[clear]
This is where Kotaku readers go to talk about the stuff we’re not already posting about. Think of it as the official unofficial Kotaku community forum.
See Games Differently
Now you can get the top stories from Kotaku delivered to your inbox. Enter your email below.
By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Comments
1,969 responses to “Talk Amongst Yourselves”
Whoo! New TAY!
One I can actually find!
That’s crazy talk.
Only a little crazy
Started the Mark Serrels Patented Phantasmagorical Porridge Breakfast Diet today!
Are your taste buds in a state of pure ecstasy?
It was alright but I didn’t have anything to add to it like fruit or whatever so it was a bit bland.
To the supermarket mobile! (AKA The Car)
High fibre? Your gonna shit right for weeks!
Shit Right would be a great name for a high fibre cereal
Woo I also!
Well tomorrow anyway.
Assuming I get up not 5 mins before/after I have to leave for work.
Ugh, Back to Work today. /o\
Also, I finished AssPirates last night so now I need a new game to play. WHAT DO!??
Just finished SMT4.
I was hoping that the Bravely Default demo would last me a month until it came out here.
The Demo has enough content to last 30 days, right???
It last me for a month, but I only played it during train commutes.
Want to borrow new little king’s story when I’m finished with it? It’s very similar to pikmin
I think I might actually start playing Disgaea D2 properly. Really want to play it.
No, little king’s story! *shakes fist*
D=
@dc
Is New Little King’s Story actually any good? The reviews for it are all average, but I quite liked the first game on the Wii (even though I haven’t finished it yet). Should I get it?
if you liked it on wii, you’ll like it on Vita. Same game with a few problems fixed
I abandoned the Wii play through years ago, just after boss 3. Vita version took a little bit of getting used to, but I’m just about to finish it now. Was definitely worth the cost of PS+ admission.
Wait, was that on PS Plus? I should have bought a PS Vita a while ago…
Yeah, I got PS+ around the PS4 announcements, when there was the buy 12 months get 15 promotion (August or September?). Didn’t get a Vita until recently, but I had been ‘purchasing’ the free games every month.
I’ve had PS Plus since then too! Should’ve claimed those free games!
That ending…
That. Ending.
What about it?
Have you finished it/do you care about spoilers?
I have finished it. Started going through again to just experience the story, and not be constantly distracted with the world!
The third act when you’re all “I’m an Assassin” was pretty bogus. It felt completely contradictory to the story they were telling and the game play they were employing up to that point. I can overlook the game play not fitting anymore, I mean I’ve got no problem with Nathan Drake committing genocide, but it just felt like a bad fit in this instance. I was hoping Edward would just stay neutral and keep being the audiences voice in cut scenes when he calls the whole feud thing for what it is: nonsense.But then there’s the “RL” stuff. Hoooooooooooooooooly shit. Terrible. Again it felt halfbaked, which I think is evidence of them wanting to ditch all of this stuff. The sage being the same person forever? Terrible. The giant baby face from Matrix 2 scene followed by the over the top use of the word “fuck”? Laughable. Sean and Rebecca? Get rid of them. They were the weakest characters in the Desmond games, we don’t need them anymore. There was just so much nonsense to the RL stuff this time that it almost made me forget how much I enjoyed the pirate stuff.Don’t get me wrong, all the pirate storylines? Two thumbs way up. When you were hanging out in Nassau or building your pirate cove it was glorious. And whenever the Assassins V Templars came up in the beginning, Edward was just so great at not giving a shit. It sounds like I hated the game but I really, really enjoyed it. It just got so bogged down in the old problems of the preceding games that those problems really show through.Y’arghh.
First off: apologies for taking so long to reply.
Furthermore:
I was happy with the 3rd act, but it could’ve had a much better transition, rather than Edward gets drunk & depressed.The sage being identical over time was fine for me, but I’m a sucker for a twist. On paper the RL sections looked good. In practice? Not so much. If they keep adding modern day sections to the franchise they desperately need to have an option to skip them. Maybe not on the first playthrough, but definitely subsequent ones. I’m replying AC4 for Edward, not employee #3627481.
After everything, I keep giving this series a pass because of how much I love the games. 4 could’ve bombed but I still would be getting AC5 on release because I love jumping to these different time periods and running on ALL OF THE ROOFS!
You working again? That’s awesome! 😀
You’ll pay for this, MONDAY….!
*shakes fist*
I’m all jittery and unable to concentrate because I have three separate projects under consideration at different publishers. Help! Send calm pills.
How are you going?
Wooo! That’s awesome news, my friend! Hope it all goes your way!
I don’t know why I do this to myself. I’m so anxious.
Morning TAY,
If any of you guys wanted to write your 2013 Game of the year articles for Pixel-Otaku (Potaku) the deadline is January 10th*.
Here is the list of categories to use if you’re interested : http://www.pixel-otaku.com/updated-2013-goty-awards-with-bonus-category/
*From the now older Pants Man.
If you just wanted to read other people’s entries there are lists on this page from Shiggy, Redartifice, Hellscream(beardy), Powalen, Jimu and Alex.
http://www.pixel-otaku.com/tag/game-of-the-year/
Just came in here to post this. You’re on the ball, Masha!
I would like to, but I only played three games from last year. So I’d just be mentioning them over and over and over, and complaining about how they aren’t Dark Souls.
@alexpants if this appeals to you, I’ll do it. Otherwise, know that at least, I considered trying to try.
I only played 4 games from 2013, so we’re in a similar situation.
My problem at the moment is just trying to write anything.
I leave the decision in your hands, partly because I’d like to see how much you could shoehorn Dark Souls into the thing.
Okay. Imma do it.
Where do I send it?
PS: I worked Dark Souls into nine categories. NINE.
So where do we send it?
I think you can just use the contact form on the site.
(sorry for the late reply)
I’d contribute, but I have only played one game that came out in 2013. (Bleed)
So my list is:
The Late Starter Award for Best Game That Didn’t Come Out This Year: Katawa Shoujo
The “Why The Hell Did They Release This Garbage” Award for Super Shittiness: Bleed
Most Bomb-Ass Character: Wryn from Bleed
Coolest “HOLY SHIT” Moment: Pretty much anything from Bleed. So much slow-mo.
Most Kick Ass Multiplayer: Erm… next category.
The “This Music is Making Ear Love to Me” award for Best Soundtrack: Bleed
Keanu Reeves “Whoa” Trailer of the Year: Titanfall, I guess? I don’t watch a lot of trailers.
The Outta Left Field Award for Most Surprising Game: Bleed
Best Use of Your Money Award for Best DLC: NEXT!
The “Someone Painted This With A Goddamn Rainbow” Award for Best Art Style: Bleed
The most Dick Kickingest Game of the Year: Bleed
Thank you for wasting your time.
All you people complaining about going back to work! I’ve been at work the whole time!
…he says, crying into his tea.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Hi Pants! I don’t go back to work until mid February!
What do you mean that doesn’t help you?
The tears.
They do not stop.
Weird thing happened on the way to the gym this morning. On two separate occasions strangers stopped their cars to offer me a ride. I appreciated the gesture, but the whole stranger danger message stuck well and truly a while back. Still, beats the guy who gave me the finger the other day for no reason. Haha!
Were you walking down the middle of a highway or something…?
Also, check your clothes to make sure no one stuck a “FREE AND WILLING ASS” sign on your back before you set off.
To get to my gym I’ve got to walk past a lot of post apocalyptic urban decay. That’s half the fun. I like to pretend I’m Rick Grimes on the look out for walkers. Maybe they thought I was stranded in the middle of no where? XD
Did you turn and look at the cars as they rolled up? Might of thought you were selling or something
This heat does weird things to people.
Dammit @markserrels – I discuss one article you write with my girlfriend and now she’s going out and buying me oats and stuff. Thanks for attempting to make my life better, jerk. :p
You should have discussed one of his Occulus Rift articles
I already talk waaaay too much to her about Star Citizen and Project Zomboid; I fear adding another awesome geeky technology item might push the envelope too far.
Morning Peeps. In at the ski field, and damn does it live up to the Japanese reputation. Even the snow here is polite. It’s constantly snowing lightly, but it’s just super duper pretty, and means that there’s this soft lovely powder over everything. Also, I walked around Tokyo in just a T-shirt, and I think the locals thought I was mad. Finally: New TAY, wooo!
I’m going to Japan in a couple of days, and people keep telling me about all the warm clothing I need to wear. I think I’ll just take your advice- let’s all walk around Tokyo in T-shirts!
Nice, you ever ski’d before? Powder is much different to Australian slushie, a dream to float on. 🙂
Yeah, skied a lot in Australia (Canberran so I was up every weekend in some winters), and I’ve been to Canada twice, and Italy and Switzerland once each (braggy brag brag)(and the Switzerland trip included some Italy stuff because we were at the border). It’s really nice, but my knees are not coping.
T-shirt Tokyo! *highfive*
Just a T-shirt? No pants? I can’t see how that would anger the locals.
I can’t login at work because my account had been deleted. My account has been deleted because I was supposed to finish work on Dec last year. Now I need to fill out forms. prove that I am who I say I am and prove that my finish date was extended.
This would usually be a difficult task, but put in the fact that it’s just after Christmas holidays and no one wants to do anything. So here I am twiddling my thumbs waiting for people to actually do work.
“Don’t worry Jesse, just show up Jan 6th and it will be all sorted”. Why do I always listen to idiots.
*headdesk*
…
*headdesk*
*headdesk*
*headdesk*
As long as you get paid to TAY, nothing else matters.
You have a completely legitimate excuse to do no work and be paid for it.
I’m back too! Helloooo TAY.
So that Rocksmith, huh. Who has it and can recommend it?
I’ve got it, got it for Xmas on PS3 it’s fun and really cool but you gotta commit to it, like a real instrument it takes time to learn and play
So, Guitar Hero it aint, then!
Cool. I ordered one from JB Hifi online last night and can’t wait to check it out. Speaking of Guitar Hero, it’s quite sad how the franchise has died off since 2010 due to over-saturation or what not. It was kinda great back in the day. Sad face.
It truly was one day I hope they bring it back but I doubt it
@greenius
Played guitar/bass before? I’ve been playing guitar for a few years but I still found it fun. I bought it mainly as a really easy way to learn songs and also discover some bands and songs I may not have heard of otherwise. Since I’ve played guitar before a lot of the lessons and techniques are nothing new to me but I would’ve loved something like this when I started out.
Let’s hope you bought Rocksmith 2014 and not the original because 2014 is so much more better! Better layout, more song variety and it’s just better than the first in pretty much every way. I got 2014 in November or so but I liked it so much I went and got the original anyway so I could import its songs into 2014 (gotta pay a small fee though).
If you have any other specific questions just lemme know!
@beavwa
I definitely ordered 2014 edition, good news.
What platform? I’m playing on PC so the Rocksmith song import tool (that lets you play Rocksmith songs on 2014) requires that you own the original Rocksmith on Steam and you also need it in order to buy Rocksmith’s original DLC. So even though Rocksmith’s DLC works on 2014, Steam doesn’t let you purchase any unless you own Rocksmith 🙁 (it comes up with an error, it’s a Steam issue though).
On consoles I think you just need a save game from Rocksmith in order to buy the import tool. It’s $10 on PC but I don’t know what price it’ll be on consoles. Pretty cheap for like 50 more songs though!
PS3, it arrived today. Initial impressions: not as straight forward and easy to pick up as Guitar Hero. Not as addictive either. I have a little experience with guitar already (been playing since I was five) and I’m not sure as to just how the game will adjust to my style accordingly. So far, the lessons suck – I just want to jam. I’m sure over time I will grow to enjoy it though.
How are you finding it now?
You can just completely skip the lessons and go straight into “Learn a Song” which is essentially just play a song mode. It starts off super slow and easy and it’ll get progressively harder with more notes depending on how well you play what’s shown. It’s pretty good but what I usually do (and this is kind of hidden and not really explained IMO), is go into Riff Repeater, select the whole song and just set it to around 50 or so difficulty, so there’s a lot more notes and progression doesn’t feel as slow.
I don’t really bother with the lessons but they’re good for learning the symbols the game uses to describe each technique (which isn’t really explained well either).
What I do is just go through each song and play it and if I like it I’ll use Riff Repeater to learn the riffs and consequently the song and then I just jam between the songs I’ve learnt, while also learning new ones. Session Mode is kinda cool too but I’m too terrible at scales to benefit from it 😛
Hola Tay
Back at work. Yaaaaaay.
A Monday Morning Question: Which Final Fantasy job/RPG career etc would you prefer to your current role?
Blitzball player. Obvious answer.
No.
“I wanna be a blitzball”!
– Some kid in Final Fantasy X/X-2
Fighter or Monk which ever one uses the fists more
Soldier First Class.
Zack, genesis, sephiroth or angeal
Tough pick between Zack and Sephiroth, but I have to go with Sephiroth. He was bad-ass in VII, and seemingly nice guy in Crisis Core.
I would go badass jenova mod genesis, the one with the sword that was also a massive gun
Gotta say Black Mage, if only because of 8-bit theatre.
Spellblade, by far!
PERFORMER
Love Power!
Servant to the Divine Space Rodent.
Wandering Hobo.
That’s what Butz is in FF5, right?
Summoner. Specifically from FFVI, when espers were awesome, and not religious buggery (FFX), didn’t do that FFVIII thing (I’m avoiding spoilers), and had actual personalities.
Either a Blitzball player, or a Chocobo.
Or a blitzball.
-Final Fantasy X/X-2
Professional Triple Triad Player,
RPG career? Citadel Spectre, easy!
I’d be one of those treasure chests that turns out to actually be a monster that wants to eat you.
I don’t know if they have those in Final Fantasy but whatever.
Good morning TAY, back to work in this the follow on year of Luigi.
I really can’t be bothered with it but it needs to get done. My goal this year is to do more things, I’m starting a course in feb as well as most likely going to Sydney in feb! Which will be fun. Also I should be moving in the later part of the year down the coast in Melbourne which is a big step for me.
Other than that how is everyone?
People move TO Melbourne?
I already live in Melbourne! I live in the eastern suburbs but looking to move to the peninsula
Why not, it’s easily this country’s best city!
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHahahahahaa.
Wait, you’re serious…
Brisbane is a shit hole, Sydney has too many people, Adelaide is full of churches, Perth is well Perth, Hobart it’s too fucking cold there all year round, Canberra is full of politicians & Darwin it’s too fucking humid 😛
Agreed on every point.
So this is why I think Melbourne is a good place 😛
Obligatory comment about how Perth is the best city evar and that you are misinformed.
Must be from Perth 😛
As a twitter account reminded me the other day, it’s still the financial year of Luigi.
Year of Luigi is over! 2014 is going to be the year of everyone’s favourite space-travelling blonde heroine.
RosalinaNah, bring on the year of Mouser!
Morning all. I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend. This week promises to be pretty good with BOARD GAMES on Thursday and Numenera on Wednesday. 😀
I’ve been playing Warframe lately and I’ve been enjoying being a space-ninja-badass. Only slightly annoyed at the f2p model but they deserve a bit of money for making a fairly decent quality game.
Also played some Pathfinder at the weekend with me as GM. My party almost died multiple times (including to a bull at one stage) but they survived thanks in part to my being lenient on them. Then again, I suppose pitching 4th-level characters against Hydras and Cerberi and stuff is a little bit overkill.
Needs more bull attacks 🙂
We still gotta discuss who is going where in Numenera, etc…
The barbarian in the party tried to literally grab the bull by the horns as it charged at him. He came off second best. 😛
Although on the flip side, he redeemed himself later and smacked a chariot with his earth breaker (special kind of warhammer) so hard that he cleaved through the horse and broke the chariot. 😛
For Numenera, that will probably depend how many we have on Wednesday. If there are too few of us, we should probably go together.
BOARD GAMES
Also, Numenera! I’d better prep something…
BOARD GAMES!
Given I can’t get Suburbia yet, any recommendations for a new game?
Hive is a two player abstract tile laying game that is quite a bit like Chess. You have a range of different bugs that move in different ways and you are trying to surround the other person’s Queen. It’s shallower than Chess but also much faster and interesting in different ways. The Grasshoppers move like Cannons in Chinese Chess. That isn’t really relevant but I felt like saying it.
I don’t really know what you have or like, so it’s a bit hard to blindly recommend. Maybe The Witches? Based on the Tiffany Aching Discworld novels, you go around Lancre trying to deal with problems to prove that you’re the best witch. If you run into another witch, you have a cup of tea.
Hmm, probably after something big and multiplayer rather than 2p. Was thinking maybe Lords of Waterdeep, which I’ve played and liked, or 7 Wonders.
That makes it a lot simpler.
If you don’t have 7 Wonders, get 7 Wonders. It is easily one of my favourite games and it scales fantastically from three to seven players. It plays quite a bit like a MtG draft (after all, the key mechanic is drafting) but the key difference is that you get to see everyone’s choices after they make them.
It means that there is a great deal of strategy and decision making. The trade and war mechanics tend to make you focus on just your neighbours but sometimes it helps to lift your vision to see that the person on the other side of the table has been fed all of the science cards.
I cannot recommend this game enough.
The expansions are also great value, adding more content and more decisions. Probably not something you need to pick up until you’ve had 10+ plays of the original but something to definitely consider if you keep busting out the base game.
I have played it and remember liking it. Might go to games world and grab it, having a board game night Sat
I’ve been back at work since Thursday, so to all the people starting back today I’d just like to say: Hooray! More people get to
sufferappreciate employment!MultiTAYer Monday tonight takes the frontline and downs a butt-load of vodka in the freezing winter.
That’s right, the Ruskis get the focus, in Company of Heroes 2!
Starts at 8:30pm (VIC, NSW, TAS), 8pm (SA) 7:30pm (QLD), 7pm (NT), 5:30pm (WA).
See you all then, comrades! 😀
Remember, the more, the merrier!
Hello and Happy New year everyone, I been Super Hermiting for a couple of weeks.
I hope all is well with everyone.
Played a bit of Legend of Grimrock yesterday. Did not realise it was a super old school dungeon crawler. Really digging it. Brings back memories of the old Fighting Fantasy books.
Those books! So many memories.
I also had all the Lone Wolf books (and still have those).
Put a deposit on a block of land on the weekend. This adult stuff is scary.
Edit: Timing. Can’t even do days properly. Good first day back at work. Brain not quite here yet.
Congrats!
You can sell camping space for PAX to recoup the money.
That’s disgusting. I hope somebody had one of those little pooperscooper bags to clean up your deposit
A piece of Earth! \o/
NUMENERA: Tales of the Ninth World
OK, are people available for wednesday? i know @Blaghman is in parts foreign. If we’re a little short we could perhaps do a “flashback” one-shot or something.
cc @mawt @popdart5 @novacascade @tech_knight @tigerion @mythamphetamine
You know I’m in. 🙂
I think I’ll be there but probably around 50/50
Have some medical stuff late afternoon so depending on how late they are running I’ll see what time I get home. There is also a boardgames thing on the cards that I think Mrs Tigs is interested in so I’ll see
Damn right I’m in! Scrappa is not going to miss out on any of the action.
I will be otherwise indisposed this week unfortunately. 🙁
i’ll be there.
You’ll be able to tell I’m there by the stench, no doubt.
You still have a small vial of something don’t you?
Huh. Did not know it was illegal to leave your car windows cracked open while it’s parked. Guy in Brisbane just got fined for it.
Edit: law’s even harsher in NSW and VIC. QLD allows 5cm, they allow 2cm.
what if you were ducking into a shop quick and had a dog/child in the car? Or is it illegal to do that too?
I think that’s illegal full stop regardless of the state of the windows.
good thing I’m not a parent, :P. still though that’s a lousy law, should be at owners risk.
One of the most harrowing things I’ve ever read
Fatal Distraction: Forgetting a Child in the Backseat of a Car Is a Horrifying Mistake. Is It a Crime?
That article isn’t for the faint of heart, but is superb. Author won a Pulitzer prize for it.
That’s exactly why I don’t even leave the kids in the car even when just paying for the fuel. Even though it’s three times longer to unpack and pack them than what it takes to duck in and pay.
Don’t think I could handle being responsible for my child’s death. Brother had a friend just very recently who fell asleep while looking after his 2 year old who found its way into the pool.
Oh, man, did they get to the kid in time?
Unfortunately no.
🙁
I read the first page, and had to stop. Too much for me to handle. 🙁
It’s intense, but beautifully written.
“Allows” is the problem. If somebody wants to leave their car window open, even all the way, isn’t that their business? I mean, what if you have a convertible and physically can’t “secure” it (which is the argument they’re using) while away from the vehicle. Does that mean all open-top cars should be fined?
Now, if his car gets broken in to and/or stolen as a result of being not properly secured then that’s an issue between the guy and his insurance company, but I don’t see it as being a matter for the police. Silly silly silly.
In that scenario, there would still be a cost of having to report the theft to the police. That might be why the law exists in the first place, to discourage people leaving their car in a condition that makes it easier to steal. Reduces the cost in time and money to the police for having to do police reports.
Not entirely. If the car gets stolen it then becomes the police’s responsibility to dedicate man hours and money to finding the car and the thief. I get it but it seems like overkill.
Good point, there is the man-hours cost and such. Hadn’t considered it from that point of view. Still think it’s overkill. 🙂
…so if you park a convertible with the top down but the windows up, what happens?
The police officer explodes in a puff of cognitive dissonance.
But the windows are up… but the top is down… but the windows are up… but the top is down… but the windows are UP… but the top is DOWN… *pfffff*
So after getting back into Mount & Blade Warband over the weekend (and talking to @mythamphetamine about it) I figured I’d ask: How many people would be keen on a multiplayer game of War of the Roses? For those that don’t know anything about it, think Battlefield: Medieval. It’s also the spiritual successor to Mount & Blade, but multi only.
If you don’t have it, there’s actually a F2P version. I believe the only limit is that you can’t make custom classes (mix and match weapons, armour etc.).
I actually have that!
But you guys all play way too early for me to be able to join in.
When do you usually get to game? Also, if it’s a game like WotR you can just join in whenever you’re available.
Me!
I have played and enjoyed that game immensely.
However I would reeealy not recommend playing it now, especially if you have not done so before.
Everyone who still plays it is either stupid good or cheating and will kill you in one hit, over and over again, and thats on the one existing aussie server with minimal lag.
It is almost completely unplayable for the un-hardcore.
Hello Tay, I’ve had three weeks off. Now I’m back at work.
Bah buggery hum…buggery.
Mrs Quiz loved Ace Attorney (could only grab Apollo Justice) and original Sam and Max and DOTT/Maniac Mansion and a whole host of other goodies.
I got the book of Hyperbole and a Half, Snuff and Interesting Times by Terry Pratchett, clothes and stuff. I’m a happy man.
Got to play lots with quiz Jr over the last three weeks.
Missed you all.
Have triple digit unread emails in my inbox and lots are marked urgent.
Please send coffee.
The telltale sam & max games are also awesome if she wants more psychopathic lagomorph & laconic dog action
Hello TAY.
So, what have i missed?
I’m 29 this year and I still have no idea what I want to do with my life /o\
Continue it?
I don’t know, man.
It’s a solid, procrastinating option. Maintain the directionlessness!
I’m 31 this year and I still have no idea what I want to do with my life /o\
http://zenpencils.com/comic/98-alan-watts-what-if-money-was-no-object/
But this is the thing. I would do nothing. I would watch movies, play video games and hang out with friends.
How would you feel being a critic, then?
If you enjoy movies and video games and discussing them with friends, surely you know what makes a GOOD video game/movie by now?
So…could you write about what makes a video game/movie bad?
(Please note that I am not a careers councellor. I am an office worker stuck in a suit and tie wishing he could spend days at home playing with his kids and writing award winning novels. I do not write award winning novels. I still haven’t completed my first one. But I dream of doing it.
So all advice should be taken with a mine load of salt instead of a pinch.)
Don’t know how I could go doing something like that. But it’s something I’ve never considered, I suppose. So that’s something to ponder on?
Yeah, it’s a pretty garbage argument. Sure, pointlessly pursuing money can lead to a wasted life but the reality is we’ve got bills to pay, families to support, and there’s a bunch of work that’s necessary for society to function that no one really wants to do. It’s all well and good to pursue your dreams, but I have friends who tried that and all they wound up with was a bunch of debt and a multi-year gap in their resume.
Plus, like you said, a good chunk of us would do nothing. If I won the lottery today and had 10 million bucks in my account, I might keep working for 6 months, tops. After that, I’d sit at home and play video games, probably travel some, etc. If I quit my job to play video games without a multi-million dollar buffer between me and destitution, there’s not a single person who would objectively think that was a wise decision.
Very few people successfully make a living off playing video games and 99.9% of gamers will never have the talent to compete at a level where a decent living can be made.
I know. It’s one of those “Go follow your dreams” arguments that are nice to listen to but are also almost impossible to follow.
All of the people I know who followed their dreams and are fulfilled ended up landing in a career/job/position that was somewhat related to their dreams. Like they aimed for the stars, ended up on Mars and said “That’s close enough”.
Still, I dream of the day I don’t have to wear a tie anymore (metaphorically speaking).
It’s about finding the balance between the dream and practicality.Which is why it’s so difficult to “follow your dreams”.
I’d be happy enough just having a dream in the first place.
Apart from that one where I’m being chased by the gigantic chicken holding a chainsaw and jar of vindaloo sauce who’s furious clucking seems to say “LET’S SEE HOW YOU LIKE IT!!”
I’m 38 this year and only just figured out what I want to do with my life. 🙂
Thanks for the reminder that I’m going to turn 30 this year.
You will still have no idea at 60 mang.
Life has no point, just do what you can and enjoy the ride.
Howdy all. Happy New Year! 😀 I hope your break was fulfilling and longer and generally awesome, and you have some decent plans for 2014!
@alexpants @redartifice @doc_what @shiggyninty
I have done my GOTY 2013. I filled out the comment form on Pixel-Otaku’s site, but that appears to remove all line spacing. How do I email it in, in a more appropriately formatted style?
AHHHH!
If you hold off until after I get home tonight, the folks will be able to send you their new pixel-otaku emails to send stuff to.
…which, as your post just reminded me, I completely forgot to give them access to over the holidays 😛 Worst website guy ever.
I have a pixel-otaku email?
I didn’t make one for you, no 😛
If you really need one, best to talk with the guys about it. I just do the legwork 😛
Nah, I wouldn’t check it. Leave it to the big kids, I’ll just keep doing mah thang.
Ooooh…most intriguing…
You can feel free disregard that blocktext comment in the Potaku comment form, man. (Or not, if you prefer.) I’ll email it through at a later time! 🙂
cc @doc_what @shiggyninty
I saw the other way you sent it, it’s all good man!
Very interesting start to my week. Yesterday, I returned the company car I was using while one of the on-site tech’s was away, and this morning, I picked up my wallet and keys and such, and left for work. Got to work and realized the key had slipped out of my hand and didn’t make the journey to work. The on-site tech needed his car today cos he’s back now. Not long before they arrived at work to pick me up to go get the key, I started getting major pains in my stomach. Went to doctor after driving all the way home to get the key, and discovered I have a viral/infectious stomach bug that I apparently picked up from the Mater Private Hospital while visiting my mum. They know that’s where I got it cos my mum also has the same thing, along with about 100 other people. :\ All this on one of my already lowest pay cycles thanks to public holidays. 3 days work down now. I seriously can’t wait til February!
damn dude, that sux, I hope things improve.
cheers dood. I should be back at work tomorrow i reckon. hopefully what I’ve got from the doc will fight it off quick and reduce pain. Can’t afford not to go in tomorrow!
damn I hate that, I’m on full time now so I get sick days, I was doing casual work before and it really does affect you when you have to have time off, good luck fighting the virus,
🙁
ha, 😛
*hugs*
On the gaming side of the fence, I didn’t really do much over the holiday break. 🙁 Need more time!
I did however get a late Christmas present (a week late lol) of a PS4! So I picked up AC4 and I’ve been pirating on that. Looks quite pretty. Then some more GTA Online to try and unlock the tank.
In other news, I finally compiled my list of console games, into a pile of shame. I’m not even bothing with Steam – it’s a losing battle. Hopefully this can push me to buy less games and play more (120+ on PS3 alone, fuuuuuuck). Also it’d be cool to look back on 2014 and see what I’ve accomplished.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AucHEUCCSOaedHROSjRQLU1KWXFNVjZRQ2UwWl81RkE&usp=sharing
I kind of want to do a pile of shame list like this but I fear for my sanity upon completion 🙁
Yeah, I sat on the rug with my laptop looking at my gf and going “0_O 100+ ….. whoa …” at least five times.
I shudder to think what my Pile of Shame would look like if I hadn’t given all my games away to TAYbies 😛
That’s a problem for July.
I luckily keep myself in check quite well. I usually only buy games <$20 on consoles, and there’s a lot on PS3/Vita that come from PS+.
If you get the chance, try and finish Tools of Destruction.
Very enjoyable game.
Thanks for the tip. I got all of them so I can play in order. 😛
Can I suggest playing something easier, like Lego Batman 2 or Lego Pirates, first? That way you can knock a few games off your list.
Yeah, I have LEGO Batman 1 under-way. But I want to enjoy this in co-op, so I play with my gf. Lots of other things (and GTA online…) happen and no LEGO gets played. 🙁
Having a massive pile of shame isn’t going to help you stop buying games. You already knew it was there and it hasn’t had an impact.
What I recommend instead is take a top 10 (or maybe 15) games from your pile that you really want to play. if you could only play 10 of the games in your pile what would they be?
Then when you are tempted to buy a game compare it to the list and only buy it if it knocks something off the list. My purchasing of random, but it’s so cheap games dropped of dramatically when I did that.
Hell I even got through this latest steam sale with only an extra 18 games and DLC
Oh and pre sale this was my steam pineapple http://www.howlongtobeat.com/user.php?n=Tigerion&s=games&c=list_backlog
It’s more to do with increasing the ‘completed’ pile and having some sort of visual cue for achievement. I’ve probably completed 5 or less games in 2013, and I have to think hard to remember them. Pile of shame will grow if great deals are to be had. 😛
Also, there’s some games that I own (Rayman Origins) that I’m not hyped about at all, but I’ve put them on a pedestal since I think I’ll love them so much. I’m just waiting for a sort of magical time where I can play the game to the full potential… but I don’t know when that will be! D:
Good luck, you should complete that by 2015.
Well, shit. 27 hours eh?
http://www.howlongtobeat.com/game.php?id=5056
Hi all. I went to the Aquarium yesterday with my young cousins. It was pretty cool. There were some massive rays that looked awesome. Also a Salt Water Crocodile that we didn’t know if it was real at first because it was so big and wasn’t moving at all, then we were told it was real and then it did move.
I Dont talk about food often here. but seriously, Anton made the best Potato salad over the holiday period. No Mayo or creamy stuff. Absolutely amazing. I made it last night for part of dinner and am completely still craving more.
http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/type-of-dish/salad-days/warm-potato-salad-with-lemon-and-chive-vinaigrette.html
You should try throwing in some green apples in potato salad.
Does wonders.
Adds flavour and texture.
wut
Maybe we’ll need to implement a “bring a plate” policy for board game nights.
Practical and opportunistic. The best kind of plan.
Last night was awesome. One of my absolute favourite anime series ever, 2006’s Mushishi, got a 45-minute special episode out of the blue. It’s basically more of the same, which in this case means it was amazing. It’s been a while since I re-watched the show so I’d forgotten how much I love it.
I don’t know if it was ever a popular show but it’s one I’d recommend to anyone. It’s a really interesting show because everything about it seems like it should be a series of incredibly creepy ghost stories. However the incredible, ethereal soundtrack gives it the exact opposite tone, making it relaxing and often quite beautiful with no small amount of scenery porn. Additionally each story generally resolves in a positive way, and the supernatural elements really are there to add color and impetus to human side of each situation.
The series is completely episodic and follows roughly the same formula. Ginko, a strange guy with white hair and a smoking problem travels around a sort of fantastical 18th century-ish rural Japan, posing as a medicine seller. As he travels from village to village he encounters people who have various problems caused by Mushi, which are supernatural beings that take all sorts of different forms, anything from insect-sized floating glowy jellyfish-like things to mountains to a shadow that blocks out the sun. Ginko helps solve the people’s problems and free them from the Mushi, often helping them through more human problems at the same time.
There’s a couple of recurring characters who turn up in more than one episode, but there’s no overarching continuity or anything. So if any of this sounds interesting to anyone, I suggest watching the special that’s streaming in a few places as of the weekend to try it out, as it’s one of the better stories. There’s a live-action movie as well (directed by Katsuhiro Otomo, creator of Akira amongst other things) but I haven’t seen it to know if it’s any good.
Right now I’m incredibly tempted to go bust open my storage unit and pull out my DVDs and re-watch it all. Best thing about the special: at the end they announced they’re finally doing a second TV season in April \o/
Sounds pretty cool!
No english dub, I assume?
There’s a dub. I can’t endorse it though, it would feel wrong to watch it dubbed IMO.
You seem to know all about this stuff, so I have a question about dubs. I once had a DVD set where the English dub didn’t match the English subs, not even close. Which is considered the “definitive” version?
The ‘definitive’ version is Japanese dialogue without any subtitles 😛
Generally speaking the subtitles will be more accurate than the dub. The way things are done usually, they take the original language, then translate it. Following that they take the translation and do an adaption of it which attempts to cut down or expand the words spoken so that they can fit into the timing of the dialogue in the show. Generally they try and sync with mouth movements and stuff as well, which is why you often get really stilted-sounding dialogue in anime dubs.
Depending on the localizer they may modify references and jokes to make sense in English in the dub, but preserve them in the subtitles. Subs will often also contain things like honorifics which dubs may drop (though increasingly they don’t do this).
When the subtitles match the dub completely, those are referred to as Dubtitles and are generally looked down on because they are less accurate to what is actually being said. Worst case IMO is where the subtitles are changed to match an accent that’s been added in the dub. For example, standard policy at some point became to dub anyone speaking in Kansai dialect (common in Kyoto and Osaka) with a redneck or hillbilly-style drawl. The reasoning is that Kansai-ben has some similar characteristics to it in terms of how it sounds, I think. It’s very annoying and not very accurate to the Japanese at all (Kansai-ben is a complete dialect for one thing, plus Osaka is a large, wealthy city and Kyoto was the capital until it was moved to Edo/Tokyo, so they’re not exactly hicks)
Thanks, man. Appreciate the explanation – that makes a lot of sense.
The dubtitles thing is one of the many issues I have with games. I can think of multiple examples (the worst I can think of recently was Ni no Kuni) where there’s a JP dialogue track but the ‘subtitles’ are what is said in the dub and it’s often wildly different to the point of actually changing what a character says or how they interact with each other. Ni no Kuni also had accented dubtitles so even though Mr Drippy’s Japanese actor talks in slightly rough standard Japanese, his subtitles are accented as if he was talking like a Welshman. And given that they’re also completely fucking wrong a lot of the time relative to what is actually being said, that made the dialogue mind-bendingly difficult to follow. I know enough Japanese that I basically end up using the subtitles as a guide to fill me in on stuff I’m missing but accented subs or subs that say something completely different make that frustrating and/or impossible. 🙁
I just realized, if you mean the recent new special, then no, that’s subtitle-only. The original series from 2006 is available dubbed.
Ah. I did actually mean the 2006 one so your answer was what I was looking for! I usually prefer dubs just for ease of watching, but if the new special doesn’t have a dub I’ll just watch it all in Japanese so I don’t have to switch.
I’m sure the special will get a dub eventually, but it only aired a few days ago.
It’s one of those uniquely Japanese-feeling shows though. I can understand watching most stuff dubbed but in this case it’s so strongly eastern right down to the music (which uses a lot of South-East Asian instruments – when I’m home from work I shall link some of the beautiful soundtrack) and I just feel like something would be missing in English. Maybe it would still work.
I’m also interested to see if it’s just me that likes it or if the appeal is more universal. It hits a lot of my buttons but I also like some extremely niche stuff.
I’ve been reading a lot on Roman history lately and I discovered that apparently “lime” was a Latin word meaning a series of defensive fortifications, kind of like an ancient equivalent of the Maginot Line. Of course me being me, I imagined a bunch of Romans hunkered down in a fort throwing limes at their foes and the enemy responding in kind with oranges.
I’m bored okay, shaddup.
I like the idea of using a single lime as a deterrent even better.
“Oh shit! There are barbarians at the gate! Claudius, quit fucking around and bring me the lime. The lime. Now! Thank you!
“Hey! HEEEEEEY! Barbarians! Look over here, I’ve got a lime. Yeah, that’s right. Fuck off or I’m going to use this lime on you! Yeah, that’s right. You better run!
“Good work, Claudius. Although next time bring an actual lime instead of painting a lemon green.”
Edit: But supposing they had a pointed stick…?
Hey now, upgrading to sticks is on the point of brinkmanship. Once you have pointed sticks there is no going back and the limes will be brandished without remorse. Brandished I say!
Mutually Assured Splinters.
The enemy is advancing… Men! We will hold the lime! HOLD THE LIME!
*one soldier holding a lime in his hand*
So that’s why the English are limeys.
At lunchtime I bought an Elton John best-of set for my wife. I’m sitting here at work … testing it … and resisting the urge to claim out loud that I’m not the man they think I am at home.
oh no no no?
I’m @rocketman! \o/
*falls over and throws up*
*wakes up in graveyard*
I love Daniel. Not in that way though. XD
Me too. But not that awful song.
That’s the way you mean, right? 😛
Haha, you really don’t like that song?!
No.
I LOVE it.Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is my favourite,
It’s impossible for me to choose a favourite. So many standouts.
We should fire up GTA Online for MultiTAY one of these days…
I’d be up for that! On Ps3 though.
Cool, I’m on PS3 as well. 🙂
I’ve never participated in MultiTAY – but I’m on PS3 too soooooo, more numbers maybe?
I’m in but PS3 too.
Never even tried GTA online 😛 But I’ll join in if I can!
playing with friends is the only way, so many jerks on that game,
Yeah, that’s why I’ve never played.
Can’t watch vid right now, someone describe it? 😀
I’m on pretty often on XBox. Have lvl 1 dude on PS3.
Needs more 360 people, I could do with people to test my new race
I was 360, but have now lent the game to a mate, and might never ask for it back. @nomad and @screamingtofu are 360 folks though… and I’m sure a few others!
Edit: @tofu?
Me too.
Sorry, man. Somehow I missed your comment above. @stickman, too \o/
my mate made the most hilarious race ever, the course is littered with ramps, listening to other people over the headset is hilarious, he’s covered the end of the track in jumps and it’s on an overpass so you can ruin your race with one skew jump so it’s anyone’s race and people were losing their minds over it, so funny.
Wow, that looks cool.
Do I have you on PSN? Add me: Masha2932
If you have a different username to your tay handle just include a short message.
PSN ID is same as my TAY name. 🙂
Mine is batto61, so close to my TAY 🙂
http://socialclub.rockstargames.com/crew/kotaku_australia
Also, bumped @crazyguy1990 up the hierarchy – feel free to start posting things on there.
This Killzone Mercenary game is pretty good. Even though I’ve only played 4 levels. Wish I could play online…
So a large portion of my holiday was devoted to Minecraft, I got the PS3 edition as I’d never played it before. It is the sort of game I could develop a problem with, so many times I wanted to just make a small thing and it ended up getting outta hand, like my house, started small now it’s a monstrous 13 story tower that reaches the heavens. I had to stop myself playing so I got the platinum trophy (usually a good way to get me to stop a game as I feel like I’ve done everything). Such a time sink. I had a big pile of shame lined up for the holidays and played barely any of them.
You’ve started playing Minecraft for the first time? Oh well, it was nice knowing you. =P
Just don’t you dare drag us back into it! I’m clean now!
don’t worry i can only play with ps3 folks so you have nothing to fear. 😛
yep, luckily i don’t know many people playing so It’ll get old fast.
Edit: super reply fail, I’ll just edit that out
Hey, just a reminder! Brisbane meat on Jan 17 at around 7pm-ish. Will be dinner at a nice place!
Hope you guys can make it! I’ll give you more firm details closer to day.
@sughly, @freezespreston, @strange, @transientmind, @gutsoup, @jimu, @popdart5, @welbot, @virus__, @sernobulus, @beardymcmuttonchops, @lambomann007, @dkzeitgeist
Wish I could be there, man! I’ll just send a present up in lieu of company.
You wouldn’t dare! Also, this ain’t a birthday meat, just happens to be a meat around my birthday like the Paranommin’ meat last year!
I would dare! Plus, I have the addresses of about half the folks on that list, so this might work.Play it cool, Shane. Play it cool…You’re right. I probably wouldn’t dare.
Edit: Seriously, though, I won’t. I was joking 🙂
I will try and attend, because it’s your birthday. Also Rick and Morty today 😀
Cool.
I live close to the city again so I can be out until all hours! ALL HOURS, DAN!!!
Ooooh, where you live now? North side? NORTH SIDE?
Back to ol’ richy-rich ‘ville, Ascot.
I lived in Ascot for a while, on Stevenson Street, good times
TAY virgins allowed? I’ve never really ventured in to the wall of comments that is TAY before, and this is what I see.
If you do go, @dc loves human contact so you need to give him constant hugs.
You’ve gotta buy a shirt to fit in.
http://www.redbubble.com/people/dandkzeitgeist
I’ll take eight!
You sound like someone who would appreciate eight of these as well.
Down the hole of shameless self-promotion B-ob goes…
At last, I’m becoming a crafty consumer!
We were all TAY virgins once upon a time.
Then there was a camping trip…But I’m sure you’d be welcome!
I think I remember that camping trip. I bet you can squeal like a pig!
Yeah, @beeawwb – I highly recommend rocking up and greeting these very friendly folk. You can talk about games and TV/movies and comics and shit and they totally won’t mind! Funny, that.
Sounds like a plan. 🙂
I am free that day, actually have the entire day off. Just need to make sure I don’t have any other conflicting plans (e.g. girlfriend hasn’t planned a long weekend away) before I can commit to the date.
I’ll be there!
<3
You know what’s going to be great? MulTAYplayer nights when Mario Kart 8 comes out. And then again when Smash Bros gets released.
For the 2 or 3 people in Australia that own WiiU’s anyway.
I am buying a WiiU just for Smash Bros. Chances are there will be a special edition or something of the sort.
You mean I actually have to turn my Wii U on?
I dunno man…
Wonderful 101 needs some lovin
I gave it my love, it’s others’ turn to share the load.
In before @greenius
Ugh, Cheatalen
I like playing as Toad and ruining everyone’s fun!
/@powalen 😛
I say that surprisingly often
What about that new Mario Party on 3DS?
If it supports online et cetera.
@dc NEWSROOM TALK
I like that the Obama-good Osama-bad episode actually led into some more interesting territory for the story, namely the TMI! hacking scandal, etc. Loved seeing Charlie trying to behave as if he was in a spy movie in the library. Also his head-to-head with Jane Fonda was very dramatic. Have only seen Part One of the Blackout ep. Can’t wait for Part Two!Oh man, that scene in the library made me laugh. That guy totally thought Charlie was propositioning him. XD My favourite character is Sloan. Loved the whole speaking in Japanese/going awol thing.Sloan really irritates me! Mrs Shane and I were discussing this the other night, and we arrived at the conclusion that she is the Ainsley Haines of this show, basically making up female numbers. And fulfilling some weird fantasy by being impossibly attractive and yet so weird and socially awkward that literally anyone might have a shot at her.But what really annoys me is that they don’t seem to have decided just how weird they want to make her. She’s a genius who wants to play down her attractiveness and be taken seriously, and yet takes a troll comment about a big ass deeply personally. I don’t really buy her mistake when she filled in at 10:00 either – she’s still a professional with years of experience, and she knows that off-the-record information is worth nothing. That’s Journalism 101.
In short, I can’t get a read on her character, and it really, really irritates me.
Whoa! Couldn’t disagree more. But am too hot and lazy to write an intricate reply! XD
Fair enough.
