One of these Monthly Update-type-things - June, 2014

Hello, how are you?  I feel like it's been so long since we've talked.

I'm not sure why, but I feel like I've been really busy lately.  Maybe it's my new Job, which is a big change from the six months of unemployment I had before.  I actually make less money now than I did then.  Also, I have a lot less time.  These days I've got two days off, and they're on separate days.  Actually, they're both on my usual posting days, but I haven't managed to post new blog material more than every other time.

Maybe it's the heat.  In the area of Northern California in which I am located, it gets pretty hot.  We've had a few 100+ degree days, and plenty of high 90s.  And I don't have air conditioning.  On days like that, I just feel like a hot, wet turd, and I don't accomplish much.  In between periods of not posting new material, I have been thinking of fun ideas.  Game design, specifically RPG design, is never too far from my thoughts.  And since I work in a world of plants, I tend to draw connections between biological systems and Video Game design.

But lately I haven't been playing any video games at all.  I think it's been two months since I played a Steam game.  I have every intention to change this, but I'm not sure when.  I have been reading a lot more, which makes me happy.  I grabbed some graphic novels and some sci fi, and it's been good.  And, frankly, I tend to merge most different media and storytelling methods into a big soup, and I think books are like video games are like movies are like theater. And so on.

Before I wanted to make video games, I wanted to write novels.  This blog has been one of the biggest-ever repositories of my writing.  I've also written in a journal regularly over the last couple years, and intermittently through my life.  But for some reason these last two months I've neglected said writing practice.  It is my intention to bring it back.  Writing is the simplest and most direct way to make something out of that swirling imagination soup I mentioned before.

Also, I'm going to watch Cosmos, as I've neglected to do that.

-D

Product Review: Geekify Inc.

I recently purchased two products from the good people at Geekify Inc. whom are based over in one of the quadrants of Colorado.  I cannot remember how I first spotted them, be it in an add over in the facebook margin or from Reddit or someone who retweeted something about the company or someone I follow on facebook.  The point is they were founded out.

The people over at Geekify Inc. make products based off of, mainly books from various sources such as Beetlejuice, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Myst, The Neverending Story and Skyrim.  There are a lot more sources that they pull from, but then I would be simply listing nearly everything in their catalogue. 


I initially sent the company a request for a custom job to make an iPad cover for Conklederp for her birthday.  I loved the book covers that they currently had on hand from The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, but Conklederp's character, Magicia, focused more on destructive magic and that option was not available.  I sent the company an message to their Esty account asking for a quote on making the Destruction Spell Book.

Three days later, Mr. John Taylor at Geekify Inc. let me know that in fact they had just put up the destruction spell book in their catalogue.  A day later I went ahead and ordered the iPad cover and patiently waited for its arrival.

The only pseud0-complaint that I have is that it took roughly a month to receive the cover from the time I placed my order.  Both their Etsy page and official webpage say that it can take "7-10 business days to craft and ship," but once I received the cover and was able to hold it in my hands, I knew that the longer processing/creating/shipping/receiving time was well worth the wait.

The cover is made from what feels like a 2mm thick piece of wood covered with faux-leather.  The circles around the border are white paint.  The Destruction Magick emblem is layered wood, brown on white and solidly glued on the cover.  The inside consists of a thick cardboard-type material (I am only guessing) covered with black micro suede on both the front and back covers as well as the spine.  The iPad is held in place by four 1" thick elastic bands, one crossing each of the corners.  Presently, Conkelderps main critique is that the upper right strap would cover up the volume buttons and mute switch, so she leaves that strap off.  The three remaining straps however are securely holding the iPad in place with no slippage or fear of coming loose.

Impressed with the quality of their work with this gadget cover, I knew that I wanted to buy one for my Kindle.  I first checked their Etsy store, but then decided to see if their non-Etsy webpage held any additional offerings.  They do not.  But, their prices on their page run $4-10 cheaper due to Etsy's operating costs.  Plus by ordering from Geekify's page, you have additional options such as name engraving, quote engraving, magnetic cover clasp or a strap for the spine, all for a separate additional cost.  

Ultimately I went with The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy cover for the Kindle Paperwhite.

As with Conklederp's cover, mine took about a month from the date I ordered to the date the package arrived.  

The Hitchhikers Guide is wood covered with faux-leather.  The inside is that hard cardboard-type material covered with a deep red micro-suede.  The "blocks" on the cover and back are additional pieces of wood to give them an industrial appearance.  I could easily have seen bolts or screws in each of the four corners, but it looks equally great without them.  The cover thumb and lettering are all paper with each of the red letters being glued on top of the the yellow letter backing, making the "THE" about a quarter of an inch tall and impressively cut.  The Kindle fits very well with the elastic straps (these being about 1cm wide) and do not cover either the usb charging port at the base or the on/off button right next to the port.

When I placed my order, I asked if I could have The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy text read from the top of the spine to base as opposed to how it looks on their page.  Since 99% of my books and DVDs all have the text reading from top to bottom, I knew that having the text go the other way would bother me, so I put in the request.  Request was fulfilled and at no additional cost.

