, I didn't go back to them when the movies came out. Curious, I know. To be honest, it never even occurred to me to reread them. I mean, I just watched the movies for Christ's sake! Isn't that what everyone wants, a movie version so they don't have to read the book?
So, imagine my surprise to discover that *gasp* old Pete buddy monkeyed around with J.R.R.'s books something powerful. Now, I knew certain elements had been left out, like that fascist hippie Tom Bombadil. But it went passed my radar screen that he cut out all of the Old Forest and the Barrow Downs. Or that Frodo didn't race to Rivendell on the back of Liv Tyler's horse, but instead rode Glorfindel's.
I'm not criticising the cuts and changes. There's no way you can do a 1:1 ratio of book to film and not have it last longer than a Charlie Sheen herpes inflammation. It's just been interesting to read the books and compare events.
And then bitch about the changes in the movie.
Yeah, now that I know what he changed, I'm scratching my head about some things. Like, why did my boy Pete have Aragorn bump into Frodo immediately proceeding the breaking of the Fellowship? In the book, Aragorn doesn't meet with Frodo, but instead has to infer (from tracks on the beach and a missing boat) that the two hobbits head out on their own. Much more satisfying. Cinematically, I'm not sure why Pete changed that. I guess it was more dramatic to have Aragorn cover Frodo's escape against the sudden incursion of orcs; that was a badass scene when he yells at Frodo to run, holds his sword flat to his face, and then turns to meet a rush or orcs. My guess is Pete thought it would take too much time to have Aragorn do some ranger detective work. He's probably right.
Pete also dramatized the death of Boromir. The exchange between Aragorn and Boromir in the movie was good. So good, I thought it was dialogue straight from the book. Nope. In the book, Boromir comes clean about trying to take the Ring from Frodo, and though he urges Aragorn to travel to Minas Tirith and save it, he makes no mention of viewing Aragorn as his king. I actually prefer the scene in the movie over that of the book, even if Pete took some creative license with it.
I'm done with Fellowship of the Ring and am just starting The Two Towers. I'll post more thoughts as I continue my visit with an old friend.
I might have read the trilogy again later in high school. I definitely remember reading it in college. I worked in the periodical section of the university library and instead of shelving books, I'd hide in the stacks and read about Frodo and Sam hugging each other ever so tenderly. I was so crazy back then.
So it's been a good fifteen years since I last read the books. Nope, I didn't go back to them when the movies came out. Curious, I know. To be honest, it never even occurred to me to reread them. I mean, I just watched the movies for Christ's sake! Isn't that what everyone wants, a movie version so they don't have to read the book?
So, imagine my surprise to discover that *gasp* old Pete buddy monkeyed around with J.R.R.'s books something powerful. Now, I knew certain elements had been left out, like that fascist hippie Tom Bombadil. But it went passed my radar screen that he cut out all of the Old Forest and the Barrow Downs. Or that Frodo didn't race to Rivendell on the back of Liv Tyler's horse, but instead rode Glorfindel's.
I'm not criticising the cuts and changes. There's no way you can do a 1:1 ratio of book to film and not have it last longer than a Charlie Sheen herpes inflammation. It's just been interesting to read the books and compare events.
And then bitch about the changes in the movie.
Yeah, now that I know what he changed, I'm scratching my head about some things. Like, why did my boy Pete have Aragorn bump into Frodo immediately proceeding the breaking of the Fellowship? In the book, Aragorn doesn't meet with Frodo, but instead has to infer (from tracks on the beach and a missing boat) that the two hobbits head out on their own. Much more satisfying. Cinematically, I'm not sure why Pete changed that. I guess it was more dramatic to have Aragorn cover Frodo's escape against the sudden incursion of orcs; that was a badass scene when he yells at Frodo to run, holds his sword flat to his face, and then turns to meet a rush or orcs. My guess is Pete thought it would take too much time to have Aragorn do some ranger detective work. He's probably right.
Pete also dramatized the death of Boromir. The exchange between Aragorn and Boromir in the movie was good. So good, I thought it was dialogue straight from the book. Nope. In the book, Boromir comes clean about trying to take the Ring from Frodo, and though he urges Aragorn to travel to Minas Tirith and save it, he makes no mention of viewing Aragorn as his king. I actually prefer the scene in the movie over that of the book, even if Pete took some creative license with it.
I'm done with Fellowship of the Ring and am just starting The Two Towers. I'll post more thoughts as I continue my visit with an old friend.
