Journals
Just ordered this baby for a mere 10$.. plus a not-so-mere shipping fee.
Always wanted that oldskool edition. Hopefully, its condition will be good enough for the book to be at least somewhat readable.
Sam & Max FTW
Always wanted that oldskool edition. Hopefully, its condition will be good enough for the book to be at least somewhat readable.
Sam & Max FTW
So, Obama won Presidency last night. There was much rejoicing.
I'm not exactly surprised, either. People are just tired of Republicans, let alone Bush-like Republicans.
Thoughts?
I've been making too many journals lately. Oh well.
I'm not exactly surprised, either. People are just tired of Republicans, let alone Bush-like Republicans.
Thoughts?
I've been making too many journals lately. Oh well.
Old news, but Left 4 Dead cinematic was released a couple days ago and it was fucking awesome.
HD version on steam
Youtube version
Also, check out this epic troll on steam forums, good for some lulz:
First off, I'd like to say that I am a huge fan of the Counter-Strike franchise. I especially like the fact that it's a game that I can play with my son (the older computer that he uses can run Counter-Strike 1.6) and I like the fact that it's a powerful learning tool for him; learning to use grenades and compensate for gun recoil has taught him a lot about physics that I've been able to incorporate into lessons when teaching him (he is homeschooled and although physics isn't part of the elementary-level curriculum, I like for him to get a head start in academics).
My son is also a huge fan of zombie literature as well. I enjoyed reading through Max Brooks' books with him, and we've played several Counter-Strike zombie mods together. Left 4 Dead struck me as a great game for my son because it runs on a physics engine which more accurately reflects reality. (The Half-Life engine, for example, ignores forward momentum when jumping from a moving vehicle). I was considering getting my son an upgraded computer and a copy of this game as an early Christmas present, knowing how much he likes zombie-related media.
However, after viewing the video that went up on Steam yesterday, I am certain that I will not be buying this game for my son.
Why?
One of the first things I noted about the trailer was that it featured four survivors. Of these, only one of them was female, meaning that the male survivors outnumber the female survivors three to one. Clearly, Valve is implying that females lack the survival skills to withstand a zombie apocalypse with the same tenacity as males such that males have a chance three times better than females in terms of survival. Furthermore, the female character Zoey is depicted wielding hand pistols, rather than a shotgun or an automatic weapon as the male characters are. Is Valve implying that women lack the upper body strength to hold anything but a pistol? This is not only sexist, it is an incredibly backwards way of thinking that I do not want my son to be exposed to.
On this subject, one quarter of the party is composed of African Americans. However, African Americans constitute less than 15% of the population of the United States. The implication is obviously that African Americans have a higher chance of surviving a zombie apocalypse than Caucasians, presumably because Valve believes that African Americans pursue athletic endeavors (and other exploits more conducive to surviving a zombie apocalypse) rather than engaging in activities which are deemed "productive to society." Furthermore, none of the characters depicted are of Hispanic, Indian, or East-Asian decent, indicating that Valve believes that members of these races are "unfit" to survive a zombie apocalypse. The racism here is subtle, and it's in this form that I fear racism is most dangerous: We all know to remove our children from environments where they may be exposed to outrageously racist behavior such as the use of racial slurs. However, many parents may be deceived into believing that the subtle racism present in media like Left 4 Dead may be "harmless," and allow it to enter their homes. Parents, as a parent, I can tell you that the number one way to ensure that bigotry succeeds is to allow it to enter your home.
Secondly, the characters portrayed in the "teaser" video are not even close to being ideal role models for a young child. Francis, the bike-covered tattoo, is a particularly poor example. Besides his choice to get tattoos (something I definitely don't want my son doing at this point), he has an incredibly disrespectful attitude. Although Bill, the war veteran, is his elder, Francis speaks to him in an almost derisive manner. If my son spoke to me or an authority figure the same way that Francis speaks to Bill, I would be both outraged and disappointed in my son.