When I received the cover, I did notice that the upper left corner of the "P" in "DON'T PANIC" was starting to peel back, maybe about a millimeter or two, but enough that I knew if something was not done, the whole word would eventually peel off.  I contacted Geekify the same day and within an hour received a reply from Mr. Taylor as to how to fix the peeling "P."  "A dab of superglue will keep it sticking forever," and it currently is and aside from the very slight crease that I put in the corner of the "P" moving it back to make sure the glue reached back far enough, you would not be able to tell.

Geekify also makes other products such as pendants/necklaces based off of the Imperial symbol from The Elder Scrolls, a wall poster based off of Portal, something I do not recognize from Starcraft or you can do as I thought I was doing an request a quote for a custom order.  They also can do laser cutting and custom 3D printing if you happen to be looking for company that does that sort of thing.  They come across as good people who make a great looking product so give them a look the next time you are looking for something "geeky" that is handmade and that you cannot find on ThinkGeek.com.


~JWfW/JDub/Jaconian
Like The Daybreak In Spring


P.S.  And a very big thank you goes to Heidi at Geekify who made both my Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy cover and Conklederps Destruction Magicka Spell Book.

Game Review: Spirit Stones (Mobile)

Spirit Stones is a mobile phone game from Korean developer Gamevil.  Salty Liver's fiance introduced this game to Conklederp and myself about a month back.  Before we get down to it, I want to say that I do not take this game seriously at all.  I find the combination of match three with a trading card game with a turn based RPG very refreshing as far as mobile phone games go, although I know there are other options our there.  The fact that the game is free too is an added bonus.  These are aspects of this game that I really like, especially the way the game mechanic is constructed, but it is how the game is executed that I would like to get into now.

Spirit Stones is a great example of all the sexist and misogynistic views that is wrong in the video game industry.  As the people at Extra Credits have said, a lot of people in the industry are awaiting the time when video games as a medium are taken, at least as seriously as the movie industry is to the rest of the world.  The games take on female sexuality is pretty bad in the fantasy adventure setting with its sadly common take on female armor.  In Spirit Stones, a card you have can be combined with another identical card to evolve into a more powerful card along the same character lines.  Often times, that evolution to a new card means that the female becomes more scantily clad.

While there are some male cards that the same effect happens to, there are clearly more female cards than there are male cards and some of those male cards depict beasts-type-creatures that appear male, but only because they have bulging muscles and no breasts.

I feel like it has taken the fantasy genre of video games a long time to get to the point where armor for women is comparable visually to that of their male counterparts.  Breastplates no longer just cover the breasts and groinal region, but all vulnerable areas as in, the entire body.  You know, like armor is supposed to do.  The visual depiction of women in this game I feel is a big step backwards.

And yet, I keep playing.  Why?

Like I mentioned earlier, the mechanics that make this game I enjoy in a mobile game.  

First off, it combines the match three aspect that sky rocketed the Candy Crush games to their current popularity.  

Secondly, there is the key aspect of the game, which is the TCG, although the "trading" part is welcomely absent.  I am unable to trade cards with Conklederp or Salty Liver if either of has a card that the other does not.  There is no way to create multiple accounts in order to overpower a single account.  Players can help out in timed mega boss battles, but rewards are in items that can be used to refill stamina or "buy cards."  

The third aspect to the game that I like is the turn based RPG battle.  Each on the continent map is made up of six individual stages which in turn have six levels.  Levels 1, 2, 3 & 5 are made up of a three round battle against a set number of monsters while levels 4 & 6 are made up of a five round battle with the last battle in the sixth stage being a boss battle.  Damage is determined by the match three puzzle and each board contains bonus "gems" that help clear out more "gems" which in turn do additional damage.  There are complications though that crop up on boards such as unmovable blocks that are unaffected by the removal of gems.  There are also objects that will hold onto and spread amongst the gems which are only removable by normal gem selection.  There are even Skull blocks that damage the players if not removed from the board in a certain amount of turns passes first.  At the end of each level, you have to fight a boss who has significantly more hit points than the previous monsters and often a reduced timer to attack (usually 2 - 3 turns).

While there are all of these positive aspects of Spirit Stones that are enjoyable, the over sexualized depiction of women overshadows the game quite a bit.  Even though I have not experienced any other overtly sexual instances in the game (innuendos and such), I cannot say that they do not exist in the game.  Maybe they were just too subtle?

During the process of writing this article I have come to the conclusion that I will be looking into other mobile games, albeit free games, to replace Spirit Stones.  Now I just have to hope that the other people I know who play this will not be too upset by my inevitable absence, but maybe I will be able to find something else for everyone else to become addicted to, because there is nothing quite like infecting your friends with video game awesomeness.


~JWfW/JDub/Jaconian
Light That Ass On Fire

A Tale of the Terrors that is Involved with the Strapping of Boots.

I just had something terrifying happen and thankfully that moment, which lasted a lot longer than it should have but felt like it lasted longer than it really did, is no longer present.  I fixed it.  