IT FTL
The IT department in my school district just got done blocking access to my blog. And to my Google email. They already searched high and low for every gaming related site on the planet and rendered them inaccessible. Actually, I think they started by blocking access to everything and then added access to the one or two websites they deem educationally valuable.
It's their network so they can block anything they want to. And I understand the motivation: get their employees off discretionary web-browsing and focused on their job, not to mention protecting students from objectionable content. At times though, it seems heavy-handed to me, especially when you want to take your lunch break to browse some gaming sites, check your personal mail real fast, or update a blog posting. We are, after all, in the midst of the Information Age and being cut-off from the rest of the world for eight hour blocks can seem an eternity.
EDIT: Strange, I have occasional access to Gmail and my blog. Must be a glitch in their filter software.
It's their network so they can block anything they want to. And I understand the motivation: get their employees off discretionary web-browsing and focused on their job, not to mention protecting students from objectionable content. At times though, it seems heavy-handed to me, especially when you want to take your lunch break to browse some gaming sites, check your personal mail real fast, or update a blog posting. We are, after all, in the midst of the Information Age and being cut-off from the rest of the world for eight hour blocks can seem an eternity.
EDIT: Strange, I have occasional access to Gmail and my blog. Must be a glitch in their filter software.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Knocked Up
Wifezilla and I watched Knocked Up the other night. Great movie. One of my favorite parts is when the gang finds out about Mr. Skin. Hilarious stuff.
I'm a big fan of the movie's title too. My Ma absolutely hates it. I thinks it's a generational thing. I remember when I told Ma that Melanie was pregnant with Hallie. I said, "Hey Ma, guess what? I knocked Melanie up good." She actually got mad at me, which made it even funnier of course.
I still say it front of Ma, but only over the phone or from range. Never within melee distance.
I'm a big fan of the movie's title too. My Ma absolutely hates it. I thinks it's a generational thing. I remember when I told Ma that Melanie was pregnant with Hallie. I said, "Hey Ma, guess what? I knocked Melanie up good." She actually got mad at me, which made it even funnier of course.
I still say it front of Ma, but only over the phone or from range. Never within melee distance.
Layla Kayleigh, My Favorite Journalist
Don't be silly, of course Layla Kayleigh is a serious journalist! She reports news, doesn't she? No offense to Joel Gourdin, but why isn't Layla Kayleigh doing the Gaming Update for X-Play anymore? I think they've got her doing stuff on Attack of the Show, but I don't have time to watch that.
So bring her back to X-Play G4!
Now!
So bring her back to X-Play G4!
Now!
M'kay, Maybe the Sky Isn't Falling
Gamespot has an inteview with the founders of Bioware, Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeshcuk. It seems that Bioware is going to remain a separate entity, creating games like it's always done.
I still don't like this deal, mostly because I don't like EA. But the two docs turned game developers view the acquisition as allowing them greater exposure with more resources at their disposal. We'll have to see if Bioware retains its identity in the coming years. Hopefully EA acquired them to change their reputation as soulless corporate bureaucrats.
I still don't like this deal, mostly because I don't like EA. But the two docs turned game developers view the acquisition as allowing them greater exposure with more resources at their disposal. We'll have to see if Bioware retains its identity in the coming years. Hopefully EA acquired them to change their reputation as soulless corporate bureaucrats.
Friday, October 12, 2007
Home, Home Again. I Like to Be There When I Can
My wife and I have two daughters, 6 and 3. They're cute, but surprisingly destructive. Our house always showcases their swath of carnage. We try to clean up after them, keep up with their awesome destructive powers. Err, ok, my wife tries to clean up after them (hey, back off! I clean the bathrooms, my plate is full). Sometimes, when I'm hiding upstairs, I'll peer down the staircase and see my wife putting toys away at the same time the girls are dragging new ones out. It's like watching one of nature's cycles, only with clutter--cue some Lion King music, it's the Circle of Mess.
I mention this because Turbine is adding player housing to LoTRO with it's Book 11 update, due out this November. I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, I think player housing sounds like a great idea. In theory. But in terms of practical gameplay? Hm, not so much.
First, housing is a bit of too much reality inserted into my virtual world. Sure, I love to score domesticated phat lewtz. Who wouldn't like to come home after a hard day of questing with a new armoire or wallpaper pattern? The problem lies in the fact that I don't enjoy decorating my real house, let alone a fantasy house set in Señor Tolkien's world. I just don't see myself exhibiting any effort to hang paintings and create living spaces in a fantasy shack. And since I won't take the time to organize all that decor, I'll start to just drop things wherever, and then the fantasy house looks all too like my real house.