She can stay in the show, anyway, because she’s easy enough on the eyes. I’m just really struggling to treat her like a serious character.Edit: more seriously, though, I think Sorkin has a formula for this kind of thing. Check this out. There’s some interesting synergy here:
Professional woman, endlessly capable. Workaholic with little or no current personal life to speak of. Rare mistakes can always be forgiven, and they only happen when personal feelings cross over into the professional realm. Deserves respect beyond attractiveness:West Wing: CJ
Newsroom: Mac
Smart blonde girl who is often competent at her job, sometimes the only voice of reason, often inappropriately loud at the wrong moment, and occasionally disastrously incompetent (because she didn’t follow a traditional career path, and hasn’t had all the relevant training and experience). Prominent in the show mostly because she’s in an unrequited or unfulfilled relationship with one of the main male characters.
West Wing: Donna
Newsroom: Maggie
Intimidatingly beautiful woman with stellar professional reputation who is shoehorned into the cast, and then proceeds to behave weirdly and unpredictably. Has difficulty relating socially to anybody. Hopelessly single, occasionally shows proficiency in flirting, but just as often completely fails to recognise social cues. Comes from another world that the main characters struggle to relate to (either the other side of the political spectrum, or another branch of expertise), which is the pretext for their indispensibility. Sometimes fucks up in the worst ways possible, but is always saved by the men, who rally around her protectively.
West Wing: Ainsley
Newsroom: Sloan
This isn’t meant to be critical. I love the Newsroom, and it’s still one of the best things I’ve ever seen.
Haha! Formula totally fits Studio 60 too. XD
The last one doesn’t fit Ainsley at all.
Sloan is closer to Tobey. The main difference is that she’s really attractive.
Really? I seem to remember her dancing around her office like a loon when POTUS came to visit… 😛
In a bathrobe, no less!
Think about it though, Tobey is a prickly expert that everyone relies heavily on. Ainsley was an outsider that was occasionally useful. There’s a mix of both of them in there, but Ainsley was more coincidentally derpy (and would often punctuate making a good point by going off in search of baked goods) than Sloan who is just kinda poorly written.
In terms of the group dynamic, Sloan is much more Tobey. Admittedly. so is that producer dude but that’s another point entirely.
There’s some really great timing coincidences throughout the two seasons so far.I mean, the NSA source reveals information about widespread hacking, for one.
It’s neat.
hey all, happy new years.
People who Ozgameshop board games: What’s shipping time usually like?
I’ve had blu-rays ordered and delivered within the week.
Shit that’s good. Gonna check for the game I’m after at one more store tomorrow, then if it’s not available will order.
2 weeks is longest I’ve waited.
It was a while ago, but hazy memory makes me think something like 2 weeks?
Each came in a separate parcel.
Under two weeks.
Also Games Paradise has 20% off right now, so their online prices are pretty good (seeing as there’s free shipping for orders over $125).
I saw that, think I’ll grab Pandemic from there while it’s hot. Alas, 7 Wonders is out of stock.
Pretty good with what I’ve found. !-2 weeks is normal.
I wouldn’t worry about shipping times with OGS, I’ve never had a 2 months and maybe it’s on the way situation
Does anyone have @transientmind’s email address? About to send out some info about Japan 2015 and don’t have a way to contact him aside from here
transientmind at das gmails
Heya! It’s same as my username, just with gmail.
I don’t, but I thought I should mention that my sister has expressed some interest in tagging along as well. I’ll confirm how interested she is once we’ve got the details etc.
“Japan 2015” sounds like some cool sci fi movie set in the distant future.
Just wait for the sequel – Kenya 2017
Any takers? 😛
@masha-insertnumbershere-
:’-(
Yes!!!!!
Let’s do it.
We should get shirts made up.
Japan 2015 Australian Tour?
Japan Invasion: Aussie Payback 2015
Should go down okay right?
Mushroom cloud logo and on the back a list of dates and names of sunk ships? I’m sure no one will be offended.
Rock up in Tokyo harbour in a mini-sub
I emailed you back with a couple of things.
Just harpooned a white whale in ac4. It was a piece of piss, no idea what Ahab was going on about
I felt really bad doing the harpooning. I actually stopped doing it and just bought the bones and whatever from the store instead.
Fortunately I’m too dead inside to be that worried.
I am a bit annoyed that you kill something big like a panther or a whale and you get ONE bone. I was initially frustrated thinking that there were all these Englishmen about who have bones in them and who I’m killing anyway but then I remembered that Englishman bones are really only good for making bread
Goddamn. GODDAMN. Love Plus is goddamn eating my soul. Now, I’ve been on a few dates before, lucky enough to be in a relationship or two once upon a time- and y’know, I’ve learned that real-life relationships, the right ones, have a fair amount of flexibility in them. Enough so to make them seem both a steady part of one’s life and a roller coaster.
But Love Plus? Love Plus cages you. You think, ‘Oh, virtual waifus, easy stuff, clickity clickity click boom I win hearts.”
NOOO. NOOOOOOO. REAL-TIME CLOCK MEANS REAL-TIME RESPONSIBILITIES TO YOUR WAIFU, GUY. YOU E-MAIL HER LOVINGLY AND SHIT. YOU CALL HER LOVINGLY AND SHIT. BY ZEUS ALMIGHTY YOU GET ON THE DAMN INTERNET AND RESEARCH WHERE YOU’RE GOING NEXT SUNDAY AT 2. PARK? FUCK THAT NOISE, THE TROPICAL MALL MAID CAFE OR SOME SHIT HAS A BONUS APPLIED TO IT. WHAT BONUS? WHO THE HELL KNOWS.
AND WHAT, YOU THINK YOU’RE GONNA GO OUT WEARING THAT? LOOKING LIKE THAT? WITH A BRAIN LIKE THAT? DICK THAT. YOU GOTTA MAX THEM STATS UP SON, WHICH MEANS MORE TIME-WASTING AND IMAGINARY POINTS SPENT. IT’S ALL ABOUT THEM STATS. CAN’T EVEN COMMENT ON HER HAIR UNLESS I GOT MAX CHARM OR SOME SHIT.
TL;DR- Too much like real life, I quit
“Saturday, isn’t there a skip option so that you can gloss over all the tedium and go straight on dates whenever?”
Fuck you.
But nah seriously massive hyperbole aside it’s a charming and alarmingly immersive game.
Come have Battleship waifus instead!
Is there an end-game in Love Plus? (cue funny comments on what an end game to Love Plus involves)
But really, does it just continue on forever like Animal Crossing? Does that mean eventually you’ll be repeating dates? And that the girls continually repeat the same voice clips forever? I want to know but I don’t want to play! 😛
No end game. Eventually things repeat, but there’s still a fair amount of content to get through. Just like Animal Crossing, the more time you invest into it, the more content you’ll see (with diminishing returns.)
Really guys? Am I gonna have to take this up? Ugh, fiiiiiiine
I heard this game has a “happy ending”.It only takes me a minute to get to end game in Love Plus.Most guys aren’t really fans of it, but I love to do the prequel before Love Plus.Be sure to take a break between love plus sessions, nothing more embarrassing then cramping up during a Love Plus session.That’s one game speed-run that I don’t want to see.
Fleeing work to hopefully avoid the storm that’s about to smash Brisbane, god speed to anyone else having to brave the storm.
Seems like it was all sound and fury.
Thing passed right over in the space of about an hour. By the time I left last night, it was barely even spitting.
yep same. bark was worse than the bite, but I got to leave work early so no complaints here 😛
I left a ton of windows open before heading to work today, could be interesting
Should probably have the police on speed dial, just in case.
It’s a bit moist outside.
And inside.
No seriously, theres a leak in our work kitchen.Oh I thought you were talking about your pants 😛
Always remember to bring a towel!
and I am working in this tonight, god damn it.
I should be designing these cakes.
I can’t be bothered.
Lazy! \o/
@redartifice @benny or anyone else in SA. I need to ask something.
Go for it. Or PM me.
Know of any jobs going in whyalla? I know it’s a distance but @lucifer9783 is looking. Adelaide is too far and I know it’s a long shot
In what field?
anything? Retail?
Not my area unfortunately, but there are plenty of engineering/mining focused companies up there. Have a look at companies here for starters: http://gmusg.com/Current/
Try Seek or even Gum-Tree. If worst comes to worst tell him to do what I do, whore your resume out to every store in site. Also try stores websites directly, some places don’t advertise over external websites like Seek. Hope this helps 🙂
Twitter repost! I have sanded this (and my hands) to a fine grit. Bondo/Bog will be applied tomorrow. Then ten times as much sanding.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BdRu51YCYAAWfWJ.jpg
I have so much more respect for people who make solid props over simple stuff now. SO MANY HOURS.
http://www.blackanddecker.com/power-tools/ms800b.aspx
There’s a story somewhere (I can’t remember where it was) that there were 2 costume designers for LotR whose only job was to make the chainmail armour.
For reasons, they had to make them out of rubber tubing because real mail rings would be too heavy/expensive as well as stunt work etc.
They ended up making something like 50 million rubber rings and by the end of it had no fingerprints left.
Dude. Bitching.
Can’t wait to see the final version. With you in it.
MultiTAY cancelled due to lack of interest.
You keep playing games I don’t have.
Okay, then.
We’ll try it again on Wednesday night at 8:30 VIC (Adjust for your state’s time, if necessary).
Feel free to hit me up with any suggestions for games.
One of these games will be Trackmania Nations Forever, because it’s on Steam, and it’s free.
I’ll be GMing.
but AoE Ii.Steam Version or other version? I only have the other version because I got it from JB for $20 along with 1.
Same.
HD ver
Oh, then I probably don’t have it then :P.
I can’t make that as I’ll be mourning the lack of @blaghman and his rippling physique while playing Numenera with @redartifice, sorry!
The only major multiplayer games I have is Left 4 dead and TF2
Sorry!
TAYlist has a section for multiplayer games, FYI.
Cheers. 🙂
In an effort to be somewhat more organised than previous adventures, I’ma try to let you all know in advance… by a month!
I’m gonna be in Sydney late next month for 10 days, and would love to see all your lovely faces once again. It’s been just over a year!
I’ll be arriving at 7:20pm on Friday the 21st of February, and will be leaving at 10:00am on Monday the 3rd of March.
I’m completely free in terms of scheduling at the moment, outside of perhaps one or two activities and venues that I MUST do again. Which I would love for you to join me in, too!
These include:
Mojos and other suave pubs (help me out here!)
Din Tai Fung (World Square. Famous dumplings. Be there or be shit)
Bishi Bashi. (Galaxy world. Slap buttons until your hands bleed. Last time it cost like $20 to finish it…)
I should have a non-TAYbie mate from Canberra coming up to stay with me, to keep me warm on the cold nights. Or, y’know, to meat all you awesome folk 😀
But yeah, let me know who’s free, and if there’s any suggestions for group entertainment and such!
Planning a day trip to Canberra in all that, by any chance?
Planning a day trip to Sydney in all that, by any chance?
(I can’t really warrant a 6hr round trip man, I paid for the accommodation today and I damned well want to be staying there 😛
Come join me though! Bring the kids! Apparently renting/hiring an apartment is cheaper than a hotel room, so there should be space :D)
I’d like to – I’ll let you know! Not sure a 6 month pregnant woman is gonna be too keen on travelling around then though, and my kids are never keen on travelling 😛
You’re pregnant again? I don’t know if I already knew or not, but congratulations!
also… travelling with kids is the WORST.
I can drop my pregnant wife off to have a playdate with your pregnant wife where they complain about how shit their husbands are, and we can go to Sydney!
Wait… did I know about this pregnancy? It feels like news.
Just in case this is the first I’m hearing of it, CONGRATULATONS!!
By some strange planetary alignment, I will be off work both weekends during your stay 😀
Keep me posted as to what gets organised and I will make the journey into town.
For some reason my girlfriend wants to meet all the Taybies too, so obviously I have been selling you guys too high in the stories I tell her 😛
She is in for a shock.
$20 to finish Bishi Bashi? You need training.
Powalen shall be your mentor. Beneath the stony mask of his face lie the instincts of a trained killer.
How convenient that I start annual leave for 2 weeks on Monday 24th Feb…
Oh, and cc @rize as well I guess. And @blaghman if he is back from Japan(? – I don’t know where he is)
I’ll be there if only for more Bishi Bashi.
I should be back by that point. Keep me updated and I’ll see.
Don’t you worry, we’ve been playing plenty of Bishi Bashi (and Animal Kaiser) in your absence. We can teach you the ways.
I’m totally in for all of those things and more, though! Especially dumplings because I haven’t been there yet 😛
XIAOLONGBAO
I’ll be around and up for stuff… although I may have a few other events as it’s rainbowpartytime that week
Rainbowpartytime?
Wait, am I actually gonna be in Sydney for Mardis Gras? eeeeeeeee
Yes you are 🙂
Hey guys,
What do you do when your Wii freezes?
😛
Take it out and put it in the fridge.
See a doctor.
Free up an HDMI port and play Xbox.
HDMI? I think you’re flattering the Wii a bit!
Component to HDMI adaptoorrrrrrr
You might be able to pick up a replacement from cashies for like $40.
Inspired by the Amazing efforts of @stickman, I also have put together a spreadsheet of my pile of shame. I have split it up by all the games I had bought previously and everything I bought in the Xmas Steam Sale (as a starting point for 2014). Ignoring games on Steam that I have no interest in playing (eg Dota 2) and things I’ve somehow acquired through Humble Bundles (Company of Heroes), I have a total of 48 games that are on Steam or 3DS that are somewhere between Untouched and Completed/Not interested in going back to at this point. 29 are completely Untouched, 16 have been started but aren’t finished. 2 have already been completed this year (Pokemon Y [technically last year, but I’ve still been playing it this year] and Gone Home), and 1 I have no interest in returning to (Skyrim).
Sad part is by my count I have already completed more games this year than I did last year.
Lets see how things change by the end of the year.
The Full List Below
UntouchedAntichamber
Brothers – Tale of two sons
Dishonored
Far Cry 3
Gone Home
Paper’s please
Pixeljunk Eden
Remember Me
Shadowrun Returns
The Walking Dead – Season 2
Tomb Raider
Trials Evolution
XCOM: Enemy Unknown
Tales of monkey Island
Torchlight
Trine
Trine 2
Saints Row The Third
Secret of Monkey Island
Secret of Monkey Island 2
Shank
Crysis
Darksiders
Dragon Age Origins
Grand Theft Auto San Andreas
LA Noire
Machinarium
Magicka
Mark of the Ninja
Metro 2033
Started but Incomplete
Aquaria
Bastion
Batman Arkham City
Bit Trip Runner
Borderlands 2
Cave Story
Dark Souls
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Fez
Fire Emblem Awakening
Mark of the Ninja
Mass Effect 3
Psychonauts
Radiant Historia
Spec Ops the Line
Super Meat Boy
Completed
Pokemon Y
Gone Home
Not Going Back To
Skyrim
It’s weird because Dishonored, Far Cry 3 & Xcom are all untouched?
You mean “Played to death” for these games, right?
They were the big three that I wanted to play last year and never got around to. Only got around to buying them all in the Xmas Steam Sale.
I will make it my DANuary resolution 😀
Radical.
Don’t count The Ship. It’s mostly a MP game but there is 0 community for it these days.
Dragon Age, get on that sir.
Oh ok then. 3 games completed \o/
I am too scared to do this. Far too scared.
Mine was scary enough. I don’t need the emotional torment from looking at Steam like @novacascade did. 😛
The advantage I have is I don’t have any consoles to add to the list
I did my DS games once and that was enough.
It’s the games that should be scared, if they don’t grab you enough that you put aside the allegedly “important” bits of your life to play them then the failure is theirs, not yours.
That’s why I don’t really have a pile of shame, I have games I’ve finished, games I’m finishing and games I’m not going to finish
Ummm you have multiple games in untouched as well as started but incomplete eg day sex:HR
Recommendations from the list from me would be Mark of the Ninja (My GOTY) as well as Metro 2033
Huh… how did that happen… Will edit
So, are we actually going through with the Tayvasion?
If we are, should we attack Popsugar or Gizmodo whitenoise?
I just quickly loaded popsugar to see if there was a vaguely analogous forumish thing but I couldn’t see anything, possibly because there isn’t anything but possibly because the layout was fucking awful.
If people are up for trying though I’d suggest round robin posting of AC4’s sea shanty’s. Think of this with one person telling the story and the rest of us taking turns replying
Always thought of TAYvasions as bullying, if I’m honest.
Well, on the bright side, we might cause the community in those groups to start their own conversations the next week.
It never works. They just get (justifiably) annoyed with us.
Okay, I’ll put away the limes then.
I don’t think it’s bullying. There’s no malice. Giz editors seemed to be good natured about it. I just think it was a little pointless, is all. Fun, but pointless. XD
Yeah I know, I just feel that I wouldn’t like it if some bigger community came and started spamming TAY, even if it was meant to be in good fun (for them).
True enough!
I thought it’d be more showing up, being confusing by just talking in obscure terms to each other and then buggering off leaving everyone saying “what the hell was that about?” but I can sort of see where it might seem mean
I guess gadgets and fashion just don’t unite people the way video games do.
(Edit: Except for you console-playing heathens. MASTER RAAAACE!)
…I kind of feel sad for the mainstream in that respect.
Ordered a birthday present a couple of weeks ago for a friend. Turns out it was really hard to find in Australia for a good price. Got an email last night that it had been cancelled. No reason given.
Panicked because the birthday is next week and frantically went online this morning trying to find somewhere else that sells it. Ended up finding it cheaper from a local supplier. Awww yeah.
My birthday is in August.
I accept shiny surfaces capable of reflecting myself or petite men’s capes in lavender.
You’re getting the Michael Bay blu-ray box set.
And a copy of Glitteri nearly choked on my breakfast when I read the spoiler.
Do you mean petite as in length of the cape or as in skinny neck?
Cause I keep picturing you in a waist-length purple cape and I’d like to make sure my fantasies are accurate.
I’ve got a skinny neck and like my capes S.H.O.R.T.
Showing
His
Outrageously
Ripped
Torso
So regarding the Secret SanTAY, I just found out that the thing I ordered and sent directly to my recipient was never sent and the order has been cancelled, with no info whatsoever.
Long story short, I’m doing something else now, so you will be getting something.
I sent my gift out at the start of December but the person hasn’t said they’ve received anything yet. Just my luck for my the first time I participate in secret santa that the present I send gets lost in the mail 😛
From the sounds of it there’s been a lot of that going on. The funny part is, somehow we all seemed to expect that Australia Post would be fine over Christmas… 😛
It’s really our own fault for being so optimistic.
Christmas seems to catch them by surprise, every year. 🙂
(That’s actually a joke, because it’s not a fair criticism to make. It’s difficult if not impossible to upscale a workforce tenfold for a period of only one – maybe two – months in a year. Especially with security checks and a training period that could feasibly take longer than the actual employment contract.)
I got mine. Totally meant to upload pictures to twitter but keep forgetting.
So if I’m yours you can stop worrying. If not, start worrying.
The worry continues.
I had mine sent direct to recipient, which in hindsight may not have been the best idea.
Also, I’ve no idea whether it’s been delivered or not yet.
Ok even weirder still. Neither of the Asus laptops are turned on at all, nor have they been for hours since dad was doing something or other with them. And yet for whatever reason, it’s still stopping other wireless devices from working at all until I reset the router :/
Time to get a new router.
Yeah it may be time to retire it. Or possibly just turn the wireless off, get a new wireless access point and cable that to the existing router
PS4 owners, unite!
I need to add someone. D: I just don’t want to look at the ‘What’s New’ feed and only see junk from me. It’s depressing.
tehst1ckm4n
kgo. 🙂
I gots a PS4, my details are on TayNames.
Added!
Just accepted friend invitation on iOS app without even turning on my PS4. I love my smart phone. XD
Ha, yeah I added you with my phone too. 😛
WE LIVE IN THE FUTURE.
Both of my PSN accounts are on my PS4 but at this point due to the PS4/Vita crossoverability thing my US account (atomiclemon) is my primary and my old AU PS3 account (atomicstrawberry) is secondary. Feel free to add me on both if you haven’t already though.
Also be aware that I have no real games for the system yet so you won’t see much activity from me outside of Netflix.
MikeyW
TAYnames is best spot.
It doesn’t specify PS4 owners though. PS3 people don’t come up on the activity feed. 😛
Ah. Well, I have a PS4, feel free to add me.
I got one too, you’ll find me on TAYnames as well
You can add me if you want.
PSN = liondrive
I’m on PS3.
But I’ll send you hot pix.
hombre12582
Oh mannnnnnnn, ADDED!
Your psn username could make even @Masha2932 jealous.
Hey!
🙂
Day 2 of porridge breakfast,
Added a banana. Tasted much more palatable. Bought fresh strawberries for tomorrow.
I put fresh blueberries in mine this morning and it was okay. Strawberries would be much nicer I think.
Can’t go wrong with honey.
Butter and brown sugar.
Bananas and honey make most cereal better.
It’s only day two and you’re adding flavours. This does not bode well! 😛
By day 4 I will be adding bacon and eggs and subtracting oats.
I’ve skipped ahead to that part already. Advanced class.
It’s so boring being in the office by yourself. I’m about to.. fall… aslee-zzzzzzzzz
Descend into madness! It’s fun!
Descend into the big bowl of lollies that is normally meant for visiting clients, you mean.
Best idea.
I played the first episode of The Wolf Among Us on Sunday night. It was okay. The QTE combat needs to die in a fire and I wish it felt like it was actually an adventure game instead of just a bunch of dialogue sequences interspersed with QTEs. Give me some puzzles or something that I actually need to think about. I barely picked anything up and didn’t use any items together at all 🙁
Telltale’s gone down the Quantic Dream route of adventure game design and I honestly think it’s the best thing they could’ve done.
…
I was going to make a quip about David Cage and then I realized that David Cage == D.C.
And suddenly everything makes sense.
Haha! Lots of Telltale’s early games didn’t have the balance right. They were trying to bring in casual fans by making it too easy which wasn’t satisfying for adventure game fans. Now I think they’ve hit an awesome balance where they’ve got the story and characterizations of a great adventure with a much more accessible, intuitive method of playing.
Also… EMOTIONS. 😛
I liked their old Sam & Max games a hell of a lot more personally. Give me traditional adventure games any day. The Wolf Among Us and Walking Dead both feel like something you could play on a DVD player or something.
There wasn’t a whole lot inventory combining and all that in those games either, though… I should say I completely understand what you’re saying. These Quantic Dream-type games are most definitely an acquired taste. (Just one that happens to appeal to me. :D)
You actually picked stuff up though! Also there wasn’t godawful combat at any point.
There were some puzzles that self-selected for people of a certain age though, like the one where you needed to break into the Apollo lander and had to use a coat hanger on the open window to unlock the door.
Telltale have never really been that good at gameplay mechanics, its probably for the best they’re focussing on story. Then again I’d like it if they’d hire someone new to help with the game mechanics so we can get the best of both worlds
Considering the last time they focused on making a gamey-game was Jurassic Park and we all know how that ended.
The earlier Telltale stuff (Tales of Monkey Island, Wallace & Gromit, Back to the Future) is more better in an adventure-game way but they were never known for making good games until they did heavy narrative-based games.
Fantastically? 😀
I actually did like Jurassic Park but it was clearly going to peeve off people. That many QTEs in one game would make even David Cage blush.
I never played that, I didn’t like Jurassic park and didn’t really see any appeal in the game from the bits I saw
My impressions of the game are probably overly-influenced by the art-direction and soundtrack. I played the thing three times back-to-back, then watched other people play it twice, and I DIDN’T GET BORED. 🙂
Trying to decide if I’m questioning whether or not I should look for a new job because I want to move upwards (very slim chance of that here) or because the job I’ve been doing for the past week is just so incredibly shit.
Move to Sydney.
Better job opportunities sure, but incredibly shit place to raise my family.
Yeah, but it’s not Canberra so…
Why do you think that?
Go live in a town with less than 100,000 people and a decent Internet connection. You’ll find out 😛
I dunno. Sounds like the kind of place that’d have very few stores around, and nowhere near as many places to hunt for games and/or bargains.
I know @rize is from a smallish place originally (can’t remember where…Wagga Wagga?), but before I moved to the city I lived in a place with 30,000 people and it was the god damn worst.
Went back for Christmas, nothing to do.
I grew up in a town of 4,000. Moved to Wagga when I was 17, and it has a population of around 50,000.
Regardless, with a good Internet connection and kids to look after, “things to do” aren’t really relevant 😛
@rize So, what you’re saying is…porn?
I’ve lived in wagga all my life and as they say familiarity breeds contempt and I’m very familiar with wagga… There’ll be noone left when I complete… THE DEVICE!!
I hope you’ve not got friends here @rize
@aliasalpha Just point the device at Ashmont and I’ll be fine.
I’ve spent a few months in Walgett (2k population) if that counts :p
Sydney’s a big place. Yes, there are plenty of bad neighborhoods. But there are also a lot more good neighborhoods. I grew up in inner- west in a great community. I went back to visit last month and still ran into half a dozen people I recognized.
MOVE TO QUEENSLAND! \o/
With the way your weather has been going?
At least you’ll be able to swim everyday! 😛
Even if you’re only swimming in your own sweat. 😛
Ugh, that’s the thing that has been getting to me the most. I’ve been living here a year (prev Perth, Adelaide) and I still can’t get used to the humidity. Heat I can handle (5 years in Alice Springs) and even be comfortable… but humidity. Bleah.
Sydney is upwards compared to Canberra. Also slightly Easterly. You should do this Rize.
@dc, @dkzeitgeist, @shane
You guys might get a kick out of this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fl_wdODKGtM&feature=youtu.be
Joseph Gordon Levitt’s my hero. I love the guy! 😀
Such a cool project.
Michael Bay melts down on stage, hilarious:
http://www.theverge.com/2014/1/6/5281542/watch-michael-bay-melt-down-onstage-at-ces
So, anyone play Hearthstone a lot? I’ve been trying a few Arena runs lately and I’ve been having some woeful luck. I guess weapon decks are just not for me.
I played it a couple of hours, absolutely hated the Mage (utterly boring, bog-standard M:TG gameplay) and wasn’t remotely capable of unlocking anything else. Lost every game I played after the tutorial.
Fuck that shit.
I’ve never played M:TG so I don’t know how close the similarities are but I have heard some people say Hearthstone outright copies some elements. Then again, how innovative can you be with a card game?
It’s streamlined M:TG. Each of the heroes seems like they play a different style of M:TG deck. The Mage is a pure efficiency strategy. Monsters out quickly and cheaply. Overwhelm with numbers.
Problem is that that sort of deck is completely boring and also doesn’t hold up well if you’re not keeping up. There are far more interesting ways you can build a M:TG-style deck.
The game is literally “I do my thing, you do your thing until one of us falls over”. There might be depth to it but I didn’t even get past the tutorials before getting very bored.
Kind of disappointing given that there was an official WoW card game at one point which had cool shit like co-op ‘raid decks’ and stuff.
On the other hand, I just got Octgn working. It’s a less than legitimate platform to play card games like Android: Netrunner online and let’s you muck about with deckbuilding in a less fiddly way.
Played against a Druid deck the other day that has a build that is apparently becoming very popular.
Math of the Wild:
Lots of +x/+x cards.
Easy enough to counter if you know what kind of deck they’re playing, but too many minions on the board and you’re screwed.
Stonetusk Boar: ChargeRaid Leader × 2: Your other minions have +1 Attack.
Mark of the Wild × 2: Give a minion Taunt and +2/+2.
Stormwind Champion: Your other minions have +1/+1.
Shattered Sun Cleric × 2: Battlecry: Give a friendly minion +1/+1.
Savage Roar × 2: Give your characters +2 Attack this turn.
Power of the Wild × 2: Choose One – Give your minions +1/+1; or Summon a 3/2 Panther.
Mark of Nature × 2: Choose One – Give a minion +4 Attack; or +4 Health and Taunt.
Druid of the Claw × 2: Choose One – Charge; or +2 Health and Taunt.
Dire Wolf Alpha × 2: Adjacent minions have +1 Attack.
Dark Iron Dwarf × 2: Battlecry: Give a minion +2 Attack.
Acolyte of Pain × 2: Whenever this minion takes damage, draw a card.
Master Swordsmith × 2: At the end of your turn, give another random friendly minion +1 Attack.
Defender of Argus × 2: Battlecry: Give adjacent minions +1/+1 and Taunt.
Ancient of War: Choose One – Taunt and +5 Health; or +5 Attack.
The Black Knight: Battlecry: Destroy an enemy minion with Taunt.
Sylvanas Windrunner: Deathrattle: Take control of a random enemy minion.
Cenarius: Choose One – Give your other minions +2/+2; or Summon two 2/2 Treants with Taunt.
I haven’t come up against Math of the Wild just yet but I’ve heard it is annoying. I lost to a Murloc deck the other day and that was annoying as crap. Early game Murloc swarm vs a warrior with no really effective board clearing was fun -_-
Warlock Murloc rush decks are the worst.
I had a pretty good run with my Priest Lightspawn deck a few weeks back, but people expect and counter it too easily now.
I have no idea what my deck is even called or if it even has a theme. I just play Hunter with beast focus and the raven draw-card minion. Basically just the basic Hunter deck with a few extras.
I need a greater variety of demons for my Warlock. Succubi can go die in a hole.
Hunter deck is like the 1 deck I can’t play effectively.
Currently leveling my Rogue deck and trying out different builds. Think I’ve found one I’m fairly happy with.
Just going to put this out there – if I don’t want to read the article about the sexual violence in the new Metal Gear Solid, chances are, I don’t want to watch the animated gif of it either.
Then again I’m probably just channeling my grumpy old man since I don’t want any animated gifs on a news feed.
From the description in the article. the GIF you’re seeing is not the same scene. Sounds like it’s a recording you encounter instead.
Also the game’s already rated in Australia and only got MA15+.
Quite happy that there’s no one else at this school at the moment. Opening Kotaku’s front page and seeing (MGS V)
a gif of a chick in stockings and a bikini getting electro-torturedisn’t exactly SFW.@markserrels they have a point…
I asked him on Twitter if there was anything he could do about it and he’s on it. 🙂
Although if there’s two more posts then at least it will be on the second page. 😛
Looks to have been changed to a static picture of a bloke in the rain. Looks kind of like a splinter cell music video now
Yeah, I understand we’re a game site and have to report on all ratings of games, but at the same time being a site that younger players read, it’s inappropriate to have that as something out there for all to see as opposed to just for those who have an interest and clicked on the article.
kotaku has made me untick the “play animations in webpages” setting, the animated gif craze just shit me one time too often
I wish I had that option.
Why can’t you? It’s just a setting in the browser. Oh do you not have settings control on the system you’re using?
Phone. Windows phone.
I don’t remember mine showing animations but I may just be remembering wrong
@trjn 7 Wonders get!
\o/
Consider sleeving the game if you get to the point where expansions are enticing.
Think I’ve got some clear sleeves around
They won’t fit. 7 Wonder cards are a bit bigger than standard TCG cards. You have to find a specific size one that I can’t remember off hand. Takes a fair few sleeves to cover everything too.
@redartifice http://www.gamesparadise.com.au/card-sleeves-mayday-games-65mm-x-100mm-100-pack-x-3-magnum-multicoloured-for-7-wonders
Those are the exact sleeves I used. Got them from the brick and mortar Games Paradise for free while buying other things.
Fun fact: asking the people at Games Paradise about the relationship with the website is interesting. Well, most interactions with people in that store are pretty interesting. We got a mini-lecture that could be best summed up as “The dude that owns the store told his son to set up a website and then made that part of the business separate.”
Cheers. I’ll check my FLGS but failing that will go straight there
A mother and her 14 year old daughter died on a holiday in Bali just a few hours after eating a plate of fish at a restaurant.
Kind of terrifying to think it can happen so quickly and out of the blue like that.
Yarp, there’s some crazy diseases and stuff out there.
Were they eating blowfish or something?
Mahi Mahi.
Man, everyone is going to Japan. Blaghs is there already, plime’s going over soon too. My sister and her boyfriend are going over tomorrow (her booking reference hilariously came out as “fuck you XD”), her boyfriend’s uncle and cousin just happen to be going to the exact same place at the same time as them too, a couple of people who’ve gotten chatty at climbing are going in another week or two, and I overheard another group there talking about going over soon as well. The place to be, apparently.
Don’t worry, Goo, I won’t leave you for Japan.
@novacascade can hook you up if you want to come with us next year…
Well I did already go at the start of last year. Still kinda recovering from that one, money-wise 😛
You know you want to…
😛
Jetstar $220 one-way flights are pretty delicious. I’m probably missing my ski trip for the 2nd year in a row though because of zero sales.
Day 2 of Oats in the Morning For Breakfast and still finding I feel hungrier doing this than when I was just having a couple of eggs.
I’m cooking my first batch of Mark’s super porridge right now. Damn it smells good.
http://yourfriendshouse.com/2014/man-loses-cool-after-sitting-next-to-infant-hippopotamus-on-flight/
Wonder how much spittle was on this guys screen as he was typing this?
Aww…I clicked on that because I thought it would be cool to sit next to a real life hippo. I did not expect the rantings of a rude bastard who may have been assisted if he himself wasn’t such an asshat.
Greetings all!
Wow, its been literally years (ha) since I’ve hopped on TAY.
I hope everybody is well in the new year.
Things that have happened to Riley recently
Bungie jumped in Cairns.
Snorkelled the Great Barrier Reef.
New Years eve I shacked up with a bird from the UK related to Sean Bean…..SEAN BEAN! Pretty much the coolest story I have now…
Oh and a bunch of GBA games arrived \o/
Happy Tuesday friends!
Did she die at the end of every encounter? Related to Sean Bean!
My friends have hit me with the same question. Thankfully, no \o/
Not necessarily… The French call an orgasm ‘the little death’. 😛
Haha, very good.
Ok TAYbies, it might be that due to being a poor Uni student I skipped the 360/3/wii generation (until a year ago when I bought a 2nd hand wii) and have had to upgrade my PC piecemeal over the last 5 years, but…
What is the deal with the Steamboxes? I’m too scared to ask this in the regular comments, but why would you buy a Steambox when you can build a desktop, forgo the monitor and have it tucked away somewhere plugged into your TV (as you can easily do these days)?
This comment is not trolling or sarcastic, I’m just honestly curious as to why someone would pick this up instead of a desktop…
Because it’s easy and games should Just Run ™.
I completely forgot about that. No more fiddling with patches, drivers, configurations, wrestling Windows to get it to work. Right. Makes sense now.
Not sure it’s that simple. Steambox you can swap the parts out for whatever you want so there’s still going to be a truck load of hardware/software conflicts.
Maybe not so many. Developers typically work with the major device manufacturers to get things working smoothly for the most common hardware configurations. When shit goes wrong, it’s usually because of a configuration they didn’t test.
We aren’t in a vacuum here – if the Steambox guys can limit their swappable components to a relatively small list, developers are going to know about that list and be inclined to support it.
Personally I wouldn’t, the steamos doesn’t seem mature enough yet, that or it’s dependant on streaming from another PC so if you have to have a PC anyway you might as well just build a good one and be done with it.
Not everyone knows how to build a desktop.
To be honest it’s not too hard, you can probably find some good guides on the Internet.
MB + CPU + GPU + RAM + PS + SSD + DVD + case = PC
Tada! There’s a guide. XD
FTFY. Gotta have a storage 😛
Yeah, I pulled that one at the last minute. Was thinking of pulling DVD also.
Reasoning? Thinking about the plausible future.
Optical drives will still be needed for a while yet.
They’re also dirt cheap these days too, so might as well get one
That’s the question we’re all asking as well.
My question is if there’s a heap of different spec steam machines what’s the point as not all games will run on all the systems.
I imagine, and I could be wrong, that SteamOS will have a way of reading your hardware. If it doesn’t meet the recommended system requirements it will let you know with a “This game doesn’t meet the recommended requirements” warning and again for the ‘minimum requirements’ or something similar.
With a custom OS aimed at gaming, this really shouldn’t be hard to implement.
Which still seems to defeat the purpose. If you have a PS4 you can play anything with a PS4 on the box. Steam machine won’t play everything with Steam machine on it.
But the PS3 can’t play PS4 games. It’s ultimately the same concept.
Over time, yes there will be games you may not be able to run, but looking at the specs of the currently available pre-built Steam Machines, it matches and (generally) betters that of current gen consoles. With those specs you can play all current games on Steam and will be able to for years to come.
Eventually a time will come when games have advanced enough that yes, you will have to replace parts/entire Steam Machine. But you’ll have to upgrade to a PS5 as well.
It’s not like that at all. It’s like releasing 13 different ps4’s where most can’t play all ps4 games.
But for something to be labelled as an “official licensed” Steam Machine it has to meet certain requirements, which includes hardware as well. [I’ll see if I can dig up the article on this]
If Timmy next door builds a custom Steam Machine which can’t play all the games then that’s his own fault.
Funny you mention that. There was a big warning sign in JB that the new COD doesn’t work on those cheap 360s because of a mandatory install.
To double down on my answer: Building a PC isn’t necessarily in the purview of everyone- while it’s simple enough if you know what you’re doing, some people don’t have the time or energy to do it and make sure it’s all compatible and everything, and then a new game comes out and you buy it and can’t run it…
If you have a Steam Box, with standard parts or meeting a standard test, they’ll be able to put a “this will work on your computer” notice all over the steam store, or “you need to upgrade component x for this to run” that makes it simpler for the consumer. Sure, people who are already in to PCs won’t jump for it, but for an uninformed consumer that just wants to play game y it’s compelling.
What a lot of PC gamers (and gamers in general) seem to be misunderstanding is the target market of the Steam Machine. Steam aren’t going after the PC enthusiast. They (most likely) already have them with their gaming rigs.
Steam Machine is less a product and more of a concept. The concept is a machine that you can plug into your TV and play your games.
Branded Steam Machines are just ones that are pre-built.
This. There seems to be a distinct misunderstanding with people thinking that Steam machines are a physical product, not a concept. Ultimately I think this is being done on purpose to drive sales of the prebuilt systems.
It just makes no sense though. If someone who has never built a PC before and barely played any games asked me what to buy, I would tell them to buy a PS4 / XBONE / WiiU. I just don’t understand the target audience with this concept.
Why buy a prebuilt PC with SteamOS when you can use a console and it will work with 100% of the released games.
But that would make them a dirty console peasant.
Crusader Kings II doesn’t run on consoles.
I’m seriously considering forgoing the new console generation and going steam box because the “will work with 100% of the games” is the only advantage consoles have left… and even then, I imagine they’ll find some way to break that over the course of the generation.
They’ve added problems with: losing access to old games and hardware (why can’t I use my USB 360 fight stick or bluetooth harmony remote adapter?); games are never as cheap as PC; PC-like interface without any of the customisation; uncertainty about how long my digital purchases will be available to download; etc.
And this is coming from a previously massive console supporter. I miss the days of my mega drive when consoles did actually just work 🙁
Yeah man, the other week I bought BF4 on PC – this is the first multi-platform game I have not bought on a console since the PS2 came out.
I have played about 90% of my games on a console for at least the past 10 years but this round? I dunno, just not feeling it.
Maybe I will join the master race full time.
This kind of late, but here is a video that might clear everything up or make it more confusing.
http://www.polygon.com/2014/1/6/5279722/steam-sale-stack-of-shame – Article makes a compelling argument in support of a healthy pile of shame.
I intend to counter that argument by going through my receipts folder and figuring out how much money I’ve effectively donated to the games industry. Will report back with the (undoubtedly) horrifying figure.
I do believe you have overtaken me in the amount of Steam games owned now.
I feel both relieved and ashamed by this.
I changed my mind. I’m not publishing that figure. I just did the total of 2013 on its own, and the number is incredibly embarrassing.
On the plus side, I also got to review a list of the things I got a shit-tonne of enjoyment out of. Fond memories win!
I think I have about 80-ish titles and personally I think that is way too many for my needs. Everyone else has their own idea of what is too much.
I think I shot past 750 early in the sale. c.c
Woah. I have like a tenth of your amount.
Hello.
EDIT: On second thought, link removed incase you don’t want people knowing your Steam details.
Nah, it should be cool… if people wanna look they can see that my username is ‘transientmind’ on there, just like here. 🙂
What were you linking?
http://steamdb.info/calculator/?player=76561197964626206¤cy=us
Oh yeah, I liked the idea of that site, though it runs into some problems with dollar values not including sale prices, and it totally miscalculated some of the ‘hours played’.
That’s why I was going through the receipts manually, so I’d know the exact sale value of money spent.
That said: there are titles on that list that I don’t have receipts for, for whatever reason, which add an extra… oh. Around another thousand or so dollars, retail. (Probably purchased for more like $250-500 in sales.)
Yeah, just another grand in unplayed games, no biggie… c.c
(OH MY GOD)
The way I look at it is these are current US prices. Sure you got some on sale, but some have dropped in price as well since you probably purchased them/AU tax.
Oh yeah… some of those I probably bought when they were $50-70 instead of now, when they’re $4.99.
In which case I’ve quite possibly spent tens of thousands of dollars on Steam. Just Steam, not including MMOs and console games. OH MY GOD must not hyperventilate
@transientmind If it makes you feel better, I have LESS games, but have spent more money
http://steamdb.info/calculator/?player=76561197976697440¤cy=us
Wow, I need to do some catching up http://steamdb.info/calculator/?player=76561197985031488¤cy=us
I’m primarily a console player but I have a lot of steam games mainly from the Humble Bundle sales and gifts from kind TAYbies.
3-5 cheap games from Humble Bundle sales are hard to pass on every month(now every week as well).
Two days of work on this crappy task that should have taken a couple of hours and I’m finally starting to see results. Such a damned good feeling, and I may actually get to go home on time today!
NO, don’t say that, you’ll jinx it!
Yep.
…I decided against posting the rest of this comment. It was entirely swears.
I thought the same thing yesterday, then I had to spend 2+ hours on a train which should have taken 30-40mins
I think I’ve figured out the reason I’m not fond of Steam like everyone else seems to be. Apart from the whole never being able to just browse through the store in an unfrustrating manner.
It’s that Gabe Newell is the figurehead, and he’s really the epitome of the smug “PC Master Race”er.
Also that he’s internet neckbeard gamer jesus.
Our Gaben, who art at Valve
Glorious be thy beard
Thy Half-Life (never) come
Thy will be done on earth
As it is at Valve
Give us this day our daily deals
And forgive us our spending
As we forgive those who spend alongside us
May discounts lead us not into temptation
But deliver us flash sales
For thine kingdom is the Valve
The Steam and the daily deals
For ever and ever
Gaben
I’m so, so sorry Strange. I had to.MAAAASTER RRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-*cough-hack-cough* *pant* *wheeze* –AAAAAACE!
*falls over*
(Edit: Yes, the store-browsing is fucking horrible and I can’t believe they haven’t overhauled it so that you can check out multiple titles etc without losing your place in a browsing list. It’s like they only expect you to buy off the ‘recent release’ or ‘top seller’ lists, which is a self-fulfilling prophecy, thanks to the unfriendliness of browsing anything NOT on those lists.)
It’s the same problem faced by anything that has become super popular and widely used on the Internet. A userbase is inherently stubborn and resistant to change so it’s incredibly difficult to update or change things. Maybe Valve will release a Steam store client v.2.0 at some stage but they probably won’t.
My problem is more that I have a couple of hundred dollars worth of games on it that just won’t run or stall out and Steam support are very cagey on giving any sort of refund on them. Only got one refund out of them.
I wish they’d take a leaf out of GoG’s book on that front. The GoG guys reckoned that their customer support tickets have only increased a negligible amount since they introduced their returns policy.
(They also noted that number of downloads didn’t increase much either, and that it seems from checking torrent sites that people who returned games weren’t just ‘buying’ them to post them around the place for a freebie.)
I know Steam’s a completely different beast and that the demographic might be a much more potentially fraudulent one, but it’d be nice to see them take the plunge.
I’m kind of curious as to why you think he seems smug.