Another incredibly offensive portion of Francis' behavior is his use of the phrase "merry Christmas" when killing an infected. Is Valve suggesting that all families ought to appreciate the values of Christmas? I imagine that there are many Jewish families who are going to be very offended when they find that their winter holiday is not recognized but the Christian one is. Furthermore, how does Louis, the African American man, feel about Francis' failure to mention Kwanzaa? Francis could have just as easily said "Happy holidays!" but instead chose to refer to a Christian holiday for no reason other than to offend those who do not share the same religious custom. Even worse is that he delivers this message immediately after firing a shotgun held with only one arm, which is an incredibly unsafe practice.
There is one part of the trailer so outrageously offensive that it almost startled me to hear it. When Louis, the African American man, sees the hoard of infected coming, he can only use an expletive known as "the S word" to express his anxiety. Is Valve further playing on racial stereotypes and depicting African Americans as unsophisticated members of society who lack the linguistic ability to express their feelings without using swearwords? Even disregarding the racial implications of his utterance, the word in and of itself is incredibly offensive. And let me tell you, I was even more shocked to find that the word was not uttered one time, not even twice, but three times in rapid succession. I certainly do not want my son exposed to this language, nor be taught to use it in such a brazen manner. Even if a man is faced with his death and the death of his comrades, is it really so much to ask that he refrain from using swear words, especially when his behavior will be displayed on the computer monitors and television screens of millions of people?
Just when I thought that this montage could not get any worse, I reached the video's conclusion, which depicts Bill lighting a cigarette and smoking it. I can't think of any worse influence for my child. It's no small secret at all that one of the biggest influences on children is the figures that they see in the media: children by nature emulate the behavior they see. Valve, by showing one of your characters smoking a cigarette, you have in effect told every child who plays your game, "go ahead, light up!" I am absolutely disgusted that a game developer would try to poison young minds with this kind of thinking. With hundreds of thousands of people dying to lung cancer each year, I'm certain that if the infected don't kill Bill, his smoking habit will!
I am taking a stand against Valve and boycotting this game. I am encouraging my friends (especially those with young children) to also ban this game from their households this holiday season. If Valve wants me to buy a zombie shooting game for my son, they can make one that omits the sexism, racism, disrespectful attitudes, bad language, and cultural insensitivity present in Left 4 Dead. And learn how to spell the word "for" without using a numeral.
Source.
:>
HD version on steam
Youtube version
Also, check out this epic troll on steam forums, good for some lulz:
First off, I'd like to say that I am a huge fan of the Counter-Strike franchise. I especially like the fact that it's a game that I can play with my son (the older computer that he uses can run Counter-Strike 1.6) and I like the fact that it's a powerful learning tool for him; learning to use grenades and compensate for gun recoil has taught him a lot about physics that I've been able to incorporate into lessons when teaching him (he is homeschooled and although physics isn't part of the elementary-level curriculum, I like for him to get a head start in academics).
My son is also a huge fan of zombie literature as well. I enjoyed reading through Max Brooks' books with him, and we've played several Counter-Strike zombie mods together. Left 4 Dead struck me as a great game for my son because it runs on a physics engine which more accurately reflects reality. (The Half-Life engine, for example, ignores forward momentum when jumping from a moving vehicle). I was considering getting my son an upgraded computer and a copy of this game as an early Christmas present, knowing how much he likes zombie-related media.
However, after viewing the video that went up on Steam yesterday, I am certain that I will not be buying this game for my son.
Why?
One of the first things I noted about the trailer was that it featured four survivors. Of these, only one of them was female, meaning that the male survivors outnumber the female survivors three to one. Clearly, Valve is implying that females lack the survival skills to withstand a zombie apocalypse with the same tenacity as males such that males have a chance three times better than females in terms of survival. Furthermore, the female character Zoey is depicted wielding hand pistols, rather than a shotgun or an automatic weapon as the male characters are. Is Valve implying that women lack the upper body strength to hold anything but a pistol? This is not only sexist, it is an incredibly backwards way of thinking that I do not want my son to be exposed to.