I speak from experience. I played EQ2 and owned a virtual home. Being the penny-pinching bastard I am, I bought the cheapest dwelling available and then proceeded to stuff it full of tables and chairs and paintings and chandeliers that I either bought on the auction house or won from questing. At first, I made a good effort of hanging paintings on walls and putting chairs next to tables. But when I got a new piece of furniture, I found myself increasingly too lazy to make the upgrade swap. Or inclined to stack it somewhere in the room.
The room where there was no room. Remember, I had a shack (literally), you step in the door and there's your one room. Soon, the cramped one room apartment looked more like a rental storage unit than a place someone lived. And let me tell you, that's a sad place to come home to.
So I'm expecting some innovation from Turbine. Homemaking aside, I'd like to see player housing have some sort of practical impact on the game. Maybe buffs, for instance. If you log out in your house for a certain amount of time, maybe eight hours or more let's say, when you log back in you could have a buff that augments your melee or spell damage for a limited time. Or maybe your home could be a free hearth, with the industry standard one hour cooldown. Or maybe you could have increased crafting abilities, say improved crit chances, maybe a percentage or two, nothing too crazy. Maybe some bank space (EQ2 offered this). Perhaps a lawn you could virtually mow. And a home association that could fine you if you didn't mow it often enough. And if it got too long or full of weeds, Turbine could confiscate some of your best gear until you got your lazy ass out there and mowed.
Yeah, that's where the action is, virtual lawn mowing. Add some fertilizer buffs and I'm in gaming bliss.
I mention this because Turbine is adding player housing to LoTRO with it's Book 11 update, due out this November. I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, I think player housing sounds like a great idea. In theory. But in terms of practical gameplay? Hm, not so much.
First, housing is a bit of too much reality inserted into my virtual world. Sure, I love to score domesticated phat lewtz. Who wouldn't like to come home after a hard day of questing with a new armoire or wallpaper pattern? The problem lies in the fact that I don't enjoy decorating my real house, let alone a fantasy house set in Señor Tolkien's world. I just don't see myself exhibiting any effort to hang paintings and create living spaces in a fantasy shack. And since I won't take the time to organize all that decor, I'll start to just drop things wherever, and then the fantasy house looks all too like my real house.
I speak from experience. I played EQ2 and owned a virtual home. Being the penny-pinching bastard I am, I bought the cheapest dwelling available and then proceeded to stuff it full of tables and chairs and paintings and chandeliers that I either bought on the auction house or won from questing. At first, I made a good effort of hanging paintings on walls and putting chairs next to tables. But when I got a new piece of furniture, I found myself increasingly too lazy to make the upgrade swap. Or inclined to stack it somewhere in the room.
The room where there was no room. Remember, I had a shack (literally), you step in the door and there's your one room. Soon, the cramped one room apartment looked more like a rental storage unit than a place someone lived. And let me tell you, that's a sad place to come home to.
So I'm expecting some innovation from Turbine. Homemaking aside, I'd like to see player housing have some sort of practical impact on the game. Maybe buffs, for instance. If you log out in your house for a certain amount of time, maybe eight hours or more let's say, when you log back in you could have a buff that augments your melee or spell damage for a limited time. Or maybe your home could be a free hearth, with the industry standard one hour cooldown. Or maybe you could have increased crafting abilities, say improved crit chances, maybe a percentage or two, nothing too crazy. Maybe some bank space (EQ2 offered this). Perhaps a lawn you could virtually mow. And a home association that could fine you if you didn't mow it often enough. And if it got too long or full of weeds, Turbine could confiscate some of your best gear until you got your lazy ass out there and mowed.
Yeah, that's where the action is, virtual lawn mowing. Add some fertilizer buffs and I'm in gaming bliss.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
EA Swallows Up Bioware
I wasn't a big fan of Neverwinter Nights 2, probably because it wasn't actually developed by Bioware itself, but contracted out to Obsidian. But Baldur's Gate and Knights of the Old Republic are some of my all-time favorite games.
So it is with a sad heart that I learn that Electronic Arts has gobbled up Bioware like a killer whale swallows a tiny plankton.
I bet EA is just chomping at the bit to suck the creative life out of Bioware and replace it with equal doses of mediocrity and banality. All within plump profit margins.
R.I.P Bioware.
So it is with a sad heart that I learn that Electronic Arts has gobbled up Bioware like a killer whale swallows a tiny plankton.
I bet EA is just chomping at the bit to suck the creative life out of Bioware and replace it with equal doses of mediocrity and banality. All within plump profit margins.