Putting my love for the fact that he looks like a hobo aside, in the interviews I’ve read, he seems to be fairly evenly balanced on the pros and cons of PC gaming; at least all the arguments people have brought up before. He presents a weakness and then he expresses curiosity as to why that is a weakness.
I haven’t really heard him obnoxiously tout the greatness of Steam Machine and how it’ll fix everything (as an example), or how Game X made a hojillion dollars in the first week of sales, also being the highest selling game in a time span of exactly 67 hours or anything like that.
It’s true. He speaks pretty well, and comes across as really clued in and not particularly concerned about PR bullshit all whilst not actually holding such passionate or divisive opinions that he has to worry about PR bullshit.
Sure, but to some extent, Valve actually does need some sort of PR bollocks.
I think moreso in the vein of community management rather than marketing at least, because when things go wrong on Steam, nerds get real mad at them. Someone to interact with them and tell them what’s going on, because sometimes the silence hurts them. There was some DotA2 Halloween event or something that got people real mad.
Probably unjustifiably, but still.
Ohyeah, Valve does need its PR stuff totally. Just not Gaben. I don’t think the mighty Gaben has all that much to do with the nuts and bolts of running Steam anymore. I get the impression he’s up in ‘exploring new territory’ pants now.
I didn’t realise @alexpants had a new name. 😛
Punching someone in the face because they didn’t say hello to you is unjustifiable. That Dota 2 crap was batshit crazy”.
Oh!
Article quote.
Timely.
(http://www.kotaku.com.au/2014/01/why-gabe-newell-isnt-worried-about-the-xbox-one/)
Well, I think he kind of nullifies it by giving a proper answer, but I can see how that line makes him sound cocky.
I can see that but he was backed into a corner there
It was a joke. He got asked “Isn’t your competitor doing great” so there isn’t many ways to answer. You can slag of the competitor, tell your shareholders that a competitor is doing great or you can make a joke and then explain your plans.
Just because he’s used as a figurehead by internet ‘meme’ makers doesn’t mean squat. As said above, eh seems like a pretty cool guy giving out sales and doesn’t afraid of Microsoft.
+1 for Arby n the Ch!ef reference.
Gabe Newell is over time morphing into Richard Stallman. He’s got the smugness already, now he’s growing the greying beard and is constantly harping on how evil Microsoft are and how much better things are in Linux.
Got a ‘Collect Me’ slip in my mailbox yesterday to pick up a package I missed. The post office I need to go to is literally across the road from my
buildingflat. “This is amazing!”, I thought.But wait! The Post Office is only open while I’m at work, so I can’t pick up my parcel until the weekend, even though I walk past it every day and am within 50 metres of it all night, just in a different building… 😛 The pain of it all!
(For the interested: I bought an Internet/streaming radio from Kogan for far less than a similar spec’d one from the shops. We’ll see if it actually turns out to be decent :P)
Just have a “smoko” and go across the road to grab it. 😛
Ah! I mean across the road from my flat, not my work building! Way to confuse everybody, Pow! 😛
Take your lunch break earlier than usual and slip in before the queue forms.
I’m confused, is the Post Office across the road from your house or work?
Work:
Pow: “Hey guys, just need to go to the post office, I’ll be back in 10 minutes.”
Home:
If the post office is only open 9am-5pm Mon-Fri they will usually have some sort of parcel collection alternative. I only know what suburb you live in (Stalksmith) but the main post office there has parcel collection from 7am. Just leave for work 10mins earlier if it’s next door. All others appear to be open on Saturday mornings.
This. I’ve had to pick up quite a number of parcels at the crack of bloody dawn (ie: before 8:00, when all decent people should still be asleep), just so I can return the package to home in time to get to work.
I thought you were saying I lived in a suburb named “Stalksmith” for a minute 😛
I didn’t find anything about early package pickup though! Did you find that out on the Aus Post website? If so, hooray! 😀
(This is my second reply to this because my first mysteriously vanished somehow…)
Use this: http://auspost.com.au/pol/app/locate/post-office
Search your suburb. Should be an “Additional Parcel Collection” link.
Yeah, that’s what I was using. No out of hours collection, ah well. I’ll just press my face against the post office window every morning/evening as I walk past, hoping that someone takes pity and breaks in for me.
(Looks like you need to polish your methods, Mr. Stalksmith! :P)
Eh, you’re not that important to stalk.
HELP TALES OF XILLIA WANTS ME TO CHOOSE WHICH CHARACTER TO PLAY (A choice of 2!) AT THE VERY START AND I’M PARALYZED BY CHOICE SO THEN I QUIT AND I GUESS THATS ALL OF THE TALE OS XILLIA I WILL EVER PLAY
Pick the one with the most red. That means they are the fastest character.
SCIENCE
BUT THAT CHARACTER HAS BOOBS AND WE ALL KNOW HOW TERRIFIED OF THOSE I AM
Wait, there was a choice between boobs and no-boobs and you weren’t sure which to choose?
Boobs. Always choose boobs.
Uh… because gaming needs more female protagonists, you go grrl, etc. Go team.
So, you play games for the plot?
I do! They’re interesting and informative and believable.
So are Boobs!
WAIT
PHILOSOPHICAL GAME CRISIS
If Red is the fastest…
Why is Sonic still faster than Knuckles?
Because his shoes are more red then knuckles’ shoes.
He’s not. Because Knuckles is an Echidna, he’s from Australia (or Papua New Guinea, but I’m going Australia).
Therefore, Knuckles is running the wrong way round since he’s from the Southern Hemisphere running in (presumably) the Northern Hemisphere.
He’s just so fast that he gives the impression of running the right way, but in a slower fashion than Sonic.
And before anybody points out that this makes no sense, we’re talking about sapient Echidna’s, Hedgehog’s and a mutated Fox that can achieve flight. And they all collect jewellery.
And murder small animals. You know those flying bots you pop in the sky? They don’t just release birds. They release small, flightless mammals. SPLAT.
Red goes faster but only if it powered by WAAAAAAGH!
Knuckles simply doesn’t have enough WAAAAAAAGH!
Sonic is actually red, he’s just blueshifted because he’s always running slightly towards you.
He moves so much faster than sonic that he’s actually crossed the entire planet and a little bit more in the space of each animation frame. The camera simply can’t keep up so it looks like he’s moving much slower.
Jude is the best choice for first playthrough.
Kotaku just informed me:
Error
You are posting comments too quickly. Slow down.
Uh what? I write fark all on here.
Geez, Benny! Slow down! Give someone else the chance to speak for once!
Haha.
AND STILL HE KEEPS DOING IT.
I say no more. 😀
I have achieved absolutely nothing today aside from more research for my Pathfinder game. My fantasy-infused Roman empire will totally end up fighting against lycanthropes at some point. 😀
Unproductive today here, too. It’s driving me nuts, just checking on TAY instead.
Since various systems are down and jobs in the queue are low, I got my performance review today, since moving into my new role. They’re happy with it. I’m not. Which I guess is at least better than the other way around…
Ask for a raise.
#CakesmithLifeAdvice
#HashtagsForHarli
Hah, I just got one, asking for another so soon might be a bit rich. Once every three months maybe. 🙂
I see what you did there…
I swear, it was totally punintended.
*rimshot*
#NotPage6YetOMGSuchRebel
#hashtags4harli
@shane would be so proud.
@dc not so much.
I’m sure @dc is secretly proud. Maybe even more so than I.
So I played some more Bleed. I wanted to see if I could beat the boss Bunny Rockette on hard mode. I could, but it took me 50 minutes.
Bleed is SO much fun. It took me ages to beat the boss, but I had fun throughout. There was one point where the boss was on very low health, and I died to a stray projectile. For some reason, I let out a whoop of ecstatic rage. (Is that a thing?)
It is really fun to randomly shoot homing missiles into the air, as it means more stuff is onscreen, leading to sensory overload. I don’t know why I wanted to induce that, but I think I did.
I kind wish I had been able to take screenshots during some of the more insane scenes, but hitting F12 whilst dodging twenty onscreen bullets is quite difficult.
“Oh Nuckelavee, oh Nuckelavee, you’re big and evil and heinous.
Who could it be, that set you free, he really must be an anus.”
I now have the strongest desire to go and play Bard’s Tale again.
I wanted to like that game and to play that game, but I couldn’t get past how heavy the accents were and it annoyed me too much to be able to continue 🙁
…I somehow managed to read it as “Bale’s Tard”, and still read it as that when I went to check if that was indeed what I saw.
Just been going through the Pikmin photo thread Mark linked to in his article. He posted some pretty cool stuff already, but holy crap there are some even more amazing shots in there.
Seriously, check it out. Such a stunning game.
Make me.
How about just this one image then?
http://i1100.photobucket.com/albums/g405/kizmah/Slimy_nightmare_zps6e854d18.jpg
I actually already own it. One day I’ll get bored enough to pop it in.
Ah. I just mean check out the awesome pictures people are taking, but those that haven’t played it should also check out the game too 😛
I just realised that I can make downloads automatically go to a custom file instead of the the default downloads” folder on my SSD if I edit my browser settings. Will doing this have any sort of a negative effect? I know tech stuff, except I am usually too timid to put that knowledge to use.
Nope. Just points it to a different directory.
You could just move the ‘Downloads’ library off the SSD. Either way, any option will be fine.
I moved every single library off the SSD, because why would you store pictures and video on it.
Aww. Titanfall doesn’t have mod support.
Actually, I am more annoyed that Titanfall will have sniper rifles, actually. I hate those things.
But what would xx_quikskopmastah4lyfe69_xx play then?
Snipers are fine if they can somehow make them not OP and the use of them contribute to the team effort.
So far BF3 (on consoles) has come the closest but still waiting for that magical day.
Also Brink had no sniper rifles and was mostly terrible, so there is that.
Only because you asked, here’s the summary of my Christmas holidays:
– I didn’t go to work for two weeks.
– I had a good Christmas day with my extended family and ate lots of lollies. I got Super Mario 3D World and a new subscription to Hyper. My son got loads of Thomas the Tank Engine toys. I was required to play trains with him on multiple occasions.
– I’ve reached something like 94% completion in GTA V. I will reach the 100%. The more I play of it, the more amazed I am by the world they built. Screw the plot, that world is fantastic.
– I played some awesome coop games like Super Mario 3D World and Battleblock Theatre with my brother. Sooo good. I’d thoroughly recommend both.
– I finally bought those new Streetpass games. But I’ve only had one new Streetpass since then 😐
– I also bought a Kinect and a Playstation Move and PS+. Because reasons. Actually, coop “Once Upon a Monster” with my son is pretty fun. Even if he’s terrible at following directions.
– I went to the cricket for 3 days. it was really good that we won. It was really bad that I had to get up at 4:30 each day to get a decent seat, and on the second day I dropped my new Nexus 5 on the concrete and smashed the glass.
– Yesterday I finished my holidays by going for a drive to pay a $187 clumsiness tax to fix my phone.
– And now I’m back at work. Screw you world!
Only 11 and a half months to go till the next Christmas holidays!
Is the $187 to fix your new nexus? Oh man, sorry.
Phone mishap aside sounds like you had a great holiday.
Sure did. So many games, so much family, so much sport, so little anything else. Bliss.
Have any luck on the vita hunt yet?
I’m home! Yay!!!!! I’ve been at my parents place for a long weekend as my sister is over from WA. Highlights include a pizza party with friends, trying Rekorderlig cider for the first time, seeing two echidnas in the wild and spending time with my sister. It will be good to sleep in my own bed again.
Thoughts on Rekorderlig?
I liked it. I tried the Winter Cider, Passionfruit Cider and Apple and Blackcurrant Cider. Winter Cider was my favourite, but Passionfruit and Apple and Blackcurrant were good too. I possibly got a little tipsy after drinking the cider, but I enjoyed it.
Winter cider is the best.
Hot or cold?
Cold. I will eventually try it hot, but it was cold cider weather on Saturday night.
“… spending time with my sister. It will be good to sleep in my own bed again.”
…
Well, we are Tasmanian … 😉
He is Tasmanian from memory.
Just saw Frozen. It was okay.
More interestingly, the person two rows in front of us decided that it would be a good idea to take pictures of the movie with their phone. Not subtly either but holding the phone up so everyone can see.
The second time they whipped it out, I had to tap the person in front of me on the shoulder and ask them to ask them to cut it out.
Seriously, is this a thing? If it’s a thing it ranks up there with some of the worst things to ever be things.
Larry David would have made millions if he had witnessed it.
These three juvie girls did that directly in front of me one time, long flash and everything. The second time they tried to do it I put on my deepest grumbly voice and yelled “Oi!!!”. Two of them screamed and I didn’t hear a peap out of them for the rest of the movie.
Edit for spelling.
I don’t know what’s worse: that someone else has experienced this or that the person that I saw doing it was an adult.
An adult doing it is very bad. I get really annoyed if I even hear someone whispering around me. I’m an expert at making people leave the movies though, it’s a talent.
Shh. Don’t tell @dc. I think @dc would be very annoyed to hear (read?) that you didn’t like Frozen. But don’t worry, I can keep a secret. @dc knows what I am talking about.
The cold never bothered me anyway.
bam!
And the dirt is gone.
But wait, there’s more?
Sham WOW!
…
Wait, wrong one.
You’re gonna love my nuts!
o.O
More dirt?
D:
More?
You want more?
@cakesmith’s link up there got me curious.
http://steamdb.info/calculator/?player=76561198054884595¤cy=us
My PC gaming has cost me $27.50 an hour. That seems excessive.
@cakesmith has spent $7.65p/h
@transientmind – $1.81p/h
@gingerchris86 – $2.86p/h
So, yeah. Pretty excessive.
Mine is $6.23.
$5.10 an hour, though these figures are skewed due to humble bundles (far and away how I’ve amassed most of the titles)
$4.40 p/h
Which… is considerably more than I used to pay when all I played was Runescape… I think it was close to .05c p/h for membership?
Actually, that’s close to a quarter of my pay. I’m… going to stop buying games for a bit.
But you didn’t pay full tote for all of them
Oh, goodness no. That’d be a scary prospect. I think I’ve bought maybe 5-6 games at full price.
Still, I spend far more than I’m comfortable with on games which I ultimately don’t play.
Mine is like 90c
Doesn’t work for me but I bet Dota throws the calculation way off.
$2.90/hr. Not too bad. And when you consider thats spread over 6 years (*gasp*) since I made my profile, that sounds pretty good
Actually hang on… That means I’ve only spent 82 hours per year playing games on steam. Thats pathetic!!
$5.33 per hour for me. Not too bad. Also I’ve had my account since Steam began as a thing since I got Half Life 2 on release day, and I know for a fact that a lot of my stuff doesn’t have hours registered against it (eg every HL2 thing) and I have definitely played many hours. So IMO my 76% unplayed stat is probably not accurate.
One thing is for sure though, if I could add the MMOs I’ve spent time in (esp. WoW, FFXIV, Tera, Ragnarok Online) then my efficiency would be vastly improved.
$3.46 / hour, 71% unplayed.
Compared with my better half at 0.32c / hour, and 47% unplayed. Her numbers would be worse thanks to me dumping humble bundle games on her account as well.
Hey @crazyguy1990,
I keep trying to add you on PSN but I keep getting a message that I can’t send the request due to your privacy settings.
Just fixed it.
Try it now and it should work. 🙂
So A link between worlds makes me feel like a moron. I have to keep running to the guide and the solution seems to always be obvious.
But I printed out the templates of the cakes so I’ve got that going for me, which is nice.
I nearly quit the game because of the Ice Temple, then the solution was really easy. That’s the problem with Zelda games, whenever I find out the solution to a problem I am having I feel like an idiot.
Yup. Zelda is especially good at making you feel like an absolute moron
You received it! \o/
Just remember when in doubt, jump into the wall!
Yeah I keep accidentally doing that and then when I actually want to, it doesn’t work. D=
Also, i can’t send you the rupee cushion because I don’t know if you live at number 11 or 77
Haha. It’s the lucky sevens. 😀
Thanks. I will probably send it off next week. I have a dark blue one (similar to the colour of the link between worlds one) if you’d rather that one.
Skyward Sword blue, please. No rush. Thank you!
Alright, should be able to send it on Tuesday
So we shifted close to 20 tonne of alcohol today… I feel beat, and I am doing all again tomorrow.
@popdart5:
I just completely ran out of fuel and maintenance tomorrow ends the Arpeggio event, so here’s my final results for the KanColle Christmas event grind I’ve been engaging in the last two weeks, in terms of Gold or Holo-quality or unbuildable/rare ships
– I-401 x1 (event reward)
– Kaga x1
– Akagi x2 (yeah 🙁 )
– Hiryuu x1
– Zuikaku x2 (bastard RNG gave me two Zuikakus rather than Shoukaku and Zuikaku T_T)
– Zuihou x1
– Abukuma x1
– Yuubari x1
– Kongou x4
– Hiei x2
– Kirishima x2
– Haruna x1
– Mutsu x1
– Ise x2
– Hyuuga x1
– I-19 x1
– I-58 x2
– Suzuya x1
– Naganami x3 (T_T)
– Yuugumo x1
– Maikaze x1
– Shimakaze x2
No luck getting Shoukaku, Nagato, Mikuma, Kumano, Kinu or Akigumo, which were the remaining event drops. I guess I’ll have to try and push through to World 5 and hope they come to me on their own.
Since It was put in, I have done four large ship builds. Results: Kongou, Kongou, Kongou, Ise. Kongou fucking loves me. 🙁
During the course of the event I got Shigure and Ooi both to their Kai-2 remodels. My HQ level hit 59 during the event. 56-58 I think happened when I ground out the final couple of levels to get Shigure up to 60 (running 3-2-A over and over for ~500xp each run, using carriers and subs/torpedo girls to do most of the damage in pre-emptive strikes). At some point suddenly the E-3 map got really difficult. I didn’t notice any fleet composition changes but I assume that their levels went up. The final few days of the event I’ve been really struggling to clear the boss node with an S-rank so missing out on chances at the best ships in the pool 🙁 E-2 is even harder though 🙁 I was getting T-crossed by the enemy often enough that I had to pull some of Hiryuu’s teeth by swapping out one of her torpedo squadrons for a recon plane. I suspect actually that I’ve hit the point where Hiryuu and Soryuu’s balanced squadron sizes are no longer effective and I need to start using Akagi and Kaga as my mainline carriers.
Current fleet:
– Shigure Kai-2 (60)
– Haruna Kai (64)
– Hiei Kai (65)
– Hiryuu Kai (78)
– Kitakami Kai-2 (70)
– Ooi Kai-2 (64)
For E-3 I was mainly swapping Shigure out for Iona since being a sub she stopped the fog Nagara-classes from using beam weapons and unlike my subs, she had 70hp so could actually take a few hits. Plus very high luck so lots of torpedo cut-in attacks at night (very nice when you do 400 damage to the boss!)
Currently working on getting Kiso to 65 and her Kai-2 remodel. She’s not as effective with torpedoes as her two sister ships but has much higher cannon, anti-sub and anti-air stats to balance that out. I’ve completely modernized Kitakami and Ooi and against anything smaller than a battleship they hit pretty well with cannons so are quite useful. My plan is to have Kiso and Kitakami or Ooi together and this will give me a torpedo cruiser in reserve as they are easily the strongest ships in the game in terms of pure damage potential (with a pair, they will often pre-emptively take two ships out of a fleet before firing commences and they tend to target cruisers and destroyers first which frees your bigger ships up to fire on stronger enemies). I was finding during the event that Kitakami and Ooi (especially Ooi) were the most likely to end up in the dock for a few hours after the boss node though, so having Kiso as a reserve will be important. I could take a sub and get similar effect, but the subs get targeted and none of mine are high enough to be able to dodge well, plus they’re all so rare (I-19 is unbuildable still, even) plus they don’t participate in shelling phase so the torpedo girls are generally a better option.
After I work on Kiso I’m thinking of spending some time getting Zuikaku and Mutsu up. I’m also going to continue trying the Large Resource Construction once or twice a week as resources permit. Hopefully some good recipes for getting Taihou and Yamato will emerge, but I’m not going to rush for them. I’d really like to get Shoukaku and Nagato, plus the unbuildable Agano-class cruisers which are all LRC only.
My other short-term goals are going to be to get Suzuya to 30 so I can turn her into an aviation cruiser and complete the composition quest for having a pair of them (already have Mogami). Unfortunately wasn’t able to get her sisters (Kumano and Mikuma) but both are obtainable as drops in World 3 and 4 so may try and farm later. The other goal I have is to get one of my subs to 50 and then push through the remaining expeditions up to 25 (which requires a level 50 flagship and 4 submarines – I’m thinking Imuya to 50 first as she’s already 34).
You’ve done quite nicely from this event, even though RNG has screwed you around with a few of the drops (particularly those Kongous, damn). I’ve been pretty lax lately and haven’t really touched Kantai for a few days. I’ll try and jump on tonight after maintenance but I’ve missed my chance to get anything good out of the Christmas event.
There will be other events. This one was just good because there was some nice rare drops (mainly stuff that drops on bosses only in worlds 3-5) and it was actually possible to clear it. Last event I cleared E-1 and might have had a sniff at E-2 but wouldn’t have had a chance at E-3 to E-5 as they needed high-level battleships, shittons of resources and lots of buckets to keep everyone going.
I love how music has the power to change your mood from a bad one to a good one. I’m feeling tired and grumpy, so I’ve put Spotify on and I’m listening to Led Zeppelin III. It’s helped me feel a lot better.
LED ZEPPELIN \m/
I love them. I’d never really listened to them before they were available to listen to on Spotify, so I’ve been going through their discography. I listened to IV this morning, possibly my favourite Led Zeppelin album so far.
OMG every album is like a greatest hits album. Mothership is a great compilation, if you don’t have the time for all their albums and time is definitely something you need with the Zep – all their songs are like ten minutes each. Slightly exaggerating, sure, but not when I say greatest band ever.
Oops, this was actually the review I had in mind.
Morning.
Sure is.
I can confirm that.
*checks time of post*
*headsplode*
Blerch moving suuuucks… also looks like i won’t have innernet at my new place for a while
*rocks back and forth*
Back at work today, already had 2 coffees and i’m still ready to go to sleep….
Hope everyone is well here?
On the plus side because of my lack of network i have started playing through RDR for the god-knows-how-many-times-now, to hopefully complete it…
and i can confirm, yep, it’s still pretty damned amazing!
EDIT – PAGE GET WOOOoooo *head desk*
As long as the living arrangements appear to be working out, that’s all that matters, right?
Pretty much… The place is already looking great, got a lot of stuff done in 4 days…
The weekend we’re sorting out the garden and the upstairs living room, afterwhich we’re pretty much sorted…
We have organised so we all have our “areas” we can run off to if we get sick of each other and/or need to be alone so it should work out splendidly 😛
Plus the dogs love the stairs… i don’t know why… but all they’ve been doing the past 4 days is run up and down them for hours 😛
Dogs like new things…once they realise they’re not a threat.
Sounds like you have it all planned out. You’ll be alright =D
Yep, for the first time in a while despite feeling physically exhausted, i feel great about our prospects, and generally a lot happier \o/
this is a great opportunity for us to get back on top and i think both wifey and i are now mentally charged to get sh!t done!
It’s really hard to get into the market. The prices of houses are ridiculous.
I hope things go well for you. You and Mrs. Pixel deserve it.
No internet?
why are you stalking me again?
WE’VE SPOKEN ABOUT THIS!
and i told you the garden needed some work!
I think freeze is volunteering to help with the garden =P
Well what else would he be doing at the bushes near the window besides trimming them
AAHH!! keep buying warhammer and have far to much in the works that needs painting already.
Been getting a bit second hand which sometimes requires a bit of work stripping, but this is far better then paying full price. My wife got me some models for Christmas close to $200 for a Army Rule book, 11 models and magic cards. Felt somewhat guilty.
Good luck ever seeing a day when Games Workshop has a Sale. It will be a cold day in hell.
The prices for Warhammer miniatures and rulebooks are exorbitant. It’s utterly stupid for one squad in your army to cost as much as a AAA game. I used to play up until about ten years ago, but ended up quitting because of the rule-changes and ‘chapter approved’ always mucking up whatever the current flavour of the month was, and the cost of putting together armies and staying current. (And, to a lesser extent, games shop clientele/staff.)
It’s 95% schadenfreude, but I’m actually kind of looking forward 3D printer technology advancing to the point that there’s a pirate market for 40K miniatures, similar to the one for movies and games now. I really want to see how the monolithic Games Workshop adapts to that paradigm.
Sue goddamn everything into oblivion.
Yeah, but like the MPAA and RIAA have already discovered: that’s like trying to deal with a piranha problem with a spear.
It’s funny (but not unexpected) how the gaming industry has adapted much, much faster by moving toward F2P/online-account options as well as more customer-friendly digital distribution to tackle piracy far more effectively than suing individuals. The gaming industry approaches to piracy are still kind of ham-fisted, but they make the MPAA/RIAA look like brutish cavemen by comparison.
Game publishers are dealing with the problem themselves by adapting, instead of complaining to governments and lawyers to get someone ELSE to ‘just make it stop already’.
Just look at the prices for their ebooks on the black library & switch between currencies, not only are they expensive in general but very specifically Australia tax heavy
So, Alien Infestation doesn’t look totally awful. Remaining cautiously optimistic. I like that it looks like they’re going for more of an “Outlast” style game than anything else.
My only problem is they are trying to bring the series “back into line” with the films. Well, uh, doesn’t that get completely nullified by this scene from the Aliens Directors Cut (which is seen in the EU as the actual canon version).
The Company lied.
Yeah i’m a little sad they went that way with the story :\
But other then that the actual gameplay looks potentially rather decent…
like you, remaining cautiously optimistic…
I JUST WANT A GAME THAT PLAYS JUST AS WELL AS AVP2 WHEN YOU’RE THE MARINE!
I had so much fun playing AVP2 at uni.
I think they were meaning they want to bring it back to the sort of claustrophobia and dread of the original Alien film.
Boss wants to start walking meetings. Not a bad idea
Walking you all to the unemployment office?
IT’S A TRAP!
What, like The West Wing?
I’d have an asthma attack before we could confirm the previous meetings minutes.
“All in favour of the motion please wheeze loudly!”
You should get Sorkin to write the agenda. Dude always managed to time the length of conversations to correspond perfectly with the distance between Office A and Office B.
The disabled, overweight, and smokers are all disadvantaged in walking meetings. Depending on your team make-up, this might or might not be a good thing.
http://gawker.com/5785581/watch-aaron-sorkins-brilliant-30-rock-cameo
Also, no smokers, no disabled and no-one really overweight. Our team is a team of three people.
I’d suggest that here, but anyone who goes outside to walk the five minutes to the 7-11 comes back drenched in sweat and gasping about how it’s hotter than Megan Fox out there.
That’s pretty cold!
…You sir, have no taste. Alright. Replace with ‘Emma Stone’ then. There. 🙂
She has weird eyebrows, creepy thumbs, a yuck face and no arse. I am fine with not having any taste 😛
Not sure I’m familiar with Emma Stone… but from a cursory google she seems like a step up I suppose.
Melbourne Peeps!
I think I should practice these cakes before the real thing. So, would people be interested in having a meat up so I can practice the cake and you guys can eat it?
@techknight, @negativezero, @beavwa, @tigerion and others. Sorry, I need to get like a txt file with all the victorian taybies. I am horrible
I would like to volunteer to eat cake.
Can you be in melbourne within 2 weeks?
Within 2 weeks, so before Australia Day weekend? You’re thinking next weekend, i.e. Saturday 18th?
I’m not sure? let me find out how much fondant is.
Also, Finn, Jake or Beemo cake?
…no D: But I still would like some cake.
If only there was a way to eat cake in Sydney!
I made cookies last week 😀
They were deliciousWhat,when and where; let me know and i will try to be there… because CAKE \o/
I will make it when it’s best for people. Does that make sense?
What,when and where; let me know and i will try to be there… because PIXEL \o/
Okay, this is completely dependent on when Pixel is available now =P
Yep sure thing! Tell me when and where 🙂
@scree this for me too, probably.
Going to stick to ‘maybe’ for the moment, January is filling up fast with family visits and paperwork stuff.
So I’ve been watching Mad Men season 1 recently. Just the last episode to go now before I can move on to Season 2.
Where has this show been hiding! (or rather, where have I been? :P) It’s great! Really enjoying it so far.
The only down side is that I was going to buy the DVDs yesterday, but Season 1 and 2 don’t have the cool pop-art style covers that the rest of them do >:( Hate it when all of a series’ covers don’t match.
EDIT: Oh, so apparently the earlier seasons DO have cool covers, just not at the JB that I go to… 😛
I really loved Season 1 of Mad Men and I would probably end it there, if I were watching it for the first time all over again. Things go… seriously downhill from there.
Aw man, don’t say that!
Enjoy! ^.^
@blaghman picked the best fucking time to be in Japan. Ever.
http://kotaku.com/first-look-inside-japans-dark-souls-cafe-1496101780
This café is only open until April.
Blaghman, if you bring me one of those estus flasks, I will reimburse your entire airfare*
*I probably won’t do this, but I will shove fistfuls of money into my computer screenI’ll see if I can, no promises though since I’m traveling across 3 more countries after Japan and it may be slightly tricky.
Just so you know, for serious, I expect nothing. I was all tongue-in-cheek there. I’m mostly with the jealous.
But if you’re actually seriously offering, thank you!
PS: I’m happy to send some postage money your way immediately, if that’s a better option.
Hear that guys? @blaghman promised to buy all of us Estus Flasks!
in all seriousness though, if you have room in your bag for a couple I would gladly throw money at you.I think my current issues are that they look kind of breakable, and would I have to steal them to get them? I mean, pretty theft is nothing new for me, but still.
You’ll be beheaded in Japan too! Yay vacation!
Anyone else get their project spark invite this morning?
________________________________
Project Spark Beta Invitation
Congratulations! You’ve been selected for the Project Spark Beta!
We’re proud to have you onboard to help shape the future of Project Spark. This invitation gives you early access to Project Spark and exclusive access to our feedback forums.
Project Spark is an endless adventure where everything is customizable by you! Jump into the open world sandbox where you can create your own games, worlds, movies, stories and more. Then share them with your family, friends, and the world.
– Play what other players have made and take part in unlimited adventures.
– Make your own game while you play with the revolutionary Crossroads mode.
– Bend, shape, and mold your own worlds with sculpting and beautify your creations with painting and Biomes.
– Master the easy to use brain system to add behaviors to anything and bring your creations to life.
It’s quick and easy to get started:
1. Make sure you are running Windows 8.1. If you haven’t updated from Windows 8 to 8.1, you can do so for free via the Windows Store
2. Download the Project Spark Beta app on the Windows Store here.
3. Launch the Project Spark Beta App and log in with your Beta Key
What’s Project Spark?
Apparently.
Its essentially a game creation tool coming to Windows & XBone. They had something on it at E3.
@poita I didn’t get one, which is a good thing as I don’t run win8.
I got one this morning too. Downloaded and tried it out. Well, tried to. The frame rate is abysmal on my laptop :/ Pretty sure that’s due to the dodgy graphics card drivers on it though. I might try it on my Surface and see if it’s any better.
So around six months ago I managed to grab Skyward Sword in one of Dick Smith’s sales where they were getting rid of their gaming stuff.
Didn’t actually try it out until a couple months ago and when I did, it came up in the Wii menu,but after loading it, there was just a screen saying “An error has occurred. Please press the Eject button, remove the disc and turn off the power to your console.”
Because it was a fair few months after actually buying the thing I couldn’t take it back to Dick Smith’s, especially as I no longer had the receipt so I just kinda shrugged it off and hoped it was because our Wii was being temperamental at the time and hoped it would work on the WiiU when we got it.
Just tried it on the WiiU. This time after loading up there was an unskippable three minute video on connecting the Wii Remote Plus to the controller, even though it was already connected. And after that video…the same error message. 🙁
I think you should send it to Nintendo Australia.
That’s why I prefer master race. Games just work 😛
No they-…oooooooooohhh.
Unless you have the wrong graphics card then … Oh boy are you in for a treat. =P
They do for me! It’s because I’m a properly pious acolyte of gaben. If everyone else were sufficiently pure like me, there’d be far fewer tech woes as the Machine God smiles down upon us all.
If the video was unskippable, then it means the game probably wasn’t reading the controller. You should be able to bypass it by making the a button.
Not that that’s the biggest issue when the game won’t run at all.
It did read the controller though, it made you press the ‘a’ button to start the unskippable video. Like forcing you to agree to your own torture. 😛
Really? Odd. I’m sure there was a way of bypassing it, though my method was to mash every button in the hope that something happened.
I don’t think there was a way to skip it the first time. They had that video on Wii Sports Resort, and it was forced to come up the first time you played the game because ooooh, new shiny thing idiots won’t understand. After that it was “marked” as having been watched, so wouldn’t come up.
…except there was a bug somewhere which meant that for some people, the video came up every single time so they needed to get out a system menu update quicksmart to fix it.
Not sure what’s going on with @strange’s disc though. It’s not scratched or anything?
Yeah except Skyward Sword has it unskippable because Nintendo are assholes.
NUMENERA: TALES OF THE NINTH WORLD
WHO IS THE CANTHARX?
7:30 SA TIME
@popdart5 @tigerion @mawt @novacascade @mythamphetamine @blaghman @tech_knight
We come bearing the gift of hugs.
Good luck with that
@redartifice I vote I go solo to try and find out the alternative solution because I don’t think that strategy will go well in part of the party’s survival possibility 😛
Sorry Red don’t think I’m going to make it, need to be on husband duty tonight
While I have no interest in the steam machines, I am now kinda interested in the new controllers after reading that article about them. Really want to pick up one separately to try it out on some PC games.
Same. It looks interesting. Are they selling them separately? Or going with an exclusive route for a while?
I have no idea, by the sounds of it other companies will be able to make their own versions of it but I want to try and actual valve/steam one
*grinds teeth*
I… mmmmmmmaaaaaaay consider buying a g-g-g-g-gamepad if it were a Steam one.
*twitch*
GAH. GAMEPADS ARE THE DEVIL WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE HERETICS KEYBOARD AND MOUSE IS THE ONE TRUE WAAAAAAAAAY *passes out*
For FPS and stuff sure. For 3rd person platformers or action games? Fuck that shit. Playing Assasin’s Creed or the like with a keyboard and mouse would be a good way to ensure you hate yourself forever.
I just want to try the Xbone controller to see if it’s nice enough to buy for PC use. But no, MS won’t give anyone demo models. -_-
Imo they’re really really shit. They feel cheap and awful and like some horrible third party PC gamepad by a company you’ve never heard of before.
Dual Shock 4 is extremely nice though. I’m half considering grabbing one for PC use at whatever point they start making those work for it.
Yeah DS4 is pretty good, nice improvement over DS3. I played with it at DSE and I now got one as a gift. 😛
Sucks about Xbone controllers. Looks like 360 pad is still my go-to for PC.
Interesting read.
http://goodmenproject.com/families/i-have-a-dream-that-people-will-view-a-picture-life-this-and-not-think-its-a-big-deal-gmp/
That’s really weird. Are people actually like that, or is that a ‘Murrica’ thing? Most of the guys I know with daughters had to be ‘trained’ how to brush a little girl’s hair (apparently the male instinct is to brush it like brushing a dog – which is apparently very wrong) but do it when required without really thinking about it… the dog-brushing story is pretty much the only thing I ever hear about it.
I [hope] think it’s a ‘Murrica’ thing. Australian’s would tend to just shrug and say “yeah, some guy with his kids, who cares?” – which is what I say. Some guy with his kids. Big whoop.
I need some advice. I’m looking at upgrading my internet access, but I’m on a limited budget. I found a plan on Internode that would be perfect for me, but it’s not offered in my area. I don’t think I can go on NBN as I rent, and I’m not sure when I’d be able to get it anyway or whether my landlady would allow me to get it. I would prefer a Naked Broadband plan as I have no need for a home phoneline, and I don’t want to pay much more than $60 a month. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Oddly enough, most naked broadband plans aren’t that crash hot. You need a phoneline anyhow for the ADSL connection and phone companies much prefer to sell bundles.
My last two houses, I’ve had a phone + unlimited net bundle with TPG that was $10 less than the naked option. I just didn’t plug a phone into the wall. Easy solution.
Following up with that, I’m only paying an extra $5 for a home phone so naked broadband plans don’t save you too much.
@ontargett Obviously Telstra and Optus would be your best bet for reliability depending on your area. Then again, a $60 plan with either of them will only get you about 20 gig a month so it’s not really worth it. Best value would probably be TPG but their service can be rather sketchy.
My experience with TPG has lead me to have the life mantra of “Fuck TPG.” Bunch of thieving scumbags.
Seconded. Their service is rubbish.
The NBN was going to change all that.
https://www.spintel.net.au/
I’m with these guys and yet to have a major complaint with them. Once out mobile plans run out we’ll be moving over to them.
Note their Zoom Four bundle. $69.95 per month for unlimited everything (ADSL2 + phone calls), no shaping.
Was considering them for a while until i found out the issues my friends brother had with them… they were having horrible download speeds and spintel kept blaming the connected equipment/filters at his house after about 7 months, they finally agreed to send out a technician who within 5 minutes confirmed there were wires crossing over in a pit up the road resulting in increased noise levels on the line… immediately leapt from an unstable and constantly dropping out 1.3mbps connection to a stable 14mbps…
i mean they could have checked the noise levels on the line by doing a line test from their end.
I think that’s to do with wholesale pricing. 3rd party companies usually have to liaise with Telstra to get the line testing done (hell, I used to take the wholesaler calls myself when I was with Telstra), and I’m aware that there are different charges placed on the provider depending on whether a tech is issued and if they avoid placing the call to Telstra for testing themselves they can probably pass the cost of the visit directly on to the customer. Really not sure how it works, but some sort of cost-bypassing chicanery would be my best guess.
Looked at them. Requires a landline to check availability. 🙁
TPG has some good bundles
$59.99 – If you want unlimited data with home phone rental included, but no phone calls included
$69.99 – If you want unlimited data with home phone rental included, and unlimited local and national calls to fixed lines.
$79.99 – If you want unlimited data with home phone rental included, and unlimited local, national calls to fixed lines, as well as mobile calls to any provider in AU.
Scroll through the plans here:
http://www.tpg.com.au/products_services/home-phone-bundle#
Also all plans include WiFi modem routers… and they usually use netgear/netcomm equipment which is usually quite good.
They took $5000 out of our account and just shrugged and told us too bad when we asked what the fuck. Ended up having to take them to court to get it back after which they still tried to claim we were locked into their contract. I’m far from the only person to have this problem and there’s a few here who have nothing but horror stories.
I really urge people to find someone/anyone else than those thieving arseholes.
There are a lot of horror stories with TPG. I’m pretty lucky in that I haven’t had any issues with them – yet – but this sort of thing is why I wouldn’t never just flatly recommend them.
Going to court… shit. Did you talk to the TIO first? That’s really, really weird for the TIO not to get something resolved. They have the power to hand out massive fines (like, tens of thousands) if they can find any wrong-doing, and the providers actually have to pay a fee for dealing with them in the first place, to the point that most providers will bend over backwards just to get you off their case.
Yeah, the TIO we were dealing with told us that they are always difficult to deal with. Mostly due to their only presence in the country nearly being nothing but a few techs and a bank account or so I’ve been told.
Man that’s unusual. They must’ve had their reasons for not cracking the whip straight away… some kind of technicality, perhaps, that you’d have to argue deserved consideration under ‘could be reasonably interpreted as…’ and ‘acting on good faith’ etc, which then has to go to courts.
Was it a long time ago? From what I hear from folks I keep in touch with every now and then, they pretty much go nuclear with TPG/AAPT as soon as they get a case with them, these days. Since like… 2008’ish at least.
My faith, it is shaken. 😛
It was before my eldest was born so 06 07ish.
i was with them for about 12 years, never had a single drama…. and when i was broke at one stage they even gave me two free months to assist me in getting all my other bills sorted… that kind of stuff just doesnt normally happen!
My take on the providers, based on the time I was in the industry:
Telstra:
Pros: 24/7 faults resolution, faster resolve times due to line-techs being internal. As reliable a connetion as you’ll ever get.
Cons: Pretty much the worst pricing per bandwidth in the industry.
(Insider take: Your first contact point might be a script-reading backpacker, but if you get escalated, you’ll be dealing with a professional. And yes, they know their plans are the shittiest and they don’t care.)
Optus:
Much the same as Telstra, only a bit cheaper and a bit less reliable.
(Insider take: They really are the ‘budget’ Telstra. They modeled so much after the big T, including what are really not competitive prices. Being ‘better’ than Telstra on price isn’t saying much.)
iinet/Internode: (same company, really)
Pros: Good value plans catering to higher usage levels, high-quality support – not sure about the 24/7. Usually have their own DSLAMs.
Cons: Pricing loses value as you move toward lower download limits.
(Insider/personal take: This would be my personal recommendation. The only time these guys fall down is when they have to deal with Telstra line techs, which is going to be a problem with ANY wholesaler.)
TPG:
Pros: Some of the better/best value plans in the industry without being outright scams, and which cater to higher download users. If you don’t ever experience any tech or billing problems, your experience will be pretty good.
Neutral: Have some of their own tech in exchanges, but for the most part are still wholesale.
Cons:Only a ‘Pretty good’ experience – far as I know, they still transfer their off-shore bandwidth through budget routes during night-time peak hours, resulting in shitty latency for online games. And if something goes wrong… Apathetic customer service at best. If you have a problem, you will suffer, and will probably end up having to contact the TIO unless you’re exceptionally lucky or patient.
(Insider/personal take: The guys who we took calls from, from TPG, didn’t really know what they were doing. The company ethos seems to be about cost-cutting wherever possible, and off-shoring as much as possible. It’s a profit-maximizing business which just happens to work out for some customers. If you’re a problem, dealing with that problem costs and they don’t want to. I would recommend avoiding unless you’re pretty hard up for cash and are going in aware that you might have dramas.)
Adam Internet:
I really can’t comment on these guys, but every time anyone discusses ISPs, I hear someone saying they’re awesome. Rarely had to log faults from these guys, I believe their selection of regions covered is very limited.
AAPT/dodo:
If not outright scams, they’re very close. Just avoid. So much goes wrong so often that it’s NOT going to be worth whatever good-looking deal (with tonnes of hidden restrictions in T&C) they’re offering. Telstra Sales loves these guys because their clients are the easiest to win back.
Their response to any dispute is going to be, ‘go fuck yourself, stiff shit’, and if you take them to the TIO, it’ll be, ‘Fine, have your money back, your account is closed and the balance sent to a debt collector, go fuck yourself.’ This is internet by correspondence course. Avoid.
In general: If you’re not going to make use of a land-line, get naked DSL where you can. Many companies will bundle your landline sure, but if you never use it, you’ll usually be $5-15 ahead on a naked plan. Cable is best, usually (unless you’re in a densely-populated area), but has its own unique challenges. If NBN is already available, look into it. I’m pretty sure it’s only new connections from the node which are ones that’ll require landlord approval/payment.
I was on Adam at my old place, they are really good. OK pricing, great service.
Again! Someone saying they’re good! I’m inclined to believe the hype and would probably look them up whenever considering new providers. I think the restriction is that they’re South Australia only.
Thanks mate. I was thinking about looking into iinet. They seem pretty reasonable.
I was with iiNet for 7 years over two different places and they were always very good. I only stopped using them because I moved to an area where I was 4km away from the ADSL exchange and was looking at ~2mbit max, and could get 100mbit cable from Telstra.
Whoa, that’s in depth and useful!
Jesus last 2 months have been the worst of my life thus far.
putting the icing on the cake yesterday was me kicking out my brother in law and asking him to make new living arrangements ASAP.
To cut a long story short, he was going out with a girl about 7 years ago, who happens to be his cousins’ cousin (meaning she is also my wifes’ cousins’ cousin). He’s always had feelings for her since, but this girl is now engaged to be married very shortly. For the past week they’ve been together every single day, on several occasions staying up watching movies in his bedroom till 5am.
call me old fashioned, but that is highly inappropriate and he is stirring a wealth of problems in the families, and my wife and i are being thrown in the center of it all. Ironically, he broke up with his last girlfriend a year ago because she was still friends with her ex.