So here is what happened.

I noticed that Loadout, an MOFPS (is that a thing like MMORPG?) akin to in look and style to Team Fortress 2, except that that I have never played Loadout, was in the process of auto downloading a patch.  Not a large patch by todays standards either as it was only around 34-40 MBs.  I noticed it this last night (5/20/2014) and thought nothing of it until a few hours later when I noticed that the Steam client was no longer open.  Again, I did not think anything of it as sometimes Steam will download its own firmware update and restart or simply close down after an update.  Nothing too out of the ordinary.

This afternoon however (Wednesday 5/21/2014), I became somewhat afraid.  I tried to open Steam only to have the little icon down there at the bottom of the screen become slightly highlighted for a few seconds, then it closed down immediately after.  A second try left Steam open and I noticed that something was in the process of downloading.  I was a little surprised to see that Loadout was either downloading a new update or the first one did not take.  I saw that it was again the 34-40 MB update and that it would not take too long so I let it be and went to do something else.  A few minutes later I noticed that Steam was again closed down.  Again I opened the program only to be presented with a window a few seconds later telling me that "Steam Client Bootstrapper has stopped working."

After an pseudo-intensive search online, I discovered that "Steam Client Bootstrapper" is the way that games are updated and installed using the Steam Client.  Various fixes I had read for this problem ranged anywhere from closing down Steam and simply restarting to "deleting everything in your Steam folder except Steam.exe and the Steamapps folder then reinstalling Steam."  This last option seemed like a terrifying decision that I was not ready to make.  For starters, I restarted my computer incase there was some sort of miscommunication after either Steam or Windows downloaded an update.  

Then, Steam refused to open.  At all.  Nothing.

But then it did open and I quickly went to Loadout knowing that something to do with the games update was causing this problem; I did not "know" know, but I just knew.  I clicked on Loadout and went down to "Delete Local Content" as fast as I could before Steam decided to close again.  That was when the program froze.  After I was able to Ctrl-Alt-Dlt the program closed, I went to my control panel, opened the Uninstall tab, found Loadout and proceeded to uninstall the program.  After a few seconds, Steam opened up with their own uninstalling window then promptly closed down.

I sat in silence for a few seconds/minutes wondering if I had done the right thing.  Maybe what I did would cause Steam to somehow not realize that the program was uninstalled and when opened would try again to download the update for the game that no longer existed, be confused and close itself down due to some kind of error that I do not understand.  I do not know if computers actually work/think this way, but this is what my brain was telling me could happen.  Thankfully, it did not happen.

In the end, I am not entirely sure what was going on with the Loadout update/patch/download and not having played the game before I had no qualms about uninstalling it and I probably will not reinstall it either, even if this was a one time fluke.  I even checked the forums for Loadout through Steam's webpage and did not see anything regarding what happened to me.

 I am not sure if this story has a moral, so I guess let this be a tale of caution?  


~JWfW/JDub/Jaconian
Instrumental


P.S. In end-of-the-week news, Krillbite Studios will be releasing their Kickstarted game Among The Sleep next week on the 29th.  If you have recently joined us, there is an article I wrote last year regarding the pre-alpha release of Among the Sleep.  Happy weekend.

Book Review: The Mote in God's Eye

This is a very interesting, very detailed science fiction story about first contact between a fictional human empire around the year 3000 and a fictional intelligent species called "Moties."  The Moties get their name from the location of their planet, which is in an astronomic formation sometimes called 'the face of god.'  Their home system is near a red giant sun, which forms in the eye of the 'face of god.'  The Moties' planet is around a small, bright star which the humans call the "Mote in God's Eye."   Thus, you get the title of the book, and the name of the Aliens.  

This review will contain spoilers.  SPOILERS!

This book is different from other books I've read in that there is a great deal of focus on the people in positions of power and authority and their decisions and responsibilities.  For this reason the book reads a little like Historical Fiction.  Important Men, members of Aristocracy and Military Leadership, making Important Decisions despite the meddlesome civilians who get in their way.   Lots of patriarchy and general misogyny.  It's not really my taste, but there is enough content that I enjoy to keep me reading through the end.  

I think, perhaps, the book is structured in this way to give it a certain timelessness, as the military/aristocracy/patriarchy resembles any given period of western history, in which important events define the progress of a nation or people.  First contact with an Alien society is always a big deal, and the book treats it appropriately.  This is the sort of book I would prefer to read in a book-club setting, so that I can discuss it between reading.

The political struggle between Humans and Moties is slow moving and massive.  For this reason, it can get boring at times.  I think there is enough political tension in the story that, given to a different set of storytellers, this story could be reborn in a much more entertaining, and equally thought provoking form.    While I don't particularly care for most of the human characters, and some of the pacing of the story, I think the sense of politics and science is pretty strong.  One present theme is the notion of invasive species.