R.I.P Bioware.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Rest Easy Atlantic City
What was once lost has been found. That missing Atlantic City mayor turned up in some clinic, being treated for an undisclosed illness. I guess he forgot to tell anyone he was going to be gone because Atlantic City officials declared him missing and his office vacant.
I'm thinking of taking a page out of this guy's play book and just not show up to work for a month straight. I could really use the time off and when it hits the fan that I've been gone, I'll just claim I've been in a clinic for . . . juvenile Alzheimer's. Foolproof.
Seriously, how does a slack-jawed dufus like that get elected to public office? Yeah, Atlantic City isn't the gem of the United States. Still, how was he not separated chaff from the wheat during the electoral process? How come the voters of that city have to find out he's a stinky turd only after he's been elected and embezzled millions and ducked out of work and skipped town?
I'm beginning to get a hint as to why some peons in Russia pine for the return of Communism.
I'm thinking of taking a page out of this guy's play book and just not show up to work for a month straight. I could really use the time off and when it hits the fan that I've been gone, I'll just claim I've been in a clinic for . . . juvenile Alzheimer's. Foolproof.
Seriously, how does a slack-jawed dufus like that get elected to public office? Yeah, Atlantic City isn't the gem of the United States. Still, how was he not separated chaff from the wheat during the electoral process? How come the voters of that city have to find out he's a stinky turd only after he's been elected and embezzled millions and ducked out of work and skipped town?
I'm beginning to get a hint as to why some peons in Russia pine for the return of Communism.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Hellgate: London Is Random
Gamespot has an update on HG:L. It focuses on the game's random level and loot generation system. The game is currently in beta testing and set for release October 31st.
Could be I'm a beta tester. But the NDA I might have signed says if I admit to you a beta tester status, then I have to kill you.
Could be I'm a beta tester. But the NDA I might have signed says if I admit to you a beta tester status, then I have to kill you.
Corruption in Atlantic City? Say It Ain't So.
In a stunning turn of events, the mayor of Atlantic City, New Jersey has mysteriously disappeared following allegations of vice and corruption. He's been missing for more than a month now and officials have declared his office "vacant."
American voters get kicked in the groin once again.
American voters get kicked in the groin once again.
Sonic the Smoker
I was at Sonic yesterday for lunch and ordered a large Sonic Blast and one of those steak and bacon breakfast burritos. I saw a commercial for the burrito the other day. It was part of that series with the two dudes sitting in the car, cracking stupid. One plays the straight man while the other gets to be an idiot. They always make me laugh, and in this case, actually got me to go out and try what they were advertising.
While I waited for my burrito and shake, I watched two women who were sitting on a bench/table, waiting for their order. They were young, professional, and puffing smoke like a couple of trains chugging up a mountain pass. It doesn't bother me that people smoke, just as long as it's no where near me. But public smoking has become such a rarity lately, I was surprised by the sight. I almost felt like I was at the zoo, viewing the nearly extinct specimen, the "cigerratus smoketus."
By the way, that breakfast burrito tasted like foot after a Boston marathon. I'll be sticking to their burgers here on out and ignoring the comedic marketing.
While I waited for my burrito and shake, I watched two women who were sitting on a bench/table, waiting for their order. They were young, professional, and puffing smoke like a couple of trains chugging up a mountain pass. It doesn't bother me that people smoke, just as long as it's no where near me. But public smoking has become such a rarity lately, I was surprised by the sight. I almost felt like I was at the zoo, viewing the nearly extinct specimen, the "cigerratus smoketus."
By the way, that breakfast burrito tasted like foot after a Boston marathon. I'll be sticking to their burgers here on out and ignoring the comedic marketing.
Monday, October 8, 2007
But Mountain Dew HAS Water In It
Did you know the average adult is supposed to drink sixty-four ounces of water a day? That works out to eight glasses a day if the container holds eight ounces.
Eight glasses a water. Every day.
Now, to give you an idea of where I'm coming from, when I first heard this medical nugget of advice, I assumed (within my cozy Denial Dome) that anything with water in it counted. So, drink a Mountain Dew, one glass out of the way. Have another Mountain Dew, wahoo! two glasses done. Glass of milk at dinner, three down. And so on.
My wife burst my bubble. Turns out that doctors mean sixty-four ounces of just water. Harsh.
Really though, 8 oz. isn't as much as I initially exaggerated it to be. Most glasses hold 12 oz., so drinking just six of those a day would put you at 72 oz., even more than doc expects.