I had to tell my brother and his girlfriend they couldn’t live with us anymore once. No matter how logical or practical the reason is it’s never a fun exercise.
yeah, after having my brother and his girlfriend leave 5 months ago, and now this, ive learned that you just cant co-exist with siblings. especially if you are married.
Living with people in relationships is never a good idea. The person in the relationship is torn up cos they have to choose significant-other over their friend, and the friend is torn up cos all they hear is constant sex and get out-numbered on every decision.
Amen to that. I roomed with a couple for a while… He was always kinda uncomfortable because we’d both been friends with the girl for much longer than he’d known her, and he felt like a bit of an outsider in his own home as a result. And then there was relationship drama (he was a bit of a philanderer – he didn’t get ‘caught’ for a really long time, but she suspected always, which drove them to constant fights).
And whenever we had parties… the girl and my circle of friends were geeks and nerds, one of the guys’ friends were all cadbury hipsters, and the boyfriend’s friends were all metal-heads who liked to get high/drunk and pick fights. It was NOT a great combination. I had to stop a couple fights on different occasions before simply bowing out of the whole ‘house party’ thing and saying these people weren’t welcome in my home anymore.
*shudder*
No. I’m never rooming with people again. I know I pay more to live alone, but it’s worth it.
So much this. I choose to live alone because of my last housemate and yes, I pay more for a decent but altogether lacklustre place but I prefer living by myself.
It’s good living by myself, I never have to worry about anybody in my house having a relationship.
😛
HAving a crazy day. everything is moving in weird directions today
Also, is it worth getting my own modem, or using one the ISP provides?
Quick research will tell you that you can (usually) get the ISP hardware cheaper elsewhere.
Almost always get your own modem/router. They’re cheap.
Some ISP providers will provide as part of the sign-up fee, a fee that isn’t reduced if you provide your own hardware. In those cases (and sometimes in other cases), it’s always better to just use their offering, because it’s hardware they’re familiar with, and can provide support for.
Also if their modem screws up, their problem to fix ASAP. If yours screws up, have fun.
ADSL, get your own. ISP-provided will be a hunk of shit.
If you go with iinet and they offer you their proprietary ‘Bob’ unit, it’s actually a pretty decent modem.
I mentioned this on Twitter but might as well put it up here.
Anyone who’s interested in playing some Netrunner should get their hands on Octgn (a less than legit way to make your own Netrunner decks and play online, it does other card games too but let’s just start with Netrunner). I want to try it out with people to see if it’s really worthwhile. Gingerchris and Ynefel are keen so far, so there might be something resembling a TAY Netrunner community at the end of all this, assuming things work.
I’ll learn!
GMing tonight, but flick me a link and I’ll jump in tomorrow
Everything you need to know is here. Do not install the censored card packs (Creation and Control and the Spin Cycle cards) because card text is kind of pivotal to the whole thing. Don’t worry, there are proxies that have everything you need to know when you install the game. Card art is just a nice detail to add onto things.
What’s a netrunner?
http://tinyurl.com/27mzq3z
Kiwi’s.
http://news.com.au/lifestyle/food/new-zealand-baker-sends-client-turd-cake-with-the-message-eat-sht/story-fneuz8zj-1226796457177
What a crappy cake.
I always hated when people resort to pointing out their charity work after they’ve done something that’s offended the masses. It’s like saying “I’m not racist, some of my best friends are black!”
The thing about charity work I’ve always figured is that if you talk about it, it doesn’t ‘count’. Karmically, I mean.
(Edit: With the obvious exception of when you’re driving things, like trying to get support for a fundraiser.)
I’m not racist because I’ve got a token black friend.
That’s just science >.>
@dc Do you want to do your tag thing so we can get some numbers for next Friday? I’ll need numbers if I’m going to attempt to make a booking somewhere, and I’d like to book as soon as possible so I don’t forget to do it. 😛
@sughly, @freezespreston, @strange, @transientmind, @jimu, @dkzeitgeist, @gutsoup, @popdart5, @welbot, @beardymcmuttonchops, @sernobulus, @virus__, @beeawwb
Thanks Strange! 🙂
@lambomann007 too, but I hear he doesn’t meat.
I put down I wasn’t available for work, so I should be sweet.
So 14? Did I count right? I came up with a different number each time and I counted 5 times. 😛
I’ll attempt to book for 1 extra in case @gutsoup can make it. Sound about right?
And should I try that place I linked, or would you rather I find somewhere else?
15 with Mrs. Hellscream too, I think. So 16 with Gutsoup? I dunno! XD
That place was fine with me, but I don’t mind. Just looking forward to seeing you guys! 😀 Thanks again, Strange!
Okay, I’ll try Next Door first. Although I forgot to ask people what time. What time does @freezespreston usually need? 7? 7:30?
I’ve been telling everyone 7pm and no one’s objected so far!
Actually I think your maths was better, Strange. I counted Welbot.
I’m considering taking the day off work as I really don’t want to work with the person they’ve rostered me on with.
I’ll be there.
Can I come with you? 😀
Count me in. 🙂
In.
Availability confirmed, yes from me. Look forward to meating everybody. (Except lambomann)
I’m in.
Count me in! \o/
Count Mrs Freeze in as well.
You guys are awesome! I texted @Sughly. He said he can make it too!
Booking? For a movie?
I’m in 😉
No movie. Just dinner. And drinks. Lots of drinks. 😛
I’d love to, but given the weeks I’ve just had, it’s not gonna be possible for me 🙁 Next time for sure! So long as it’s after February! 😉
Mrs Hellscream and I would be very excited to attend.
SYDNEY PEEPS
Ser @rize and wife shall apparently be in Sydney this Saturday and @batgirl and I thought it was a good excuse to double celebrate our birthdays since they’re pretty close to each other. Or, more generally, just hang out. ANYONE WANNA DO ANYTHING? Tossing @cakesmith a tag because he’s pretty good at planning things and I’m not.
I believe Rize was keen to recreate his magical night with Cake at the Bavarian a few weeks ago…
SOMEONE! SYDNEY NAME TAGS! HERE!
TAY isn’t letting me post this because I’m posting too fast even though my last post was yesterday. I see.
EDIT: Oh so now it goes through when I complain about it. I’M ONTO YOU TAY!
I’ll have to check my planner.
Thursday: nothing
Friday: nothing
Saturday: nothing
Sunday: reminder to stop buying planners
But seriously, I might be going to the Tennis that night. I’ll let you know!Damn Sydney people. I’m jealous of the good times you’ll undoubtedly have. I’ll just have to console myself with this drink I found. It’s a reasonably cool drink. http://imgur.com/K3vHDMU
This time, I figure we can play Bella Notte in the background.
Attendance is probable!
I can attend but I need more details then no details.
Woo! JB are having another 20% off DVDs sale.
AND it stacks with the 2 for $30 sale they’re also having!
It’s slightly cheaper!
At this stage, they’ve had one every second week since the start of December.
My bank balance weeps.
Damn, may have to go in after payday tomorrow
Get them to scan the stuff, even if you think the displayed price is high. I dunno if it’s cos the dude knows me or a pricing error, but I got 38% off a box set last time.
So @dc, I am going to go see Frozen. I hope it is Jesus Incarnate or whatever you said it was.
I at least hope this washes the taste of Brave out of my mouth.
I really should watch Frozen some time…
…also Brave.
Brave’s not that good. You should only watch it for the sake of the timeline!
Brave’s better than Frozen! #FightingWords #Sughly’llTotesBackMeUp #HashtagsForHarli
Come on @dc, we can take him.
Eh, people can like whatever they want to like. I loved Brave, Tangled and Frozen for different reasons. Wreck-It Ralph I only just liked though. I respect that Walt Disney Animation are attempting to get back to Disney’s roots and Pixar are doing their own thing. As long as it doesn’t have to be one or the other, I’m happy they both exist!
Monster.
Tangled > Frozen > Brave.
Now I want to see a crossover of all three.
Probably your only option of that is fanfic/porn. Rule 34, and all that.
Hope you enjoy it. It’s a great film.
http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/elwood/bbq/enchanted-bbq-for-sale/1035043823
Page six up next! Hype!
It’s interminably slow at work, so I think it’s random rambly transientmind story time.
A friend of mine has recently become single. Unfortunately, it’s after a long-term relationship and he was lamenting the changes in the dating scene. Got me thinking about how things are different now.
A couple years ago I was single myself, and it’s definitely true that the modern game is completely different to even only 10 years ago. Before Facebook took off, before everyone had twitter and smart-phones. Hell, smart-phones didn’t even exist. Had to learn a lot of things the hard way.It was staggering to me how many girls would ask, “So do you have Facebook?” with a hungry gleam in their eye, just waiting to dive into a treasure trove of cheat-sheet pre-screening. ‘Facestalking’: Favourite music, movies, drink, photos to see how hard you party, history of your exes, are there any other girls on there who are hotter than them, which political causes do you support, etc, etc. You know… all the stuff that you USED to save for finding out during the actual… well. First couple dates. Ended up getting to the point where I’d have to say, “Uh-uh. No sneak previews. You want on this ride, you pay full fare.”
It’s bad enough when you get their number and send a message, opening up a the floodgates for a deluge of messages at any and all moments of the day – tiny little demands for attention on their whims, death by a thousand cuts. Much better to remain taciturn and only respond once every couple hours or so if you can, letting them know that you are actually busy and have things to do that don’t involve checking your phone every ten minutes. It might infuriate them but at least it doesn’t let them build up some false picture of you before you get more face-time in. They seem to get over it. (But it probably won’t stop them still sending 3-5 messages for every one of yours.)
Another terrible habit I noticed among the younger girls in their early 20s especially was the incurable compulsion to tweeting or SMSing or checking facebook while on the date. If you were on form and doing well, they would be too distracted to feel the need, but some of the die-hard social divas (yeah, usually the prettier ones) you could just TELL were twitching with withdrawal symptoms, dying to get a look at that screen for some instant validation. They took a LOT of distracting.
One girl who I’d known peripherally for a little while already – and who, I guess, was thus way too comfortable and familiar with me (had to nip that RIGHT in the bud) actually pulled her phone out while we were eating at the restaurant on our date and started checking her SMSes.
My bad for not being on form and ‘playa’ enough to keep her riveted for every single moment, but all the same…
I ended up having to feign interest in her phone, saying, “Ohhh, is that the latest model X? I’ve been thinking about getting one of those, let me have a look a bit.” Then, pointedly turning the thing off and putting it down very deliberately. I can’t remember what I said, but it got her attention. Crazily enough, she actually told me later that while it was ‘incredibly rude’ (uh… pot, meet kettle?), it was also a turn-on. Which was just lucky I guess, because at that point I was seriously considering that if facebook was more interesting than me, my night was going to be a bust anyway, so I stopped caring what she thought.
That was probably a good move.
At any rate, I can’t imagine things have improved any in the last couple years… I really don’t envy anyone who has to get back into that scene.
Love it.
Well, it didn’t get a slap in the face! That’s always a bonus.
I’m told by ‘experts’ that dating follows many of the rules of Sales. Such as: Assume the sale. You’re just negotiating terms.
This is a shame because I’ve always been kind of horrible at sales… unless I really think the product is kickass. In this case, I guess that analogy works, because this product I have a lot of faith in. 😉
I haven’t been single for 12 years and if I suddenly found myself that way I wouldn’t even know where to start.
“Baby, I’d be lost without you. I mean, I’d try, but the dating scene sounds SCARY out there. So basically you’re just better than the alternative.”
“You had me at ‘without you.’ You lost me at ‘I’d try’. Grab a pillow and sheet for the couch.”
If I didn’t have you.
Someone else would do.In a similar vein: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTkp9UqVVHs
It hasn’t. I found myself single last year (well, mid-2012) after two long term relationships went bust over the last 10 years. While I enjoyed using technology to assist in the search for companionship I also found myself wondering why phones had to take every aspect of every little thing. I tend to use my phone for 1 thing… listening to music. I don’t make calls, I don’t send messages, though I will receive them. Facebook, Twitter, they’re read-mostly media for me.
That said, there’s plenty of people with manners out there – people with the guts to say “enough is enough” and turn off their date’s phone when it comes out. That is some class A moves right there, super well done! Personally I don’t stand for phones coming out during social interactions. There’s a time for phone and there’s a time for other things. If we come together to do something, then by jove let’s do it instead of looking at our screens all the time.
Lucky for me I found a wonderful person when I wasn’t even looking / trying and we share those values so don’t have to worry about what the young-ens are getting up to these days.
I met Mrs Shane in mid-2006, just ahead of this dating revolution, I think. Thank God. Hopefully I’ll never be single again and have to deal with this minefield.
I’m still yet to find this scene, let alone get into it. 😛
I think it’s like a party in a MMO. You just start asking around and start it where you are.
LF healer, Min. gear lvl 500.
50/50 lootshare
…the only times I’ve gone out with someone is because of getting to know them through chats over MSN. I guess that explains why not much has happened since everyone abandoned it for facebook 😛
Tell a random cute chick waiting for a bus or whatever, “Those glasses look good on you,” (or similar, tailored to the person) then pull out your phone, open up the ‘add contact’ and hand it to her while she’s smiling. You will get shot down a LOT, but you’ll also get a couple numbers. 🙂 The trick is to laugh off a rejection and smile, saying graciously, “Worth a shot,” or, “Can’t blame me for trying.”
Holy fuck, you a lady’s man, Transientmind!
ANYONE can be! You only gotta ask.
(It’s not like there’s some kinda course or qualifications you have to finish first, some paperwork to fill in. You just see someone who looks like they’d be fun to get to know and tell ’em so.)
But you’re a handsome young go getter, us homely lookin’ folk get some mace in the eyes instead of smiles. 😛
Nah, you’d get away with it. I personally wouldn’t put much difference between us on looks. The folks here can vouch for that. Hell, you’re taller and have better hair, even. Chicks secretly (and sometimes not so secretly) dig a guy who’s taller than them. So you got more options. 😉
You’d just take a full lungful of air (or maybe three, each one fully expelled as well) to calm the nerves, remember you’ll probably never see this person again and that it’s nothing embarrassing to be nervous about, just a man being… a man. Real, and taking the initiative.
OMG YOU DIRTY MAN IM JUST WAITING HERE AT MY BUS STOP NOT WANTING TO BE DISTURBED BUT YOUR DISGUSTINGLY LOOKIN AT MY BOOBS AND OBJECTIFYING ME WHY CANT I JUST GET ON MY BUS AND LEAVE BUT NO I HAVE TO BE SUBJECTED TO YOUR HUMILIATING DEGRADATION OMG
Fucking hell I’m glad I’ve long since lost all hope at ever meeting anyone I’d want to date. Even if I got over the self hatred, the social terror and actually asked her out and if by some miracle she didn’t either laugh in my face or scream and run away what with my being an ugly fat bastard with all the sex appeal of a dead donkey, we’d end up on a date where I’d have no idea what I was doing and then this shit would happen? Yeah fuck that, desperately lonely and living in abject misery sounds preferable
Jesus, man.
There’s a clip of comedian Cal Wilson I really like (man, when I was a teen she was totally on my ‘would do’ list – which, y’know, is the most pointless and dumb exercise in hypotheticals ever). In it, she’s talking about a pickup line that worked on her. A fella walks up and looks around and says, “Yeah… I’m not the best-looking guy in this place. …But I’m the only one talking to you.” She loved it.
Guys are kind of lucky in that we don’t have to even look all that great. It doesn’t hurt, but it’s only one tickbox among many. I’m sure you’ve seen unlikely couples before where the guy is clearly punching above his weight.
The thing is confidence. That’s why chicks did bad boys who are proven wrong for them – they’re just oozing confidence, because jerks don’t really give much of a shit what people think. It’s all the hallmarks of power and success without the actual power and wealth. And no-one ever starts out perfect at being confident – it’s just like any skill. It comes from practice. But until then? You fake it til you make it. Ask anyone you reckon is confident how they got that way, I’ll bet they’ll tell you that. Either that or they’re still working on it and will have to lie. (Or they were born as trust-fund underwear models. Statistical anomalies.)
Probably the best idea to take away for the whole, “What do I do after I get a number/date?” stress-out is to not care and wing it. And definitely not over-think it. The point of the exercise is to spend enough time together that she can vet and feel comfortable enough to ‘select’ you. Don’t think ‘relationship’, vetting them before you even get up the nerve to date. That’s a loooooong process. Jump into the dating part first at the first hint of your interest, then the dating itself is the approval process.
And it’s OK to fail. You probably will. A lot. And discover that you’re not the only one – she’ll fail too. And that’s cool too.
Man. You wouldn’t believe how many pick-ups, dates, hook-ups, and eventually relationships I’ve completely fucked up in the last oh… 15yrs+. Mistake after mistake, some of which are so glaringly obvious now even thinking about them makes me want to travel back in time to punch nerdy, weedy, nervous past-me in the crotch. But that’s how you learn – from your fuckups and failures and missed opportunities. Even with all the progress I made in the last decade, I’m still no James Bond. But I’m happy.
Maybe I should probably catalogue my most embarrassing fuck-ups (‘learning experiences’) in their cringe-worthy glory just so people realize that no matter how badly they think they suck at this shit, they can’t have done much worse than some of my catastrophes. Just like learning anything.
I don’t mean to preach or anything, if you got a choice you’re happy with, then awesome – your choices are yours. But if you’re not, then there’s definitely ways about it and people who know from what you post and how you post it that you’re a pretty cool guy hey, and will want to help you do what you wanna do to be happier.
I would read this catalogue. 😛
Yeah I know, I’m just in the middle of a convergence of fatalism, negativity and depression, normally I only have one or two of them at once but now it’s all 3… My biggest problem is sheer lack of social contact with real people, I don’t work, I don’t like anything real-world that’s social (and frankly there’s nothing in wagga but pubs anyway) and so the number of new people I meet each year can be counted on one hand and I often don’t need to use any of my fingers (and if I meet anyone they’re all guys anyway). Just feels slightly less painful to simply give up than to drag it out longer. It also pisses me off that I can’t seem to simply exist without external validation, fucking social evolution…
Much like @DC, however, I’d also like to read your catalogue.
Haha. Oh man. That’d be pretty vulnerable-making and embarrassing, but if it’d help… Yeah, I could definitely trot out some absolute kickmyselfintheballsyouidiot screw-ups.
The take-away lessons are pretty much all going to be, “Take the opportunity when you see it, even if you’re nervous,” and, “Don’t turn into a woman. Straight women want men, not other women.”
I’ll jot some down later and post them. 🙂 Be prepared to laugh/pity/lose respect for me. ^.^
Hehe can’t be lower than me mate, at least you’ve done stuff
Actually, usually it’s the stuff I haven’t done that I regret the most. You’ll see. Posting one now. 🙂
Ahahaha, I’m right there with you.
On the confidence thing though – I mean I get how that works and everything, but it feels like in the case of a particularly shy girl or something… wouldn’t that likely scare her off?
Maybe a little, but she’ll also probably like feeling scared off like that. Women are kind of crazy like that. Love? Hate? Infuriated/transfixed? Same thing, really. Doesn’t matter if they’re pissed with you or googly over you, at least they’re thinking about you. It’s apathy you want to avoid.
But there are definitely different degrees of confidence. ‘Quiet confidence’ is that kind that you can just sort of exude without saying a damn thing. The kind where you can sit in silence and not need to say anything to fill in the gaps and seem perfectly OK with that. The kind that means when you DO speak… people listen. The kind that refuses to be hurried up because you’re thinking, dammit, and will reply when you’re good and ready. You’ve probably seen the type.
This is one reason why I am not a fan of relationships and choose to remain single, no one wants to sit down and just talk they want to find out everything about you from a fucking electronic page these days, it makes me sad, since I LOVE talking and communication with those I am close to.
Two fish are in an oven.
One says, “Boy, it’s hot in here”.
The other screams in agony as he is cooked alive.
Anti-Joke page 6.
No joke.
Seriously.
-_-
Two muffins are in an oven.
One says, “Boy it’s hot in here.”
The other says, “HOLY SHIT A TALKING MUFFIN”
That pleased me so much I told it in the office to the nearest coworker (complete with raised voice and expression of surprise). He said, “I am so tired that I actually find that funny.”
Believe it or not, this is one of the jokes I wooed Mrs Shane with. Or she wooed me with it. I forget which. But it has sentimental value on top of being genuinely excellent 🙂
Similar but my favourite version: Two cows in a field. One goes “Moo” and the other goes “Fuck, that’s what I was going to say”.
There’s a variation on the muffin joke which I also like:
There are two muffins sitting in an oven. Neither says anything. Muffins are not sentient beings and thus are unable to speak.
I’ve heard the Three Little Pigs / Little Johnny variant. Still a great joke.
A baby seal walks into a club…
-vomits-
Earlier today I walked into the Men’s at work, sat down and discovered a marker drawing of a large phallus that takes up the entire back of the cubicle door. Below it are some small words, ‘I hope no one sees my penis’. Below that are more words, ‘Your mum’s dildo is ready’, and below that even more: ‘Dick jokes are not funny, I mean cum on people.’
Yes, I felt this very appropriate for page six.
Why is it so hard to write a good dick joke?
It’s not like you need to be a member or anything.
I think we should probably erect a statue in honour of this comment thread.
All members be upstanding to show your approval!
We’re a couple of nuts for having the balls to keep this going.
Is it weird I have Urethra Franklin stuck in my head right now?
Great, kid. Don’t get cocky.
Penis.
*Pats on head*
You did good.
And leave your sacks hanging under the knob.
Man. That would not fly at my work.
A while ago some-one burned their hand on the hot water tap in the kitchen and a really big deal was made of it. As a result, we were visited by a plague of warning signs. ‘Mind the step’ for a normal doorway with no actual step, ‘exercise caution when approaching door’ to make sure no-one got hit in the face by someone opening it from the other side, along with the expected, ‘tap may have hot water in it – do not put hands under without running water through it first’ and so forth. Hyper-overreaction bullshit.Our infestation of passive-aggressive nannying extended to the bathrooms, where one of the (many) signs was, “Slippery when wet.” To my amusement, someone had scrawled above it, “Your mum is”.
I was away at the time, but apparently while I’d been away and the graffiti had been scrawled, the managers had been clustering around in the glass-wall offices with very concerned looks on their faces and people were running around in a huff. Apparently their panties were in a twist over the graffiti, and it was made known that graffiti of this kind of indecency was a disciplinary action – and instant termination – and anyone who had done it should own up.(Which… wow. THAT’LL work. “Hey. Go bring me a gun I can shoot you with.”)
I reckon everyone had a pretty good idea of who was responsible and he very wisely denied knowledge. But all the same… yeah. That’s the sort of environment here. At one point I grabbed one of the managers privately and said, “Yeah, it was inappropriate for the workplace, especially when this is a floor we have external clients and vendors in meetings. And I know everyone’s looking for a way to prove it was whatsisface, but this is really something they need to let go. All the signs that sprang up like poisonous mushrooms after rain? We all know that was a passive-aggressive overreaction, showing utter contempt for autonomous adults. We both know it’s petulant: a dummy spit because they had to deal with such a stupid claim. If they’re going to treat people like children, they should expect them to act like children. No-one’s in the right here, best if everyone moves on.”
NO idea if that made any kind of impact or if they only gave up because they couldn’t prove who was responsible. All the same… Bloody hell.
I work at a truck depot. To say the toilets are disgusting is a huge understatement.
-is still vomiting-
Two fish in a tank.
One says to the other, “You drive, I’ll man the guns”
#Lamejokepagesix \o/
Why can’t Freddy ride a bike?
Because Freddy is a fish!
#PageSix4Lyf
Where’s Mummy?
She went mad and the police shot her.
My grandfather used to tell me that one all the time. I do it to my kids now.Why are pirates called pirates?
Because they just AAARRRGGGHHHH!
@dc will love this one.
We put this on a birthday card to my boss, who is a former tank commander. He loved it
-there’s still bits coming up but it’s mostly just dry retching at this point-
Rudolv and his wife are standing in a breadline in Communist Russia, when stuff starts falling out of the sky.
“Rain,” says Rudolv
“isn’t it snow?” said his wife
“No,” he replies,
“Rudolv the Red knows rain, dear” #dadjokepagesix hi @strange!Oh wait, false alarm, I’ve got more.
-vomits-
Knock knock.
Who’s there?
To.
To who?
To whom.
#GRAMMARPUNpagesix
-scientists weigh vomit already expelled. It weighs that of an average adult. Yet more continues to flood from my mouth-
What is red and smells like blue paint?
Red paint.What’s green and invisible?
This cabbage ->
What’s brown and sticky?
A stick.What’s red?
A .
I just died a little on the inside. That’s just, so, urrr, my mind! You’ve permanently scarred my mind!
How far are you into Fringe?
I finished the second season, then decided to take a small break from it. I didn’t want to watch too much of it and get fatigued from over watching it :3
I’m gonna start up season 3 soon though. It’s so good!
Mission Accomplished.
That is the most disgusting joke ever. Period.
😀
-the scientists are trying to weigh the vomit but they can’t scoop it into the bucket faster than it is coming out. The scientists start to panic. I’m still vomiting-
What do you call two robbers?
A pair of knickers. #amidoingitright-one of the scientists abandons his shovel-
That’s it. I’m leaving. This is getting dangerous! Frank, FRANK! -he’s yelling over the vomiting, you see-
WHAT!?
Frank, we’ve gotta go. This is hopeless. There’s just too much coming out, we can’t keep up. We’ve got to go.
-Frank is still shovelling-
YOU GO IF YOU WANT TO, GARY, BUT I’M STAYING! THIS IS WHAT WE TRAINED FOR!
-Gary looks at his friend, the guy that got him through college, the best man at his wedding, the guy who got him his first chemistry set-
GODDAMMIT FRANK!
-Gary picks up his shovel. I’m still vomiting, just like, a wicked amount of ralph at this point-
That’s totally the start of a joke, right there.
Has Gary been spending any time in Paris recently? He seems like a bit of a Frankophile.
Interrupting your afternoon of pun-laden jokes, I would just like to inform you all that the IT department of the public sector area that I am in is an absolute failure.
And now back to the puns:
What is red, white, and black all over?
Joe Hockey’s mid-year budget review. #lamejokespage6 #i’manaccountant-The vomit is up to the scientists ankles now, pretty soon it’ll get into the sockets and they’ll lose power. They know they might die here. I’m showing no signs of stopping this record breaking Roman shower-
You know what else is black and white and red all over?
A magpie that’s been shot.A Russian man turns to his wife and says “It’s raining.”
She holds her hand out and tells him, “no, this is definitely sleet.”
With a condescending head pat, the man tells his wife “Rudolph the red knows rain, dear.”
Red already did that one!
Oh well.
Copycat.
We both stole it from the same AskReddit thread.
Nah, a mate told it to me the other day. he may have stolen it from there.
I want a divorce.
@dkzeitgeist is throwing up his hands in exasperation! We can hurl all the grotesque puns at him that we want but he’ll simply give all of our attempts the old heave ho.
People keep chucking up good ones.
So does @dkzeitgeist
What goes “Hee-Haw-Boom”?
An ass-ful of dynamite.
In all honesty, I got the “Giant Book of Dad Jokes” for Christmas. I will supply photographic evidence. I just wish I’d brought it to work.
I even called up dad after opening the present and said “It’s brilliant in a weird way. I’m quite touched.”
And he said “Nice to meet you quite touched, I’m dad.”
Then you killed him?
So, a Link between worlds is slowly getting on my nerves. I don’t think I’ve had such difficulty in a Zelda game since the ones on NES.
I have tried to defeat Zaganaga about 5 times. Frustrating.
Sorry!
Odd. Found LBW to be the easiest one by far. I still kind of struggle with OoT even having played through it countless times.
Similar experience here
(I was up to the third or 4th temple by the time I got to your house that day
I’m the opposite, I find most 3D Zelda’s too easy but have so much trouble with 2D / handheld ones. I kept dying to normal enemies in LBW.
I’ve only played a few hours myself, I’m not sure exactly how far in you are / that is. However I found it to be quite the opposite – knowing that merging into a wall is the answer to everything I feel the game to be quite un-challenging. I’m hoping that changes for the latter stages.
I’m up to the 5th dungeon. So maybe halfway through and I can’t beat the boss. I’m similar to @sernobulus in that 3D ones are quite easy. Top down is hard.
I don’t get the joke… :\
Sorry =( I don’t dad joke. Wrong gender =P
Hey guys, why did the chicken get to the other side?
Wait! Dammit! sorry, I cocked that one up. I didn’t mean to ruffle anyones feathers.
Man, when I got shown a thing about how that joke doesn’t actually mean ‘get to the other side of the road’ but actually get to ‘the other side’, my mind was totally blown. I may have also been drunk and impressionable.
…holy shit
Wow, you…you just blew my mind.
What do you call a cow on a roof?
High SteaksWhat do you call a cow on a roof that keeps jabbing you with a stick?
High Steaks pokerPopping in to say……………………………………………………………………………..hi
hi
I read that as “pooping in”.
OK. Now, I know we’ve all been scarred by what we saw from A:CM… But this preview is making the upcoming Alien game sound pretty, uh… Not Shit. So, uhm. Permission to edge warily into ‘cautiously optimistic’ territory?
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2014/01/07/alien-isolation-pc/
A:CM also looked not shit and people were getting hype.
…Yeah. You’re right. What was I thinking?
Child Goat: Hey, look out there’s something behind you!
Goat: What!? REALLY!?
Child Goat: Nah, I kid.
So, I missed the bus home by about 5-10 seconds. I ran for it and was trying to get the driver’s attention, but they didn’t notice me. I didn’t want to head back into town to wait for the next bus, so I decided I’d start walking home. The walk home for me is up a fairly long and steep hill. It took me about 45 minutes, but I made it. This time 12 months ago, I couldn’t walk down the hill into town. It’s not going to be a regular occurrence yet, and I will pay for it tomorrow, but I am So. Damn. Proud. of myself.
Congrats man. You could not have chosen a better username with your positive progress the last few months.
http://youtu.be/NnP5iDKwuwk
Im ashamed that no one else has congratulated you yet and said congrats for being on target.
You don’t need a parachute to skydive. You need a parachute to skydive twice. #shadowwarrior
What did one ovary say to the other?
They must be having a party downstairs, two nuts are trying to push an organ up the passage.
A lawyer walks into a doctor’s with a frog on his head.
Upon seeing this, the doctor says, “My that’s a nasty looking growth!”
“I’ll say!” The frog replies. “It started out as a pimple on my arse!”
So I saw Frozen. Here are my thoughts.
-The film is just beautiful. Great animation.-I have no clue how faithful this was to the original tale.
-I hope Hans makes mutton chops popular again. It would save me having to shave mine off.
-Olaf was really annoying. I had to suppress a whoop when I thought he’d been impaled. The movie had so many opportunities to kill him off! When life gives you lemons, kill off your comedic relief. Life lessons from Phlanispo.
-I wasn’t a big fan of the songs except for Elsa’s one that she sings whilst remodeling. Then again, I never really liked Disney songs anyway.
-I love how they mocked the engaged in a day thing.
-So Elsa didn’t talk to anyone for 13 or so years? Shouldn’t we have a Genie situation?
-It is weird watching classic Disney-style movies now. They fill me with a sense of childlike wonder, even though I didn’t like them as a kid. (I always preferred Pixar)
-I loved how they handled the relationship between Anna and Elsa. Great writing.
-This is a controversial one. I wish the ending had been darker. I didn’t like the whole “She has been reincarnated by the power of love” thing. I would have preferred if she had stayed dead, and we get to see the emotional effect this has on the characters. The whole “I can control my powers because I love my sister” thing was quite odd. But hey, it’s Disney, and Disney films run on emotion, not logic.
Thanks for the recommendation, TAY. Good movie.
Regarding the second point:
Barely at all.I loved the ending. It was great to see a female character save herself (and with sisterly love at that) instead of the typical Disney ending (and typical movie ending for that matter) of a guy saving the girl/day.It was good they kept the traditional Disney trope of
hating parents.More of my thoughts though:
I liked Elsa and thought she was probably one of the best Disney villains in a long while. Unfortunately the biggest issue with the movie is that because they never quite pushed her over the edge into villainy, there was a gap where the typical Disney villain should be. Hans ended up taking the mantle but the Duke of Weaseltown could have just as easily slipped in there. If they’d just foregone that and had no true villain, it would have been a lot stronger.Anna in general just bugged me. She was neat and all but it felt like they were trying so damned hard to establish her as “THE SHINY NEW DISNEY PRINCESS!!!” Her whole “would you like to build a snowman?” song at the beginning was good. They did a better job building Elsa’s character at the very end of that song with that single shot where she doesn’t join in.Overall, I liked it. Apparently, Elsa was meant to become a full fledged villain but they liked the performance of Let It Go too much to do that to her. That did give the movie a fair few moments that felt like relics from a different take on the story. Also, the amount of time it took for people to get from the town to the ice castle seemed to vary a lot.The very best villains are just well-meaning and understandable but misguided.
Started filling the helmet. 3 hours of hand sanding later and it’s getting second coat on 50% of the thing. (picture was taken about half way through sanding efforts).
https://twitter.com/f4ction/status/420812598745911296/photo/1
Cool, whacha making it for? Funsies? Cosplay? New bike helmet?
For PAX Aus, hopefully. You’re not the first person to raise the bike helmet idea too 😀
Looking sweet, man.
Looks like a MkIII from that angle, are you for the Warmaster or loyal to the Throne?
Blood Angels Death Company veteran armour \m/
http://www.games-workshop.com/MEDIA_CustomProductCatalog/m990159a_99120101084_BADeathCompany5_873x627.jpg
Blood Angels? Pah, should have been purged for their taint millennia ago!
The only truly loyal Space Marines
Fun activity: reading Urban Spoon reviews.
Reading one where a guy has given an insanely negative review on the grounds that he waited 10 minutes for his mains and they weren’t out yet and when he tried to interrupt a waiter taking a large table of 20’s order the waiter had the temerity to ask him to wait while he finished taking the orders he was in the middle of. To top it off the next time they went and complained about the previous visits service they only got one free beer each! The humanity!
While not intended, that sounds like a pretty solid recommendation of the place. Only 10min wait for mains! Free beers for complaints!
“How much lemon did you put in this ice tea?”
“An lemon.”
“No, how much lemon flavoured tea did you use?”
“An lemon.”
“How many scoops?”
“An lemon.”
“How much lemon flavoured tea did you put into this?”
“A whole lemon. I took a lemon, chopped it up and put it in the ice tea. And five scoops of the lemon tea.”
“Maybe less lemon tea next time.”
“I was thinking maybe not using an whole lemon.”
That just happened. You don’t need me to label who is who, I think most of you can guess.
Maybe if you answered the question I asked, I wouldn’t have to find multiple ways of asking the same question.
Solution: You’re both wrong.
I answered the first question.
So Senran Kagura, the terrible game series involving ninjas with distractingly massive boobies, is getting a new Vita spinoff game. Which is described as a “Huge Boobs Hyper Cooking Battle” game. Where the duel is at the dinner table. Think Iron Chef with tits.
Here’s an animu trailer. Depending on where you work you may not want to watch it at work.
I’m… not quite sure how this thing even exists. Between this and the bizarre Persona 4 dancing game, the Vita sure is getting some strange stuff in Japan.
Already GOTY.
\o/ wait.. no.. I mean /o\
\o/Senran Kagura is my favouritest thing to exist.
I need this game, for the cooking battles of course.
…
*cough*
This is why I stopped watching anime.
Who am I kidding…? It’s why I started.Dear Tay
That page six was fun, but too brief.
Yours
Novelty loving Red
Dear Tay,
Even the most well-practiced people can have an off-day.
I was heading home just now to grab an energy-filled snack before heading out to the gym (which I am totally delaying right now), when I was stopped by a very persistent front-of-train-station clipboard girl. Swedish or something. Normally these folks know when I smile, shake my head and say, “Running late, sorry,” they’re out of luck, but she was ultra-persistent, walking along-side and reaching out to shake my hand and everything, “Just one second, real quick…”
So I stop, shake the hand, say, “No really, actually running late, what’s up?” and she’s holding it while launching into her spiel – “You’re probably aware who [charity name] is?” I’m thinking in my head, ‘Alright, give it a shot, but I’m going in one minute.’ I nod along, saying, “Yep.” (Nope.) And I’m looking her square in the eyes, not really paying attention, just thinking, “Alright blondie, you got some blue eyes alright, but mine are bluer – that’s not going to work on me.”
And I don’t know, maybe she’s a mind-reader, but at this point she’s pretty much just trailed off and run out of things to say, mouth hanging open.
She lets go of my hand to throw hers up in defeat and half-laughs, half-groans, “Ugh, you got me off my game, man,” shaking her head. (Guys, if this ever happens to you, this is the exact moment you say, “Better luck next time. What’s your mobile number?” I know, I’m committed to my girl, but any retired fighter can spot when another fighter has left themselves open.) I wish her luck and move on because yes, I am actually running late, I was going within that minute no matter how good her pitch was. Pretty sure that pitch can’t be done in under a minute – so pro-tip to folks who are shy, put ’em on the spot for a time limit!
Boom. Take THAT, charity whose name I can’t remember.
Yours in victory,
Transientmind
OK now seriously, food’s eaten, time for gym.
Sometimes I don’t believe you’re real, your stories are always so great.
I know TAYbies have met you though.
😛
But are those TAYbies real?
Is TAY even real?
Oh no, I must have been talking to myself at PAX last year.
Was I even in Melbourne?
I once had a highly intimidating lunch with the guy. I was so intimidated I didn’t eat or speak properly. Then I didn’t post on TAY for a week after. True story!
Blah. I thought things went pretty well, man! You should totally be able to be chill and relax when we hang.
I’m Real!…
or am I?Dear Transientmind,
Masha is right: your stories are always entertaining, usually funny, occasionally inspiring. Never stop.
Sincerely,
Subscriber
So in short you successfully creeped out a stranger to the point of speechlessness? 😛
Probably! I reckon she was probably inexperienced, now that I think about it. A more seasoned veteran of that activity would know when a mark is a lost cause and to let them move on, whereas the inexperienced and keen might still think they could make a sale. Add time-pressure and complete lack of caring, and yeah, that’d probably be enough to throw a newbie.
You hypnotized her with your eyes, eh! Classic Transientmind!
I think i met you. I can’t remember anymore
Were you lost in his eyes?
No, I’m just worried I’m getting Transient confused with @miketarno
Mike Tarno is great too.
The feeling is mutual. 🙂
😛
Nope. I’d remember if we had. 🙂
I didn’t meet any Taybies until a Brismeat, after PAX.
Okay, about that not buying games for the rest of the year thing…
The Stick of Truth is an exception.
Yes. This year…
Interesting.
More interesting. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_filter
The idea that no colonization has ever taken place in space due to civilizations having a tendency to destroy themselves before they can take that step.
Deus Ex: Invisible War opens with a terrorist letting loose a nanotech virus which does the simplest of all things – break apart molecules into their base components, and use as much of them as possible to fuel replication of nanobots which do exactly the same thing, expanding and turning everything into grey mush. At some point the grey-mush-splosion exhausts itself, but it’s never explained exactly how or why.
I strongly suspect were that to happen for real, there might not actually be anything to stop the chain reaction.
Grey Goo doomsday scenario originates in Omni magazine in 1986:
http://metamodern.com/b/wp-content/uploads/docs/OMNI_TINYTECH.pdf
As someone with a degree in nanotechnology: Bullshit. “Molecular Nanotechnology Weapons” is science fiction.
So was the idea of a submersible vehicle in 20,000 Leagues.
It’s three words strung together with no further elaboration.
And submersible vehicles were certainly not science fiction in Verne’s time.
Very poor example (just dug around everything that proclaimed he invented it to the actual Nautilus rfom 1800, way to look like an idiot Freeze) but the idea is still the same. Plenty of technologies around that were deemed impossible in the past.
Also I think this is what it’s referring to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_goo (although having a degree in nanotechnology you’d know that and way more about the validity of it than some dick who read it off the internet)
Sorry, I got a little snippy, it’s just a discussion that I’ve had to roll my eyes at before from the odd hippy.
FWIW, Drexler has largely withdrawn the Grey Goo idea as unrealistic. One of the main limiters on it is that any self replicating system at the nanoscale has a high probability of error, as even a little extra heat or a stray photon can disrupt such a process. It’s more likely that a self replicating system would fizzle out due to errors in replication.
Eh, I’m happy to be told I’m wrong and corrected when I need to be. I just find all these theories and possibilities of science fiction becoming science fascinating. ie: http://io9.com/5963263/how-nasa-will-build-its-very-first-warp-drive
What the hell kind of fight was that? How dare the two of you be so reasonable and up front with your perspectives. This place is nothing at all like the internet I’m so used to.
@shane um… Ok…
YOU SUCK AND ARE WRONG ABOUT MANY THINGS
That’s quite reassuring. 🙂 It’d certainly explain how it’d probably only wipe out a city block or so. ^.^
True, but flying to the moon on a rocket was science fiction and he thought of that too.
Ahh excellent, they’ve not heard about my plan then…
Okay, are people happy with Saturday the 18th of Janurary?
I think we may as well eat at optic bar, unless it’s too expensive.
apparently $20 and under
I can’t make it sorry 🙁
Sounds good scree. That’s Saturday week? Or the one after?
not this Saturday, the one after. The reason for that particular day is that Pixel can make it \o/
SOLD!
I’m jealous of all you people living in civilisations with plenty of cool options for food and party. Meanwhile, I’m undertaking my shift with extended camping.
I could send you a cake but it’ll be stale. And squished.
I could make you a cushion that looks like cake.
Not sure if joking, but I’d totally hit you up for a cake cushion. 😀
I have floppy disk ones in lounge, so they’d fit!
Slice or whole? And what type of cake?
Oh man! This is too much! 😛 I wouldn’t know, I believe the best option will be surprise.
Okay. It may take some time to do it, because I do have 4 cosplays to make, 7 cushions and various other things
(I like to keep busy)
Ha, you’re actually gonna do it. 😀 Awesomesauce!
Since I have no cake cushion now, I can wait any length of time!
@stickman
Thanks. Can possibly do it between cosplays.
Question. Those of you who own PS4s – how are the graphics? After enjoying Steam and desktop gaming as of lately I recently went back to PS3 and the graphics are appalling. I will only be using the console for exclusives (Ni no Kuni, FFXIII-2) in my pile of shame from now on.
Contemplating maybe purchasing a PS4 at a later stage, however I want it to be more on par with my desktop gaming experience, visually. A more in-depth inspection than the experience you get in Dick Smith stores will definitely be required though.
I have little problem with them. KZ:Shadowfall looks the tits and it’s a launch title. Compare Resistance Fall Of Man to Last Of Us and apply that logic to the PS4.
I don’t know if you’ll see the same sort of massive change in quality that you saw at the end of last generation. The new systems are basically PCs. They’re x86 CPUs and standard AMD GPUs. That means developers already know how to get pretty good performance out of them. The learning curve is much lower and the result is that the current games coming out already use the hardware much better than early games on ridiculously complicated custom hardware like PS3.
I agree. This generation is nowhere near as big a leap forward as previous generations, but that’s just where the hardware is at nowadays.
On par with PC games I’d say, unless you have a crazy rig that draws the power of an entire suburb and cost more than most people’s houses like @ynefel.
PS4 is fine. It’s roughly on par with a $1000 odd (give or take) PC. Although once you hit a $1500 odd PC, and start cranking your graphics, the differences become quite obvious. I’ve got a monster PC, but the PS4 fits a different slot in my life. I can happily play BF4 on PS4, knowing it’s nowhere near as pretty as the PC version – but it still looks damn good for a console title.
PS4 graphical highlight would have to be KZ Shadow Fall though. It looks amazing.
I have PS4 with AC4 and NFS Rivals. I also own a gaming rig, work in I.T., and follow tech blogs.