The Empire of Man is in constant struggle to contain its own borders, socially, economically and politically.  They have no idea how regular contact with a new Alien Civilization will affect the tenuous balance of their own civilization.  There is a very real concern that the Aliens might overwhelm them within a few generations even.   This makes me think of the invasive species of plants brought over to the US form Europe after the colonization of America.   Some of these plants and animals have gotten a foothold and taken up resources that once went to native species.

This theme starts out subtly in the book, with the mention that rats are present on Starships, despite every effort to remove them completely, where there is food, there always seems to be Rats.  The rats are perfectly adapted to human society and thus have been able to travel the stars and colonize worlds, riding the coattails of the humans.

Another example is the small 'Watchmaker' creatures of the Moties.  They breed rapidly, they adapt quickly, and become an overwhelming force before too long.  Because they are able to manipulate technology with great talent, they are arguably better adapted to the starship environment than the humans are.  They are able to hide away, surviving on rats, and multiply at great speed until they take over the ship completely.

Then, finally, there is the Moties own society and the possibility of access to human tech.  The Moties themselves are not capable on interstellar travel, and as a result, their civilization is confined, like a volatile concoction in a bottle, frothing and changing over rapidly.  Because of the volatility of their population, the humans determine that they cannot be allowed to leave their system, for fear they will spread and quickly dominate human society.   The book leaves off with the search for a catalyst which might bring calm to the Moties.

This book may be of a finer quality than I give it credit for.  Still, I would like to see another interpretation, using some of the best ideas in this story.  The characters in general are pretty flat and uninteresting, and some of the details in the story aren't as fleshed out as they might be.  But, I've said before that I love it when things give me ideas of my own, and this book has done that.  I may even crank out another post just to further flesh out that idea.

All in all, I recommend the Mote in God's Eye to people who can tolerate dry science fiction for the nutritious, speculative ideas contained within.




-D

The Noises Emanating from Mega Man

I've been playing a bit of Mega Man at this point, mostly due to the fact that over the last year+, Capcom has been releasing each of the Mega Man titles of the NES era (I - VI) and I've been gobbling them up as fast as they are being released.  I do not mean that I have been completing the games mind you, just collecting them in my seemingly growing list of games that I have yet to get to.

I did play a bit of the NES Mega Man (Men?) titles around the time of their original release, but I was never able to beat any of them because of perpetually losing those little slips of paper that contained hours worth of priceless passwords.  Coupled with the fact that I never owned a Mega Man game until I bought Mega Man X from the video store I used to work at before they closed, meant that I had made and subsequently lost a lot of little slips of paper.

So Mega Man, or specifically the sounds that emanate from the game.  Both the sounds that Mega Man himself makes as well as the sounds in the world around him.  I will not cover the music however as that would require additional posts although there is a good chance that they were created by on-in-the-same person.  And, as it turns out the music and sound effects were in fact created by Manami Matsumae.

What I find so fascinating about the sound editing or I guess the foley artist for these games, is how well each individual sound effect works not only in this futuristic world, but how these authenticity of the sound effects are not questioned.  I have never gone through a play session in any of the Mega Man games and thought, "I don't think that's what an ball of propelled energy would sound like when it hits a robot made of who-knows-what-type of alloy.  I simply accept it as fact that that is what an energy blast would sound like when it comes into contact with a metallic robot.

I have fired a couple of firearms in the past, specifically 12 and 20 gauge shotguns and two different types (??) of .22 caliber rifles.  That is it.  I know what those are supposed to sound like both with and without ear plugs.  10 feet and a mile away, I know what a shotgun blast sound like.  If I hear that sound, I know what is making it and I do not question its authenticity.  The same way that when I hear that characteristic "brrzzzp" sound, I know that I am hearing an energy blast from Mega Man's arm cannon hitting its target (most of the time anyway).

Even the other sound effects, such as the sound Mega Man makes when he jumps, that obvious "brdrp" sound whenever he lands.  Without that little sound, the game might run the risk of sounding empty, incomplete.

Finally, the last sound effect that I want to touch on is the "explosion" when you die (enemy fire, pit, spikes).  It's that "Dgewdgewdgewdgew" sound.  No grandiose sounds explosion of flesh, oil, electricity/nuclear fusion (or whatever it is that powers Mega Man) and metal as they shockwave out to the edges of the screen. The sound, like the artistic style of the series, is a very cartoony one, but it is the sound we have come to expect from such a demise.  Even in the SNES era of Mega Man games, the sound is the same albeit updated with a 16 bit sound processor.

Why then this disconnect between the cartoony explosion of Mega Man dying and the "Yeah, I think it would sound like that" when an energy blast hits an enemy?  Maybe it is that we subconsciously are glad about the destruction of the enemy robot horde, but would rather not have our own demise mimic reality.

In the end though, "it's all fun and games until the domesticated robots created to help humanity, turn against us.  Then we'll wait for our blue robotic hero to arise."  That's a real saying, isn't it?