But dammit, water doesn't have caffeine it. And when I drink sixty-four ounces of water a day, my thirst is quenched to the point that I have a lessened urge to suck down copious amounts of coffee and Mountain Dew. Yes, I can actually hear the tiny squeaky voices of my kidneys thanking me, just as they boo and hiss at me when I pick up my thermos or a soda can.
But those organs can curl up and die 'cause Daddy needs his fix!
Eight glasses a water. Every day.
Now, to give you an idea of where I'm coming from, when I first heard this medical nugget of advice, I assumed (within my cozy Denial Dome) that anything with water in it counted. So, drink a Mountain Dew, one glass out of the way. Have another Mountain Dew, wahoo! two glasses done. Glass of milk at dinner, three down. And so on.
My wife burst my bubble. Turns out that doctors mean sixty-four ounces of just water. Harsh.
Really though, 8 oz. isn't as much as I initially exaggerated it to be. Most glasses hold 12 oz., so drinking just six of those a day would put you at 72 oz., even more than doc expects.
But dammit, water doesn't have caffeine it. And when I drink sixty-four ounces of water a day, my thirst is quenched to the point that I have a lessened urge to suck down copious amounts of coffee and Mountain Dew. Yes, I can actually hear the tiny squeaky voices of my kidneys thanking me, just as they boo and hiss at me when I pick up my thermos or a soda can.
But those organs can curl up and die 'cause Daddy needs his fix!
Friday, October 5, 2007
Let's Get Physical, Physical
Before the Burning Crusade and the Rein of Her Heiness, Scepter raided regularly. He participated in frequent expeditions into Molten Core and Zul'Gurub, with some intermittent forays in Ahn'Qiraj 20 and Blackwing Lair (aka Blackwing's Lair to some of our more mentally challenged friends). Aside from the occasional issue of putting together a full 40 man team, the raiding was good and the phat lewtz flowed like honey down Kate Beckinsale's warlocks.
But even just a few weeks into Scepter's raiding career, I noticed a change in him. Not in personality, or anything like that. He still enjoyed chomping on month-old corpses, playing air guitar in between bosses, and scrap-booking. No, I noticed a physical change.
Scepter was getting a spare tire.
At first, I chalked his weight gain up to diet. I asked him what he'd been eating lately and he assured me he had sworn off rancid flesh and was only eating cartilage and bone marrow. I asked if he'd been drinking and he said only out of the toilet. I studied him a few nights after that conversation and confirmed that was indeed his diet. I also made sure the toilets were flushed regularly.
Emanee raided about the same amount as Scepter and ate like my wife. Which is to say, like a truck driver. Cheeseburgers, 20 oz. steaks, pig's feet, you name it, she ate it. And yet, Emanee experienced no appreciable weight gain. In fact, she actually lost weight. As with Scepter, I questioned Emanee regarding her diet and studied her to verify it. I stopped after she accused me of stalking her, the newly acquired restraining order against me greatly hampering my investigation. But the little I did see of her confirmed that even though she was eating prodigiously, her weight was stable.
So how to explain Scepter's weight gain and Emanee's loss? It wasn't until well after the release of the BC and the rise of Emanee as a full-time raider that the answer came to light:
Suddenly polymorphed as Little Red Riding Hood, The Big Bad Wolf chases Emanee in circles on the theater stage, the undead crowd cheering and clapping (the sick bastards.) Shade of Aran casts forth raw energy in the form of arcane explosions, flame wreaths, and rotating cones of cold, all of which send Emanee dancing around the tiny confines of a surprisingly well-developed library. Within a massive stone-hewn cavern, Gruul pounds a clenched fist on the ground and Emanee runs from cave-ins and leaps for the cavern edge during earthquakes. Finally released from binding torment, Magtheridon rampages around his prison while Emanee tag-teams cube clicking and runs back to apply scathing mind blasts and flays. Searching the depths of SSC for Nemo, the Lurker Below torpedoes above the water's surface and Emanee jumps into boiling water to avoid a pummeling spout of jet-powered hydrogen dioxide.
Suddenly polymorphed into nothing, Scepter plants himself as he waits for the tank to get aggro and then spams decurse and frostbolt until Lucifron dies; his dps sucks so he never pulls aggro. As Magmadar yaps loudly and nips at ankles, Scepter plants himself and waits for the tank to get agrro, spamming frostbolt until the puppy dies; he occasionally side steps flaming spit. Ragnaros roars suddenly to life: Scepter plants himself, doesn't even have to wait for the tank to get aggro and then spams frostbolt until the misunderstood cinder plume dies; he does have to turn slightly to aoe incoming flame elementals before once again throwing snowballs at Raggy.