NFS looks pretty shit, even though game reviewers say otherwise. AC4 looks pretty damn delicious and I’m actually very happy with the picture. This is compared to a $3K rig running 2560×1600.
Performance is probably worth about $600 in PC parts. Just under $1000 if you pay postage, building fee, buy a monitor etc.
Going off AC4 (launch title, on last-gen, take it with a grain of salt) – the graphics as a whole are pretty delicious, and nice step up from last-gen. You’ll see immediately that the whole screen isn’t a blurry and jaggy mess. Shadows are a lot more realistic now. Textures are on-par with high-end PC. Things like foilage and water look pretty good.
All in all, I think I won’t be disappointed with having to play sub-par visual quality as compared to PC, like I do with PS3/Xbox360.
NUMENERA:
Will Scrappa’s feet no longer smell in his new boots? How good a haggler was Foss from Foss and sons? Sherasta: Drunk or crazy? Varjellen bartenders: Surly or jerks? What’s with the cult of Cantharx and their ceramic masks? And how can the group make a gift of “the memory of light?”
tune in next time for another tale from the ninth world!
@tigerion @tech_knight @popdart5 @novacascade @mythamphetamine @blaghman @mawt
I hope Scrappa’s new boots come in handy 🙂
As I promised, @dc and @aliasalpha (and anyone else who wants to listen in):
So. I might’ve been talking myself up as a smooth playa, huh? Well that won’t do. Let’s go over the highlight reel and play back some classic fuckups. No matter how well I might have done in recent years, the fact is I’ve blown a lot of opportunities just out of being too damn nervous or awkward. Here’s some of my humble pie. Spoiler tagged for those who don’t feel like some cringe-worthy soap/drama dear-diary BS.
Unless anyone has objections (and do let me know), I’ll post a few over time. No real order of significance or chronology, just ‘as they come to me’.
Train Station girl:
So I’m sitting down at a train station and it’s pretty quiet and peaceful. I was living way out of the city at the time, so I was in for a long journey and just chilling out to my MP3 player.
A young Chinese girl comes and sits down on the bench next to me. She knows she’s well-early for her train, and she’s prepared – has a newspaper, which she starts opening up and getting ready to read.
I look over and she’s pretty damn fine, and dressed sharp too. The boots are a nice touch, especially – kind of a more subdued, respectable cousin of CFM boots. (Google image search if you don’t know ’em.)
It’s such a good look that I’m moved to smile and say, “I like your boots.” She looks a little confused at first, which I later realize is because she doesn’t know English real well. She replies back with an incredibly strong accent in broken English asking if I’m asking to read her newspaper. And bless her heart, she actually closes what she’s reading and offers it to me.
So I’m a little smitten by her unthinking, unquestioning generosity. I laugh and shake my head and point at her boots and repeat the statement, and we both eventually get the understanding that I’m complimenting her. And she likes that.
We get to talking. It’s a little tricky and there are plenty of misunderstandings as we laugh, but she’s getting the hang of conversational English and I try my best to put her at ease so she doesn’t sweat any mistakes.
She’s a nice girl. A REALLY nice girl. Earnest, and sincere. Studying medicine here, looking to hang about for the long haul, come over from China. Admits she’s a little out of her depth in a foreign country and strange city, but getting help from kind strangers (phew. Thanks Aussies – sometimes I worry tourists think we’re racist) and her landlord who I think was a long-time family friend.
We talk for ages because we were both too early for the train, but eventually it rocks up. It’s really packed. We’re jammed close together and we’re pretty keenly aware of the physical presence. I get the vague hint that she kinda likes me, but I don’t know what to do about it.
Anyway, we keep talking lowly, really enjoying each others’ company, even though there’s loads of strangers around, packed in at standing room only, and the train reaches her stop. It’s a long way before my stop.
There’s a pause, and we say our goodbyes and she repeats a few times that it was really nice meeting me… really nice. Yeah. Really… nice meeting me. And she seems hesitant, and doesn’t get off just yet… The train guy blows the whistle… and she hops off and is still just standing on the platform looking at me. And I’m looking back at her, thinking I should go for it, like a dog about to jump for a treat…
And the doors close.
The train pulls away, and I can feel at least two dozen pairs of spectator eyes on me and my cheeks and ears are burning. Dead silence.
Slowly, and very deliberately, I raise my hand and drop my face into it with a loud facepalm slap. Some people actually laugh, and others shake their head, smiling wryly. It’s probably my imagination but I could’ve sworn I heard an old lady murmur, “Putz.” Ohyeah. Everyone in the train knew what was up but me.
Idiot. Idiot. Idiot.
I hung out at that train station at the same time every day for the next two weeks hoping I’d bump into her again, even letting my train pass and catching the next one… but I never saw her again.
Lesson:
I didn’t make a move. I was so concerned that she might think it was creepy, that the passengers might think it was creepy and weird stalker behaviour, that I would have to wait for another train while burning with shame, or that… I wouldn’t really know what to do next, or that I would be rejected, even though everything in my subconscious knew this was a lock.
I was scared and I was worried what other people would think about me. And you know what that led to? Some sweet, kind, generous, earnest girl thinking that this nice guy wasn’t into her.
DO NOT BE THAT GUY. There is NOTHING to be ashamed of in making a move on someone if you think there’s some kind of connection. NOTHING. Even if you’re mistaken? It’s an honest mistake, and if you don’t ask, you don’t know. And you’ll never know. People who say, “ew creepy!” at the first move you make? They’re assholes. FUCK them. Some really unkind people use that word to beat down anyone who is interested in them who they aren’t interested in. One man’s ‘creepy’ move is another guy’s ‘stud move’ to those hypocrites. Internalize this: It’s only ‘creepy’ if you don’t take the hint when there’s a rejection.
Here endeth the embarrassment. Sort of. 🙂
Hahaha, oh man, public shame. So public! 😛
Ayup. The looks on everyone’s faces… That was a real, “Oh good, so it wasn’t just my imagination, I AM actually an idiot,” moment.
I was at Schoolies with a friend and they had some people handing out free condoms to everyone. A group of four girls started grabbing a heap of them. We asked them in our slightly inebriated state why the hell they needed them if they didn’t have penises. They looked at us and told us that it was in case two good looking guys happened to want to come up to their room and have a fun night with them. We stood there for a second, wished them luck and headed off. Must have got about 300m down the road before realization hit and we just stared at each other incredulously.Sounds like the end scene of Dumb and Dumber.
…Jesus. Oh god. That’s the kind of thing we need to invent time travel to fix.
*wipes tear* Oh man, I’m totally reminded of my favourite romance film ever – My Sassy Girl. The US remake. I love that film. Jesse Bradford, Elisha Cuthbert, unforgettable. Well, it was forgettable to most critics but pfft, what do they know?
Wow man. Great advice at the end.
You should make a guest appearance on Zeitgeist.
Okay, I’ve decided that what I’m going to do is ruin your memories by turning them into something awful.
She was offering you the newspaper to distract you, the two of you were unobserved and she was planning to steal your liver and use it to complete her Frankensteinian monstrosity! If you’d had better hearing, as the train pulled away you could have heard her scream “NO! NOW MY MONSTER WILL NEVER LIVE!”
Had you gotten off that train you would have bled out in the train station waiting room while she ran off with your liver in a box of ice.
Oh man. That moment. That is magical.
Reminds me I had something kind of similar, relatively recently.
It would have been around the end of 2011, actually. There was this cute girl who had shown up at climbing a few times. Blonde, short curlyish hair, somewhat muscular build, tanned, always wore purple. It’s hard to remember now how it started exactly, but I think I was vaguely friendly with this other lady who was bouldering at the same times as me, and somehow she was involved with advice-giving which somehow led to me talking to this girl. Maybe the girl asked her for suggestions on tackling a problem, and then she turned to me because she wasn’t sure. Either way, that worked as an ice-breaker and afterwards we ended up chatting. Quite a lot, actually – don’t think I got very much climbing done at all. It was one of those times where everything just clicked, and I was able to continually think of questions to fuel the conversation and keep it running. Her name was Alex, she had been over from England for a couple of months now (had the good kind of English accent) working as an au pair. Very sporty, played tennis I think and did rowing back home. Among other things.
She didn’t show up the next couple of weeks though. I missed one of them in there because of a birthday dinner, but she did show up again. Apparently I was in hobo mode for whatever reason, not sure if there was something going on that required growing my beard out. But things still went well I think. The next time she showed up wasn’t til just after new year. As it turned out the old job hadn’t worked out for whatever reason, and she was now working on a tallship that does tours of the harbour and stuff. Very busy, not a whole lot of free time.
Once again, the night was filled with much more talking than climbing. When she went to leave though… she said bye, and I responded – but she kind of paused there for a moment. It probably wasn’t all that long, but it felt like it was an age between when she said bye and when she turned to leave, where she just stood there. And much like the whole slo-mo thing when a ball has just flown past you and is about to break something instead, so too did I just realise that that was my opening to ask her out and it had just flown by 😛 Immediately started kicking myself, and vowed to make good of it the next chance I got. Got some tickets for my birthday shortly after to see The Blanks, and was thinking of asking her if she’d want to see them. But she never turned up ever again, and I ended up going with my ex-girlfriend instead 😛
I’ll tell another story which touches on it, but something I’ve learned is that women: when they’re interested and give you a window? If you don’t take that window, they can close it pretty damn fast.
But at least you got to see The Blanks. Happy ending!
I did, and it was amazing.
Also captured like an hour and a half’s worth of footage. IN THREE-DEE!
Ha ha ha what a putz
Good story, nice writing style. You should start a blog. Srsly.
But I’m disappointed! I expect stories of you failing some sort of dramatic pickup action sequence! This was just you failing to read the signs! 😛
So, in the last 24 hours, I’ve completed fifteen pages of artwork. I’m pretty happy with that number, and it puts me in good stead with regards to my goal to work on a thousand pages this year. #YearOfWritingRedux
I have also wrapped up the first story in my tentatively planned anthology, entitled The Long Road Home. Sample art! I’ve submitted a business plan for this anthology to my publisher, and if/when a green light is forthcoming, I’ll be ready to go ahead with the crowdfunding and submissions processes.
Exciting times.
Nice. My writing goal for the year is to finish my novel. I don’t even care if it never gets published, I just want to finish it. Haven’t been able to work on it the past few days though due to family stuff.
Yep.
Nope.
Mebbe.
I dunno. Ken ya repeat dat question?
No, no. You’re meant to say yep as well, that’s how it goes in King of the Hill, which I am currently watching…
How went the big move? Did you have to pay someone to distract the local winos, ala Moe/Barney with the beer truck delivery?
Was good, we were moved in by about 2am, all booze in place and ready to supply the towns alco’s come 9am. We’re still packing up the old store so stock can be sent to other Dan Murphy’s on the coast, think we’ve done like 20 pallets of stock thus far.. Packed up 95% of the wines today oh glorious fun that was..
@shane, have you ever touched your Tetris light while your eyes are adjusted to the dark, and seen it faintly flicker? It only seems to do it while plugged in though, but confuses me because the switch is off. It’s weird.
Tetris was invented by the Russians, it’s clearly a spy device
Can’t say I have, man. I’ll investigate tonight.
Damnit, I just stumbled across a reference to dutch game devs Two Tribes and now I have the Frankie Goes To Hollywood song stuck in my head. Luckily its a top song but still…
Are we living in a land where sex and horror are the new gods?
Day 4 of porridge.
I must say, my shits have been magnificent this week.
I could do with better shits, maybe I should give this a go.
Well, all the excitement of getting the Xbox One on launch night has worn off. There’s pretty much nothing left to play on it (besides the multiplayer shooters – which are fun but too time consuming).
And I can’t think of any games coming out soon either. 🙁
Almost 2 months. That’s a good amount of time for the launch excitement to last though.
Titanfall is out in a few months if that’s your thing, otherwise I’m not sure what is coming out next. A limited roster is one of the things you go into a console launch knowing but hopefully it isn’t too long before new stuff starts coming out.
How is everything else about the console? Have you been using the TV stuff regularly? How’s Kinect working, does it easily recognise your voice?
Yeah it’s had a good launch run that’s for sure. Sunk a fair few hours into the games I played so far. I’ll probably get Titanfall too.
Kinect works fairly well. Besides when friends come around and they keep trying to screw it up. So now I reckon it doesn’t recognise my voice as well. I’ll need to do a reset so it learns it properly (I think that’s how it works since it’s gradually gotten worse the more they visit).
Haven’t used any TV as I don’t have Foxtel.
@dc, where are you?
We’ve started Season 2 of the Newsroom!
Only seen one ep so far, but I enjoyed it! Love all the hints at what’s coming: some very interesting revelations to be made in the coming episodes.That kind of structuring works on me every time – hook, line, sinker. A story that starts at the end = <3
Season two is much more focused and arc based. Really love the story arc. Glad you like it, my pal!
How are you going? Haven’t seen you round these parts all that much the last couple of days…
I MISS YOU!I miss you too, Shane! Hope you’re well!
Life goes on! It’s mostly good, and all is well. You?
I’m pretty good too, my friend. Pretty real good. 😀
Working on some projects this year. Have been spending less time on TAY too. I think I spend dangerous amounts of time here and need to find a better balance. Haha!
That’s awesome to hear, man. Saw also on Twitter that the gym is doing you good. Really happy for you right now.
PS: Consider this an open invitation to share info on your projects when you’re ready – I’d like to hear more!
Thanks, my friend! Got a few ideas in various stages of development. Just trying to whittle down what I want to press on with first. So, yeah, pretty much just procrastinating. XD
@dc Hopefully it’s not like Project Nova where we get a few hints at first and then nothing ever happens ever again
@novacascade 😛
DAMMIT @powalen!! I was hoping everyone had forgotten about that!!
Yeah I hit a brick wall with Project Nova, and it has basically been sitting idle for the past 6 months. I was really happy with what I had done so far, but just couldn’t finish it off to a standard I liked. I may get back to it eventually
TAY!
Nevermind. :\
You’re crazy, guy. Hope everything is all right!
I’m okay.
I was just going to suggest Borderlands 2 Multiplayer tonight, until I remembered I’m going to the cricket.
Sportsball! Have fun.
BBL?
Yep.
Nice, should be good weather by the time it starts. Have fun
Turns out we’re not going now. 🙁
Last year for a couple of months I was working on an isometric exploration game. There was concept art. 3D models. Design documents. Then I realized I lacked the skill set to make a 3D game. XD
Did really like the story and setting though.
Last year for a couple of months I was working on an isometric development game. There was formulas and design documents and even relevant industry consultation. Then I realized I lack any skill for art and actual execution.
Time for some learnings, then!
Might be worth teaming up with someone, or teaching yourself some of the basics. Or some sort of formalised education. Or just steal assets from others’ work, and LaBoeuf your way to success.
If you ever want to churn out a graphic novel to build momentum in the universe, I’m open to the idea.
You’re awesome, man.
Truth be told, I wanted to use the idea for a TV show spec pilot or something but liked the idea of being able to build something on my own. That I could build on my own terms and all that. Might adapt the idea to another form. As for graphic novel idea, I’m not sure it’d lend itself to that. Incredibly kind of you to offer, though. 🙂
@popdart5: KanColle FYI:
– It looks like everyone’s favourite source of 11 steel (Naka) is getting a Kai-2 remodel in next week’s maintenance. Probably won’t be a torpedo cruiser upgrade as there’s no historical reason for it, speculation is her upgrade will be a lot like Isuzu’s, probably making her one of the better anti-sub cruisers.
– Do some PVP the next few days. I ran a full set this morning and 2 out of my set of 6 had 3-5 ships instead of a full six because people had the Arpeggio ships in their fleets and thus have gaps. Makes it *way* easier to get an S-rank and get great XP.
Oh man, I need to capitalise on this. Cheers for the heads up.
OK, bravely default just had a sightly silly scene (spoiler ahead if you count what happens in the intro movie. )
Ringabell just asked Tiz if he was having trouble sleeping. MAYBE THAT’S BECAUSE EVERYONE HE EVER KNEW BEFORE A MONTH AGO IS DEAD YOU STUPID SHIT!I’m actually glad that some characters call Ringabel on his bullshit.
Wait, Ringabel is a boy? I’ve only played a bit of the demo but thought he was female. 😛
What! But he’s so manly!
(When nobody is standing behind you, google for his special DLC costume :P)
Women can be manly too!
#Equality
Haha, yeah, I had to ask scree if it was 2 boys and 2 girls or all girls.
Last weekend I tried to play Dark Souls. I finished the starting dungeon thing first go and then spent a lot of time dying after that. Felt like I was completely stuck and not sure if I was even going the right direction in the following bit (game could really do with something to highlight which areas you might be interested in or something. I have to ring some bells?)
The setting is fucking stupid. It’s the most generic B-grade fantasy trash. The mention of a “Furtive Pygmy” in the opening bit made me actually laugh out loud.
Anyway, I couldn’t figure out whether I was going the right direction, felt like I was maybe missing a bonfire along the way somewhere and was having a lot of trouble consistently beating the dickheads with the spears. Decided I’d given the game a good shake and it just wasn’t for me.
But the last three or so days I’ve been thinking about it a lot and I’m kind of tempted to go back and have another shot at it. This is how it all starts, isn’t it? 🙁
Oh, yeah. You’re hooked.
All your attempts to insult this perfect game are clearly your brain scrabbling around in denial for reasons to stay away… but it’s TOO LATE FOR YOU.
Praise the sun!
FURTIVE PYGMY.
I still can’t figure out if this name is terrible or absolutely brilliant.
They really dialed back the Engrish and even patched out “YOU DEFEATED” which may have been one of the best things about the game.
Just go with it. The lore is there if you want it and some people find it interesting. I just got immersed in this giant world of things trying to kill me.
Yup, that’s how it starts.
They really do take the approach of just dropping you into the world and letting find your way. You’re heading in the right direction but you don’t need to bother with those spear dudes. There isn’t a bonfire between them and the main bonfire hub area but you’re fairly close to the next bonfire.
I’d say the game really kicks in around the time you get past the dragon bridge. After you get past there, I think you’ll definitely be committed.
Just so I make sure I’m doing it right, from the starting bonfire where the crow drops you off, I went up a cliffy bit and killed one of those fire throwing dickheads (so much hate) then went through an aqueduct-ish thing into another spot where everything was all over the place. Accidentally fell off into a lower bit which seemed to join back up to the aqueduct thing. Went through the white light into a kind of bridge bit? Some dudes in the way and two spear fuckers off on a platform to the right which I avoided since they seemed irrelevant. Bonfire under a tower past that. Rested there.
Subsequently I spent about 10 attempts and got through the next bit (ran past fire-chuckers, killed some dudes, up a long staircase, more dudes including a fire guy again who is an absolute pain in the ass because there’s two other guys and you can’t easily pull them separately without the fire guy also following and setting you on fire. Doubled back up onto the roof a few times to take out the dickholes that were throwing molotovs at me across the bridge earlier, but started leaving them as they tended to be a pain to beat without taking damage. Quick trip up a nearby tower to take out a motherfucker with a crossbow, then there’s a small flight of stairs down following by a hard right turn and at the bottom of said turn there’s a armored dude and two spearfuckers which I am finding really hard to beat (seriously have no idea what I’m meant to do, I beat them the first time by pulling them, running to the roof bit where the fire guys were then chucking molotovs on them, but now I’m out of those).
I’ve gotten past them a few times and the path forks at that point. Either down a long flight of stairs where there’s an enormous fucker at the bottom that killed me in like two hits so I assume that’s the wrong way, and the other way into a big-ass tower with a spiral staircase. Went down a bit in there (I took the Master Key perk at the start which seems like it was a dumb move but whatever) but messages said that the mobs down there were hard, so I went back up.
Up top there’s a long bridgey bit one way, and a ladder up to the top of the tower where there’s like 3 guys with crossbows. I’ve gotten this far maybe 3 times? All three times by this point I’ve got an empty estus flask and below 50% health (mainly because of fire and the spear guys) and I assume you need to clear the crossbow guys before going over the bridge because otherwise you’re going to get shot to hell by them from behind. Each time I’ve tried to clear them, they’ve beaten me soundly and since I’m finding it 50/50 whether I get that far that usually means losing the souls I’ve gathered.
I feel like I must be really close to or have missed a bonfire around there because it’s quite a long stetch to go. Or is this normal and I’m just bad at video games (I am bad at video games).
You’re in the right area.
When you get to this point (http://static4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130128215524/darksouls/images/8/86/Undead_burgh_upper.jpg), just after the first crossbowman, turn around, and in the building is a bonfire. It’s the only one in the area.It all takes practice. The undead burg is the REAL tutorial level in the game. I spent about ten-fifteen hours there my first playthrough, and that was even after having mastered Demon’s Souls. Each time you attempt it, you’ll get a bit further, a bit better off.
That said, “two spear fuckers off on a platform to the right which I avoided since they seemed irrelevant” – in Dark Souls, almost nothing is irrelevant. There’s a hidden path just past them that leads down to a merchant who will sell you a shield that blocks all damage, some armour, and a bunch of useful stuff, including a bottomless box and a few other trinkets.That’s the one I’m talking about, I’ve already been there. I feel like I’m getting 15-20 minutes past that then dying and must be close to the *next* one.
EDIT: I am going to have to locate that merchant. But I don’t think I have anything I can use to buy stuff?
EDIT EDIT: I did actually beat those guys a few times but they’re hard. Didn’t see anything around them.
What’s the secret to beating the guys with the spears. I’ve basically been running around like a dork, getting into position to bait them into taking a spear thrust, hoping I’ve run back out of range by the time they thrust, then doing a jump attack and roll back. I don’t seem to be able to block them at all with my shield and if I roll out of the way half the time I still get hit and also by the time I roll away from an attack, move in, hit him, he’s going to be ready for the next attack and I’ll be out of stamina to roll again. Maybe just a stats issue?
I’m playing as the… uh… wanderer? I think. Looked to be a bit of a Ranger (as in D&D Ranger) class.
Souls are both experience and currency. It’s a pretty neat system.
I don’t want to tell you where the next bonfire is from your position but I will tell you that finding it will make the whole game “click”. They will feel very spaced out while you’re making slow progress through enemies. Later, you will learn how to rush through areas safely, largely because you’re familiar with the area and know when it’s safe to just push through.
The game is all about learning through failure. Just keep pushing on.
EDIT to reply to your edit: There are a few ways to deal with the spear dudes. Either lower your shield to bait an attack then quickly block and hit while they’re blockstunned or try breaking their guard by kicking them (forward + attack). It’s not a stats issue, almost all combat is a timing issue. Managing stamina is one of the most important skills in the game. It just takes practice though.
That being said, Wanderer is probably the worst starting class. As the game goes on, that matters very little and it’s not really worth restarting over. Everything is rather flexible and starting class matters pretty much only for the first few hours and if you’re speed running.
This is possibly an odd comparison but I played a lot of MMOs and have done a *lot* of instance tanking. I always felt I was pretty good at it too. What I played so far has very much felt like the same sort of thing. Lots of body pulls, positioning, situational awareness, knowing exactly how many are in each pack, quick recognition and threat prioritization, *always* having them infront of you and never flanking or behind you. The downside is that this also means my approach is to take each area slowly and carefully and always clear every pack because I assume they will chase you forever if they aggro. Also that I’m feeling quite incomplete without a ranged pull and some crowd control.
I think the big question I’ve got still is how spaced the bonfires are, because it really will make a difference to my understanding of how the game is actually paced. I can’t plan ahead well without knowing that. Do I go back and invest my gathered souls into some levels or do I push on because I’m really close to the next one? I don’t have a sense of how spaced they are and so I can’t make that decision with any level of intelligence and as a result I’ve ended up losing a whole whack of souls because I died far enough forward that I can’t consistently reach that point again. Actually the fact the first two fires were so close to each other possibly makes it even harder because it’s set a false expectation on the pacing for me.
Your approach is a good one. That being said, all enemies do have a leash of varying length, so you can be slightly more casual about aggroing them.
As for bonfires, I’m afraid you’re right on the cusp of something I don’t want to spoil. Most of the time, you will be going in blind and will not know when the next bonfire is coming. Part of the challenge is determining if you should cash in your souls or push on. Some bonfires are fairly close together, some are fairly far apart. Some are incredibly close together but feel a long way away. The level design of the game is rather clever like that.
I suggest investing in levels if you aren’t comfortable with the stuff that you’ve been fighting. You won’t make it to the next bonfire without dying a few times, even if you are comfortable with everything leading to Havel’s tower (the spiral stairs that you need to go up).
There’s a few ways to beat them. Listed in order of ease:
1) The easiest is to draw them out one by one. Tap forward and light attack at the same time, and your guy will kick out with his foot. This will break their guard, and you can get in a quick blow.2) The second is to catch a blow on your shield and when they reel back, land a quick blow.
3) Roll to the side when they strike instead of backwards.
4) Parry/riposte.
Once you get past them,
break all the barrels and crates by rolling into them or whacking them with your weapon. There’s a slope leading into the building. Deal with the hidden enemy and then head outside to the merchant who’s sitting immediately outside. He looks like a docile enemy – don’t hit him. If he becomes hostile, he’ll never sell you anything.Regarding option 3: Dodging has amazing invincibility frames. It’s that good that you can roll forwards into their spear attacks and have a decent chance of coming out ahead. Mastering dodging is incredibly useful.
By the time I found Dark Souls, rolling had already been pretty heavily nerfed in that regard, especially when compared with Demon’s Souls, so I barely used it unless there was a legitimate dodge I could pull off.
Actually that was something that was absolutely shitting me. The attack controls are fucking whacked. Why the hell are they on the bumpers?
Every. Single. Time that I get rushed by something unexpectedly, my brain tells me to block, attack or roll away or do something. And so I press X (on X360 controller) because in basically every game ever, that would be a block button. But in this stupid game that makes you drink the fucking estus flask so you’re locked into an animation where you’re completely vulnerable 🙁 Died so many times because of that.
It makes much more sense with a PS3 controller (Demon’s Souls was a PS3 exclusive and the controls are the most obvious legacy of that). This is just one of those things you need to get used to. It does work fantastically once you’re used to it but being so different from typical action game controls does work against new players.
I always thought the controls were quite good. Every shooter in the universe, and plenty of other games I can think of too (including Elder Scrolls-esque RPGs), use the bumpers as the ‘attack’ button, and transition you in and out of cover, so I transitioned quite easily to this.
Just takes practice.
@shane: every shooter uses the triggers. The bumpers – especially on 360 controllers – are weapon swapping buttons at best or relegated to secondary functions like turning on flashlights or the like. Putting the block on there kind of makes sense but having attack on the right bumper and trigger (and I can’t tell the difference between what each of those do!) feels really weird.
@negativezero Ah yes, you’re right. That’s a factual error. My intention was just to distinguish shoulder buttons from face buttons.
Probably the biggest question, when you’re fighting the guys with spears, are you locked on? That makes roll dodging dramatically easier and ensures that as long as you’re in range you pretty much can’t miss with a kick (you do sacrifice some situational awareness with it so its not always the way to go). Parry is the best move to pull on them if you’re good at timing it, its very high risk and high reward, if you manage to pull it off you basically one shot kill the bastards.
The undead burg is a great place to do some soul grinding and get your stats up, there’s at least 3 large and challenging enemies within relatively close range of that bonfire who are fantastic for correcting you when you start to think you’re getting too good for this area.
One tip I’ll give you is to get a bow, not a crossbow but a real bow (you can’t manually aim crossbows for some reason) and as much ammo as you can. Oddly enough it’ll lead to you getting a really good sword if you’ve got the patience for a lot of rather dull shoot, wait, shoot. Bit of a spoiler for some of the stuff coming up so:
When you get to the bridge, there’s a red dragon who is perched over the doorway in a threatening manner. You can get below the bridge he’s on and once you clear it of the undead you can see his tail swishing about. If you stand there with the bow and ping a hundred odd arrows into his tail, eventually you’ll injure him enough that you end up getting the reward of a Drake Sword, I presume its supposed to be his tail dropping off, quite how you get it in your inventory from what must be 150-200m away I’m not sure but it’s a dragon so I’m guessing magic. The Drake Sword is an amazing early weapon, does something like 210 damage per hit and takes relatively modest stats to use. I remember when I got it the stats seemed absurdly high because I needed another 15-20 strength for it and was really irritated but I spent a bit more time soul grinding (which sounds like a 70s dance craze) and I was there pretty quickly and the extra fighting made me better at the game in general so it was win-win.The bow is also useful after this, since it can zoom its handy for doing headshots on archers or firebombers and can give you the ranged aggro ability if you want to thin out the enemy before charging in.
STOCKHOLM SYNDROME
Oh man, it’s only a couple of months until Dark Souls 2!
DFSGKUFDGFHBVDFAKGVNSKASGDFAGHDFAJGHDFAG;UIFAHG;ADK
I didn’t know you liked Dark Souls, Shane.
Oh, I don’t, man. I really don’t like it at all. I just have high hopes for the sequel! 😛
Pixel-Otaku will hopefully be putting up my GOTY article soon. Then you’ll see just what I really think of Dark Souls. Now that I think about it, you might have already seen it!I think it won about ten of the categories, despite not being released in 2013.Are you planning on becoming increasingly unintelligible until it comes out? Because that could be rather fun to witness.
I’m not sure I can get less intelligble than the above drooling. Might be fun to try.
I put that garble into the rot13.com cypher.
It gave me more garble. 😀
They’re making a Witcher board game: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Uv1VGfw7U4
Could be intriguing. I like themantic games even if they are ‘worse’ games than some others
In honour of @transientmind , I’ll tell you all a story about one of my missed opportunities!
So, back in the day I used to work as a bank teller. The teller (this nice old Indian lady that I always got along with) next to me started serving this Asian girl that was amazing. She had blonde hair but managed not look like a trashbag. She was amazing, absolutely stunning. Most attractive female I had seen since I could remember. I was completely distracted and didn’t know what to do or say, but I’d basically become non-functional. So I get up before I completely embarrass myself and start walking to the backroom, going past this colleague and her gobsmacking customer.
As I start walking past, I hear the teller (bless her heart) loudly say to the girl “Do you know phlaiman?”, I looked over, the girl shook her head and the teller then says, “Oh, you keep looking at him, so I just assumed”, I then pipe up and say “Well, who can blame her?”, give her a smile and swagger on by.
“Oh you smooth bastard!” I hear all you TAYbies crying. Well that’s what I was telling myself as well, as I paced up and down the backroom, mind reeling at what I had just done and calling over one of the other guys to check out this bombshell. Eventually I gathered myself, and walked back out. She was gone. Disappeared. I walk back to my seat and sit down, trying to cover my disappointment. The old indian lady leans over to me and says “Where the hell did you go?? She was interested in you!”. I shook my head and didn’t say anything.
Fast forward 2 weeks later and I had moved from my desk to having an office. I come out one day and that Asian girl is waiting next in line. I smile, she smiles back and ask her to come into my office. I was so damn excited I forgot to close the door. So I sort out her query and we do a little small talk. I was so overwhelmed I didn’t know how I was going to make a move and my mind was racing looking for what the right words should be, but her excuse for sitting there had fast run out. We start slowly standing up, to conclude this giant failure of mine, when she pointedly sits back down. She then says to me “So, I think you’re pretty cute for a bank worker..” I slowly smile and start trying to think of something to respond with that wouldn’t be completely cheesy. Then AT THAT VERY MOMENT, THE ENTIRE BANKS REGIONAL EXECUTIVE, STATE EXECUTIVE AND A BUNCH OF OTHER ASSHOLE BIG WIGS TURN UP OUTSIDE MY OFFICE DOOR, TALKING AND LOOKING IN ASK:SD(@#*!. My eyes widen, I am completely dumbstruck and mumble something like “uhhh thanks I’ll see you around”. She gives me a confused look and walks out. I stare at the spot she was sitting for a good 10 seconds, not know what to say and then the executives wander in and start introducing themselves. I smile and nod and get out of there as quickly as possible. Right after work I go to the pub with some colleagues and drink my sorrows away.
Fast forward 2 years when Facebook is a common thing and I was curious, I look up her name (it’s pretty distinct). She’s moved back to Hong Kong to pursue a modelling career.
So, I’ve paid $150 off my PS4 so far. I am not sure what game I want to get when I pick it up. I’m torn between LEGO Marvel Superheroes and NBA 2K14. Tomb Raider Definitive Edition is also a possibility as I haven’t played the game. Any other recommendations?
Tomb Raider is all you need 🙂
Actually, I think I might be in the same boat. I’m selling off some of my old games on eBay in the hopes I raise enough to put toward a PS4.
My aunty’s been selling some games for me.
Tomb Raider is an absolutely excellent game (probably my favourite of 2013 actually) and if you haven’t played it I’d definitely get the Definitive Edition.
LEGO should look magnificent, but the extra cost of controller is required.
NBA – not my scene.
Tomb Raider – should also look magnificent, the one to get if you havent played it yet.
I personally got AC4 and it’s worth it.
Knack needs to halve the price before I consider it.
NFS Rivals is cheaper on previous-gen and probably just as good, I have PS4 copy.
TAYlist requests for today go here, Hit me with you best songs, TAYbies.
Long shot, but some Miles Davis?
Anything Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Home — Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
The film clip for this song is set at Tay’s Music Exchange. I honestly don’t know why you don’t start every show with it.
i have heard this song 400 times over the past few weeks, Lucky its catchy or i would punch you.
pleasure and Pain- the divinyls
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road – Elton John
Frank Sinatra. Anything’ll do.
Americana – The Offspring
OR
Americunt Devolving Into Useless Psychic Garbage – American Headcharge
Angelo Janotti – Friends 😛
Bob Seger – Turn the Page?
or Bob Seger – Night Moves?
Did Paul Simon’s Bodyguard ever get a go?
If that’s been done already then Santana and Rob Thomas – Smooth.
You Can Call Me Al, man, you keep messing that up 😛
OK, Al, but have you played the song before?
3 Doors Down – Landing in London
The Cure – Inbetween Days
Requests are closed, thanks for the picks.
Dad Metal.
http://www.howtobeadad.com/2014/20587/dad-metal
So im going to be on the radio, I applied to volunteer at the local radio station and im going to have a weekly show. I get to play my favourite tunes and talk for a hour. HYPE HYPE HYPE
You can play all the tunes @lucifer9783 doesn’t get to except for the Hanson.
HANSON HOUR
BEST HOUR
Rocket’s Love Advice Hour?
Rocket’s love and LIFE advice.
Dont fall asleep in a cemetary. if you do dont tell people about it.
Take it from someone who has hosted on local radio and statewide radio with aunty before.
Doesn’t matter WHAT anybody else tells you, there’s only one rule in radio.
When the song comes on, TURN YOUR MICROPHONE OFF. Swearing, chatting to the guest, running around in a mild panic attempting to fix the next thing, singing along to the song…I may have done all but one of these things.
I lied. I have done all of these things.Thanks buddy.
Have you done any radio production before? It’s a good little skillset to learn
When i was in grade 10 i volunteered all school holidays every wednesday,thursday and friday for a few hours at the Burdekin community station. I was just a co host with a old sweet lady and they played shitty music but it was super fun still. I get along well with old people.
Nice. unfortunately the community radio station in my hometown didn’t come about til after HS otherwise I’d have done the same. Did do a Cert I in radio production in HS though 🙂
Good Luck, Rocketfriend, don’t sweat it.
Does this mean we’ll be getting the Rocketman Edition of the TAYlist soon?
Probably not, i plan to play heaps of indie music, i love making playlists for people, so im just going to program the stuff 🙂
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!
Aghhh dude, so excited for you!
FUCK! -smashes fist on table, tears shirt-
Is there any way we can listen in on this?
Any way we can listen in to find what it’s all about? Streaming over net? Recording?
/edit didn’t see Alex’s post prior to writing this. Would be nice to listen in, but even if we can’t, that’s a kickass gig to get man! Congrats!
What did the naval officer say when his Battleship was hit?
Frigate.
MultiTAY Cancelled due to prior arrangements. That I’m only just hearing about. >.<
you sure it wasn’t
“mother fuckers release the krakken and hell on the dicks who choose us to be the target of their barrage”
TF2, it’s really the only thing I can play
Edit: Well, ain’t that a stinker.
Don’t forget to bring a towel! If your ship sinks you’ll need a towel!
I finally put together my ‘Steambox’ last night. Pics here:
http://imgur.com/a/2hl00
Specs:
– i5 3570k
– Some cheapish AsRock mobo
– 8GB RAM
– Noctua fans throughout
– Noctua heatsink
– Sapphire 7970 OC Hyper-X
– WD 2TB Green
– Twin TV tuner card
– Wifi card
– Antec Platinum 550W PSU
– Silverstone HTPC case
Price, if you take out the expensive fans/heatsink and TV tuner: $1160
On base clocks, it’s probably more powerful than my i7 920 rig in terms of gaming performance (same GPU in that too). That one has a heavy OC though, which helps.
Accessories:
– Xbox 360 wireless USB adaptor
– 360 controllers
– 360 speedwheel
– SNES USB controller
Future upgrades:
– Sound card (definite)
– Depending on the games … SSD for OS+game storage, or simply more of everything.
Green hard drives are slow. They’re fine for additional storage but do not run your OS on them. You’re just asking for trouble.
Yeah, I know. But they are supposedly the coolest and quietest option, which is why I chose the 2TB platter for the HTPC before it morphed into a SteamBox. I’ll probably end up getting a 500GB SSD for OS+games.
It’s pretty much even odds that the first upgrade you get will be a new hard drive. I made that mistake once and now that I’m on an SSD, the thought of going back to a green drive is terrifying.
My main rig started off with 1x Green, then I went to a RAID 0 array with two greens. Fun times lol. But I’m on the SSD wagon for a while now, so yes I know the benefits.
To be clear, this build started out as a uber-quiet HTPC, so thats why the Green is there to begin with. I just need to play it enough to justify dropping $300+ on a 500GB SSD. 😛
I’d go for a 64-128gb ssd for the boot and a 1tb HDD for game storage. Between games and OS, 500GB will vanish really fast unless you’re really careful about the stuff you have installed. Also you can probably get that setup for about $200-250 and get more space overall
1TB Blacks are pretty noisy, I have one purely for Steam. My thought with the 500GB is that I don’t have mass programs installed (since it’s not main rig) and the game selection will be a lot smaller since it’s specific controller-only games.
If it’s not obvious, I’m going for super low noise with performance to boot. 😛 Idle, this thing is probably half as noisy as an idle Xbox360. Under full load it’s not going to be more noisy than a console either (I hope).
I ran a PC off a green drive for years and thought it wasn’t that bad. I had limited space and needed as much capacity as I could for as cheap as possible.
Then I got a 7200 rpm drive and there’s a night and day difference – performance gain is nearly the same as what you get proportionally going from 7200rpm to SSD.
IMO and this is partially a reflection of my own setup, I’d go for a 120-240gb SSD and put all my big files eg video on a NAS instead.
Yep, home server/NAS will happen one day too. But it just won’t work in my current residence. Plus 240GB won’t cut it for OS+games.
They’re not slow. They are variable speed. (for clarification, the first gen green drives I think were locked to low speeds, but any you buy now will be variable). They have the capability of spinnning up to 7200RPM if under heavy load. People really need to stop dissing the green drives. They slow down if not being used to speeds in the 1000rpm range to save power, but they can perform at the same speed as black drives if they need to.
/edit As Trjn said, it’s probably not the best drive to run your OS on (especially if you have an SSD as well) but they are not slow drives. They CAN be, but they’re not locked to low speeds.
You may be better off buying an i5-4670K. The cpu itself is only $4 dearer than the 3570K, but the motherboard will likely be cheaper. The 4670K is only like .6% slower than the 3570K under multithreaded load, but the 4670K has AVX2 and FMA3 instructions built in, which while not present in a lot of current software, will be used a bit in future software no doubt. This will help to push it ahead performance wise in the long run. The 4670K is also more power efficient. The only reason I would recommend going with the 3570K is if you want to overclock it to somewhere over the 4GHz range. If you’re gonna run stock speeds, the newer CPU will likely be a better choice for future proofing yourself.
Feel free to ask any questions if you have any. Always happy to help if I can.
I actually bought the parts minus GPU a year ago. It was supposed to be a HTPC for media duties, which could record and transcode free-to-air TV. Chose the K for the better IGP so it can double up for some light gaming. The GPU was purchased 1 month ago but was DOA, so I’ve only just got it back from RMA and installed.
I’d actually be interested to hear of anyone else with their SteamBoxes. 😛 Seems like most people just hook up their existing rig via HDMI.
ahhh ic. I thought you were compiling a list of things to buy! 😉 My bad! It’s still a good setup no matter which way you look at it. Just thought I’d add some extra info in case 🙂
I’d also be keen to know about others setups. I haven’t looked much at the specs of the steam machines to see what outputs are available etc, but I would imagine that with them being aimed at the console market, they would be expecting most people to hook up via hdmi. Are there other outputs available on the actual steam machines (obviously if you’ve installed steam OS on a pc it’s gonna be configured to your liking, but I’m curious about the “official” ones.)
IMO they are missing the critical component of a sound card capable of Dolby Digital Live…. but we’ll see. Don’t know if any in-depth reviews are out yet.
…Unless SteamOS makes sure that the native games output correctly? A super-long-shot, and I’m very doubtful.
Most onboard sound chipsets these days are capable of doing various dolby outputs for surround sound, but I’d need to see what chips are being used. Some only do the dolby surround where it fakes the surround. If the motherboard has an optical output for audio though, there should be no problems in getting good sound out of them though.
The only way to get 5.1 audio out of a digital output in games (so that’s optical or HDMI in most cases) is for the game to output in a specific format (not many games do) or to output in DDL. Otherwise you’re limited to two channels. If I bought a SteamBox, this wouldn’t fly.
Only $50 and up sound cards do DDL. :\ I’ve had this problem and done a shitton of research on it.
There are motherboards that support DDL. Gigabyte have done so for a while (GA-H55M-USB3 for instance). There are others out there that do it in different brands, but you just have to look at the specs to see if it’s supported or not. When it comes to sound cards though, the low end cheapies as you stated, will likely not support it, but then they would probably do less than most motherboard sound chips these days!
By the way, the first post contains pics of the build!
lol yeah. I noticed that this afternoon before I posted my reply. Last night when I read it, I was in my quick scan catchup mode and multitasking a thousand things at once. Might have scrolled off the top edge of the screen as I was moving things about thus I missed it comletely!
Hey never did ask, did everyone end up receiving their secret SanTays?
yup
Thistler had me, I got a sweet ass red dead redemption tnt candle and a bunch of handmade rocketeer stickers, it was rad, except my sister calling me “Rocketman” for a week and singing “rocketman” by elton john her entire stay. Still it was pretty rad.
I’m not the man they think I am at home ah no no no..
I’m ROCKETMAN
I got mine, and so did my recipient.
I did, the one I sent was received also.
I haven’t picked up my 3DS since before you sent that present, but Pokeymans is the next game I’m gonna play! Thanks again
Enjoy, my friend.
Received mine and mine was received in turn
Somebody really should do a follow up and a combined post of what everybody got.
Praise the sun!
Oh and for those who missed the christmas TAY post I got this http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/19370/quelf
Yeah dawg.
And my recipient got theirs.
https://twitter.com/thistler/status/417525547472662528/photo/1
https://twitter.com/thistler/status/417585436186271744/photo/1
https://twitter.com/thistler/status/417587188159614976/photo/1
https://twitter.com/thistler/status/418543520937283584/photo/1
https://twitter.com/thistler/status/418544580825329664/photo/1
https://twitter.com/thistler/status/418544911114174464/photo/1
No and no.
Massive screw up on the shop’s end for the one I sent, so waiting on arrival (direct to me this time) of the new one.
bugger!
I got mine, and my recipient got theirs.
Not me yet. My person hasn’t mentioned receiving their gift I sent in December either D:
Yeah, I haven’t received mine yet
Received mine, and my victim received theirs.
Got mine (Thank you!) and recipient got theirs.