~JWfW/JDub/Jaconian

He Hears The Silence So Loud

First Impressions: Scalped (Comic Book Review)

Scalped is a comic book series taking place in present day, on the fictional Prarie Rose Lakota Reservation between Nebraska and South Dakota.  I've read two volumes out of 9 published in 2011.  The series is composed by Jason Aaron with art by R.M Guera, John Paul Leon, David Furno and more.   The genre is crime drama (noir), and if it were made into a TV series, it would be compared with shows like Breaking Bad, The Sopranos and Deadwood.   

I wasn't sure what to make of this series after reading the first graphic novel.  I'm a little tired of the adjective 'Gritty' and this series is very gritty.  No heroes to be found here, just anti-heroes and villains who are somewhat sympathetic.  Also some unknowns and straight up bad guys.  Granted, I kind of like moral ambiguity, and maybe that's what keeps me reading.  Also, I really like the fact that the story takes place on an Indian Reservation and 90% of the characters have lived there  their whole lives, and families for generations.  This is a setting that is sorely underrepresented in popular culture.  Sorely.  So Scalped got in the door just for that, and even though it's an ugly gritty crime drama, I decided to stick it out.

I'm glad I stuck it out.  By the end of the second issue, there is more character development, and I have myself a new favorite character.  He'll probably be your favorite character too.  The sympathetic villain is becoming more sympathetic, but no less villainous.  The grittiness is expanding to include the banalities of abject poverty.  I'm really glad this is coming into the story more, because everything I've ever read or been told about life on Indian Reservations is that it can be very hopeless for the inhabitants.  Again, I repeat, sorely unrepresented in popular culture.

Now, I think it's important to point out that the writer, Jason Aaron is not Native American.  He's a white guy from Alabama.  But so far, he's a great writer, and has a really good sense of the gritty crime-drama motif and how to build a rounded cast of characters.  I do think that it is problematic for a white guy to be writing about the struggles of a people not his own, a people colonized by Europeans.  However, as I mentioned before, the subject of life on the Rez is sorely underrepresented, so at this point I think I'll just take what I can get.  And to his credit, I think Aaron is very respectful of his subject, and tries to give a well rounded variety of points of view.  But, of course, that's just the opinion of another some-white-guy, you can take it or leave it.  With any luck, stories like these can get more attention which may lead to a positive change.  One can only hope.

So would I recommend giving Scalped a look?  Yes.  So far, midway through book 3, Scalped has a dynamic and interesting cast of characters, fantastic art that I sink right into, and a light enough touch of mysticism to pique my interest, without laying it on too thick.  Also, yes, there are some scalpings, mafia style.  I picked up my copies at my local library, and I suggest you do the same.

-D



P.S.  If super-gritty-noir isn't something you want to see, but you're still interested in modern life on Indian Reservations, you should check out this clip for a much more family friendly version.  

(The book that the linked movie is based on is a lot grittier)

A Bit Of A Rant

I haven't ranted in a while.  I don't really "rant" all that often come to think of it.  Unless it's about Dinosaurs, or being told that Dinosaurs were created by the devil (Satan/Lucifer) to pull people away from the one true god (God/Yahweh), but today I feel a bit of a rant.

First off, what the hell is up with the headlines on every other video that people decide to put up on facebook.  I've done my fair share of posting videos or articles that I find interesting, but the recent trend (recent as far as I just started noticing anyway) is pretty annoying from the perspective of my blown up head or how my belief system will be changed by this one thing.

Just Thought It Was Water. When I Stepped Back, My Jaws Dropped! (sfglobe.com)

These 21 Pictures Are Not What You Think. They Will Blow Your Mind! (viralnova.com)

 An Artist Reimagined Disney Princesses With Different Races And The Results Will Blow Your Mind! (eonline.com)

They Pulled Over And Started Playing For The Cows - I Can't Believe What Happened Next! (blog.petflow.com originally titled "Jazz for Cows" on youtube)

5 Mind Blowing Easter Eggs Hidden In  Famous Publications (cracked.com)

The Groomsmen Surprise New Bride With An Epic Dance Set! (youtube.com)

You get the idea.  I understand that the point of these headlines is to invoke enough interest  for people to without giving away the punchline.  I can't believe I have to get angry about this shit!  Actually, I'm not angry, I just wanted to say that.  But I think I'm just more annoyed about seeing how often my mind is supposed be blown or if someone needs to pick up any one of five body parts that have fallen on the floor.  Really, jaws?  As in more than one?  And to be clear, it's not the people posting the videos and articles that I'm annoyed with, but the headlines being overly dramatic.

The second part of my rant, which is not related to the first rant, is actually topical to our reason for being out here in the Netlands.  Nintendo's 3DS.  Specifically the people who own a 3DS or even the 2DS for that matter.

Besides any one of the PAXs, where are you all located!?

Back in August of 2012, Conklederp and I saw "Weird Al" perform in Seattle and naturally I took my 3DS along just to see if anyone else had as well.  I streetpassed with four other people there.  Last month when Conklederp and I went to the Final Fantasy: Distant Worlds performance and when John Williams conducted the Portland Symphony, I again took my 3DS as I figured there would be at least one like minded person at either of these events.

Nothing.  Not a sausage.  Bugger all.