Pre-BC raid dungeons: couch potato havens. Post-BC raid dungeons: aerobic instructors posing as boss monsters. Turns out Scepter doesn't need Weight Watchers, but some calorie-burning exposure to BC raiding.
But even just a few weeks into Scepter's raiding career, I noticed a change in him. Not in personality, or anything like that. He still enjoyed chomping on month-old corpses, playing air guitar in between bosses, and scrap-booking. No, I noticed a physical change.
Scepter was getting a spare tire.
At first, I chalked his weight gain up to diet. I asked him what he'd been eating lately and he assured me he had sworn off rancid flesh and was only eating cartilage and bone marrow. I asked if he'd been drinking and he said only out of the toilet. I studied him a few nights after that conversation and confirmed that was indeed his diet. I also made sure the toilets were flushed regularly.
Emanee raided about the same amount as Scepter and ate like my wife. Which is to say, like a truck driver. Cheeseburgers, 20 oz. steaks, pig's feet, you name it, she ate it. And yet, Emanee experienced no appreciable weight gain. In fact, she actually lost weight. As with Scepter, I questioned Emanee regarding her diet and studied her to verify it. I stopped after she accused me of stalking her, the newly acquired restraining order against me greatly hampering my investigation. But the little I did see of her confirmed that even though she was eating prodigiously, her weight was stable.
So how to explain Scepter's weight gain and Emanee's loss? It wasn't until well after the release of the BC and the rise of Emanee as a full-time raider that the answer came to light:
Suddenly polymorphed as Little Red Riding Hood, The Big Bad Wolf chases Emanee in circles on the theater stage, the undead crowd cheering and clapping (the sick bastards.) Shade of Aran casts forth raw energy in the form of arcane explosions, flame wreaths, and rotating cones of cold, all of which send Emanee dancing around the tiny confines of a surprisingly well-developed library. Within a massive stone-hewn cavern, Gruul pounds a clenched fist on the ground and Emanee runs from cave-ins and leaps for the cavern edge during earthquakes. Finally released from binding torment, Magtheridon rampages around his prison while Emanee tag-teams cube clicking and runs back to apply scathing mind blasts and flays. Searching the depths of SSC for Nemo, the Lurker Below torpedoes above the water's surface and Emanee jumps into boiling water to avoid a pummeling spout of jet-powered hydrogen dioxide.
Suddenly polymorphed into nothing, Scepter plants himself as he waits for the tank to get aggro and then spams decurse and frostbolt until Lucifron dies; his dps sucks so he never pulls aggro. As Magmadar yaps loudly and nips at ankles, Scepter plants himself and waits for the tank to get agrro, spamming frostbolt until the puppy dies; he occasionally side steps flaming spit. Ragnaros roars suddenly to life: Scepter plants himself, doesn't even have to wait for the tank to get aggro and then spams frostbolt until the misunderstood cinder plume dies; he does have to turn slightly to aoe incoming flame elementals before once again throwing snowballs at Raggy.
Pre-BC raid dungeons: couch potato havens. Post-BC raid dungeons: aerobic instructors posing as boss monsters. Turns out Scepter doesn't need Weight Watchers, but some calorie-burning exposure to BC raiding.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Hearts and Minds and Clichés
I first heard the phrase "winning hearts and minds" around the time of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. I have no idea if it was used before then, but lately it's been a reference to the effort the U.S. military would use to gain the support and trust of the Iraqi people. I'm inferring that the plan involves convincing the Iraqi citizenry (minds) we're right while also becoming their pals (hearts).
Unlike "shock and awe," the media is still beating to death "hearts and minds." Richard Engel, an international correspondent for NBC news uses the phrase weekly when reporting on Iraq. Newsweek journalists used it in their September 17, 2007 article entitled "Braniac Brigade." I'm sure the rest of them use it too, but I'm only catching the stuff I watch or read regularly.
It's ubiquitous and persistent and needs to be stricken from the English lexicon immediately. Richard and his peers are intelligent people; I know they know better. So for the love of god people, find a different way of describing the effort to win the support of Iraqi citizens. Because if I hear this phrase one more time, I might just have to rip out my own heart and mind. The U.S. Census Bureau could tally my suicide as "Death by Triteness."
Unlike "shock and awe," the media is still beating to death "hearts and minds." Richard Engel, an international correspondent for NBC news uses the phrase weekly when reporting on Iraq. Newsweek journalists used it in their September 17, 2007 article entitled "Braniac Brigade." I'm sure the rest of them use it too, but I'm only catching the stuff I watch or read regularly.