I got a Prince of Persia graphic novel from my Secret Santa, very cool. I tried to text the number that was on the back of the package to thank my secret santa but it turns out I already knew who it was. It was funny – I had made up a fake Australi apost sms and everything.
https://twitter.com/Sir_Mashaa/status/421151955239440384/photo/1/large
I sent my gift earlier this year and the recipient hasn’t made any announcements about receiving it.
I never got mine! Probably cos I didn’t take part though! :p Too poor this xmas. Next xmas for sure!
I got mine 😀
It appears my recipient may have disappeared for a time.
Also, my gift may have gotten them fired.
It’s fun going back through TAY of two days ago, and seeing all the upvotes that weren’t there when we started the following page. So much green!
The Oculus guys are saying they’re intending to develop some games to show off the hardware. Bringing up the example of how Carmack showed off id’s tech with the games they would make.
Apparently Carmack is the first but won’t be the last major game developer we see being employed by Oculus to make some game software.
So I was thinking about that, and about western game developers who are currently not attached to any major company or project any more.
Cliff Blezinski.
Imagine an Oculus Rift game made as a collaboration between the brains behind Quake 3 and Unreal Tournament. :O
Also Clint Hocking is a free agent…
OH MAN IMAGINE A FIRST PERSON STEALTH GAME ON OCULUS LED BY THE CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF THE BEST STEALTH GAME OF ALL TIME
HOOK IT IN MY VEINS
There have been murmurings of Cliff working on some kind of secret project that seems to be Oculus-related.
Was looking at a whole bunch of the stuff that’s been coming out about them from CES last night, that low-persistence thing is really cool.
UT on the Oculus Rift.
People’s heads would explode.
Stomachs certainly would
I’ve always said that the one thing missing from my mainstream news coverage was more hysteria around technology-based terrorist training.
Edit:
For my money, there are only two games I want on the Rift, and I think at least one of them has been done already:
* Mirror’s Edge
* Portal 2
Otherwise known as “I didn’t know I could motion sickness but there you go.”
Pretty much this. I can’t afford to travel to Queensland for roller coasters, and I don’t want to exercise in the real world, so this is the best of the options left to me 😛
I honestly think it would be shit for both of those games. From everything I’ve heard, games where *you* as the player-avatar are moving around bodily, i.e. anything from a first-person perspective where you walk or run ends up being a pretty terrible experience because the visuals are so immersive that your brain struggles with the disconnect.
By contrast, stuff where you are seated and in a situation where you don’t need to move around to the same degree like racing games or flight sims (especially where the cockpit of whatever you’re in is properly modeled and you can look around inside it) work really well. Which is one reason why EVE Valkyrie has been wowing so many people. And why the go-to tech demo for the dev kit has been a simulated roller-coaster.
I see your point. I too would be excited for a flight sim or two…
Like X-Wing Vs Tie Fighter \o/
No reason it couldn’t happen, same with TrackIR support I guess
http://evevalkyrie.com/ this started as a Rift tech demo.
I wanna be able to play Rogue Leader with it.
A rollercoaster sim would be pretty hectic on that
So I bought food colouring today \o/
And man does beemo have a lot of colours. I also looked and a giant tub of fondant for $40 and wondered if it would be enough
How much is in a giant tub? As I recall fondant is pretty much just sugar & water (possibly cornflour as well, not sure), you might be able to DIY it a lot cheaper and get the exact amount you need
This could be worth looking at @scree. It is basically sugar, water, gelatine and some glycerine if you want
Run some numbers and see what you think, also depends on how much effort you want to go to and what that’s worth to you
Gelatine! That’s what I was trying to think of, I was thinking about thickening agents and for some reason my brain couldn’t move beyond cornflour
But I’m lazy and will stuff it up, so I’d rather the ready to roll stuff.
Why not just order the cake you want then?
because I still want to put in effort. Making it myself leaves too much room for error. Maybe in the future but not now.
I’m surrounded by a bunch of dusty ol’ dinosaurs. Get your thinking out of the 1970s people!
Never!
Wood-paneling forever!
If the soundtrack doesn’t have a slap bass, what’s the point in even having the sound on?
DINOSAURS \o/
grrr!
Praise the sun!
http://www.pixel-otaku.com/shane-and-the-game-of-the-year/
Edit: could have used more Dark Souls… 🙁
I’m surprised you haven’t added in a plotline to one of your stories where there is just a bunch of sun worshippers praising the sun constantly.
And then they get cancer. The end. 😛The temptation to get sued in that very manner was nearly overwhelming. That’s why these exist.
The Million Deaths of the Soul Knight
Part One: Neverending Night
Part Two: Dragonsbane
Part Three: Fire In The Hole
Part Four: The Ultimate Treasure
Part Five: Stormy Weather
Interlude #1: The Ballad of Ostrava
Part Seven: Don’t Let the Bearbugs Bite
Part Six: The Lost Boys
Part Eight: Entombed!
Part Nine: Baby, It’s Cold Outside
Part Ten: Into the Light
Interlude #2: Many years later…
Part Eleven: Bloodshot
Part Twelve: Message in a Bottle
Part Thirteen: The Bigger They Are
Part Fourteen: The Soul Knight’s Flaydate
Part Fifteen: A World of Yurt
Part Sixteen: Misstep Interlude
Part Seventeen: Ratted Out
Part Eighteen: Moving On
And Then I Found Ten Souls: The Tale of the Soul Thief
Part One: Asking Which Lunatic
Part Two: Running the Asylum
Part Three: Getting The Drop
Part Four: The Fire Inside
Part Five: The Undead Burger
Missing the offical “Game of the year” tag
The only explanation I can think of is hat from @alexpants. So much hat
There are some great Yamauchi quotes in that GameCube history article.
TAYlist for the 9th of January 2014
TAYlist – the TAY Playlist, sponsored by The Rocketman ShowCorrs – I Never Loved You Anyway
Talking Heads – As The Days Go By
Thirsty Merc – Mousetrap Heart
Noiseworks – In My Youth
Elton John – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (Requested by @shane)
Divinyls – Pleasure and Pain (Requested by @rocketman)
REM – Losing My Religion
Santana & Rob Thomas – Smooth (Requested by @gorzilla)
Red Hot Chili Peppers – By The Way (@crazyguy1990 wanted the Peppers, so there you go)
The Offspring – Americana (Requested by @freezespreston)
Paul Simon – You Can Call Me Al (Requested by @gorzilla, who you can call forgetful)
Hoodoo Gurus – The Right Time
Queen – Bicycle Race
Racey – Some Girls
Frank Sinatra – My Way (@rize wanted Frankie on the list, and My Way was a perfect way to end the show)
Either your station is very liberal or there’s a heavily censored version of Americana I was not aware of.
oops…
Let’s keep this to ourselves then.
EDIT: And maybe stop requesting songs that aren’t safe for work
Er yeah. Sorry about that. Didn’t think the station would have any inappropriate songs available to play. Won’t do that again.
regurgitator – world of sleaze. Play that next time. Totally SFW.
There shall be BOARD GAMING on Sunday afternoon this weekend. People should attend.
We’re planning to have at least one gaming session this month (probably the one next week) where we focus on playing one big “epic” game instead of the usual mix of lighter 30-60 minute games. Battlestar Galactica is the most likely contender. We’ve played it once, I was the cylon.
Remeind me to have sex with you to make sure your spine doesn’t glow.
I could not stand that show.
@sughly, @freezespreston + wife, @strange, @jimu, @gutsoup, @beardymcmuttonchops + wife, @popdart5, @sernobulus, @virus__, @dkzeitgeist, @transientmind, @beeawwb
WHEN: 7PM. FRIDAY, 17 JANUARY 2014.
WHERE: NEXT DOOR KITCHEN & BAR, SOUTH BANK.
WHY: CAUSE I MISS YOU GUYS SO DAMN MUCH! 😀
Strange has made the booking for 15 people cause she’s all kinds of awesome!
Really looking forward to seeing you guys. Food. Drinks. Good times a-plenty!
BRING PRESENTS AND YOUR BEST SINGING VOICES
Save your singing voices for when @bdkiaf is in town. KARAOKE MEAT! I HEAR HIS VOICE IS POWERFUL!
(Also, no presents. >:| Might be close to my birthday, but it ain’t a birthday meat!)
Im in town then too asshole, what about my voice????
yes it is
Also if any one has a better name for this meat, you have the floor. 😛
Gangster wings and cocktails Meat? 😛
Cocktails? This ain’t Sex and the City, Strange. 😛 (Although we could probably get @liondrive to attend if it was… *strokes patchy chin stubble*)
Seriously, go look at their drinks menu. It’s half the reason the place is so awesome.
Stop being silly. There’s no Cosmopolitans on the menu. Isn’t that what they drink on that show?
And actually, that menu they’re showing online isn’t even half of what was on the physical menu when I was there last. Some of the cocktails even have manly names! 😛
Vodka Mules taste amazing.
@freezespreston
is it because they have a bit of a kick
also fuck the comment chain for making it hard for me to make a amusing pun.
They drink whatever they can get their hands on! And a Cosmopolitan is a type of cocktail (according to my cocktail bible) 😛
Here are some manly cocktail names 😀 :
– Silver Bullet– Midnight Samurai
– Kamikaze
– Monkey Gland
– Rusty Nail
– Godfather
And some, less, manly cocktail names…:
– Harvey Wallbanger– Screaming Orgasm
– Sex on the Beach
– Screwdriver
– Fluffy Duck
– Seduction
– Pink Squirrel
– Bahana Mama
– Pink Pussycat
Psh, you want a cocktails night then go down to Cobbler in West End. Seriously my favourite bar in the city, and not just because they have over 300 whiskys…
I can make a mean Long Island Iced Tea 😀
I even bought a cocktail book and a professional cocktail shaker!!! 😀
Too bad Brisbane is a bit far to fly 🙁
Dude cocktails are AWESOME, they get you smashed way faster cause they taste so fucking amazing. It’s a win win!
YES, THIS, A MILLION TIMES THIS! This is why you drink cocktails. People may look at you weird for ordering / drinking one, but who cares when you’ll be on your arse in 3 drinks! 😀
It makes some spirits actually decent like rum, I fucking hate rum. But Mojito’s are amazing.
DC’s Birthday Meat! \o/
😛I miss Brisbane a little bit.The DC Birthday Bash Gift Giving Cosmopoliganza!
feat. hugs!
We miss you too.DC Birthday meat. 🙂
Cooool
Damn straight!
Rad.
Gonna be a fun night!
As usual, I’ll probably waste time after work so if anyone wants to come grab a sneaky beer beforehand, let me know. I’ll most probably be at The End or I might check out the new tiki bar The Jungle.
Guys, so excited.
Go 2 doors up from The End. BOSC is much better than The Jungle (in my opinion).
HIPSTER 😛
Only slightly. 😛
I’ve been there, too.
The cocktails and beers there are insane. That was the last place we went when I tricked @sughly and @mythamphetamine into not hanging out with everyone else.
I just wanna check out The Jungle because I loooooooove tacky Tiki stuff, and this place has it in spades.
Remember that time we ignored everyone and then you piggybacked me and then I piggybacked @sughly while you piggybacked me and then we all (mostly you) ate shit?
Ahhh, memories.
I remember that.
I make sure to remind Krams whenever I can.
This, our goal.
we saw Elysium
And ate Hamburgers. Don’t forget the hamburgers! XD
That sounds more exciting than i was trying to sound XD
I’m going to take the day off work so I’ll be up for that.
Cool.
I finish at 5 so I can meet you anytime after then, just text me when you’re around.
Hooray, I’m useful! I’m having a wonderful time!
Here’s a fun filled only slightly depressing fact:
This will be the first time I’ve left the house to meet friends since Nov 23.
ARCADE FIRE take pictures for me.
also im in town 1st of febuary. I want my DC hug
You already got two hugs! It might’ve been 13 months ago, but they count! >:|
Also, Arcaaaaaade Fire. I’m so bummed you can’t come, man. :'(
I invited you to come watch SciFi at our place! And I said you could bring a date like @sughly or @shane!
Not out of lack of opportunity, though. I was in a super emo mood for most of December. XD
The offer still stands!
Damnit, got family visiting from interstate or I’d be there :/
The Rocketman Challenge
Every year i consume media i have already consumed on the premise that its too much work to try new stuff when I’m tired and its easier just to listen to my favourite albums again or rewatch “the office” for the 150th time. Seriously i have watched that show all the way through at least 15 times. So i decided for my new years resolution that i would read 100 books/ graphic novels i haven’t read before, watch 100 movies i haven’t seen before and watch some new series i haven’t ever see. Im using the premise of creating a list to encourage me to finish it. You should all be looking forward to reviews from me this year. in the new TAY column. ROCKET REVIEWS TBD
Jaws better not be on that list.
As you’ve already seen it, right?
Havent seen jaws, DO YOU SEE WHY I NEED TO DO THIS.
Save it for while you’re in town and we can make time to watch it together.
THAT BEACH WILL BE OPEN ON THE 4th OF JULY DAMNIT!
Can we nominate things for you to get into?
Edit: I meant suggest things, not nominate. I’m a goose.
Of course, Im open to try anything really, This is mainly because i think i have shoe-horned myself into liking certain things because i don’t try anything else. I used to be super fussy when it came to food. I started to eat more random stuff last year and was shocked at the stuff i had missed out on. So I will accept any requests. 🙂
All right! *rubs hands*
I’ve picked some stuff I think is worth checking out, from as wide a range of genres as I can manage, with a focus on stuff you might not have checked out before (with the exception of movies, which I am shit at picking because I’ve only seen popular stuff).
Five movies
* A Few Good Men
* Clerks
* Children of Men
* The Castle
* Over The Hedge
Five comics
* Maus – Art Spiegelman
* Ex Machina (series) – Brian K Vaughan
* Preacher (series) – Garth Ennis
* The Silence – Bruce Mutard
* The Game (coming from Shane W Smith in 2014)
Five TV shows
* The Shield
* Treme
* Yes, Minister
* Wonderfalls
* Gilmore Girls
Five books
* 1984 – Orwell
* East of Eden – Steinbeck
* Jennifer Government – Max Barry
* The Divine Comedy – Dante
* The Shock Doctrine – Naomi Klein
Hooray for Max Barry fandom! 😀
Hooray! \o/
Fun fact: I’m in the acknowledgements section for Machine Man. \o/
Awesome! How’d you swing that?
Also, I’ve yet to read that book. I subscribed to the page-per-day emails, and kind of lost interest when the paywall appeared 😛
Do threads become un-replyable after a certain length? Can’t seem to reply to you @shane …
Anyway, I got in the acknowledgements by being part of the page-per-day emails and one of the more active commentators on each page. When it was over he sent out a thank you email, and that was reproduced in the acknowledgements once the actual book came out.
After a certain length they do indeed stop replies. We usually just reply to either the person’s earlier post, or to one of our own after it then add their @username tag – as you have done – to ensure they are notified.
One thing to be aware of is the @ tag doesn’t send a notification if you only add it in an edit, which is why ‘list’ posts alerting people to meats have replies with people missed/typoed.
I read from the bottom up without seeing who wrote this list and was like, shane loves this stuff. Im glad i know enough about you 😛
That’s awesome and terrifying and I’m sorry I’m so damn predictable.
I would also endorse Maus. I do get the feeling I would be a bad person if I were to disendorse (It is a real word now. I declare it.) Maus, though.
100 of each category is a lot. I’d go by a user-curated list. Be surprised. 🙂
What books do you generally read? (I include comics and graphic novels in books here)
I like a assortment of stuff, you cant really go wrong, i have read like 10 Danielle steele novels and Twilight so i read pretty much everything.
Alright then.
To counter “1984”, you need to read “Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley. Dystopic as well, but a counter argument to the anti-socialism of 1984 – Brave New World is anti-capitalism (or anti-consumerism if you really want to nit pick).
Grab yourself “Night Watch” by Terry Pratchett. It’ll throw you into the middle of the world and characters (he does a good job of introducing them and the world each book), but it has a lot to say about governments and revolutions and growing up.
“The Left Hand of Darkness” is a famous old sci-fi novel by Ursula K. Le Guin – it can be hard work, but worth it to get through just to see how she builds completely different (alien) cultures.
Get yourself some form of collection of works from H.P. Lovecraft, especially the Cthulhu Mythos if you can.
“The Kraken Wakes” is a good one by John Wyndham, or go for his better known “Day of the Triffids”
…I think that might be enough?
OOOOOOHHHHHH of course, read Watchmen by Alan Moore. I have another graphical novel series at home that I can’t remember the name of, i’ll edit this again to include it.
Try the following for TV stuff
The Venture Brothers
Metalocalypse
If you’re after non-narrative driven stuff and want a laugh, I’d also suggest the following English panel shows:
QI
8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown
Mock The Week
Would I Lie To You?
Was It Something I Said?
The Bubble
SEE! SEE @dc! It’s not just me recommending the Venture Bros!
Although Metalocalypse would probably terrify you…
Metalocalypse sorts people into two camps, those who are metal and those who only play grandpas guitars
I love Metalocalypse. Season 4 hasn’t really been doing it for me though. Seems like such a step backwards after all the steps forward season 3 made.
Oh really? I’ve not gotten around to series 4 so far, what’s not working for you?
Part of the problem is not knowing what stuff you’ve already watched. How do I know, when suggesting Being John Malkovich, if you’ve seen it before or not?
I’ve seen disney and ghibli stay away from those two companies and you probably wont crossover. I havent seen being john malkovic.
Ok, I’ll go through my list of favourites and compile something for you when I get home.
danke, much appreciated.
But has anyone really “seen” Being John Malkovich, you know?
Deeeeeep, man.
Watch Whisper of the Heart if you haven’t! You too, @dc! (add it to your list!) They were playing Country Roads in the shopping centre today and now I really want to rewatch that movie (hang on, I’m falling into your trap! :P)
And watch Rubber too!
EDIT: Actually you may as well just take DC’s list and watch everything on it. We all suggested those anyway.
DC YOU STILL HAVE THAT LIST?????
You’ll have to be more specific. He has many lists.
ENEMIES LIST:
— Hitler
— Freeze S Preston
— Osama Bin Laden
…
Oh, the other one?
Add Whisper of the Heart to mine! 😀
You can’t tell me what to do, Pow. If that is your real name.
thank you, i will start with some of these. Particularly summer wars, i have been meaning to check it out for ages.
‘Spretty good. I liked it.
:'(
Let’s throw a few movie recommendations and see what sticks:
Kung Fu Hustle or Shaolin Soccer (either is fine)
Moon
City of God
The Departed
Infernal Affairs
The Great Escape
Groundhog Day
Mortal Kombat
Remember the Titans
Cool Hand Luke
Leon: the Professional (actually just called Leon but I’ve seen it called both)
Airplane!
Rocky
Cannibal the Musical
Silence of the Lambs
Hero
Chasing Amy
The Shawshank Redemption
Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?
Cloud Atlas
Bladerunner (final or director’s cut)
The Godfather parts 1 & 2
A Few Good Men
Dead Poets Society
Reservoir Dogs
This list may just be a random assortment of movies from my DVD collection that are pretty rad.
I have seen remember the titans 17 times thanks to the laziness of my high school teachers. WE GET IT DEZEL WASHINGTON IS A STRONG CONFIDENT WISE BLACK MAN AND CHILDREN ARE WITHOUT PREDJUDICE. FUCK
Fine, Chariots of Fire.
You can blame your high school teachers for that.
Life of Brian should be on there too but I have to assume you’ve seen it because it’s Life of Brian.
Shaolin Soccer is streaming on SBS on Demand now, too! (Kung Fu Hustle will be on there soon too, I think)
EDIT: Hop to it, DC! 😛
Movies
-Moon
-Gattaca
-The Island
– Brick
Books
– Assassins Apprentice – Robin Hobb
– Farrenheit 451 – Ray Bradbury
– The Night Watch- sergei Lukyanenko
– Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? – Phillip K Dick
– The Wee Free Men – Terry Pratchett
Gattaca is my all time favourite movie. You’re okay, Chris. You’re okay.
Copycat. 😀
BMX Bandits
*waves* Hi folks
the last few day they’ve been renovating our offices so I’ve had freaking power tools and banging to contend with all day long, they just cut through a wall in my office, the level of noise is insane, so I’ve opted to blast music into my ears, if I’m going deaf it’s on my terms ya bastards.
As someone who is around loud machines a lot of days, its so blissful when they finally stop though. Like you forget how amazing silence is.
yeah, we usually have machines and carpenters banging away, just usually not in and around my office, funny cause I’m the primary phone answerer too, I’ve had a lot of people ask what the hell is going on over here,
“im banging your mum… with a hammer”
Is that what you call it? Not exactly original.
http://videosift.com/video/Captain-Hammer-These-Are-Not-The-Hammer
So you’ve come here for peace and quiet?
NZNZNZNZNZNZNZNZNZNZNZNZNZNZNZNZNZNZ (best onomatopoeia I have for drilling)
LOUD NOISES
Allan & Nicole: A Miiverse Romantic Tragedy in One Act
Numenera recap will be tomorrow guys. Sorry for the delay.
Hey @dc whats the bday plan?
No movie no more?
What time is the dinner or movie?
Hey Jimu!
No movie any more, just awesome dinner and drinks! Details are here! 🙂
http://www.kotaku.com.au/2014/01/talk-amongst-yourselves-258/comment-page-8/#comment-2342491
Are you going to drink?
Maaaaaaaybe. What about you? (You’ve been booked in, my friend! :P)
a dc meat where dc drinks, I’d better attend, might be a once in a lifetime opportunity 😛
dunno why but I’m a bit nervous about the meat, I think my nerves are just shot in general latelyAw, don’t be nervous. Just sit near Jimu and me and you’ll be fine. You’re a good guy. Nothing to worry ’bout. If it’ll help we can meet before the full thing too. Maybe you and Jimu can train in together too? It’ll be fine!
I can understand it though. I put off meating for ages. Shouldn’t have though!
I think it’s cause it’s a big meat, I’ve only been to 2 and the biggest was the Jimu one, hopefully I won’t be a dickman 😛
Haha! You’ll find these things no matter how many folks are there comes down to who you’re sitting with. Most of the time at these big meats you barely talk to everyone there cause they’re on the other side of the table!
So that’s 40+ tonne of alcohol, boxed, pelleted and sent to 6 other Dan Murphy’s on the coast. We only broke, like 10 bottles the entire week, most happened today…
I managed to drop a pinot noir on my foot, another box gave way when someone picked it up and 2 sparklings decided to commit suicide, another 2 suffered a cracked arse when they got put down (aka thrown violently that was probably me as well now I think about it) so 10 breakages out of thousands of bottles ain’t bad at all.
But next week I am down to one measly four hour shift :/ think i’m gonna have to find another job.. Since I won’t getting much work if any with this new small temp store, I understand why they have to give the contracted lot their 38 hours whilst I can be fucked off since i’m just a casual. But ugh, and I only have 2 shifts left with EB Games 🙁
SUCH IS LIFE.
why only 2 more shifts at EB? was it just a temp contract?
Yeah Christmas Casual contracted till end of Jan, manager said she’ll keep me in the system in case she needs someone at short notice or whatever which is cool. But yeah, ah well lol.
bummer! best of luck finding something new to fill the gaps!
Thanks man, just wish the big new Dan Murphy’s was built already :/ Our current store is like the size of a BWS, so tiny ugh. But when we do go to furbish it, it means I will get another weeks worth of solid work so that’s nice.
I…don’t even?
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HDPMXOG/?tag=051-20
I like bacon as much as the next guy but this obsession everyone seems to have with it is getting a bit much.
Not really that odd if you think about it. We eat meat chunks wrapped in pastry.
And there’s the old story of how hotdogs came to exist.
Actually makes sense with certain dishes. Although not sure I’d trust boxed meat shipped internationally…
I think you buy the mold with instructions on how to make it
That makes even less sense. I mean you already have bowls in your kitchen.
this isn’t a bowl. It’s mould. it makes all the difference.
But what’s stopping you from using a regular bowl as a mould of a bowl though? They both give you a dome-like shape to hold your bacon in place.
I don’t know. I’m not even interested in the product =P
(╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━━━┻
That is all.
So for some reason what I’m seeing right now is a guy, then the top of someone’s head, and the bottom of a window.
(╯°□°)╯︵ ┻┻ (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻┻ (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻┻ (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻┻ (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻┻(╯°□°)╯︵ ┻┻ (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻┻ (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻┻ (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻┻ (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻┻
(╯°□°)╯︵ ┻┻ (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻┻ (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻┻ (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻┻ (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻┻
Now it’s a party!
Of table flipping.
Of LIES!
I think crazy guy is temporarily angry guy D=
Well, that’s dirty.
NO! ┬─┬ノ( º _ ºノ)
(╯°Д°)╯︵ /(.□ . \)
Noooooooooooooooo :'(
My arm feels sore… 🙁
That’s what happens when you flip so many tables
┻━┻ ︵ ლ(⌒-⌒ლ)
Anyone here seen / heard of Consortium? I just saw it on Steam in the “new release” section. Seems like a really interesting game. Kinda like Mass Effect mixed with Star Trek.
Hi everyone! I went and saw monkeys today! They were all taking baths and shizz! You should go look at my pictures, and then upvote this so that I can feel validated! http://wp.me/p4dfx7-w. Anything interesting happen in the world of TAY that I should know about? Marriages, divorces, secret children?
I declare this “thank God we hit a new page because that last one was killing my phone” page 9.
Or monkey page 9. DC can talk about how much he likes Enslaved.
More questions about computing:
How does GHz remain relative to their respective makers? Isn’t it one unit of measurement, so 4.0 AMD GHz is faster than 3.8 Intel GHz? Isn’t that like saying a toyota’s 38 km/h is different to a mercedes 38 km/h? Or are domputers just different?
How many games support the higher resolution than 1080p?
Oh, and I got Steam and PSN working!
Hz as a measurement is an outdated method for judging CPU power that has just sort of stuck. For intance, in almost any test, 1 core of a 2.4 GHz i5 would outperform a single core 3.5 GHz Intel card from 10 years ago. There’s a whole bunch of factors that need to be taken into account, like cache size, latency, and a lot of stuff that I can’t think of right now. A slightly more accurate measurement would be flops, but raw numbers there still don’t always translate to power. If you’re comparing stuff, it’s often best to look for benchmarks appropriate to whatever you’re doing.
And then there are the old PowerPC CPUs that had about half the Hz while being fairly comparable in power to the Intel/AMD CPUs of the time.
Hardware architecture is weird.
EDIT: A fun way to think of it is like racing cars. A Mustang can have a giant engine and do well on straights while being shit at corners, so a mini can outcorner it and end up faster with a much smaller engine.
It’s not actually correct, I just thought it was a fun way to understand the idea that big numbers aren’t necessarily the only factor.
OK. Thanks.
Most any game will support higher resolutions, aspect ratios is where things get iffy with current games. Stick to 16:9 and you should be fine.
So that 27″ monitor you recommended should be fine?
Oh hells yes 😀
It is the electrical frequency inside the CPU. The higher the frequency the more often the parts inside do something. Essentially it’s the rate at which transistors are able to flip.
It’s not a good measurement between architectures because the number of times the CPU cycles through everything isn’t a useful measurement of anything because one low-clocked CPU might do a lot of things simultaneously. For example a GPU processor might run at 800 mHz but have 190+ cores all running stuff at the same time.
What matters is computing power (how much the CPU can do per cycle), power usage and heat dissipation. CPU manufacturers design stuff to run out of order, pipeline multiple instructions together etc. to squeeze more out of a given cycle. Intel right now is vastly better at doing this and so their CPUs don’t need to run as fast to do the same amount of work (which reduces power load and thus heat). AMD stuff isn’t near as powerful per cycle, but they clock their chips much faster (Piledriver has been overclocked above 8ghz) so they can try and compete against intel’s more efficient and powerful slower cycles by having less powerful cycles that happen faster. They’ve designed their cores to be more simple so it’s easier to squeeze more onto a chip and they can overclock further, but in a lot of applications, Intel will outperform them because their cores are more sophisticated and designed to do more at once.
Any PC game can support above 1080p if the hardware can drive it and the people programming the game have built it correctly. I run a 2560×1440 monitor and run basically everything modern at that res.
EDIT: For your edification:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megahertz_myth
Thanks for your in-depth reply!
If you’re looking for a tl;dr version:
AMD and Intel cannot be compared on GHz, as Intel is much more efficient per clock.
e.g. dual-core i3 beats a six-core AMD running at higher clocks.
tl;dr get AMD if you’re on a budget, Intel otherwise as it stomps all over the competition.
Wall of text:
Some sad/exciting/I-don’t-know-how-to-feel news.
My Visa expires at the end of the month so I have to leave the country and go back to Kenya.🙁
I initially came to Australia in Feb 2008 to study and after finishing uni I extended my visa until now hoping to get a graduate job in that time and maybe stay here permanently or at least for a long time. No luck on the permanent job front and I’ve just been working casually for the past year. I’ve been here about 5 years 11 months (it would have been nice to make it a nice round 6 years) and I haven’t gone home in that time so it will be exciting to see my family and friends back home but at the same time I’ve liked the stability here. 5+ years is a long time and it will be interesting to see where people are at the moment e.g. my younger sister was in high school when I left and now she’s a young woman – scary.
I’ve really enjoying my time in Australia. I grown a lot mentally.It would have happened anyway with age but I believe moving to another country helped. Starting fresh in a new country/place can be good. I remember in my first year here I borrowed a library book about sex and my cousin walked in and I quickly hid it under the couch. It was not porn but just a book on STDs and I was kind of embarrassed then. Now I’m happy discussing that stuff and I realise it’s important to know. Little things like that make me realise how far I’ve matured the last few years.
I also discovered podcasts for the first time in Australia. Podcasts have turned out to be one of my favourite media and they are not only a godsend on boring days at work but they have also helped me learn about different things. Shows like Savage Love, Radiolab and This American life have opened my mind to a lot of things. I also really got into the gaming media side of things while I was here. I don’t think I ever visited many game blogs back in Kenya. People who played games were just my neighbours and a few friends. It has been nice to be opened up to a whole new community of like-minded people sharing their love of videogames. Sites like Giant bomb and Kotaku have become the first sites I load up every morning. Giant Bomb is a great site for gaming videos.
Australia has not been all about books on STDs and podcasts, in late 2009 I made my first comment in TAY and I’ve been here ever since.
You guys are a great bunch and it has been nice to have a place to talk about games and just life in general. It has been nice seeing TAY grow from only games talk to people being open about talking about their lives and feelings. I especially starting using TAY a lot after moving out of my cousins house to live near the uni in my final year. Living alone can be boring but it has been nice having a place like TAY where I can come and talk to all of you about games and other stuff.
My first comment: http://www.kotaku.com.au/2009/12/talk-amongst-yourselves-39/#comment-68357 (I kind of enjoyed that show)
Going to PAX and various meats over the years has been great too, proving that you guys are just as good in the real world as you are in TAY. I met most of you guys which was great putting names to faces. For those I haven’t met yet hopefully we’ll get a chance to do so another time.
I interact with you guys a lot and it has been great. You guys are good friends -which for someone who didn’t grow up with the internet at home is still surprising that people can make friends online. But how do people make friends in the real world anyway? It’s just the same as TAY I think. Two or more people start interacting because of a shared interest and slowly get to know each other.
Thank you all for the great times and memories. Of course I’ll still be on TAY and Twitter but I just thought I’d type this up to thank you all and it will also be kind of different being on TAY when I’m not in the country. Bish and Saturday have managed to stay part of the community while being overseas so don’t worry I’m not going anywhere.
YOU GUYS HAVE ALL BEEN AWESOME AND TAY HAS BEEN ONE OF MY FAVOURITE THINGS ABOUT AUSTRALIA
THANKS YOU ALL.
:’-(
NB:
Some of my favourite memories from Australia has been thanks to you guys
Pez House warming
The camping meat
Nerf Gun war for Doc’s birthday
PAX
Karaoke and the group photo we took at the Karaoke bar during PAX
Sharing gaytimes with TAYbies as we played Hanabi
Playing Joust at pax and hugging it out with @MIkeTarno at the end
I’ve posted about this in the past but it is one of my favourite memories. And it was on my first meat too.
A bit of background: For a few weeks/months earlier @dkzeitgesit had been adding a few As to the end of my username and calling me Mashaaaaaa on TAY every time he replied to me and it kind of caught on and most for you guys started using it (and still do today) when replying or tagging me in a post.
It was the monorail /dapper meat and we had all organised to meet and ride it since it was going to be shut down in the next few months. Everybody met up near the train and we all exchanged greetings as we waited for other people to arrive. Harli was one of the last people to arrive and she brought Mashaaaaaa out into the real world. As she was approaching the group saying hi to everyone she saw me and started shouting ‘Mashaaaaaa’ at the top of her voice with her arms stretched as she hugged me. I was kind of blushing since it was all this attention on me. Anyway the day continued and we all had lunch, rode together on the mono-rail, realised it’s just another train (it was still fun cramming into carriages and the novelty of it was fun for me) before we went for dinner.
After dinner we were at a bar having drinks and just talking. I had to leave around 9pm and as I was about to walk out the door somebody shouted, ‘Bye masha!’ and all the TAYbies there just joined in and shouted ‘Mashaaaaaaaaaaaaa’ together in the loudest voice possible. The other bar patrons were looking at me and I turned back and waved goodbye to everyone.
Here was a group of people who barely knew me and had just met me but they all treated me so well. I had never had a whole bar shout my name out loud before. I had a huge smile on the 2 hour train ride back home.
It’s a small thing and maybe most of you who were there don’t remember it but it was great. Thanks. My eyes are watering thinking about it now.
Regards,
MASHA
AKA: Mashaaaaaaaaaa , Midnight Masha
Just to thank some people more specifically,
@Powalen – The first Taybie I met in person 🙂 Thanks for all the company to and from meats the last few years. It was nice just talking before every meat, playing mobile games together and for sharing your 3DS with me. Really happy you eventually got a job and moved to the city. You’re a great guy and it’s always fun meeting up.
@Greenius /chatius/friendius – Thanks for all the steam chats, the few co-op games we played together. You know you’re awesome. *flex*
@Serrels – Thank you for helping foster this awesome community, congratulations on the birth of your son and for inspiring the current porridge revolution.
@Redartifice – Discussing TV, podcasts and various things on Twitter is great. You are clearly a smart guy and with all the reading you do and interesting stuff you know you are the sophisticated man I always think I could be. Oh man, remember the Twitter film we pitched with Powalen. That will be made one day 🙂
@dkzeitgesit- Cool guy and thanks for the encouraging words me when we were alone at pez’s house. I still can’t believe that you were ever fat or lacked confidence. You also produce a really good podcast with karl. It was one of those things I thought I’d listen to once to be polite but the show is really good and I genuinely look forward to it and enjoy listening to it every week. Hopefully you guys keep up the great work.
@anonymous_pessimist . Thanks for inviting us over to your house for various meats. Your house warming meat was great . I’ve mentioned it a lot writing this and it was the first time I meat many TAybies. You letting us stay in your house after camping was very kind too. Thanks for pushing me to start using twitter, t has been a whole other avenue for interacting with you guys. You also gave me one of my first smartphones when you gave me your hold HTC. Thanks a lot man. It has been great seeing you slowly grow in life – buying an apartment, getting engaged, releasing an album, getting married and now you have cute pets. You’re awesome and it’s unfortunate you’ve been really busy the last few months to attend meats. You did a fantastic job on the zeitgeist intro theme and I really liked that you and Mish wore sneakers to your wedding. I’d love to do that if I ever get married.
@beardymcmuttonchops- the beard thread on twitter started by you and @mythamphetamine was some of the most fun I’ve had at work. Thanks guys. Discussing transformers and various other stuff on Twitter has always been great. I even remember making a meme for you when you found out Geralt would have a beard in the Witcher 3. You and Berkid are great too and I really love your openness as a couple. Making videos together and always posting interesting photos.
I’ve always thought I’d get along really well if we met in person. Also we seem to have a similar build which I always thought was cool
@shiggyninty being a cool guy at meats and just making dumb jokes on twitter, thanks for organising the camping meat that was great. Playing risk for hours was great and even throwing balls around and going swimming. Thanks for the good memories. You are always very complimentary and kind to me too, often offering encouragement when I apologise for being quite at meats. Thank man. 🙂
Also thanks to you I met Patience and Holly who are great people. I don’t think they’re on TAY so please thank them for me. I just love their quirky nature and the hand made stuff they make.
Also I’m very happy that you’re starting a digital media course at TAFE and I hope you re able to get a career in the field since you are clearly very passionate about it.
@doc_what Oh man, running around the woods shooting NERF guns with taybies during your birthday meat was so much fun. The food was great too and Also I like the lego iron man you drew for me when you were doing your #DocsArtThing . You are a really kind dude too and you always seem to take the time to say goodbye to people at meats – I always liked that. You guys have done a great job with Pixel-Otaku and thank you for preserving my PAX memories in video form with the Joust video.
@Alexpants So happy you finally found full time work and thanks for complementing my often silly Twitter pictures. You’re a great guy. You also write a lof of interesting stuff on Pixel-otaku and the work you guys have done on the site is great.
@Miketarno- Dude! I had never met you before PAX and I’m still surprised how it was instantly great just hanging out and chatting at PAX. I was really surprised. You’re a really cool guy. It was so much fun playing joust with you (one of my best PAX memories) and we will have our LEGO dinner one day 🙂
@effluvium-boy- cool guy, nice guy. Always seems to concentrate and be interested in what you’re saying. I remember you asking me a lot of questions at different meats and you were very genuine. Also your stories about trips to Europe are always great. The one word or picture replies on twitter are always funny too even if I don’t get them a lot of the time. Thank you for inviting us to your apartment for the house warming and it was a fun day playing cards against humanity, eating hot dog stuffed pizzas, seeing your knife collection and hearing stories about your American trip.
@Sughly- We will have our warriors meat one day* 🙂 I know you were in pain for most of it,but hanging out with you during the camping trip and over new years was fun. Thank you for introducing me to pistachios. Another great memory was being at Pez’s house on New Year’s Eve (Dec 2012) I and we were all shouting ‘Happy New Year’ at midnight. We were on the balcony trying to see some fireworks and as we walked back in I shouted, “happy new year sughly!”at you as you writhed on the ground with stomach pains. You looked up and said thanks. I don’t know why this memory stays in my head. You are a super awesome guy and it’s always fun talking about Shadow of the Colossus
*In case anybody else is curious: it was just a day where Sughly would show me the Warriors film which I have never wached and I’d bring the copy of the Warriors on PS2- one of my favourite Rockstar games and we’d play co-op together)
@freezespreston – Noooo, who will introduce me to new drinks and exotic chillis now that I’m leaving? Another awesome TAYbie. It was great hanging out on the various meats with been on and it’s always nice talking with you. Trying your punch at @blaghman’s house, you cooking for us at Pez’s (Freeze likes his chilli) and even trying to teach me about magic the gathering with @mythamphetamine
@Harli- So nice to know you got a job in a field you like, doing what you love. I don’t watch a lot of them but your videos are great. You are awesome and the facilitator of one of my best memories with taybies as mentioned. You are always so friendly and kind. I remember us trying to fix PEZ’s TV at his house warming meat and us just giving up at points and sitting on the floor talking. ALso thanks for the encouraging words at Pez’s album launch
@Strange- I may be out of the country soon but I’ll still remind you about Tay quilt. 🙂 What did you name your sewing blog btw?. Your compliments on twitter are always great and encouraging. It has been nice meeting you in person (twice i think) and you’re great. I remember tryign to take a photo of you with your husband at Pez’s Album launch and you laughed warning me not too take that photo. You let me take it anyway in the end and I always like the disapproving look you have in the photo. An odd thing to remember but it was fun. You are an amazing person and you seem to have a good relationship with your son. Have fun at the metal cruise- it has been nice seeing your excitement rise as the day approaches.
@Rocketman- I know I tell you this a lot but you seem to be in a really good place right now and I’m happy. I guess i’m always saying that because you’re a great guy and you deserve to be happy.
@gutsoup- My fellow African TAYbie *performs secret African handshake* *nods* 🙂
@Lambomann007 – It was nice meeting you at PAX and I can’t wait to see what games you develop in the future.The few game jam games you’ve allowed us to play have shown a lot of promise. Keep at it. I’m still not buying a Nokia though 😉
@Welbot- Man! Oh man! I really hope you can catch a break with work and life. You’ve had a crappy few months and hopefully you reach a state of stability soon.
@hugo_the_hungarian_babarian : You invited me to Mt Druitt and now I might not get the chance to come over 🙁 it has been great hanging out and just talking and drinking during meats. Hopefully you get a new job soon. How has that been going actually?
@mawt *awkward high five* Great guy and it has been nice just talking the last few times we’ve met. I hope you’re progressing well with the card game you’re making and I’m sure it will be good. From what you’ve told me there are some interesting parts.
@Ruffleberg – It is always nice talking to you at meats and your recent change to a healthier lifestyle has been very encouraging. I wish I could have attended one of the KFC meats.
@35 – I know I called you a wizard the first time we met and I don’t remember why? Did you have an interesting watch? I think that was it. Another great TAYbie and someone who seems too ooze cool. I say that because I remember we were at Pez’ house warming and people were getting up and playing Dance Central. I asked you if you wanted to try dancing and you said ‘fuck off!’ not in a mean way but you were laughing at the same time. One of the memories that stuck with me of your seemingly effortless cool.
@dc – It always great discussing things with you in TAY and Twitter and it has been nice seeing you come out of your shell over time. One of the good things about you is how you are always open for discussions with everybody on here.
Your good mood the last few months has been great too and your enthusiastic praise for he positive effects of going to the gym has encouraged me into maybe joining a gym when I go back home.
Also remember, you’re awesome. I sometimes find it odd and wonder why you sometimes don’t think people like you since it is hard to find someone who is as well liked as you in this forum. Dude! Try and find a page on TAY the last few months where there isn’t a post with someone mentioning DC, thanking you for something or just saying you’re a good guy. Always try and focus on the positives.
That being said the willingness you and @rocketman have to talk about depression has pushed me over the years to read more about the topic. I still don’t have a 100% understanding but I’m learning and that’s good.
@transientmind – you always have great comments in TAY and even outside TAY on other Kotaku posts. You’ve had a tough time the last few months and I hope it all works out. You seem to have a positive outlook though and you are working on fixing your circumstances which is good. Your positive attitude and confidence are very inspiring and I’d be happy to even have an ounce of the confidence and good stories you have.
@Shane – Thank you for your generosity over the years and it has been fun hanging out at meats. Maybe now that I’ll be trapped on an hours long flight to Africa I might finally read the lesser evil. . Thank you for the Far Cry 2 collector’s edition and your PS3 copy of Dark Souls- I’ll definitely play it one day. Congratulations on the third child and good luck with all your writing projects, you seem to have started 2014 on a good note. It was nice meeting your wife at Blagh’s house. Also I’m always surprised at how quiet you are for such a handsome guy. I always feel like I talk too much around you 🙂
@direwolf – I know I thanked you before but thanks for putting up with my rambling at PAX. I guess looking at it in a positive spin you could have run off but didn’t \o/ Good luck on completing your novel this year and hopefully your knee is better.
@gingerchris86 MOJITO BROS! Another awesome taybie. It’s always nice hanging out at meats.
@cj You’re a great guy CJ. You always seem to remember our conversations every time we meet and your constant search for great coffee is fun to hear about. Maybe one of those journey’s will lead you to Kenya. I don’t know if we make good stuff but we do grow the coffee beans and tea leaves that are used to make the great beverages. 🙂
@chullopa It was fun hanging out at PAX and your wedding photos were beautiful. It’s always fun seeing the fun you have and effort you take when entering Kotaku competitions. I remember you complemented me on one of the videos I posted for the wrestling competition. I lost that video unfortunately.
@rize You’re always smiling and having fun at meats and that enthusiasm is always exciting. It was really fun just hanging out at Pez’s house warming playing Split/second and Red Faction:Guerilla. Watching you and Pez play around with the Nutella was fun too. Interesting stuff always seems to happen around you. I’m sure you’ll be a fun dad when your child is born.
@saturday It was nice meating you on your brief trip to Australia and watching a bunch of shapes get dumped in your lap as we all watched you eat them was funny.