Now granted, I don't go out a whole lot, but even the last few times I've gone out to the local arcade bar Ground Kontrol, nothing.  Do people just not have or play 3DS' anymore?  The last few times I've been out in public, for any number of reasons, I've seen kids with their parents playing games or watching video using either their own or their parent's phone.    

Is this where portable gaming is going?  This is probably a question for another post although it's not a new question.

I guess that's not really much of a rant either.  Maybe I'm just not capable of fulling ranting, especially while online.  I guess that's what you would expect coming from a person who is physically incapable of frowning.

~JWfW/JDub/Jaconian

I Was A Doubter Just Like You

Book Review: Extinction Point

Extinction Point by Paul Antony Jones is where we will spend this Tuesday (because of work getting the better of my time yesterday).  What initially drew me to this book was that I was browsing what books I could borrow on my Kindle (product review to be coming later) using the "Kindle Lending Library" (more on that with the product review).  I believe that I have mentioned before that I am somewhat of a sucker for the apocalypse genre and when I read in the description that ". . .every living thing on earth succumbs to a swift bloody death.  Yet Emily Baxter, a young newspaper is mysteriously spared - and now she's all alone" I knew that I was hooked into checking this book out.  I knew that there was going to be more to the story than that portion of description as "alone in a post-apocalyptic world" is something that I have already read and would be damn near impossible to top.

On with the show!

Extinction Point follows mid-20-something journalist Emily Baxter, formally from small town Denison, Iowa and is currently living in New York.  She lives in New York and works at the New York Tribune (a fictional modern day newspaper that is somewhat based off of the real New York Tribune by name and probably the New York Times by proximity).  Emily Baxter lives in an apartment on the 17th floor in New York.  In case you were not paying attention, this story takes place in and around, but mostly in, New York City in the great state of New York.  I honestly felt that I was beaten over the head with the obvious stick a lot during the first quarter of the book.  The reader is told about how "the smells of New York City washed over her" followed by a "page" later by "an offer from the New York Tribune. . ." and four "pages," you are reminded that "she could see the daily bustle of life in New York City continuing as it had for countless years."  I felt that I did not need to be reminded every few pages that the story was taking place in New York City.  Maybe this goes back to the "show don't tell" thing.  

Keeping with Captain Obvious, especially in the first chapter, I felt that the author was using extra words where the were not needed.  Extra words like ". . .pulled out her smartphone" (we can assume that being a reporter she has a smartphone and unless the author wanted to say which specific smartphone, the "smart" is not necessary; ". . .an astonishingly good BLT sandwich" (I think it is safe to say the majority of people reading this book will know that a BLT is a sandwich); ". . .wireless Internet signal" (since in the same sentence it is stated that Emily is using her computer, I feel like the reader knows that in order to use the internet she will use the cafe's internet and not ask for their ethernet cable); ". . .clicked on her email client" (the author could have just said "opened her email").  I realize I am probably being nitpicky, but all of this was just in the first chapter and I was initially sad that I might have checked out a book that was going be this overly descriptive about obvious places and actions.

As it turned out, the book was progressively written better, although I occasionally still felt that I was being reminded where the story was taking place.  It takes place in New York, in case you skipped to this paragraph before reading everything else above.  There were a number of times that the character of Emily Baxter did things that I thought were dumb/stupid/ill-thought-out, but after I decided that that was part of the character's personality and the way that she thought about how to approach being alone in a city the size of New York (He said it again!)  While I may decide that I would go to a sporting good store for food that I would take on a bike trek instead of going to Whole Foods or taking a crossbow instead of a shotgun, that's just me being different than this 20-something girl who grew up in Iowa.

My last criticism is a bit of a spoiler, so I will not go into too much detail aside from that I felt that some descriptions could have been lifted straight out of Dead Space.  No, the book and story do not take place in space or in the future and it does not include necromorphs. . .sort of.  Okay I lied, so necromorph-like creatures happen in the book.

The thing had eight spider-like legs; each leg was articulated by four bulbous joints that gave the creature a lopsided, almost limping gait.  The end of each leg was tipped by a scimitar-shaped claw, tempered to a point, and made the creature look as though it were standing on tiptoes.  The top of each leg attached to another bulbous extrusion much like a human shoulder joint, and that joint was in turn attached to a long corkscrew-shaped body.

Extinction Point (Jones, Paul Antony) Location 2571

You get the idea.

In the end, I finished the book in just over a week.  For what it is worth, Extinction Point is a good summer book.  I was not looking to be intellectually stimulated or have my mind blown by a mind blowing epiphany.  I was looking to be entertained, and once I got through the first couple of chapters, I was able to enjoy the book without being annoyed by the character.  I was annoyed occasionally by her choices in survival tactics, but I feel that just means that I am invested in the character.  Maybe?

So would I recommend Extinction Point by Paul Antony Jones?  Sure.  If you have a Kindle and with Amazon's Prime service you can check it out for free.  If you have a library card and it is available at your local library, you can check it out there too.  The eBook price is also quite attractive.  I do not know if I would pay full paperback/hardback price for the book though and if I did, then I might feel let down.  If you did enjoy this book, then you will be ecstatic to know that there are two sequels titled Extinction Point: Exodus and just published in April of this year, Extinction Point: Revelations.