It's ubiquitous and persistent and needs to be stricken from the English lexicon immediately. Richard and his peers are intelligent people; I know they know better. So for the love of god people, find a different way of describing the effort to win the support of Iraqi citizens. Because if I hear this phrase one more time, I might just have to rip out my own heart and mind. The U.S. Census Bureau could tally my suicide as "Death by Triteness."
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
A Shadow of My Former Self
One of the cooler things about playing a shadow priest is shadowform. This nifty talent specc, part of the shadow tree, grants 15% damage increase for shadow spells, 15% decrease in physical damage taken, and the only liability is it prohibits the casting of holy spells.
Pffft, like I was going to heal people anyway.
Shadowform also changes the priest's physical appearance. As the talent hints, you turn a purple transparent color with shadowy tendrils coiling out and around you. It's pretty cool.
For the few months or so.
But then you start scoring some phat lewtz while raiding and suddenly you realize you can't actually see any of your new gear. Once you pop shadowform, you're nothing but a purple blob. And I've seen that already. A lot. So I'm hoping maybe Blizz could be convinced to include some sort of check box that allows you to have shadowform up without actually turning you shadowy, much like headgear and cloaks. If they refuse, than I'm doomed to look just like ever other 40+ level shadow priest.
Pffft, like I was going to heal people anyway.
Shadowform also changes the priest's physical appearance. As the talent hints, you turn a purple transparent color with shadowy tendrils coiling out and around you. It's pretty cool.
For the few months or so.
But then you start scoring some phat lewtz while raiding and suddenly you realize you can't actually see any of your new gear. Once you pop shadowform, you're nothing but a purple blob. And I've seen that already. A lot. So I'm hoping maybe Blizz could be convinced to include some sort of check box that allows you to have shadowform up without actually turning you shadowy, much like headgear and cloaks. If they refuse, than I'm doomed to look just like ever other 40+ level shadow priest.
At Least You're Not Dead
Feeling blue today? The Man got you down? Wife nagging in your ear? Kids pooping on your carpet? Husband scratching himself, sprawled on the couch? Pudwacker cut you off in traffic?
I can fix all of that.
Go rent any season of Six Feet Under. There you can witness the misery of people that don't really exist and thereby temporarily forget your own troubles and woes. Seriously, it's a good show. Sure, none of the protagonists are ever, ever happy. And you really can't watch more than one episode at a time without wallowing in their depression. But sometimes after I've watched an hour of their problems, I take in a deep breath and think to myself, my life isn't so bad after all. And that's a good thing.
I can fix all of that.
Go rent any season of Six Feet Under. There you can witness the misery of people that don't really exist and thereby temporarily forget your own troubles and woes. Seriously, it's a good show. Sure, none of the protagonists are ever, ever happy. And you really can't watch more than one episode at a time without wallowing in their depression. But sometimes after I've watched an hour of their problems, I take in a deep breath and think to myself, my life isn't so bad after all. And that's a good thing.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Tabula Rasa Delayed
Tabula Rasa's launch date has been postponed two weeks, for an official release date of November 2. There are two things I know about this MMO: 1) it's by Richard Garriott, the dude behind all those Ultima titles and 2) it has a science fiction setting.
Other than that, it's a blank slate to me. Bahahahaha.
Other than that, it's a blank slate to me. Bahahahaha.
From Frodo to Master Chief
IMBd has Pete Jackson associated with a movie version of Halo. I can't tell what his role is, as the movie has other people listed as writer and director. If he's neither of those, I'd guess he's producing.
Car Wars
My brother is a cross between Jabba the Hutt and Brett Favre. Which is surprising considering I bear a striking resemblance to Daniel Craig. I've pressed my Ma over and over about the possibility that either one of us was switched at birth, but she sticks to her guns that we're kin.
My "brother" recently purchased one of these. He's a big fan of the Dukes of Hazzard, so much so that he had the doors of his new car welded shut and this attached to the driver's side mirror. It was all well and good until he shimmied across the hood of the car and then got wedged in the window. The local fire department wanted to use the Jaws of Life to rescue him, but he only agreed to a tub of Crisco and a crowbar, which ultimately did the trick and only nicked the paint a little.
If I sound bitter and jealous and petty, nothing could be further from the truth. Never mind the fact I called Jimmy Three-Legs downtown to inquire on the current black market value of my two girls. Turns out even the Houston mafia heard about Claire's potty training woes, which put me about $30k short of trumping my brother's sweet chariot. But hey, no skin of my back. I'd much rather have my beautiful family than a Dodge Charger. Yes. Uh huh. Definitely.