@cakesmith Side note: I hope you see a doctor about your lack of sleep. Now back to the pleasantries. 🙂 Thanks man for being great and very friendly at meats. It has been nice seeing you slowly get comfortable in Sydney when you moved here.
@fatshadylive One of the best people. You’re great fatshady. I’ve enjoyed hanging out with you at every meat and your kindness always amazes me. I’ve enjoyed your trials videos and I always felt happy for you when you got a chance to go to E3 or even showcase your videos at PAX. Great news with your a daughter (micro shady) on the way and I’m sure you’ll be a great dad to her as you’ve been to miniShady.
@BDKIAF It has been great following the progress of your band and every time you post stories about getting gigs I am veru excited for you. Who knows maybe when you guys make it big you’ll come and play in Kenya. 🙂
@beavwa I’ve met you twice now and you are always so kind and friendly. Also I couldn’t find PIP’s Tay name but thank her foe being awesome too. I don’t think I’ve met someone as enthusiastic as her and even for a quiet guy like myself that enthusiasm is infective and I enjoyed my time @blaghman’s place thanks to her.
@tigerion and @scree thanks for organising the Karaoke meat guys. I had a great time.
@pixel_the_ferret_viking Hey! You’re the one who stole my visa! Jokes aside, I’m very happy to here that you’re getting an Australian citizenship. We didn’t interact much at PAX but it was great meeting you and you really do look a bit like @shane
@novacascade You’re a great guy and always willing to talk with me at meats. You wore the journey costume at PAX very well and I admired the confidence it took to do so. It is also good that you got a job in the travel industry since i remember us talking at my first meat about you hoping you’d graduate. Now look at you now, organising trips and doing a great job 🙂
@steve-o_the_dev-o : I met you for the first time last month and it was great hanging out. You were so kind and even as I walked you to the train station you were always polite even while drunk. Where are the photos you took btw?
@batgirl I just love the passion you have for archaeology and history. You always find the humour in the ridiculousness of the Greeks and Romans and I’m always surprised to learn something new from you on twitter. It’s always very encouraging and I wish I can find something I’m similarly passionate about in the future. Hopefully you’ll finally finish uni one day and get a chance to go to Europe and be among the history you love so much.
@batguy You’re great and I always enjoy talking to you at meats. Your job sounds interesting and I’m always happy to hear about you playing games with your son. I promised you I’ll update you on my visa stuff and here it is. Not the best outcome but it has given me a chance to thank all of you guys for being so awesome.
@jimu It is always nice talking on Twitter and your enthusiasm for handheld games make sme excited for when I finally get a Vita.
@Trjn – Trojan! I will always remember that now after mistakenly calling you Trin at PEz’s house warming. Thank you for inviting me to board game meats and while I only attended one it was fun and thanks to you and @freya for being patient and explaining stuff to me. It has been nice seeing your relationship grow too, you moving to Sydney moving in together, a trip to Europe and now car shopping. Beautiful stuff.
The panda game was very fun @freya. I always forget the name. 🙂
@platinum-urchin : Another great guy and it’s always fun talking on twitter.
@crazyguy1990 and @thecracks You guys are always so kind during the steam sales. A significant part of my steam library is there thanks to you guys and I’m very grateful for the games but also for just taking the time to do stuff like that.
For anyone I missed, You’re great too and maybe our interactions just slipped my mind. Some of you are new as well so I haven’t had the chance to meet you guys or even know much about you. You guys are part of TAY though and help make it awesome.
Final message:
Hey @strange Where’s TAY quilt? 😉I apologise for any spelling mistakes or sentences that cut off unexpectedly, it was a lot of stuff to type and i’ve been slowly filling in parts I remember for the last few days. If you notice anything weird let me know.
*manly hugs*
In all honesty, you’re one of the kindest, most open, most genuine souls I’ve ever encountered, my friend. You’re special and good and I hope the future treats you well!
I just tried to clear my throat in the gruntiest manner possible and I think someone’s cutting onions somewhere.
Dammit Mashaa
29382932, all the best mate! You best stick around these parts, y’hear?Ha ha, nice touch wit the numbers there.
I’ll always be on TAY. It’s part of my daily routine already and you guys are great so there’s no reason to leave.
🙂
:'( <3 You’re awesome Mashaaaaaaaaa! I hope you find happiness and stability back in Kenya. No matter when you are on the planet, you’ll always be one of us. TAYbies 4 lyfe.
Noooooooooooooooooooo, I’ll wish I’d spent more time with you while you were here. Always seemed very nice the few times we met in person. At least you can access TAY anywhere with internet!
*Big hugs* You are an awesome guy. Will so miss you
Holy mackerel man! That’s some serious epic post! Sad to hear you’re leaving! Hopefully you’ll be back someday and we can meet for realz! Seriously.. this guy… wow.. this post better get archived! Such love! Much wow! Many thankyous! *Round of applause*
I’ll miss you, mate.
:`)
Aw man.
I’m really sorry to see you go (even if you’re not going going). You’re one of the nicest people I rant at on the internet 🙁
Good luck back in Kenya, hopefully one day you can return and we can finally talk podcasts in the flesh. WE’LL MISS YOU (but still tweet at each other)
And thankyou for the lovely words.
You’re a great dude and will be missed. I don’t thnik I’ve posted in TAY for months so THAT si how much you mean to me! Will be missed mate and I will never forget that you walked out IN THE RAIN to buy everyone a gaytmie at PAX. That honestly meant a lot to me in some strange way. Take care mate and safe travels.
Thanks for the kind words too!
That “some of you are new” part, that’s partially about me! I GOT A PARTIAL VAGUE MENTION!!! WOOOO!!! 😀
You seem like a pretty cool dude, it’s a shame we haven’t had much interaction (that’s more my fault cause I don’t comment often :3). I wish you luck in all future endeavours though man, getting to see your family again after 5 years away is bound to be a good experience for you though 🙂 If you hang around here when you’re back in Kenya hopefully we’ll get to know each other a bit better 🙂
THOSE GODDAMN ONIONS!
It’s 1.20am and I’ve been super sick all day and basically sleeping for the past 10 hours straight. I started reading these posts and this would bring a tear to a glass eye.
It’s going to be weird going to a meat and you not being there.
Thanks for everything. Thanks for being such an awesome guy. That Nerf War for Doc’s birthday was also one of my most favourite TAY memories! Actually I totally remember that I threw my sweater off in the heat of the action and totally lost it — but you found it and brought it back!
Good guy Masha.
You will be missed man. Good luck heading back home.
My eyes have been red the last 2 days from my watery eyes because of all the wonderful messages.
Thanks you so much Mark.
;’-)
all the best dude, who will be my Africa buddy now? *sniff*
Mashaaaaaaa…. sad to see you go 🙁 Damn guvment, don’t they realise that they need to fill our country with friendly people like you?
I just hope you go back to Kenya, kick all sorts of ass with your international learnin’, build a castle then fly us all over for an international meat. That’s totally plausible, right?
At the very least, hope you get to come back again some time. Would be a shame not to see you again. And you’ll still be able to talk to us all online, right?
Woah. Reading that makes it look like you’ve been non-stop for the last 6 years. That’s a whole lot of cool stuff that you managed to do here in Oz (which must make us cool people – aha, reflected glory!).
Travel safe and all the best for the future.
Aww man, thanks for the minor shout-out. You were a cool dude to meet too.
Also, I got remembered mostly for eating shapes?
…
Appropriate GIF.
@sughly , hugo, stevo etc.
Ugh, no idea why some tags didn’t work. Maybe it’s the hyphens.
AWWWWWW! MASH! Thanks for redoing my tag so I could see this. You’re making me feel so shattered that we didnt have our Warriors meat! I vow that one day we will still have that Mash, one day. And I do actually remember your new year wish! One of the few fleeting memories I have from that state of semi death. But seriously, thats just the awesome guy you are, thinking about the dead guy on the ground to wish a happy new year to. We’ll meet again Mash, just you wait and see
Of course we will 🙂
Afterall, I have to get my copy of Anna’s Quest signed when it releases 😉
You’re one of the most awesome, chill people I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting.
You’re going to have to make an effort to find your way back here and meet up with us again at some point.
HANABI!Thanks for the blanket.
Thank a lot man.
I will definitely try and come back. I’ve loved my time here.
Ha ha, you remembered the blanket, i almost put that in but didn’t think you’d remember 🙂
HANABI!!!!!!! \o/ https://twitter.com/Sir_Mashaa/status/359192556480909312/photo/1
You’re pretty memorable. It’s rare to come across someone as kind, thoughtful and all-round awesome as you. Sure, you’re terrible at board games but you have to have some flaws or it just isn’t fair.
Oh man, I’m really sorry to hear that. That news got me right in the pit of my stomach, even before you followed up with all the memories 🙁
One of the things that has always struck me about you is that you have a kind word for everyone, and you’ve always been sincere and open, no matter what the topic or issue. There’s something very reassuring about having a friend like that, someone who offers regular, reliable unconditional support. I’ve also appreciated your open-mindedness, your thirst for knowledge, and your ongoing quest for understanding life in all its multifaceted complexity.
You’re a big part of what makes TAY great, and I’m very glad to have known you.
I genuinely hope that geographical distance won’t keep you from TAY, and that you’ll stay in touch the same way that Saturday and Bish do. I hope life in Kenya works out the way you want it to, and that should you ever want to, you get an opportunity to return (even just for a visit!)
I also hope that the Sydney folks throw you one almighty unbelievable farewell party.
PS: Have sent you an email!
Dood, I thought your whole family was over her cos I like to make assumptions!
You’ll keep in touch of course!
I never actually met you in person, bit of a shame to think I may never:-(
You can keep applying for jobs from over there right?
I have a few friends that have made the move, quite a few had to get jobs that weren’t in their field just to get in the country.
My wife has her Masters and is only over here cos we married and works in retail now.
Anyway, best of luck, stay in touch
my email if you change the numbers to numbers:
mijsixtynine_ninetysixjimatyahoo.com
Aw man, is it that time already? Doesn’t seem like that long ago we were talking about this being months away!
Also: Yes! First mentioned! ;D
It was good having someone to accompany me to my first Meat, too. Lucky that we happened to live relatively close to each other (and relatively far away from everybody else :P). I still have the rules to that card game I invented to break the ice haha
Are you going to be around for when Aleph comes to Sydney? (I can’t remember what date those were meant to be for :P). We can have a going away dinner Meat! If not: It’s been great meeting you, Mash. I hope you’ll come back to visit one day!
Thanks for the kind words Pow. You really are awesome.
I kind of wish I had made my own orange Pow shirt now to keep 🙂
Planning to do as much as I can to come back, even if it’s long visits.
Oh yeah, I remember that card game and it was so nice that you took the effort to do that.
Aleph is comng around in February and I won’t be around then. I’m leaving late January/early February 🙁
Not going to lie, tears man :'(
This is such terrible news. You are such an awesome guy, so nice and relaxed, always friendly. Not a bad thing about you. So sorry to hear that you haven’t been able to find a job that would allow you to stay. If I ever get to Kenya, you better stock up on the Nerf guns 😀
Its going to be sad to see you go, but I hope you can keep popping in to TAY. Thats the greatest thing about the internet, oceans and borders dont mean so much any more.
PS If you ever want to come back and visit, you know who can hook you up with some flights 😛Stay in touch MASHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
I’m tearing up from all the positive messages. You guys are great
Of course I’ll hit you up 😛
NOVAAAAAAAAAAAA
To save any choking up or womanly tears I’ll just say you’re genuinely one of my favourite people ever and give you a manly pat on the butt *reaches up*
I think it’s best if I just say:
http://youtu.be/S5djyMRDLU8
Wow.
Noooooo! But family is also important, I am sure you miss them! I know I would after being over seas in a foreign country for close to 6 years without seeing them. I hope you can still drop by when back in Kenya!
I’m not one for goodbyes, since I actually hate them. Just wish you the best and hope to see you around here or on Twitter or PSN or whichever!
I’m sad you’re leaving but it’ll be great for you to see your family again after such a long time! At least now you’ll have plenty of awesome friends to come back and visit 🙂 You’re one of the good guys, Masha. All the best for the next chapter of your life.
‘One of the good guys?’ Wow thanks Batgirl.
Yeah it will be good seeing family again.
And yeah seeing all of you guys again will be a major motivator to come and visit.
ALL THE E-HUGS
Oh, whenever you come back and you happen to want to hang in this neck of the woods my home is always open to you.
I’ve heard the stories of you opening your door with a only a towel on.
Of course I’ll accept the invitation 🙂
That’s the best outcome…
Man I don’t think you have a mean bone in your body. You’re genuinely the nicest person I have the pleasure of knowing (step up your game, everyone else) and it’ll be sad that we can’t hang out anymore but we’ll always have the memories! The memories! You embody everything that makes this place as amazing as it is, Masha.
Farewell Masha at the Airport Meat, anyone?
Everyone else’s game is just as good!!! 🙂
Wow, thanks for the kind words Pants. They are really appreciated.
An airport meat sounds fun. Ha ha,
Airport meat has to happen. Not to bring the mood down, but what day do you fly out?
Not sure yet. Still looking at flights. Late January but if they are cheaper the first week of February then I call the Visa office and then book one of those.
Wait, maybe you can use your secret travel agent sites to see if there’s anyhting cheaper? Best I can find at the moment is $1200- $1300 for a one way ticket to Nairobi.
I think we’re looking at the same flights. Last week of Jan your looking at just under $1400, but if you go first week of Feb it comes down to just over $1200
MASHA!
You were probably one of the first TAYbies I never met, I remember seeing you playing JS Joust down at PAX 😛 Then I believe you were the one to open the door for me at Blaghs’. I still feel like I hardly know anyone here, but you’ve always seemed to be an extremely lovely person. Perhaps even too lovely. I mean just look at that wal- wait, no. That’s no wall, it’s a
moonspace stationEXTREMELY LARGE OBJECT OF TEXT.So sorry to hear they’re taking you away from us. All the best in your ventures.
Ha ha, a large object of text seemed fitting for the occassion.
Thank for the kind words man.
fucking hell man. now i’m all sad & stuff.
MASHAAAAA!!!! I am so damn happy I got to meet you. You’re one of the most genuinely rad guys. You’ve always been a thoughtful & kind dude. & you’re just fucking rad.
you’ve gotta come back at some point man.
Thanks Mashaaaaaaaa 😀
*hugs*
Wow *hugs*
I’m sad and happy at the same time. So many positive messages. No idea people felt that way, I’m very humbled.
Aye man, Kenya does produce some great single origin coffee. Like other friends leaving Australia I’ll just consider this an excuse to go overseas in the future.
Like everyone else Im gonna miss ya and all I can say is you better have a farewell meat or tell us your departure times so we can come say goodbye at the airport.
We’re really going to miss you here. I hope you can find your way back to Australia again at some point so we can hang out in the queues at PAX again! 🙂
Having never met you I have no particular emotional reaction but I would if you didn’t keep posting in TAY since you’re pretty cool so you’d damned well better keep posting or else I’ll have to think of some sort of consequence!
*sniffles*
Everyone has said all the things I would have said. About you being a wonderful person, and an integral part of the family here. *hugasaurus rex*
All the cool blog names were taken, so I’m sticking with”Strange Stitches”. It will begin sometime after I get back from the cruise, and I’m planning for “TAYquilt Tuesdays”. And maybe I’ll find a way to work in at least one “Masha Monday”. 😀MASHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
Thanks Strange, means alot.
🙂
A tag of my own on your blog? Awesome!!I’m sorry that we never met in person, truly. You were the first (and only) person to send me a kind message when I added TAYbies to my PSN list on PlayStation 3. I guess that says so much about your personality, really. I still have the message, I hope you don’t mind me sharing it with everyone.
We never did share that co-op game. Fuck, I’m crying.
I don’t mind at all.
Oh man, no need to cry, we’ll have that co-op match one day. 🙂
Ha ha, thanks for the reminder. Yeah I do that sometimes. I remember sending @strange a message written from the perspective of my PS3 when she got a new console. 🙂
I remember that, it was awesome! 😀
That sucks, atleast you get to see your family. I wish I got to hang out with you more man. We will always have PAX.
I hope ya’ll remembered to bring a towel! Gonna need it to wipe up all these tears!
I barely know any of you yet, but I’m lucky I’m a towel, cos I’m soaked through atm from all my own tears!
Best of luck Mashaaaaaa! Safe trip home, and don’t forget to bring a towel!
I’m sorry to hear you’re leaving Australia. Still, seeing your family will be great of course.
I was hoping to talk to you at this years pax, but I guess it won’t be happening now. I’m sorry I didn’t chat with you much. I wasn’t feeling the best that night and now I regret it. You seem like such a nice guy. I hope Australia has treated you well.
There’s nothing to regret Scree. You were great and you facilitated a great night with great memories. Thanks
I only organised it int he beginning. Techie took over and was a gracious host.
I mean, i didn’t talk to you enough I feel and I’m sorry for that.
Also, pronounced Mash-a or mar-sha. I must know =P
It’s actually a short version of my surname Macharia. It used to be a nickname among some of my friends, they’d call me Mach or Macha. In my traditional language though the ch is pronounced with a sh sound (like Shark, Shirt etc), and people in Australia used to say Macharia with a Ch (like Chair) so I used masha to make it easier for people to pronounce.Ma-sha or mash-a is fine.
😛
Thanks for the info! I would always say marsha, because I was reading it wrong. When I found out I was reading it wrong I was trying to break the habit and failing =P
Noo Mashaaaaaaaa :'(
I regret not getting to know you more, because every time we’ve hung out, you are such a gentle giant of a human being. I was fighting back tears when you were speaking out to the Karaoke group, thanking me for the great night before I went on home, that really touched me in the power supply.
I hope you have safe travels and a great 2014 when you get back to Kenya. Keep in touch, you hear?! :’)
Thanks for organising the event. I think I confused you with Tigs up there
😛
I was not prepared for these Friday morning feels.
I don’t think I can say anything else that hasn’t already said. Good luck with your future endeavours and you have…at least 33 excuses to come back.
Have you considered marrying @blaghman so you could stay?EDIT: MASHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Awww, thanks Cake.
He cut his hair off so he’s not pretty enough any more 🙂I like to think that i have met the kindest people in the world through TAY, Everyone is so nice and willing to listen and its helped me in more ways than all of you know. But You Masha, you are the kindest, the bestest and the most non judgemental person in the world. If you have ever thought a bad thought about anyone i would be shocked. Safe travels Bro and keep, keeping on the way you are. Hugs
Bummer.
Damn. At least you’ll still be on TAY, that’s a relief. 🙂
I don’t know how you feel about citizenship (there’s a lot of patriotic/identity stuff can get caught up in that), but the system can sometimes work if you maybe wanted to turn Aussie.
At a bar where I usually meet up with my Dad when he’s in town there’s been a girl working there (long-term casual) for years. She was from Brazil. Came over here to work and study, but didn’t get a job using her degree, just the restaurant gig. At any rate, as her visa came up for expiry, she put in an application for citizenship. Contracted an immigration lawyer, submitted the paperwork, did the exams, all that jazz. The whole application process actually ended up taking a couple years, without any real complications – these guys apparently move real slow. During that time, the visa expired and she had to go back home to Rio.
It was definitely a bittersweet thing. She hadn’t seen her family in all that time, and it was a great opportunity to meet up with them, and they were able to support her and get her a job over there. She’d actually got kind of demoralized during the application process when it was taking so long, and when she had to leave, she actually started feeling skeptical that all that time, effort and money was going to have any results. But she kept up the contact with her lawyer and the waiting and the responding to queries… and maybe 9-12 months later, she was advised that her application was successful, and she got to come back and do the whole swearing-in ceremony and such.
We caught up recently and she reckoned that while she missed Australia, she was very glad she got to spend so much time back home – said it gave her a good perspective on things and it was great to see family.
I think with your positive attitude, you’ll be seeing silver linings all over the place with whatever comes next.
With you, there’s always a girl…
😛
Heh. Apparently they make up 50% of the population! Who knew? 🙂
(Seriously though, nothing there, she’s just a really nice person who always looks out for me and my Dad. Though if he were a little younger, he’d have been pretty keen I reckon. Before he met his new wife, that is.)
Thanks man. I’ll definitely try and find those silver linings.
I might try applying like your Brazilian friend and hope for the best but I’ll maybe try and do it from Kenya. It costs a bit of money and I want to take some of that home. I’ll try and invest it in something and hopefully use any dividends in a few years time 🙂Oh man, I was hoping to hang with you again. Have a safe trip.
MASHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!
Gosh darn that was a powerful read. You will truly be missed here, I hope you are able to come back to Australia in the future. You really are a rare, amazing, kind, and awesome person. Don’t let anything or anyone ever tell you otherwise!!!
I am glad to have had the chance to met somebody like you, and spent time with you at Meats. And OH MY GOD when I read your memory of that mono-meat.. BIGGEST. GRIN. EVER. HAHA! Mashaaaaa! You deserve the best.
Please stay in touch! All the best in your future endeavours! You will kick ass!
Aww, thanks Harli.
You’re an amazing person and hanging out was always great.
I will miss you too. I need to find a way to save all the tweets and replies on TAY. They have been so good. Definitely saving up and coming back.
I tried playing more Supreme Commander. Maybe it’s just my cautious playing style, but that game is so slow. I was playing a mission for an hour and a half before I gave up.
I had an infantry that was almost entirely land-based, and then I had to get them across an ocean to proceed. This meant making a million billion air transport units. The process of putting infantry in the transport units is incredibly fiddly. Then I got attacked by naval units. The game gave no indication that I had to be aware of naval attacks until it was too late. It’s a shame. I want to like the game.
You can make checkpoints the the transports where you set a landing and picking up zone. Move units to the picking up zone and they will automatically pick them up and drop them off and the landing zone. You can also set your factory rally points to the landing zones.
small chance you can only do this in the second but I’m pretty sure you could in the first.
PS: first is better in almost every way.
Checkpoints were really the only way to mass transport without it being a headache and it was there in the first game. Downside is it doesn’t teach you about it so you gotta figure it out on your own, among a LOT of other things in the game you have to figure out on your own. It’s not kind to new players, sadly. I really love the concept of the game to always go back to it though. Having hundreds of bombers, fighters, battleships and tanks fighting on a single battlefield, it looks so amazing. In my opinion, supreme commander is the true stresstest for your PC’s performance. xD
See, I’m of the opposite opinion. I love SupCom2 way more than 1 – my brother and I regularly load that up for some co-op vs AI action when we wanna just hang out online and don’t have anything in particular that we’re both playing. 🙂
Aww, the Senran Kagura cooking game trailer was removed from YouTube. Savour the memory fellow TAYbies, and may it always be in our hearts.
I shall hold them close to my bosom.
Busted.
Ok now I’m a bit scared. Just got followed by ABC Radio Brisbane. What have I done to attract their attention? Do I need to watch what I tweet now?! *commence freaking out*
You know too much…
Now posting anything after the masha’s farewell seems rude. Especially posting about the Senran Kagura trailer :/
I think we can safely blame Masha for this.
Boobs aren’t rude, that’s just what society wants you to think.
Omg I didn’t realise that Humble Bundle X meant 10 and not some bundle dedicated to X games!
DRM-FREE SURGEON SIMULATOR! YES PLEASE!
I love that game
Playing while tipsy is the bestest.
Could I get peoples input on what day would work best to organise a going away thing for Masha. Happy to organise something.
Dates, ideas on what to do. There will be maybe 3 weekends after this one to do something (although one is the Australia Day weekend, more like Masha Day amirite?)
@35, @alexpants, @anonymous_pessimist, @batgirl, @batguy, @cakesmith, @cj, @doc_what, @effluvium-boy, @fatshadylive, @gingerchris86, @gorzilla, @harli, @hugo_the_hungarian_barbarian, @masha2932, @shiggyninty, @powalen, @ruffleberg, @markserrels, @mrtaco, @sernobulus, @shane, @rize
Sorry if I missed anyone in the tags, grabbed them from a previous meat comment.
Ohh, keep me in the loop! I’m willing to head to Sydney to hang out with MASHAAAAAAAAAAA!
Tag me as well, please, just in case. We’ve got some busy weekends ahead, but on the off-chance…
Added both you and @sernobulus for future posts
Something over
AustraliaMASHAAAAAAA Day weekend would work best for me. Will totally make the trip down if need be 🙂That’s what I’m thinking.
The Monday is a public holiday so I’m thinking maybe something Sunday night?
Or maybe the Saturday night. Depends what works best for people.
I’d be keen to join in but I think I’m tied up Australia day. Let me know what day it ends up being and I’ll see if I can make it.
We don’t need to know what you and Mrs Rize do on your days off…
I do.
Aren’t you in Sydney tomorrow? I’ll see you then 🙂
Masha said he would be free next weekend (18th-19th) when I asked him last night. He doesn’t know exactly when he’s leaving yet (other than ‘late January’) so it might be best to do it as soon as possible.
But he will save money if he flies in Feb instead of Jan. All the more reason to stay as long as possible.
MASHAAAAAAA MUSSSSSSSSST STAAAAAAAAAAAAY
So if I’m reading between the lines correctly – and I think I am – what you’re saying is that he should fake his death and stay here forever.
“This big Kenyan looking bloke? He’s certainly not a migrant on the lam. He’s my brother. Good old aussie”
“Then why is he bla-”
“Half Brother.”
I’d suggest an “I’m Spartacus” style scene, but I suspect they’d be able to figure it out 🙁
“I’m Kenyan. Anyone who thinks otherwise because I’m the colour of printer paper and have a broad Ostrayan Accent is racist.”
I think I’ve got something on from 18th-20th, but otherwise I’m good.
(also could probably get out of a day or two of it if need be)
Im unemployed so any time is good right now.
I am available any weekend but the one on 18-19th.
Well, I for one am excited about @masha2932’s imminent departure. Do you realise that the books in his carryon might be the first Shane W Smith titles to hit the entire African continent?
…
Too soon for jokes?
Zeitgeist is going to Africa!
First Nairobi, then THE WORLD!!!
CoD: Ghosts should’ve taken ideas from Skippy and what was wrong with Assassins Creed IV.
spoiler: The Assassins Creed part.
http://dankarlszeitgeist.podbean.com/2014/01/10/dan-karls-zeitgeist-s04e11-super-whiny-bros/
#DanAndKarlsZeitgeist
LISTEN, SUB, LIKE US ON FACEBOOK, TELL YOU FRIENDS, BUY A SHIRT, DO THE HOKEY-POKEY!!!
Don’t Starve was released for PS4 dudes with PS+ membership. I looked up howlongtobeat.com …. 46.5hrs.
Ain’t nobody got time for dat!
That game will consume you. It’s dangerous.
It’s a good choice of title, then.
I want a VITA version. That game would be great to play during my morning commute!
Everything needs a Vita version, I love my Vita so much, put in headphones, world disappears, fun ensues.
I’ve been using remote play with my PS4 a fair bit too, one of my mates comes round with his ps4 and uses my telly and I use my vita, works well
So today they’re still doing construction work in our office with petrol powered tools and filling the place with fumes, starting to feel pretty unwell. That’s plenty of reason to go home early right….. right?
Hell yeah, it is.
Yes that’s OH&S, you’re supposed to be sent home if that’s happening
yeah I figured it’s pretty wrong, I’m a bit of a pushover at work usually just do what’s asked of me without any fuss, but this is a health concern, thanks just needed someone to agree with me, getting a bastard of a headache now too.
Edit: I’ve only been here 2 and a half hours, got another 5 and a half to go, don’t think I can do that.
Yeah we had to do that with paint fumes, we all just ask our manager and he said “yeah go ahead, how long until you’ll be online again?”. With the work I do, 100% of my day to day activities I can also do remotely from home, so I have no issues. Not sure what you do
unfortunately for me all my work is here, can’t do any from home, most of the decision making manager types are either still on holiday or have the day off.
Leave. Make sure to inform someone of your absence when they come back, and make sure they don’t take it out of your holiday or sick pay.
The best part about Fridays is that even if I don’t get this work finished on time I don’t have to care about it till Monday. Two day respite! \o/
agreed, the christmas break was good for that too, I left so much stuff that I comletely put out of my mind for a couple weeks, it was nice
…did all of TAY just cease existing, or something?
It’s craaaaazy slow today. I think it’s just too sad to be around these parts. Or something. I dunno, exactly. I’ve been playing the F5 game today.
I’d race you in the F5 game but I’m stuck on IE7…
Me too! A level playing field.
IE7 – must be a public service fetish.
Apparently we’re upgrading to Windows 7 and IE9 in the near future. And of course all of the old people hate it for being new and different despite those systems being a few years old.
You’re the reason why we can’t have nice things, old people.
XP support ends in April (we’re going to have a big party here) so they’d better get a hustle on!
We’re on 8, only because we had to brow-beat them over it – some of our vital service provider applications won’t run on 7. That’s the ONLY reason.
We may or may not have ‘some’ of our machines loaded with Firefox, anyway. Maybe.
i stopped posting so the end of the page didn’t turn into a wall of Gutsoup :P, been lurking thinking the same thing
I thought I might have scared everyone offLunch!
Masha single-handedly killed TAY.
I slept in.
Again.
In fact it’s been happening so often I don’t think it really counts as sleeping in unless I don’t get up til like 4 or 5pm now :/
We should have a bump race to get to the two-digit era.
I don’t think anyone will do that.
😛Bump.
Who put the ram in ramadamadingdong?
Is it the same person who put the sham in M. Night Shamalamalam?
Or the ama in Kingdoms of Amal..Amalama…Bananarama.
DFA REMIX.
OMG, stop Necro’ing old threads!
Look at all this blue.
http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDR223.loop.shtml#skip
BOMp.
I get it.
Also, it’s sunny here. #Bragging
BUMP
That URL tells me it may not be SFW 😛
What? No-one told me that Batllefront II was on PSP and the same as the console versions! Downloading right now. On my Vita, so I can use the second stick!
I remember hearing about that back in the day. Had no idea it was pretty much a direct port though.
Almost. It’s missing the campaign, and you can’t sabotage the other side’s cruiser in space, but it has new “challenges”. The conquest mode is there too.
Conquest is the best part of Battlefront IMO.
It’s good, but the enemies are really easy. It’d be better in multiplayer (was conquest multiplayer in the console versions?).
DICE should have conquest, with one person controlling the fleet + a couple of other aspects (not sure) like the commander mode, and then after the commander chooses a planet, the people on consoles/PC start as usual, with the commander ordering them around.
I’m not sure how good that would work, but it’d be pretty good.
Can’t remember to be honest. Back when that came out we were running off a dial up connection at home. No online gaming for me!
I thought 2nd stick was only usable in a select few games. Since the PSP only had one.
You can map it to whatever set of buttons you want, so for Battlefront, which uses the square, triangle, circle, x, buttons to look around, you just tap and hold the screen, settings come up, and you map the right stick to those sets of buttons, and it works.
I got Battlefront: Renegade Squadron on my PSP and it was not fun, I loved the crap outta the PS2 games but something was really off with the psp one, try look up what people think of it before jumping in and make sure it is dual stick compatible.
Yeah, it works great. I thought it was a direct port, turns out it only has conquest, quick match, and challenges, but it’s still good.
Yo what’s up everyone? I’m just working like usual. Had a 6am start because westpacs switches were intermittently rebooting. Turns out it was the UPS at fault. Plus I was at 40hrs for the week last night, so today is all O/T which is alright, I guess.
Haven’t had a chance to play too many games in the last week or so, but been slowly keeping up with The Sopranos which is excellent!
God, I love the Sopranos. It’s by far the smartest-written show I’ve ever seen. Where are you up to?
Around halfway through season 2. Can’t remember specific plot details off the top of my head.
Early on I really enjoyed how the story was being told as though we were the psychiatrist but they dropped that about halfway through season one. Still an excellent show!
@Transientmind
How much of Consortium did you get to play? Would you recommend it because I was thinking of buying it to play this weekend. Need to find a new game now that AssCreed Pirates is over.
I think it’s pretty good value for money so far. I budgeted a whole two hours for games last night and I spent like… four on it before I knew what had happened.
It’s a little rough around the ‘indie’ edges, but the conversation tree/affection-rating systems clashing with your goals of playing detective, diplomat, and warrior? All good fun. All while trying to figure out what’s going on with the metagame without letting slip that you’re actually a remote-control operator from the past in 2013.
The 4th-wall-breaking conceit behind the game is that the entire game is apparently a VR simulator delivered to you at your PC via uplink to a satellite which is making use of tachyon bursts or some shit to transmit temporally-adjusted data with an advanced, benevolent AI in the future, allowing you to remote-control an specific, nominated avatar at a fixed point in the future, generating a number of ‘branched’ alternate realities – based on your decisions – which the AI can track via other satellites in other parallel universes, spreading itself as a single entity functioning on nodes across all of them.
The rest of the story is best kept a mystery because it’s kind of fun getting clues from the crew about the world lore and politics etc, without asking the standard, “Duh, so what is the deal with [Major Faction even a child should know about]?” RPG questions. Those options are still there but the crew will think you’re a bit dozy or incompetent because of it, and start to regard you suspiciously or with hostility.
There’s an in-game encyclopedia, but it only decelerates time to a certain degree to allow you to catch up, meaning that significant events and conversation opportunities can pass by or run their course without you. A veteran can probably see where most of the threads are underlying all this, and manipulate things appropriately, but if you let the smoke and mirrors do their job, I’d say this one’s a fun one to get into.
The mechanics of combat and the rest are a bit fiddly and unintuitive, but you can avoid that if you’re so inclined. It’s definitely more substance than style, with some kind of dated’ish graphics and occasional collision-detection bugs, but nothing game-breaking so far.
Numenera: Tales of the Ninth World Seventh Session Recap 8th January 2014 starring:
– Nova aka @novacascade the stealthy Jack who explores dark places,
– Phetys aka @mythamphetamine the mechanical Nano who fuses flesh and steel,
– Russef Volarskii aka @popdart5 the mechanical Glaive who murders,
– Scrappa aka @tech_knight the mechanical Jack who talks to machines, and
– Storyteller aka @redartifice the awesome GM who weaves tales.
And unfortunately absent:
– Beltigron aka @tigerion the mystical Nano who crafts illusions, and
– Ranger aka @mawt the rugged Glaive who lives in the wilderness.
And momentarily saying farewell to
Blaghs aka @blaghman the tough Glaive who masters weaponry. Blaghs has finally mastered his physique and is causing quite a flutter among the circles of nubile young women in Charmonde. That’s right, Blaghs is the Numenera equivalent of Gaston from Beauty and the Beast.
Author’s Note: This session tested out the Roll20 functionality built into Google + and the Google Hangout application and everything seemed to go quite smoothly. I believe Red is seeking to try it out again so it is likely the next session will be on a Google Hangout (which may or may not be recorded for future viewing).
After a rather tense discussion with Akabe, the party left her manor and deliberated about what to do next. The Cantharks seemed like the best bet for trying to track down Raller Kay, however there was the issue about what sort of gift they should present to them. On this front, no one had any idea what was suitable and they didn’t particularly feel like being strung up by their intestines for being discourteous. The party had to try a different tack.The party decided to try tracking down the Orange-Hoods by scoping out some of the industrial zones. On their way to the industrial zones, Phetys seemed to encounter a slight electrical disturbance and he was forced to retire for the day to reconfigure his augmentations. Nova, Scrappa, and Russef continued wandering about the industrial zone but there were no immediate leads in the area. After the thief chase a few days prior, the party was not feeling too welcome amongst the locals and decided to look around in the market district.
The market district was a hive of activity with many vendors selling everything under the sun and more. Foodstuffs, trinkets, small animals, jewels, and more were displayed among the various stalls and there was an eclectic mix of people meandering through the markets. The party sought out one of the clothing stalls as they might know something about the Orange-Hoods. They came across a sizable stand with the thick lettering “Foss & Sons” embossed on the top of the stall.
A stout but well-dressed gentleman was shouting out to the crowd of market-goers, exclaiming the quality of his wares and the deals that they may get for shopping with Foss & Sons. Spotting the party perusing his stock, he whisked over and started pointing out some of his finer pieces, such as a pair of boots made of Malevitch living leather all the way from Stirthal or this fine gown that would guarantee to keep you warm no matter the climate. Scrappa was slightly unnerved by some of the clothing that was being shown, particularly the ones that moved by themselves. The man himself was a rather curious specimen with a prominent green moustache and some sort of fish-like fin going down the back of his head and past his shoulders.
Russef pipes up and asks if the vendor has any clothing in blue and the man waved him off, saying that blue was reserved for deviants and, “You sir, do not strike me as a deviant.” Scrappa asked the man if he had any orange-coloured clothing and the man simply shook his head.
“I’m afraid not, good sir. All sold out a few days ago. I’ve tried to source some fine quality weaves from my supplier but it appears he is selling those items exclusively now. They’ve been quite the sought after item so I’m not surprised.”
Scrappa continued asking about his supplier and the vendor finally relented and said that he used to buy orange-coloured clothing from his supplier, Telver, whose business is conducted in the industrial zone. The seller immediately sized Scrappa up and said that he looked like he could use some new boots and he brought out a pair of white, chitinous-looking boots. Scrappa looked at his rather worn boots and decided that he could do with a new pair and paid the man 10 shins. The seller was quite pleased with this transaction and was about to return to his spruiking when Russef interrupted him and again asked if he had any blue clothing. Nova and Scrappa looked at him as if he was deranged but Russef explained that they could only see the Cantharks by travelling through a portal which only allowed people who were dressed in blue-coloured clothing.
The vendor moved closer to the party and started whispering. He told the party that there were these people who came up from underneath the city occasionally to buy food and other stuff. He said they smelt horrible but they were apparently fanatic cultists who believed that the Cantharks were divine beings of great power and majesty. And with that, the man reverted back to his sales pitch and left the party wondering what to do.
The party decided that they needed to find someone who could tell them more about these strange cultists however they were unsure where someone like that would be. They decided to relax a little while and check out a nearby tavern on the edge of the markets while they pondered their next move. The tavern was a reputable establishment and it seemed to be filled with a variety of market-goers and traders, along with a few locals having a refreshing beverage. The bartender looked to be one of the Varjellan, a race of who knows what that are most definitely not human. Their bright red skin, the fin on top of their head, and a strange thing in their chest called a Crucible. Apparently this Crucible enabled the Varjellan to rearrange their organs so as to give themselves a slightly different internal structure so as to adapt to changing circumstances. The Varjellan behind the bar was wearing some sort of leather outfit that allowed him easy access to his Crucible. If he was a human, he would be displaying a rather prominent amount of chest hair.
The party ventured up to the bar and ordered a few drinks which the bartender grudgingly served them. His demeanour was outwardly sour and unwelcoming but the party couldn’t determine if that’s his personality or something shared by other Varjellan. Leaving the bartender alone, the party sought out a table and rested their feet. It didn’t take long for their quiet reverie to be interrupted as a haggard woman came up to the table and asked for a drink. She was twitching and did not seem to be of completely sound mind so the party initially waved her off. She was persistent though and she said that if they could spare her a drink, she could tell them something. Nova was intrigued and asked her what she knew.
“Oh I know lots of stuff,” she said. “I know all sorts of stuff. Lived here me whole life. I know alley stuff, posh stuff, poor stuff, above ground stuff, underground stuff. You name it, I know it. So can I have a drink?”
Nova asked her if she knew anything about the Canthark cultists who lived underground and she said she knew them all right. She said that she’d seen them scurrying about under the city, along with a whole bunch of other people, including some Orange-hooded people. Nova asked if she could show us where they lived and the woman said that she could show the party where she had last seen them, if they gave her a drink. Nova handed over what was left of his drink and the woman greedily gulped it down. She bid the party follow her as she left the tavern.
“Come follow Sherasta,” she beckoned. “Sherasta knows where to go. Yes, Sherasta knows a lot of stuff.”
The strange woman called Sherasta led the party away from the market district and through a few twisting alleyways before they came across a large sewer entrance. Sherasta appeared to be calming down after she had drunk Nova’s ale but she still twitched every now and then. She said that the cultists tended to hang out in the Undercity through this pipe. With a slight wave, she bid the party farewell and scampered away to find another drink. Before she turned the corner and left the alleyway, she turned around.
“I hope you find what you’re looking for,” she called out with a scowl on her face. She then rounded the corner and the party lost sight of her. Slightly perplexed at Sherasta’s strange behaviour, the party opened the sewer grate and descended into the darkness. Nova felt himself relax as they found themselves shrouded in the dank and filthy air of the Undercity. The party was surprised to find that the Undercity was reasonably well lit with a few glass bulbs projecting light and, as they descended deeper, strange luminescent rocks gave them enough light to see their surroundings.
The sewer was, thankfully, empty and the party didn’t encounter any vagrants or strange beasts. There was one area where they could have sworn something had clanged deeper in the tunnel but they waved it off as their imagination playing tricks on them. Deeper into the depths they plunged, with the hard stone and other man-made materials giving way to bedrock. They continued delving until they came across a small cavern with a gathering of about a dozen people. These people were all wearing blue robes and seemed to be holding hands in a circle and swaying as if in a non-existent breeze. They were completely silent.
The party watched this small group of people for a few, silent minutes before they dropped their arms to their side and dissolved the circle, mixing together as if they were catching up with long lost friends. We decided to cautiously approach to small gathering and we made ourselves well known to them as we approached. The (what we assumed to be) cultists turned towards us and we realised they were all wearing some type of ceramic mask with strange carvings in them. One of the cultists stood in front of the rest of the group and he seemed to be their leader as his robes were more extravagantly decorated than everyone else’s. The person began to speak and rather than him speaking through the mask, the mask seemed to crack apart and mould to his mouth movements. The man asked the party if they were here to know the truth and Russef responded that they sought the truth of the Cantharks. As the man spoke, a red ichor drifted out of where his mouth was and when he stopped talking, the ceramic-like material of the mask fused together and the red ichor stopped emanating from his mouth.
“You are wise to seek the guidance of the great Cantharks,” the man said. “But you must know that they wisdom is not given freely. They require a gift in kind for the gift that they would bestow on you.”
Scrappa asked if the cultists knew what would be a suitable gift to present to the Cantharks and the lead cultist said that the Cantharks sought out all of the experiences of the world. At this time, the Cantharks were fascinated by memories of light and the sensation of light. The lead cultist said that simpler representations of light, such as paintings and light globes, have already been given to the Cantharks and they are not favourable to receiving the same gift twice.
As the lead cultist was talking, Scrappa had an idea start forming in his head. He mentioned to the rest of the party that he might be able to construct a device that could record a memory from one person’s mind and then replay that memory when fitted to another person’s mind. The only issue was that the party had no idea what sort of memory they wanted to present to the Cantharks or what other present they could possibly give them. A troubling dilemma faces the party. Do they attempt to seek the wisdom of the Cantharks and risk being disembowelled? Or do they try and find another way to track down Raller Kay and the elusive Orange-Hoods? Time is ticking for our brave adventurers as the future of the Kingdom of Navarene is at stake! Tune in next time for more Numenera: Tales of the Ninth World.
I’m really happy with how much I contributed this session, especially with the device idea 🙂 I really hope I can pull that off, cuz I really think that’s a worthy gift… problem is it’ll take time to build
Don’t ask where the idea to use Boregal’s brain came from. I have no idea how I thought of that 🙂
Scrappa still questions using that thing in a matter of giving a one-chance-only-or-we-die gift :P.
I guess it really depends on if I can “re-record” on the device if Boregal doesn’t have the right sort of memory… or if it is just a one time only.
Steam keeps telling me “Disk Idle” on the downloads screen. I assume this means there is some problem with the hard disk drive?
Yeah, I have that too, with a green light. Does the green change for you?
No colour change. Since you also have it, it might be a Steam error, rather than a hard disk error.
Another annoying thing has been happening. Steam keeps cancelling my download of Left 4 Dead 2. I acquired L4D when it was free during the steam sale. I tried downloading it overnight a few days ago. When I saw that the download wasn’t finished, I paused it so that I would be able to watch YouTube. Then all the progress just went away.