On this subject, one quarter of the party is composed of African Americans. However, African Americans constitute less than 15% of the population of the United States. The implication is obviously that African Americans have a higher chance of surviving a zombie apocalypse than Caucasians, presumably because Valve believes that African Americans pursue athletic endeavors (and other exploits more conducive to surviving a zombie apocalypse) rather than engaging in activities which are deemed "productive to society." Furthermore, none of the characters depicted are of Hispanic, Indian, or East-Asian decent, indicating that Valve believes that members of these races are "unfit" to survive a zombie apocalypse. The racism here is subtle, and it's in this form that I fear racism is most dangerous: We all know to remove our children from environments where they may be exposed to outrageously racist behavior such as the use of racial slurs. However, many parents may be deceived into believing that the subtle racism present in media like Left 4 Dead may be "harmless," and allow it to enter their homes. Parents, as a parent, I can tell you that the number one way to ensure that bigotry succeeds is to allow it to enter your home.
Secondly, the characters portrayed in the "teaser" video are not even close to being ideal role models for a young child. Francis, the bike-covered tattoo, is a particularly poor example. Besides his choice to get tattoos (something I definitely don't want my son doing at this point), he has an incredibly disrespectful attitude. Although Bill, the war veteran, is his elder, Francis speaks to him in an almost derisive manner. If my son spoke to me or an authority figure the same way that Francis speaks to Bill, I would be both outraged and disappointed in my son.
Another incredibly offensive portion of Francis' behavior is his use of the phrase "merry Christmas" when killing an infected. Is Valve suggesting that all families ought to appreciate the values of Christmas? I imagine that there are many Jewish families who are going to be very offended when they find that their winter holiday is not recognized but the Christian one is. Furthermore, how does Louis, the African American man, feel about Francis' failure to mention Kwanzaa? Francis could have just as easily said "Happy holidays!" but instead chose to refer to a Christian holiday for no reason other than to offend those who do not share the same religious custom. Even worse is that he delivers this message immediately after firing a shotgun held with only one arm, which is an incredibly unsafe practice.
There is one part of the trailer so outrageously offensive that it almost startled me to hear it. When Louis, the African American man, sees the hoard of infected coming, he can only use an expletive known as "the S word" to express his anxiety. Is Valve further playing on racial stereotypes and depicting African Americans as unsophisticated members of society who lack the linguistic ability to express their feelings without using swearwords? Even disregarding the racial implications of his utterance, the word in and of itself is incredibly offensive. And let me tell you, I was even more shocked to find that the word was not uttered one time, not even twice, but three times in rapid succession. I certainly do not want my son exposed to this language, nor be taught to use it in such a brazen manner. Even if a man is faced with his death and the death of his comrades, is it really so much to ask that he refrain from using swear words, especially when his behavior will be displayed on the computer monitors and television screens of millions of people?
Just when I thought that this montage could not get any worse, I reached the video's conclusion, which depicts Bill lighting a cigarette and smoking it. I can't think of any worse influence for my child. It's no small secret at all that one of the biggest influences on children is the figures that they see in the media: children by nature emulate the behavior they see. Valve, by showing one of your characters smoking a cigarette, you have in effect told every child who plays your game, "go ahead, light up!" I am absolutely disgusted that a game developer would try to poison young minds with this kind of thinking. With hundreds of thousands of people dying to lung cancer each year, I'm certain that if the infected don't kill Bill, his smoking habit will!
I am taking a stand against Valve and boycotting this game. I am encouraging my friends (especially those with young children) to also ban this game from their households this holiday season. If Valve wants me to buy a zombie shooting game for my son, they can make one that omits the sexism, racism, disrespectful attitudes, bad language, and cultural insensitivity present in Left 4 Dead. And learn how to spell the word "for" without using a numeral.
Source.
:>
UPDATED
More mapping tests! I wanted to see what I could do with stationary weapons in Hammer and I came up with this.
Still has some work to do (I'm working on a proper scope at the moment), but it's coming along nicely.
Update! The scope is done! Here it is in action. This is almost finished now, a few little tweaks left and that's about it!
More mapping tests! I wanted to see what I could do with stationary weapons in Hammer and I came up with this.
Still has some work to do (I'm working on a proper scope at the moment), but it's coming along nicely.
Update! The scope is done! Here it is in action. This is almost finished now, a few little tweaks left and that's about it!
Ya know. It's nice to know your work is actually getting road tested out there in the big wide world
http://69.31.15.60/ltk/map.php?id=182
http://69.31.15.60/ltk/map.php?id=191
http://69.31.15.60/ltk/map.php?id=182
http://69.31.15.60/ltk/map.php?id=191
Finally finished Far Cry 2 today. In total, I think it was 24 hours of gameplay.