Bro and his wife are coming for Turkey break; he's already messing with me, saying he's not going to bring the car. But I plan on breaking out the big guns. I'm going to offer him his very own turkey if he drives the Charger. Soon, sweet driving bliss will be mine.
My "brother" recently purchased one of these. He's a big fan of the Dukes of Hazzard, so much so that he had the doors of his new car welded shut and this attached to the driver's side mirror. It was all well and good until he shimmied across the hood of the car and then got wedged in the window. The local fire department wanted to use the Jaws of Life to rescue him, but he only agreed to a tub of Crisco and a crowbar, which ultimately did the trick and only nicked the paint a little.
If I sound bitter and jealous and petty, nothing could be further from the truth. Never mind the fact I called Jimmy Three-Legs downtown to inquire on the current black market value of my two girls. Turns out even the Houston mafia heard about Claire's potty training woes, which put me about $30k short of trumping my brother's sweet chariot. But hey, no skin of my back. I'd much rather have my beautiful family than a Dodge Charger. Yes. Uh huh. Definitely.
Bro and his wife are coming for Turkey break; he's already messing with me, saying he's not going to bring the car. But I plan on breaking out the big guns. I'm going to offer him his very own turkey if he drives the Charger. Soon, sweet driving bliss will be mine.
Monday, October 1, 2007
The Warden IZ IN YOUR FILEZ, STEALZIN YOUR SECRETZ
CNN has a rare article on gaming, focused on cheating and what companies do to combat it. Of particular interest was the article's mention of WoW and a program that Blizzard uses to monitor cheating called "The Warden." I've never heard of this anti-cheating initiative by Blizzard, but it blew my mind that the article asserts the program likely goes beyond monitoring the game and actually combs through a user's operating system. And that it might even violate California anti-spyware law!
The article brings up another good point. Blizzard bans gold sellers, who turn around and buy new accounts, get banned again, buy new accounts, rinse and repeat. What would motivate Blizzard to stop that kind of cash cycle? Interesting issues, not surprising at all that Blizzard declined to comment.
The article brings up another good point. Blizzard bans gold sellers, who turn around and buy new accounts, get banned again, buy new accounts, rinse and repeat. What would motivate Blizzard to stop that kind of cash cycle? Interesting issues, not surprising at all that Blizzard declined to comment.
You Know I How I Know You're Gay?
Ok, I admit it. I listen to Coldplay. I know it's gay, but I like their music. I listen to Nine Inch Nails to help counter all the gayness induced from Coldplay.
I may be steeping myself in more gayness.
I just picked up Faded Seaside Glamour by the Delays and I'm really liking them. The lead singer has this incredible voice; the pitch is crazy high, almost dog whistle frequency. He's a guy and if I didn't see him perform on London Live, I'd swear someone had his nuts in a kung-fu vice grip to hit notes that high. The band's tunes are melodic and catchy, just a hint of 60s but not annoyingly so.
But now I need something to counter the Delays. And I'm thinking with him singing that high, one manly band isn't going to be enough. Maybe a couple of moldy hair bands from the 80s? Dokken maybe? Or maybe something a bit more current like Alice in Chains or Marilyn Manson? I like AiC well enough, but MM is too freaky. Not Rick James freaky, but the bad kind.
I may be steeping myself in more gayness.
I just picked up Faded Seaside Glamour by the Delays and I'm really liking them. The lead singer has this incredible voice; the pitch is crazy high, almost dog whistle frequency. He's a guy and if I didn't see him perform on London Live, I'd swear someone had his nuts in a kung-fu vice grip to hit notes that high. The band's tunes are melodic and catchy, just a hint of 60s but not annoyingly so.
But now I need something to counter the Delays. And I'm thinking with him singing that high, one manly band isn't going to be enough. Maybe a couple of moldy hair bands from the 80s? Dokken maybe? Or maybe something a bit more current like Alice in Chains or Marilyn Manson? I like AiC well enough, but MM is too freaky. Not Rick James freaky, but the bad kind.
Eye of Newt, and Toe of Frog
Just a few days after teasing anxious voters with the idea that he'd take a run at president, a spokesman confirmed that Newt Gingrich isn't running after all. Gingrich had stated that if supporters raised $30 million dollars within three weeks, he'd agree to run for president. He must have been greeted with a chorus of crickets because he has since rescinded this pledge.
Which is too bad because I think it'd be great to have the leader of the free world named "Newt."
Which is too bad because I think it'd be great to have the leader of the free world named "Newt."
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