~JWfW/JDub/Jaconian
In The Silence Of The Darkness

First Impressions: The Mote in God's Eye (Book Review)

The Mote in God's Eye was written in 1974 by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle.  There are 560 pages in the paperback edition I checked out from the library.   I chose this book based on some echo of a memory that it was a significant sci fi book that maybe I'd like to read.  The cover has praise from Robert Heinlein (Stranger in a Strange Land, Starship Troopers) and is described as 'the acknowledged masterpiece' of the team, a story of Mankind's first contact with an Alien Species.

This is an interesting book, different from what I usually read.  It's really detail oriented, and military oriented, which sometimes makes it hard to read.  It can be little bit of a slog.  But when I am able to hang in there, there's some really cool sci fi.  It reminds me a lot of Star Trek, there's even a Scottish chief engineer (...and a Scottish midshipman and Scottish Ensign, and an entire planet of New Scotland).

As in any good science fiction, there is fictional technology involved. The important technology to the human race is hinged around what is essentially warp drive, and a force field which helps to cool down the ship upon return from warp drive.  These are the defining technologies of the human race, and enabled interstellar travel and colonization.  Beyond that, there are lots of primitive mechanical technologies that seem pretty simplistic next to a different interstellar sci-fi world, like Star Trek.  No transporters, inertial dampeners or tractor beams to be found.

In addition, the social development in the book is highly limited.  As opposed to a world like Star Trek, the Navy is made up entirely of Men.  The same can be said for the science teams.  As of this point in the book, there is only one Human female in the story and at least a dozen named Male characters.  At times it seems as though this book has more in common with a classic seafaring novel of the 18th or 19th century,  (never my favorite genre) as opposed to a progressive science fiction series like Star Trek.

Some of the character's assumptions about the aliens are pretty boneheaded as well, they keep assuming they are mutations or somehow crippled.  But it is fun to hear them be so far off the mark, and sit, smug in my assurance that the writers will reveal the truth to be much more interesting.

I am about a hundred and fifty pages in, however, and things have gotten really interesting.  The high level of detail is an asset when talking about a new species of Intelligent Life.  They deeply consider the alien's physiology, technology and social order.  The writers release information slowly, leaving me hungry to learn more.  The detailed treatment of the scientific exploration of a new intelligent species along with their careful unfolding of such information helps me to get through their, otherwise unappealing and rather primitive sci fi world.

This book isn't quite what I'm used to.  I am eager to read more, but they are dragging it out a bit.

-D

Monthly Update: May 2014

First off, apologies on two fronts.  Front 1: I should have had my monthly update up over a week ago, back on the 2nd, which was my first post for this month.  Front 2: This post should have gone up (again) on Monday (5th), but I've been busy doing stuff that I'll get into once everything is finished.  Yes, I am being intentionally cryptic and no, there are no dead bodies.  Yet.

So what's going on in the gaming world?  I'm asking you because I don't rightly know.  Probably not something that I should be outrightly admitting as the Doctor and I strive to maintain a video game and related culture presence here in the interspaces.  But, if you are a frequent reader, you may have already come to that conclusion by now.  I know what it is that I've been playing recently (The Elder Scrolls Online, Final Fantasy VII, Mirror's Edge, Bioshock 2, Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box and Assassin's Creed), but with the exception of ESO, which I've previously talked about somewhat extensively so there is presently no need to cover that game again; at least not right now.

This month of May will probably look a lot like the previous month with the aforementioned games being played.  Oh yes, I was introduced a few weeks back to a couple of mobile phone games that will possibly have their own posts later in the month.

I've also been reading less than I usually do due to a change in work happenings.  I did purchase a Kindle Paperwhite early last month so I'llt put up a product review about that as well as the "perks" that come along with having an Amazon Prime account at the same time and I promise that I will do my best not to write a commercial.

I will also try to get up a couple of Game Score posts although I have yet to choose which games I want to highlight.  If you are one for music, the good people over at Extra Credits have begun doing a weekly segment highlighting a video game remixing musician.

That's really all I want to say right now and I should stop before the inevitable ramble starts to happen and pushes you, the reader, away from us.  So have a pleasant weekend and we will see you all in the coming days.


~JWfW/JDub/Jaconian
Are Motives So Important Anyhow?

May, I update this month

I just logged into steam for the first time since March 27th.  That's a full month with no Steam.  Wow!  I think that's the first time I've had a run like that in years.  So that's new.

The lack of Steam Account time is based on two things:  One is that I got a new job!  Pretty happy about that.  But it has forced me to shift my time around, and I've pretty much cut video games out entirely, except for Two:  Zelda Classic.  Specifically, Zquest, the editor for Zelda Classic.  I'm still happily placing tiles and designing maps, albeit at a slower pace.  I'm also reading more, which makes me happy.  Currently reading: 'The Mote in God's Eye,' a science fiction novel about first contact with an alien species.