This doesn't count for the possibilities of all the side missions I didn't do. I did, however, did all but one buddy mission, and did all of the weapon missions.
Like any good review, here are some SPOILERS:
Some aspects of the game were kinda cool, but seemed like they were there just to get in the way, making them negatives for me, and here's that list:
1. Malaria. They never explained WHY you have malaria, and how it impacts the story at all. It was juts put there to get in the way.
2. Gun jamming and weapon malfunctions. I love the idea as it's never been done before, as least as far as I know. The huge problem is that it occurs way to quickly. Supposedly, your weapon gets dirty, and apparently rusty, overtime, therefore can jam or stop working in some other insane way. Apparently no matter how often you DON'T have your weapon out, you still drag it through mud and dirt, making it jam in a short period of non-use. It was just silly that it jammed so often for no reason.
3. Check points / generally being shot at wherever you go. I REALLY wish they focused on villagers more in this game, and not that everywhere you go there's someone who wants to kill you. I don't think everyone should be a hostile, because then it's just a clusterfuck of guys wherever you go. If they had more villages, with villagers, then the story would even gain more depth, and the game would be more enjoyable. I mean, c'mon, supposedly your out to rescue the civilians of this African country, but you never see the people.
4. The shear size. All's I have to say is thank God for the buses.
EDITED IN:
Forgot to mention. AI was fucking horrible. It's the worst I've seen in a game in awhile. If it was the AI of Crysis, or any other game for that matter, it'd make the game TONS better.
EDITED IN x2:
Voice acting was also horrific. Absolutely no emotion.
The story was kinda confusing, in my opinion, too. It was sorta hard to keep up with who was who, and who wanted what.
It was good, nonetheless, but I hate when stories contradict themselves. For instance, in Far Cry 2, you go to Africa to kill "The Jackal". In the end, however, you end up siding with the guy and working with him. I wish there was an option to still kill him, which is kinda weird because every other mission gave you an option to do something else. This shouldn't have been different.
I need some clarifications, and it's sort of a critique, too, if anyone knows the answer. Why did you end up killing every leader in the two factions? I never understood why you choose to help one side, then go and contradict yourself.
Again, that'd be a nice spot to put a decision you can make. Either side with one faction or with the other. Decision making can be nice.
END SPOILER:
All in all, I was quite pleased. Sure, there was plenty of repetitive missions, mostly the side missions, but as long as you approached each one differently it'd be fun.
tl;dr Check out Far Cry 2. If anything, you'll get ~25 hours of play out of it, if not more. Could be a lot better
This doesn't count for the possibilities of all the side missions I didn't do. I did, however, did all but one buddy mission, and did all of the weapon missions.
Like any good review, here are some SPOILERS:
Some aspects of the game were kinda cool, but seemed like they were there just to get in the way, making them negatives for me, and here's that list:
1. Malaria. They never explained WHY you have malaria, and how it impacts the story at all. It was juts put there to get in the way.
2. Gun jamming and weapon malfunctions. I love the idea as it's never been done before, as least as far as I know. The huge problem is that it occurs way to quickly. Supposedly, your weapon gets dirty, and apparently rusty, overtime, therefore can jam or stop working in some other insane way. Apparently no matter how often you DON'T have your weapon out, you still drag it through mud and dirt, making it jam in a short period of non-use. It was just silly that it jammed so often for no reason.
3. Check points / generally being shot at wherever you go. I REALLY wish they focused on villagers more in this game, and not that everywhere you go there's someone who wants to kill you. I don't think everyone should be a hostile, because then it's just a clusterfuck of guys wherever you go. If they had more villages, with villagers, then the story would even gain more depth, and the game would be more enjoyable. I mean, c'mon, supposedly your out to rescue the civilians of this African country, but you never see the people.
4. The shear size. All's I have to say is thank God for the buses.
EDITED IN:
Forgot to mention. AI was fucking horrible. It's the worst I've seen in a game in awhile. If it was the AI of Crysis, or any other game for that matter, it'd make the game TONS better.
EDITED IN x2:
Voice acting was also horrific. Absolutely no emotion.
The story was kinda confusing, in my opinion, too. It was sorta hard to keep up with who was who, and who wanted what.
It was good, nonetheless, but I hate when stories contradict themselves. For instance, in Far Cry 2, you go to Africa to kill "The Jackal". In the end, however, you end up siding with the guy and working with him. I wish there was an option to still kill him, which is kinda weird because every other mission gave you an option to do something else. This shouldn't have been different.
I need some clarifications, and it's sort of a critique, too, if anyone knows the answer. Why did you end up killing every leader in the two factions? I never understood why you choose to help one side, then go and contradict yourself.
Again, that'd be a nice spot to put a decision you can make. Either side with one faction or with the other. Decision making can be nice.
END SPOILER:
All in all, I was quite pleased. Sure, there was plenty of repetitive missions, mostly the side missions, but as long as you approached each one differently it'd be fun.
tl;dr Check out Far Cry 2. If anything, you'll get ~25 hours of play out of it, if not more. Could be a lot better
Hurray, I'm 21 today. And will spend my whole day learning, no booze in sight.:(
Actually, I'll probably catch up on that tomorrow, but still don't wanna learn that bullshit I'm supposed to :/
Actually, I'll probably catch up on that tomorrow, but still don't wanna learn that bullshit I'm supposed to :/
Oh man, Today was a good day at College. Everyone dressed up for Halloween, with some people impersonating famous figures, random dressups, historical costumes, and, in the case of one teacher, a pokemon (he had alot of balls to pull that one off).
My favorite by far was one of those hobo signs someone had around their neck, and it said:
"Family kidnapped by ninjas, need $4 for karate lessons"
Best. Sign. EVAR!
Also, does anyone have Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance? I want to try to play a multiplayer game with someone who doesn't own me in 5 minutes.
Finally, happy Halloween!
My favorite by far was one of those hobo signs someone had around their neck, and it said:
"Family kidnapped by ninjas, need $4 for karate lessons"
Best. Sign. EVAR!
Also, does anyone have Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance? I want to try to play a multiplayer game with someone who doesn't own me in 5 minutes.
Finally, happy Halloween!
Not sure many people are interested, but yesterday evening I finally picked up a copy of Guitar Hero World Tour.
What's amazing is not that i spent $200 buying it, but that no store in the nearest 3 towns had a copy, except the GameStop, which had but 1 copy left.
Otherwise, the gameplay is completely revamped and very unique compared to any of the Rockband and Guitar Hero games I've played in the past. I must also say beating on rubber drums while watching a TV screen proves to be enjoyable...
What's amazing is not that i spent $200 buying it, but that no store in the nearest 3 towns had a copy, except the GameStop, which had but 1 copy left.
Otherwise, the gameplay is completely revamped and very unique compared to any of the Rockband and Guitar Hero games I've played in the past. I must also say beating on rubber drums while watching a TV screen proves to be enjoyable...
Halloween is almost upon us(!)
I'll probably shove on a mask and go hang out with some friends, which will probably result in us hiding somewhere and scaring kids. As you can see we're very mature, What about you guys?
Also on the note of Halloween, if any of you have seen the programme Britains Most Haunted, they're currently doing live coverage of an abandoned mental hospital about 5 mins down the road from me from 8pm till midnight every night up until Halloween. I've been to the hospital myself and it's not the nicest place ever. o_o
Even if you don't believe in it, which I don't, I'd still reccommend it since it's funny to watch, and they're going to burn down a church on Friday.
It's also nice to know that my area is called 'Village Of The Damned' I mean, I know we're Welsh, but that's just taking it too far.
I'll probably shove on a mask and go hang out with some friends, which will probably result in us hiding somewhere and scaring kids. As you can see we're very mature, What about you guys?
Also on the note of Halloween, if any of you have seen the programme Britains Most Haunted, they're currently doing live coverage of an abandoned mental hospital about 5 mins down the road from me from 8pm till midnight every night up until Halloween. I've been to the hospital myself and it's not the nicest place ever. o_o
Even if you don't believe in it, which I don't, I'd still reccommend it since it's funny to watch, and they're going to burn down a church on Friday.
It's also nice to know that my area is called 'Village Of The Damned' I mean, I know we're Welsh, but that's just taking it too far.