I'm gardening more, because I like it and also because my new job is at a Garden Nursery.  It's a great job, but it doesn't pay well;  I'm barely scraping by.  So in the back of my mind, I'm thinking about finding a better-paying job.  In the meantime, I'll hold tight where I am, and be thankful I have a job I like going to.  

Finally, just two days ago, I got my cat back!  My Mom had been keeping him for the last six months since I lost my job.  It's really great to have him back, he's soft and cuddly as he ever was.  He has to contend with two other cats and the Great Dane/Pit Bull puppy that we have living at our house, so for now he stays in my room.  I'm hoping he will develop a repor with these animals before too long.

Alright, so that's my update,  Sayonara!

-D

First Impressions: Mirror's Edge & Bioshock 2

Dr. Potts has already talked a bit about Mirror's Edge so I won't go into a whole lot of detail about the game, just my general thoughts after having played for just about four hours.  And last month (technically in March), SneakyTiki got me Bioshock Infinite for my Nameday so that influenced me to have a go at Bioshock 2 and after five hours, I would like to talk at you about it.  Yes, I ended a sentence with it.  Again.

I can fully understand the appeal of this game as it fulfills one of the core reasons why I play video games: Mirror's Edge allows me to do something I cannot do in real life.  

Presently, I have played through the tutorial and, I think, the first four levels.  The tutorial threw a lot at me, almost too much for my liking.  I agree with Dr. Potts that Portal does a better job of introducing the player to game mechanics and I feel that the tutorial stage should have been a whole series of levels and not just a series of jumps (good, now you know that one), wall climbs (now you know that one), falling rolls (good, you didn't die, moving on) and wall-to-wall jumps (did you accidentally make it up the wall and not really know what you did, that's okay, moving on).  And that's just dealing with the terrain.  You are also given a very rudimentary crash course in assailants, disarming said assailants and avoiding them.  The tutorial/training course takes maybe 10 minutes and at the end, I feel like the game expects that I now have a firm grasp on being able to complete the game.  Not true, at least in my case.

So far, I get the impression that the game is broken up into sections.  First, there are the sections where you are chased by Blues (coppers) and shot at extensively by them and helicopters.  I somewhat understand them being included so that the player doesn't linger and they add a sense of urgency to get through the stage.  The down side is that I am not having fun.  I feel like these stages I could play in any first person video game and are not special to Mirror's Edge.  The other sections are chase stages, where you have to get from point A to point B while following someone who is just a hair faster than you.  There is still that same sense of urgency, but instead of being shot at, you run the risk of losing sight of your target.  This is what is keeping me playing the game, to have the chance to free run through a level with the only threat of death being my own stupidity as I jump a fence only to fall thirty flights down and hear by bones shatter and body splat as it greets the pavement.

One very interesting thing that I had to do with the game was lower a lot of the video settings.  This game came out back in 2008 and I would like to believe that my laptop is capable of running a game that was released four years before  the components were created could handle the graphic requirements.  Initially I had "everything" turned up to max (except Anti-aliasing which was at 2x), but I began experiencing sever lag whenever I was being shot at by more than one source.  The skipping/lag became so bad that I was unable to time my jumps, which is a rather important ability in a game that centers around parkour.  I then went back into the settings and turned down texture detail and graphics quality to medium and was forced to turn off anti-aliasing and "phy sx" support.  I can now play the game while being shot at by five coppers and a helicopter without having to worry if the game is going to start skipping as I approach that highlighted red board leaning haphazardly over the side of the building leading me to that other building across the street and two stories down.

Oh, and lastly, I have noticed, perhaps not too surprisingly, that I get motion sickness after playing for about 3o minutes.  The effect is more pronounced when I play on my laptop, but on the TV, I can play for about an hour.  So there's that too.

I won't talk to much about Bioshock 2 as I ended up talking more about Mirror's Edge than I had planned and I don't feel like editing down or breaking this up into two posts.  In short, I am very much enjoying Bioshock 2.  I have played about five hours and after the initial disorientation at the beginning, I am having a lot of fun.  I enjoy being back in Rapture and once I figured out that the prologue takes place before the first Bioshock and then the rest of the game begins after those events, I was able to enjoy the game even more.

What I find interesting, is that I had a preconceived notion/impression that Bioshock 2 received bad reviews.  That people did not like taking control of a Big Daddy, that the gameplay was redundant of the first game, that the story did not offer anything new to the world of Rapture and that the game needed a constant internet connection all played towards the game being a disappointing followup to the masterpiece that was the first Bioshock.

As it turns out, at least according to Wikipedia, Bioshock 2 was actually a very good game that expands on the universe.  As is the case with any game, there are going to be negative reviews so maybe that was where my pre-playing impression originated from.  So it turns out I am not as alone as I thought I was going to be by stating that I am currently liking what Bioshock 2 has offered in the way of story, game play, voice acting and music.  It feels good to be back in Rapture.

~JWfW/JDub/Jaconian

While I Look Around For My Possibility