(basically an update from my last journal. basically.)
So, were getting our piraty pirate swords soon (for the musical), ive seen a couple already, and they are metal. Hm. too bad for the police chorus who have plastic battons... Hm.
well, i still am slighty worried because i have to jump through a few of these swords, and i dont want to know what could happen if it goes wrong...
So, were getting our piraty pirate swords soon (for the musical), ive seen a couple already, and they are metal. Hm. too bad for the police chorus who have plastic battons... Hm.
well, i still am slighty worried because i have to jump through a few of these swords, and i dont want to know what could happen if it goes wrong...
Zimbabwe Money Troubles...
Hah I just came across this on a forum and I figured it was worth sharing. Christ imagine carrying that amount of cash around to go shopping.
What a waste of paper
http://humorland.wordmess.net/20081025/what-the-real-crisis-is-like/
(This amount is worth ?50 roughly...)
In other news...
Only 3 days till Fallout 3 comes out, the first of four games I am waiting for. Americans already have it and have shared their views, surprisingly a lot are moaning that it sucks and the animations are clunky.
Well I don't know about you readers but I don't play a game to OOGLE at animations, I play games for the story, for the atmosphere and for the fun. And I have no doubt Fallout 3 will meet these standards.
Yes the fighting animations look a bit clunky but each game has a charm and I think the good points outweigh the bad.
I would have Little Big Planet by now but as per usual my silly country suffers because of a certain group of people. I'm not going to walk down that road, seeing as I walk in their terrirtory 3 days a week.
Also my mother warned me not to wear a Remembrance Day poppy when I go to East London Uni...Well I say to hell with that, I won't cower to the extremists who come here, to the UK and live a good life thanks to us.
What truly pissed me off was I read they were targeting people wearing the poppies because they don't want us to support soldiers even from that time period...I flew into a RAGE because if it wasn't for our men there wouldn't be a country for them to say all this bullshit.
Well I haven't said who I am talking about but by now I think you can tell...We bend over for them and they give nothing back...
That's enough ranting...I got an essay to write!
(Source of content: "http://humorland.wordmess.net/20081025/what-the-real-crisis-is-like/" - Date Accessed - 28 October 08)
Copied from Blog
Hah I just came across this on a forum and I figured it was worth sharing. Christ imagine carrying that amount of cash around to go shopping.
What a waste of paper
http://humorland.wordmess.net/20081025/what-the-real-crisis-is-like/
In other news...
Only 3 days till Fallout 3 comes out, the first of four games I am waiting for. Americans already have it and have shared their views, surprisingly a lot are moaning that it sucks and the animations are clunky.
Well I don't know about you readers but I don't play a game to OOGLE at animations, I play games for the story, for the atmosphere and for the fun. And I have no doubt Fallout 3 will meet these standards.
Yes the fighting animations look a bit clunky but each game has a charm and I think the good points outweigh the bad.
I would have Little Big Planet by now but as per usual my silly country suffers because of a certain group of people. I'm not going to walk down that road, seeing as I walk in their terrirtory 3 days a week.
Also my mother warned me not to wear a Remembrance Day poppy when I go to East London Uni...Well I say to hell with that, I won't cower to the extremists who come here, to the UK and live a good life thanks to us.
What truly pissed me off was I read they were targeting people wearing the poppies because they don't want us to support soldiers even from that time period...I flew into a RAGE because if it wasn't for our men there wouldn't be a country for them to say all this bullshit.
Well I haven't said who I am talking about but by now I think you can tell...We bend over for them and they give nothing back...
That's enough ranting...I got an essay to write!
(Source of content: "http://humorland.wordmess.net/20081025/what-the-real-crisis-is-like/" - Date Accessed - 28 October 08)
Copied from Blog
Hey kids, stop with the "This is your (#)th login" journal posts.
Thanks.
Thanks.
Welcome back!
This is your 3000th login. uber leet you are!
(note: the flashy message is a lie)
This is your 3000th login. uber leet you are!
(note: the flashy message is a lie)
700th login today, yay no comment >.<
i got my pc fixed and now nobody can get me off it, im trying to make up 2 months of not using it
i got my pc fixed and now nobody can get me off it, im trying to make up 2 months of not using it