Dunno about L4D.
Maybe the threshold for ‘idle’ is just set pretty high. I’ll see what happens when I see my HDD light solid.
Wow, still no page 10? Why do you evade us so?!
Bam!
That was for you, @stickman
Witchcraft!
or mathematics which is even worse!She turned me into x-(n2) newts!
Just tried 2 takoyaki balls and I’m not currently dead \o/
@novacascade how will that dinner go considering it have a shellfish allergy?
Man I love takoyaki. They do some pretty good ones at Wagaya in the Valley.
I’ve always been a bit cautious due to shellfish causing me to stop breathing. But I’ve always been able to eat calamari so spent a long time debating on trying octopus. Caved today. Bit of a churning gut but Mrs Freeze thinks it’s probably just stress.
Also, had you made up your mind if you’re coming?
Wagaya is the shiz
Should be ok. When I send all your details to my supplier, I will let them know about your allergy and they will endeavor to make sure there is something there that is safe for you to eat.
And yeah @transientmind, are you coming? 😀
OH snap, lemme check my mail, you were sending something…
Yeah, lock me in. Also, my youngest brother wants to go, too. I sent him the mail, he’ll probably reply back to you.
Woo!
My brother is tossing up (arguing with his girlfriend) about coming too.
He gets to spend time with you. Come on Freeze, I thought you were the salesman 😛
Awesome. If you can fill in those forms and get them back to me, and let me know when you transfer your deposit. Can’t believe this is starting to come together already 😀
FYI I should have my forms and deposit to you some time next week once I get paid. My sister is still not sure yet, doing the numbers still (just started at a new job) but I’ll get her to confirm either way soon.
Cheers man
what’s this?! Is this the same thing as DC’s b’day bash? Or have I missed something else entirely?
Japan TAY Invasion 2015
ahhh cool! Japan is all kinds of cool! 10/10! Would go again!
mm takoyaki amazeballs! you’re making me drool here man… I can’t eat sushi or the likes til February sometime if I’m lucky, but this is one dish I will be ordering when I go for sure 🙂
OK, so when I was humiliating myself yesterday for @dc / @aliasalpha about not making a move when I should’ve, @Stickman was more interested in hearing about REJECTIONS.
That’s a big fear people have. I remember being terrified. Thing about that is, I don’t remember that many rejections, now. Not because I didn’t get ’em – hah! – oh, no. But because they stopped mattering. Which is exactly how you get over the fear of asking. I don’t remember rejections in much the same way as I don’t remember every meal I’ve eaten.
But a few stick out in my mind to give as examples. These aren’t powerful much and can be safely skipped by the only absently curious readers. So… let’s list SOME of the ones I can remember. Usually people I already knew. (Higher stakes there.)
School-era:
My first kiss was at age 6, but I totally stole it. My self-declared ‘girlfriend’ at the time was obviously in name only, because when I gave her a surprise peck on the cheek (which I had planned for DAYS – which, when you’re 6, is the adult equivalent of months), she laughed, squealed and ran for it. Though she continued being ‘mine’ by playground hand-holding rules, and who got to be Ray and Jane when we played Ghostbusters with the guys, I was pretty bummed. First time being rejected by a girl, ever.REJECTED.
A girl in the playground once asked me out on a dare, via a proxy. I wasn’t the most popular kid at that time – skinny, short, and not yet very athletic or confident. I hung out with the tubby kids and other nerds because we all loved video games. This was a big step for me, and the girl was pretty. I liked her, but didn’t want to be SEEN to like her… so I workshopped my response with my friends and tried to be cool and casual about it, to minimize the harm if it didn’t work out. Of course after the message was carried back, I got another one saying that it had been a dare and we weren’t really going out. So. Great. Thanks. Thanks a lot.
REJECTED.
The rest of school was actually pretty good for rejections, but ONLY because I didn’t really get any. I was cheating by playing it safe – only really making it with known sluts, not having the balls to confess to the girls I was hardcore crushing on. This was beneficial in that it built confidence, but it was totally a cop-out when it came to growing a pair and getting over the fear hurdle.
(Mind you, when I first got to uni, there was another ‘dare’ run-in… too much time chatting with a South African girl over ICQ, who invited me up to her room to ‘get freaky’, which I sussed out as a dare due to being incredibly skeptical and sarcastic. What is it with that? Maybe they were opportunities I could’ve capitalized on instead of actual cruelty. Maybe not.)
Other memorable rejections:
At a bar, hot chick, casual flirting – thought I was being pretty smooth (probably wasn’t, it’s hard to be a smooth, minimum-wage 19yr old), asked for her number and a guy straightened up to almost bump the ceiling with his head and came over to see what I was doing chatting up his girlfriend. Escaped unscathed, looking between the pair of them, asking, “That’s your girlfriend?” Offered a hand to shake and gripped it firmly, saying, “You’re the man, dude.” I was grudgingly allowed to survive. The girl just looked amused. Maybe even a tad disappointed, but definitely not disappointed about not being able to get some of me, when Beefyboy McStudmuffin was there defending her honour. More disappointed that she didn’t get to see him pound me into paste over her. (‘LYAHF’ – Let’s You And Him Fight is a known phenomenon.)REJECTED.
You ever seen the kind of girl who you know isn’t ‘conventionally’ attractive, but she just has that ‘something’ about her? The way she moves, the way she laughs/smiles, a certain vitality that you just want to be around? Many years ago I worked with a girl like that. A bit gangly, not conventionally pretty, but I just wanted me some of that. Also, fiery red hair is my Achilles’ heel. We were pretty friendly, working opposite each other, and had a light rivalry… And I knew I was a catch, a total upgrade for her, so one day after talking about a movie:
“So you wanna catch a session sometime?”
“Nope!” She replies, cheerfully. No elaboration. REJECTED.
“Huh. Alright. What about just any movie?”
“Nope!” REJECTED.
“Drinks, then.”
“Nope!” REJECTED.
“Any kind of date whatsoever.”
“Nope!” REJECTED.
I laughed, “Wow. Wasn’t expecting that. So cold.”
“Yup.” REJECTED.
No explanation, no excuses, insults, apologies, just smiling in amusement at me and shooting me down.
I REALLY didn’t know what to make of that, because in my arrogance I assumed it was a lock – I mean, I was just so much prettier than her! (I later found out she’s been sweethearts with some guy from her primary school for forever and even though HE didn’t know it yet, she was planning on convincing him to marry her. Unique girl. Probably my loss. Also, maybe she didn’t want to hang out with an arrogant asshole like me.) Ended up talking to her in a call centre years later when I called up to get my bank account closed. That was somewhat awkward. On my part only.
More workplace shenanigans:
This was definitely a case of letting the window close for a couple years and only making a move after. We were pretty tight, me and this co-worker. Damn fine, too, and pretty funny. Would’ve been a good match if not for her boyfriend. There were good indicators for a while. Shared mobile numbers and some teasing drunken texts & late night calls from her, drunken closeness at Christmas parties… But over time, we grew too familiar, the balance of power shifted as I went part-time to work on my degree and she took over my role, and eventually she ended up as my boss, when I came back. And when the stars aligned such that we were finally both single at the same time, I made a move, asking her if she wanted to go out for a date sometime.She wrinkled her nose in confusion like someone had just waved an inkblot test in front of her, and said, “Why?”
Why. WHY? That’s the ONLY time I’ve ever been asked that. I was so unprepared that I didn’t recover as quickly or suavely as I know I could have. She was open to the idea if there was any benefit to her and her Life Plan (be warned: girls will start doing this in their late 20s, early 30s), by the looks of it, but I couldn’t come up with it. When she said, “We work together. Wouldn’t that be awkward? Where’s the upside?” I should’ve laughed and said, “Woah, ease up on the balance sheets, I’m not proposing marriage. Just have some fun while you keep looking for Mr Right, keep you from turning into crazy cat lady.”
Hell, even a jerk response would’ve let me keep my dignity, something like, “I’m only getting hotter, thought you might wanna get in on the ground floor before you get much older.” (Sounds like an asshole move, but you’d be surprised how much of a turn-on that can be.)
As it was, my reply was ultra-weak. Just, “We get along pretty well, I thought it’d be fun.” She ended up thinking for a bit, before shaking her head and deciding, “Hm. No… no, I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
REJECTED.
(“Of course it’s a bad idea. The most fun times start with bad ideas.” Should’a said it!)
Fun follow-up: At the time we were both subscribed to eHarmony dating site and we got matched up a week later.
“Heh. You see that eHarmony mail? Funny, that.”
“Yeah. …Funny.”
DOUBLE-REJECTED.
Dr. Phil style Summary:
I do remember more, but this is too long already. The thing about rejections is that they shouldn’t cripple you. You shouldn’t even be able to remember most of them, you should get that many of them. They’re not a big deal so don’t let them be.Even the most manipulative pickup artists in the world don’t have a 100% success rate, it’s THAT variable, and even then – they know enough to pick their battles, working off expressions of interest and so forth. Blind, cold-approach? Your strike rate’s going to be high. Seriously, think less 90% success and more like 10% success. Less, if you’re not practiced. And that’s OK.
For guys (sorry, can’t speak for the girls out there), like I said before, there is absolutely nothing wrong with asking, putting the expression of interest out there. Hell, you should be proud of it. You’re a MAN, taking the initiative, without fear! People go looking for ‘equality’ in all kinds of places, but one of the places you won’t find it catching up much anytime soon (if ever) is that guys are still expected to take the initiative and do the asking. Don’t work with the market you wish you had, work with the one that you have.
(Girls may complain at this idea and assert that they ‘make the first move’ PLENTY of times, but what they actually mean is that they are giving indications of interest. To them? That IS a move. We just don’t speak that language. Well. Some guys do, and those’re the ones who are going to be face-palming when hearing stories told by friends who talk about so many indicators of interest which sail over their heads.)
If you ever get an ‘ew, no’, then congratulations. You just dodged a bullet from someone you want nothing to do with. And anyone rude enough to do that probably deserves whatever laughing, not-caring comment you can throw their way. “Hah. Get over yourself, you looked like you needed cheering up, I was tossing you a pity date.” Be condescending in an aloof, cheerful way. You never know, they might change their mind when you prove that you don’t actually care.
But, bonus: The majority are going to be pretty cool. Some will laugh, feeling flattered, and say, “Sorry, no…” maybe thinking you’ve been put up on a dare or have a camera nearby. Others will make excuses like, “I don’t date clients/coworkers,” some will say, “I have a boyfriend.” (It may even be a lie, in which case they’re trying to be nice.) Maybe you’ll even get an ego-stroke, like, “If I didn’t have a boyfriend…” (Or in the case of suave-ass @welbot: ‘If I didn’t have a girlfriend’) Some are going to blush like crazy, not know what to do, and through inaction alone reject you then KICK THEMSELVES so hard later for doing that and wish they could take it back. No really. Girls can be awkward and nervous too. It’s all good.
Breathe. Relax, go ask someone for their number or to go for a drink.
I guarantee the world won’t end. You’ll feel a little silly, a little vulnerable, then you’ll laugh, go do something you actually care about, and life will go on.
Human, you make it look so easy. If I didn’t have my girlfriend overseas, I’d be hopelessly alone after the only girlfriend I’ve had cheated on me in high school. When it comes to talking to a girl for the first time, if I wasn’t introduced to her via a mutual friend or something, I wouldn’t be able to say anything AT ALL.
Over the years I usually got the whole “Thinking she’s interested then I get myself strung along for so many months up to the point where I try to make a move and get very awkwardly rejected” every single time, and I can’t help but feel shredded, cuz I barely had any self-esteem to begin with so I always end up feeling extremely repulsive, which over many attempts of this led to never ever going out again (This was stacked onto the heavy amount of bullying I got in high school which gave me serious trust issues).
Yeah, it’s brutal, ego-pounding stuff the first few dozen/hundred times.
I remember there was this one girl… A friend of a friend. This girl was hotter than any Hollywood model you’ve ever seen. Buns so tight you could bounce a coin off ’em. Had a couple of powerful suitors at any given time who she would be stringing along. Rich kid, too. Anything she ever wanted? She got it. Whether it was academically, financially, whatever she wanted, she only had to ask and people would bend over backward for the pretty chick and if they didn’t, Daddy would buy it.
Until one day, Daddy pissed her off or something, and she decided to go and ‘make it on her own’… Prove that everyone was wrong about her, that she was a ‘strong independent woman’. To say she ran away from home is a weird way of putting it when the girl’s in her 20s, but that’s basically what it was. Only after she’d been couch-surfing for ages, my friend came and visited her in response to a desperate cry for help. She was in tears, in hysterics just about, utterly crushed and devastated. Because after years and years and years of having everything she ever asked for, not ONCE had anyone ever turned her down… And now?
Now she was trying to find an apartment for herself. Rejections everywhere. Landlords don’t give a shit if you’re pretty, what they care is that you have no rental history and no job. Nothing in her life had prepared her for the horror that is – gasp – a ‘Rejection’. And when it started happening to her? She just couldn’t cope. Went to pieces as this weird, alien ‘rejection’ phenomenon crushed her ego. (When it comes to egos, the bigger they are, the harder they fall, I guess?)
(And oh yeah, getting cheated on is the ultra-rejection, ultimate ego crush. I’ll do another post sometime about the times that’s happened.)
Edit: Anyway, the point of that story was that my friend – who called herself the ‘ugly duckling’ (which she was totally wrong about, btw) got to feel superior to her supermodel friend for once, because she had built up quite the resilience to rejection, having been rejected plenty, already. Schadenfreude! But also, you learn to get over it after a while. What doesn’t kill you, etc.
I guess I never could get over it, the whole feeling repulsive, that no girl wanted anything to do with me unless they wanted to use me for something, getting treated so badly by everybody else, was what came to the realisation I’m not human at all. What’s worse, if any of those girls that say they like me or whatever were actually legit, I’d immediately start feeling like it’s a trick or a prank that they’ll laugh at me about for the rest of time, and of course, tell her friends all about how they “made the freak think he was desirable to a girl”.
When it came to my girlfriend, no joke she actually had to yell at me to make me see that she really cares about me and wants to be with me, so basically my armour was so thick that it took the power of the sun to break through it, power that she bought in that shouting at me
This a hundred thousand fucking times
Well apart from the ending up with a girlfriend bit
I get the whole feeling extremely repulsive thing. I feel that way even talking to girls who happen to be just friends. :'(
i would take you for a nice dinner and drinks then next to a warm fire in my house, while “the suburbs ‘was playing on my vintage record player. I would lean in for a kiss and it would be magic
TL;DR I WOULD ROCK(ET) YOUR WORLD
This a million times over
This, So much this, I dealt with alot of similar stuff through high school that I didnt really know how to interact with people afterwards. and even after I moved to sydney I dealt with awkward rejections after becoming sure she was interested.
Then I started going out and drinking and doing the drunken pashing . It was so much easier than relationships. I eventually became a bit of a slut, moreso when I found myself cool with exploring my more homosexual side. mostly because I found One Night Stands easier to deal with over rejection.
Now I’m a lot better with rejection. Still not excellent with it. but much better than I used to be. My Self esteem is also a lot better than it used to be. But whats life without room for self improvement eh?
I can only think of one rejection I’ve had.
It may also be the only rejection I’ve been able to have >.>
Go out and get some more. It’s like gym – hurts at first, but then you start seeing gains, so you keep at it. Then you get used to the pain and you forget it was ever a deterrent. 🙂
(Then you don’t go for a while and get fat and lazy and realize you should probably get back into it and it hurts all over again.)
To stretch out the analogy into terrible misshapen forms, one of the main problems here is that I don’t know where the gym is. I just happen to end up involved in a brief bout of physical activity every now and then in place of going to the gym, enough to get by on but not enough to get any real gains 😛
So it leads to more of a sniper approach, rather than machine gun spray. Fewer shots to take, so making sure they’ll count before you take them. Which usually leads to taking too long to line up the shot and having to pull out and wait for the next one to show up 😛
Come round mine, I can throw 20kg discs at you and you can get exercise by dodging them and screaming “WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU YOU MANIAC!!!!”
It’ll be fun! I’ll make pizza afterwards, it’ll remind you of the 20kg discs…
I dunno. I should probably check if this kind of training is @transientmind approved first.
Calling it now: remake of The Wonder Years. You as the star.
This was excellent, thank you. 😀
I was serious about that blog. Your style is pretty awesome to read.
Fuck blog, there’s no money in that. Book!
Alright my turn
Childhood
It was 1997 and i was a 1st grader in the tiniest school in the world only two kids in my grade, myself and a adorable girl named Holly. We were fast best friends because honestly who else do you talk to when there are 2 kids in the grade, We sat in these concrete pipes at lunch time playing truth or dare because her sister had been playing it with a friend. She asks me Truth or Dare and i pick dare because when you are six you always fucking pick dare, truth is for pussies. She dares me to kiss her. I run away. Holly forgave me when i gave her a tim tam from my lunch but our romance didn’t stop theirA few years later and me and Holly are still best friends but i start to think this cute little girl is my soul mate, because i watched way too much tv as a kid. I got all nervous when i saw her and this climaxed when i stayed over her house. We were playing chasey (yes that’s the technical term for it) She tackles me onto her mattress and pecks me on the cheek. We decide then and there we would get married and spent the night talking about what our kids would be named and what kind of dogs we would get. Fast forward a week and a older boy asked her to the halloween parade and she accepts, I am heart broken but i move schools at the end of the year and the romance is over for good or at least thats what i thinkMoving to a school with 60 kids in my grade was nuts, so many chances for romance and the worst part is i can list all the girls i asked out and its pretty longJessica
Louise
Mellisa
Elli
Man i was a womanizer but I did learn something valuable, kids made fun of you if you got rejected, So i took a break from my womanizing ways and went through grade 6-7 with no embarrassment from girls
Then i went to highschool where me and Holly met again….. but that is a story for another time.
You did not just end that season on a cliffhanger.
Actually I think he did
Although high school starting, sounds like a spin off series
uhh huh.. been there.. done that! great post man! 🙂 Brightened my arvo for sure! Which is weird.. considering it’s all about rejection, but man.. I know those feels all too well! 😉
Welp I guess I’ll give this a crack not that I can remember a lot of it.
Primary School
In primary school I never really had the nerves to talk to any of the girls I was always that awkward kid that people hang out with out of pity but Aside from that there was this girl Hayley who when I was 7 I was close to as she was my neighbour, I kissed her one day and asked if she would be mine (I had no idea what else to say) and she said “nope” and ran away, never talked to me againwhen I was 10 I started having a crush on a girl named Ellie, to me she was the most beautiful girl in school and hung out in the same groups as me and we had talked a little and she was always nice but I just never gained the confidence to ask until..when I was 12 at the end of primary school I new I would never see Ellie again so I gained up all my courage and I gave her a letter saying how I felt and I froze, my face was so red as she was reading I was scared. She smiled and said it was cute, have me a peck on the cheek and I smiled and I thought YES SHE LIKES ME!..then her friend saw the card and read it and said ew freak! And Ellie laughed..I never ran so fast in my life.there was an end of school party at my friends house, it was a pool party style affair with music and soft drink and skateboarding (it was the in thing at the time) and someone pulled out the water balloons and so a massive water fight ensued all over the house, at the end I was hiding and one of the girls, Riley, found me and for the age of 12 she was way more developed than the other girls. Not paying attention she ran up behind me and squeezed me popping a water bomb between us, my reaction was what the hell?! Before turning around and her hugging me saying “I’m gonna miss you don’t ever change” she kissed me then and there and when people were coming she put another water bomb between us and squished it against me to hide the fact we were hugging. I asked her out after that only to find out she was moving to PerthHigh school
In year 8 I met a girl named Georgia, to me she was a stunner, tanned, long hair, nice physique the whole package. To the wogs at my school she was a slut who slept around with older guys I didn’t know that but. We talked for awhile and on valentines day I gave her a rose and asked her to be my valentines, she was smiling and blushing and was so excited all her friends were saying “aww that’s so sweet” at that point I was over the moon, when her boyfriend came over with all his friends and bashed me because I was hitting on her was seen as the crash landing back to earth. I thought maybe she would check on me or something but she just asked her bf if he was ok before throwing the rose on the ground and leaving me there.In year 9 I broke my leg, I jumped off a slide and landed wrong. However my best friends sister was telling people I was with her and fell down the stairs. I had had an on again off again crush on her for awhile, we always saw Each other, we would walk home from school together, we would stay up late playing games together with her brother. She had broken up with her bf and we were just talking watching American pie, she started cuddling me and I thought she still had feelings for her ex so I said and did nothing a few weeks later when I went to ask her out I find out she has a new bf (2 years later I found out that she really liked me then and if I had of asked her out while watching American pie she would of said yes, instead I ended up dating her best friend for a few months)in high school there was one other girl, marjie, we had hooked up several times and I asked if she wanted to be my girlfriend, nope, she was happy to hook up with me but didn’t want to date me as her friends thought I was weird.After high school I went into 2 long term relationships one after the other however
when I was 20 I went to a local club with friends and met this 22yr old, Tania, she was gorgeous and we ending up talking and hooking up, she said she liked me and felt safe with me. She told me to see her at work tomorrow as she worked at the rsl, I did and I left her my name and number. 2 days later she calls and we hang out, I think it’s going great and I ask her will you go out with me..”oh..I thought we were just friends I don’t see you that way” oh great rejected, haven’t heard from her sinceI had something vaguely similar only more direct and brutal. Girls would walk by in a group, one would break away and come up to me while the rest watched, say she liked me (I was after all the fat kid and the nerd in one) and then they’d all burst out laughing and run away. Is it any wonder I hate people?
Actually come to think of it, if there is any wonder, it’s that I didn’t end up a hardcore misogynist since every single instance of brutal, degrading and most importantly goalless humiliation was done by girls.
Ugh. Screw it. Done.
*drops mic*
*dives out the window*
Take me with you
Oh hey, new Sailor Moon anime in July that is apparently a complete re-adaption of the original manga.
I will probably watch this 🙁Dude i will definitely watch it, no shame in watching tuxedo mask being badass.
I watched the first three seasons (original, R, S and got halfway into SuperS before giving up because Chibi-usa makes me want to bash my brains out against a brick wall) a few years ago and the one thing that stood out for me aside from how quickly the show fell from its high point was how incredibly wrong that whole element of the show is. Especially the fact that Usagi’s parents apparently see absolutely nothing wrong with it.
*handsome
Can you Tweet me when it’s available please?
EXCITE!
You’ll have to remind me in half a year.
Big, exciting news everyone.
Our office is ‘upgrading’ to Outlook 2010. There will be 2010 training materials available on the intranet to prepare.
It’s going to be so awesome to only be four years behind instead of 11yrs.
Oh man, I still feel really bad that I work in an office that uses a program that projects data in a DOS format, like the really old search systems they used to have in libraries.
I’m working for one of Australia’s biggest ISPs and we still use 2007, kudos to you good sir! 😛
Look on the bright side: You’re not using Lotus Notes.
I used to have to administer that piece of crap *shudders*
One of the best images I’ve ever seen is a version of the logo that has the sort of iii thing (you know the one) where the one in the middle is hanging himself and the two guys on either side are holding guns to their heads. I feel it’s an accurate depiction of the user experience.
Oh god, we used to use that.
lol My sister has to use lotus notes. i lmao everytime she mentions it. She works for allianz. Feel so sorry for the staff there!
I’m a YOLO kinda guy and I’m testing out 2013 before we support it. Outlook 2013 needs a ton of customisation to bring it back to a usable 2010 state.
Also, there’s not many new benefits in 2013, so you’ll be happy with 2010.
One thing I do love about 2013, is when you say “I’ve attached blah blah” and you go to send sans attachment, it asks, Are you sure you want to send? It sounds like you wanted to attach a file.
I’m the BLURST at doing that.
shit man… do you work for the govt?! That sounds an awful lot like a govt rollout! 😉
And then they replace it halfway in with Commodore 64s.
Numenera tumblr has been updated with pretty pictures too 😀 http://taynumenera.tumblr.com/
Also apparently the tumblr has followers who aren’t TAYbies. Yay?
Said it before, but I love your recaps
Battlefront II on PSP/Vita:
There’s no campaign, and no multiplayer. The multiplayer didn’t affect me, but a misleading IGN review led me to believe it had the campaign.
There are new “challenges” where you can either
a) Kill a bunch of gungans (considering my handle, erm…) and other annoying species (ewoks, Wookies, Jawa’s)
b) assassinate a bunch of people – most fun of all challenges
c) “smuggle” items to a mysterious blue light in a few maps.
Conquest returns, and it’s great fun, as always. Gets boring after a while, but is ultimately enjoyable.
Space battles: No sabotaging other team’s cruisers. Not big, but I always did that on the PS2.
Instant Action: 13 maps. there were definately at least twice that on the home consoles.
So…I would probably give it a 7.5/8. It’s cheaper on PC, and that has campaign and online multiplayer. So unless you want to play it on your daily commute or can only play portable for some reason, get it on PC.
…and there’s still a game in there somehow? 😛
I guess it plays like playing single-player Unreal Tournament or Quake 3. 😛 Pretend single-player which is really a bunch of multi-player matches with bots.
Yeah, pretty much.
Oh, I meant 7.5 or 8 out of ten, in case you thought I meant 7.5 out of 8 😛
Sounds like that shitty sounding Soul Cailbre for PSP.
Dear Bravely Default Peoples,
Do i need to be online at the same time as people on my friends list for the town stuffs to get real bizzae?
Streetpasses!
Nope
Easiest way is to update everyday and youll make 2-4 random friends that will become townsfolk
You just need to have each other added as friends. it’ll also add 3 to 5 random people off the internet each day .
That question was really 2 hours ago? I should refresh more.
Yo.
I’m in Melbourne this weekend.
Not sure what my movements are exactly.
If any of you snooty, coffee-drinking, chain-smoking, graffiti connoisseurs wants to hang with this uncultured swine, just send me a fax (faxes are hip, right?).
http://comicsalliance.com/namco-bandai-dark-souls-2-into-the-light-digital-comic-facebook/
Did Dark Souls fans see the above?
@freezespreston @strange @shane etc etc
Yeah, I saw it yesterday on Facebook. The art is pretty sweet. Not enough story yet to judge, but the art is real nice.
Thanks!
Let it be known that @welbot is as brilliant and helpful as he is handsome.
I’m not bad.. I’m just drawn that way
What’s he done this time?
So not very. 😛
Shame I can’t give you an upvote and downvote without them cancelling each other out! Well played sire, but downvote won the battle today! 😉
Cant decide if I should laugh or cry!
Deadelic and Telltale sale on gog.com at the moment. Some decent deals there. Night of the Rabbit for $10.
Great, great game.
Awwww man, if I didn’t have a whole bunch of games I need to finish and now Magix Music Maker to keep me busy, $14 for Goodbye Deponia is awesome.
Wait, it’s the weekend already? Dammit I need to start sleeping better.
@trjn, you mentioned there was boardgame stuff this weekend didn’t you? I still gotta get around to one of those. That wasn’t going to be today was it?
Tomorrow afternoon.
Hey TAY
How is 2014 for everyone so far?
same ol same ol for me. wont get exciting til next month!
It’s 2014? Everyday is the same for me
Because everyday Scree’s shufflin’
http://i.imgur.com/79nw0o2.jpg
I found an original Xbox for $70.
And it was modded.
😀
That’s pretty cool! I discovered the same thing when I bought my first gamecube! Have you got any games for it yet? I think I still have one original xbox game lying around here somewhere if you want it
Nah, I don’t have any games for it.
I’m trying to use it to run MAME and whatnot.
Also, I found Soul Calibur 2 on the HDD.
😀
I had one of those back in the day. Brilliant media centre. Except back then the Xbox cost me like $300 and then the mod and HDD cost another $300. /o\
You found a bargain, my friend.
Gah! Damn you Steam. Why must you tempt me with 20% off Magix Music Maker.
There goes my weekend…
Heloo
Whoa, I’m awake for some reason. That shouldn’t have happened for another three hours or so.
It’s the heat
Doesn’t seem particularly warm today. Not yet, anyway.
I tried to bed but it only worked for 2 hours so I got up and tried Dark Souls again. Much to my surprise my xbox/windows live account has unfucked (for lack of a better word) and I can use it again and actually save my game.
The downside is im very tired and my eyeballs hurt.
Achy/burning eyeballs are the worst.
Just don’t tell my heart.
I disagree.
No one cares about Perth 😛
For some reason I have no idea why I have Shania Twain’s That Don’t Impress Me Much stuck in my head. Haven’t even heard it in years but it just randomly popped into my head.
WHY AND HOW DO I KNOW ALL THE WORDS?!?
Antidote!
I hate you for this.
Remember our 90s singalong in your car? Yeah, I’ve tried to forget it, too.lol I have a feeling this would nicely sum up that journey..
http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mawxdkAzFr1qdz5sho1_400.gif
It was amazingFunnily, I used to think the lyrics were, ‘I can’t believe you kiss your cock at night,’ instead of ‘I can’t believe you kiss your car goodnight.’ Well, that’s what I would hear anyway.
Numbers are hard.
There sure are lots of them.
There’s only ten.
There’s only 10.
…I just realised this is true regardless of what base number system you’re using. Huh.
Hexadecimal is off in the corner crying.
Why?
10 in hex is F+1. And that’s how many there are.
I thought 10 in hexadecimal was A
@novacascade no that’s ten in hex 😛
“I quite enjoy ingesting these calories with you.”
I’ve started getting emails about the Dark Souls design works book thingy that I preordered off the book depository ages back, and it’s great because I forgot about it, and now I’m getting new waves of hype!
Me too! The copy I ordered for Freeze is on its way! The copy I ordered for myself still hasn’t moved 😛
I’m trying to put CoinOps onto the Xbox I just got.
Anyone knowledgeable about this sort of stuff?
How far have you got so far? Or are you prepping atm?
Well, kinda prepping it all.
I’m downloading CoinOPS as we speak (49.6 GB! D:)
haha fair enough. there are smaller ones you can get, but I’d probably do the same 😉
Do you have an ftp application? You’ll need it to send files to the xbox
I had FlashFXP, but it was only a trial version.
I’ve decided to go with Filezilla instead.
cool cool. any prog that can send ftp will be fine. there’s a million out there! I found a video which should be good for you. it might not apply 100%, depending how your xbox is modded and what software loads (if any)etc, but the beginning of the vid with the windows stuff will spell it out for you. it’s terrible quality, and the audio is just shite, but it’s enough hopefully. He uses the lite version, but the setup will be pretty much the same.
/edit helps if you provide a link to said vid.. duuuurr
Am I likely to run into problems with steam’s offline mode if I’m running my account online on another PC? I’ve got a bunch of videos I want to encode in magix movie editor which is a steam program and I was thinking I’d whack steam, magix and my project stuff on my HTPC, load it up so it knows it’s allowed to run, put it in offline mode and then yank the cat5e so it can’t get back on the net and then just use my gaming PC like normal. Anyone see an issue with that scenario?
Shouldn’t run into any problems.
I use my steam account all over the place when I’m travelling and visiting family. I load up the games they want to play off my account but don’t have. One of them was able to run in offline mode without checking in for… god. I don’t know how long. Feels like years? But there are a few programs and games which DO require a ‘phone home’ check-in. Some of them a couple weeks, some a couple months, whatever. My Mum was still using my account to play Bejeweled 2 which I’d installed I think maybe three or four years ago?
That sounds grand, as long as it doesn’t crap out in the middle of a video render I’m cool.
I just finished installing it on the htpc and damn is it ugly at 1366×768! Going from dual monitors to a single tv… Ick
http://comicsalliance.com/the-simpsons-studio-ghibli-homage-video/
awesome
@sughly @negativezero
Haha! Harlan Ellison too, woo woo. Reminds me of the Totoro reference in Bob’s Burgers http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5USniU_tgBs best link I could find T_T
Ugh… spending my saturday doing a clean boot of my computer after an attempted update to Windows 8.1 failed epically… sigh.
Anybody have wisdom about Windows 8.1? Tried most of the stuff in the forums – doing the clean boot is my last option 🙁
did you get any errors when installing it? depending on what happened, will depend on whether or not you can fix it
/edit I’m guessing that comment was in moderation? Hence the late reply!
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y260/Gooky/Empty11.png
Well that’s a new one.
Yeah, I’ve seen that one before. I think it’s caused by an unmoderated post or something. Or maybe we should just lay the blame on the gods of the internet.
G-g-g-g-ghost!
I ain’t afraid of no ghost.
Is this bravery or scientifically valid dismissal of the phenomenon?
@redartifice@jimu@gorzilla
Thanks for the help!
With?
bravely default.
Booboos be gone?
Has anyone else noticed that the weather vanes in A link between worlds throw a hissy hit if you’ve done something significant and haven’t saved?
Nope, Im save crazy!
But even when you come out of a dungeon, it’s doing it’s block.
Yeah, I think I do kinda remember. I bought that day one and knocked it over in 3 or 4 days.
Right, I think I have found the confidence to do another route in Katawa Shoujo. Wish me luck! Damn, I still can’t get that mental image out of my head.
I think Lily’s was my second favourite after Hanako.
Rin’s route all the way, for me.
Rin’s route was okay. Rin started out being hilarious, (“It’s your tackle, isn’t it?”) but over time she just became annoying. Which makes sense. Talking to her in real life would be just as frustrating.
There are some fantastic bits of writing in there, sure. The chapter “Underwater” immediately comes to mind.
However, Rin and Hisao never struck me as a relationship that would ever really work. All they did together was sit in silence. Brilliant relationship building there. Also, in the good ending,
you ruin her career. Great work there, Hisao.That reminds me I still need to go back and get all the alternative endings to Lilly. I think I did Emi on my first run, ended up that way going blind. Then used a guide to do all the others, finishing up with Lilly.
Lily is the best. Don’t listen to those Hanako or, god forbid, Shizune supporters.
Also, s’ funny how Katawa Shoujo pops up every so often on here. I approve of more dating sim publicity!
And now I gotta go back to Love Plus, because god forbid Nene overheard me talking about- oh god why is my DS holding a knife oh god Nene she was in the past DON’T SWING THAT- OH MY GOD
I need a new Smert phone.
Anyone know a good site where I can buy phones outright?
kogan do outright phones I think
Depending on what sort of phone you’re looking at, Google sell a couple types unlocked with stock android on their store. Though, now that I’ve said that, I’m not sure if they do that in Australia for anything that isn’t a nexus.
I think the new kogan devices that are on the way are not skinned. Either that it was those fancy flexible lg phones.. was reading stuff about both of them yesterday, but can’t remember which one was just stock rom
google.com.au > nexus5
$300?
Nexus 4 is/was $300. N5 is $350-400
Holy crap I am bored.
]:
still waiting for your download to finish? 😉
Mmhmm. 😐
22% done, 35 hours remaining… 🙂
I’m gonna play the hell out of it once I get it all working.
Does anybody know of a good game making website / software / program or anything? I kinda want to get into it a bit, but don’t know where to start :\
In terms of interactive storytelling, Twine is a good place to start.
For more graphically-important work, Game Maker is free on Steam.
I’m sure others will be able to help you further.
Thanks man, I’ll look into them 🙂
Read this, great Twine intro.
I am pretty sure its just the demo that is free on Steam. Granted, it’s a pretty generous demo.
It depends where you want to start. If you want to start from the beginner level and work your way up, Scratch is a good choice (It’s free). Here is a random tutorial video I got off YouTube. Game Maker if you want something a little more in-depth. Here are a bunch of tutorials for Game Maker. I’ve been meaning to watch these for months.
I actually used to make scratch games when I was younger. They were all terrible. I went through all of them just a few days ago. Crappiness confirmed. Really the only half-good game was This one. It can be beaten in a minute if you are good. It can be beaten in half an hour if you are not.
I’m not opposed to starting at the very beginning. Seems like a reasonable place to start to me! 🙂 I’ll definitely look into Scratch, thanks man! 🙂
What sort of game do you want to make and what is your current skillset and level? Complete beginner? Seasoned programmer? Makes a big difference.
If you want to make a proper game using proper tools and don’t mind some programming, you should go look up Unity.
I have some very basic programming knowledge at the moment, but am going to be learning it more in depth this year. I can also draw / design reasonably well.
At the moment though it would be more just for fun, but I’m not opposed to learning some programming on my own along the way. I’ll look into Unity, thanks mate! 🙂
not sure what your skills are like, but unity is another good package. it’s pretty advanced, but you can make some fun stuff with minimal effort
I’ve been thinking of getting into unity myself as an excuse to teach myself programming, is there a recommended language to go for? Thinking of making graphic adventures if that makes a difference
c# is probably the best to learn if you want to use unity
Unity is C#.
C# is also a really nice language. It has most of the simplicity of Java but it fixes some of the stuff Java does that’s a bit dodgy and is a lot cleaner. Plus it’s easier to go from C# to C++.
It depends on what you want to make. Every engine has limitations.
If you’re any good with JavaScript, Unity may be for you. I used it back when in TAFE ended up making a 3D game in it. It’s free but there’s also paid for versions.
codeacademy.com is my favourite. It teaches you to code as you enter your email address and sign up (best signing up widget ever) and then you can choose from a whole bunch of programming languages, such as Python, Ruby, HTML, CSS, Java, Javascript, and you just follow these tutorials made by people (actual programmers, and not randoms who have no idea what they’re doing) and then you make a project after each “level” (such as variables) which has “missions” (such as adding things, subtracting things etc) inside it. One project is making an english to Pyglatin translator! And if you get stuck, there’s this forum connected to the course where you can ask other people questions, and they’ll help you out.
Hey liondrive, do you want to add me on steam scree06
Okey doke! Fair warning though, I never really use it :3 I only really got it so I could greenlight Mount Your Friends, hahaha!
Damn, I tend to use it as a form of communication. Any other way to have a private convo?
Umm, email, text or Facebook really. If you have a Playstation I could add you on there as well. 🙂 Or if you need to talk to me for some reason you could just tell me here and I’ll log into steam even 🙂
Edit: apparently their is a steam app, so that is now a more viable solution to messaging 🙂
Double Edit: Added 🙂 Was there a reason you wanted to have a private convo with me, or was it more just for future purposes, cause now I’m kinda freaking out a bit thinking I did something wrong, hahaha! :\
No, not at all. Was just going to pass on my experience with trying (and failing) to make games. You should learn from my mistakes
So, animated series ‘Archer’. You guys were right, I sat down to watch and spent two straight hours tonight laughing my ass off.
Great timing. The new series is due to start in a day or two.
I’ve decided to give Diaspora a bash to give some attention to my T.Flight Hotas X, and I’m enjoying the game.
All this talk about Star Wars canon and the EU getting axed by Disney (thank god!) has me kind of tempted to try watching the Clone Wars TV series. I assume it’s pretty awful but how awful could it be, really?
lamboman loves it
It’s patchy in places, there’s no question and you have to overlook what is a pretty large variation in canon in Skywalker having a padawan (or wonder why she’s not mentioned even in passing in Revenge Of The Sith) but all in all I thought the series was fucking great.
There’s some annoying dips into kiddy kartoon territory on thankfully very rare occasions but its balanced nicely by going to some damned dark places at times.
If you’re after a single episode to watch to get a feel for it, I’d suggest Assassin, Bounty Hunters or Hostage Crisis. If you’re after a multi-part story to watch (most of the stories are 2 or 3 parts), I’d suggest Storm Over Ryloth/Innocents Of Ryloth/Liberty On Ryloth, Nightsisters/Monster/Witches Of The Mist or The Mandalore Plot/Voyage Of Temptation/Dutchess Of Mandalore.
Annakin also had an apprentice in the Force Unleashed (spoilers), and he doesn’t get mentioned. I never did finish that game. Got one level off beating the emperor, then moved off to other things. I was really impressed by the engine though. The first thing I did on the starting planet (the Wookie one, but I don’t know how to spell it and didn’t want to offend any Star Wars fans) was just cut all the trees down and force push all the trees down. Great memories.
Yeah but the difference is that Ahsoka was assigned by Yoda whereas Starkiller was supposed to be a secret from everyone. Sort of makes sense he wasn’t widely discussed.
Maybe something happens to her and Obi-Wan goes down a guilt-trip where he never speaks about her, thus she never gets mentioned.
I find it’s good to watch if you see it randomly on TV (I have a kid, he watches cartoons).
When I tried to sit and watch them together I got bored real quick.
Saying that, I don’t watch too many series these days, so you know.
My favourite thing about the EU is that it has different levels of canon. The movies are the top of the list and then direct tie ins (like The Force Unleashed and The Clone Wars) are a step below. Everything else is pretty much “eh, I don’t really like that, so I’m ignoring it.”
Well, fans of the EU probably don’t take that approach, they probably care about the other tiers. I don’t. It’s silly.
Seriously, there’s an EU explanation about the whole parsecs thing. Apparently the Millennium Falcon is so small and fast that it can fly closer to black holes (which the Kessel Run is filthy with), allowing him to make it in a shorter distance.
I much prefer the common sense explanation: Han is a braggart who was trying to trick some backwater rubes into giving him money.
There’s also an explanation for the fight scene in Episode 3 where Anakin and Obiwan just kind of stand around twirling for a bit. It has something to do with fight styles and double bluffs and other nonsense. Again, common sense can save the day: the choreographer was drunk.
Oh believe me, I know all about the EU. I read every book released including most of the comics and stuff up until about the point that Episode II finished off the interest I had in the franchise at the time. I played the CCG as well, and that had heaps of lore stuff too – giving names to all the alien species, defining a ton of side characters and so on.
The trouble is that almost all of the EU books are complete trash. Some of it is effectively legitimized fanfiction. There’s a few high points (eg Thrawn trilogy, X-Wing books) but overall the EU grew like a tumor with nothing holding it back and has become this massive cancerous growth that goes like 80 years into the future past Return of the Jedi and thus would have to be either worked in with (bad) or thrown away completely to make new films. I’m glad Disney’s adopting the latter approach. I imagine that fixing it all up is going to take years though.
The EU is basically paid fanfiction. Admittedly, the prequel trilogy kinda felt like that too.
I’ve heard so many nightmares about Mary Sue author favourites that then get destroyed by another writer that had a different Mary Sue they wanted to give the spotlight to. It’s just silly. I don’t understand how people have decided they want to keep going. Is it like some form of Stockholm Syndrome?
For a moment I thought this entire chain was about the European Union.
Who’s to say it wasn’t?
Same. It took me several re-reads for it to click.
Out of the few episodes I’ve seen, it’s good. I saw the movie (which is where it starts) and a few other episodes, and it has good plots and things like that. There were two cartoon movies released a few years back, done in a more traditional cartoon style. I preffered them, although there were only ever two. However, there are graphic novels done in the same style as the more cartoony ones, and I liked them as well.
Recently, my sister has been listening to the Frozen soundtrack, but she hasn’t seen the movie. She treats Let it go like some random pop song. I don’t know why this annoys me so much. I guess it’s because I know the tremendous character development behind the music and she doesn’t? Because she doesn’t even know the person singing has ice powers?
Am I justified in being annoyed with her? I don’t think I am.
Whilst typing, I realised she only listens to the Demi Lovato version.
Disown her. its the only option
That stuff happens a lot with pop music.
Is it that The Police song Im always watching or whatever that’s about stalker fans and everyone treats it like a love song?
Tool have that song Eulogy that I often hear people say that want played at their funeral and its a song about a guy Maynard hates.
He also does that line “Turn around take my hand” that sounds oh so sweet but is about fisting someone!
There’s others…blanking at the moment.
My point is though, that stuff happens a lot. And there’s a number of songs that do it on purpose. I guess its a way of saying what you want to say but still having commercial value.
Argh, but what’s the point if only few understand your point?!
A lot of people play Imagine at things like weddings and funerals but change the “imagine no religion” line to “imagine one religion.”
People don’t really listen to music. Seeing what happens when people do realise what’s being sung, maybe that’s a good thing.
Every republican ever taking Springsteen’s condemnation of the US Born in the USA and blasting it as if it was a patriotic anthem.
The irony.
Have you considered taking her to see the movie?
That’s crazy talk. You’re crazy. I am just going to sit here, complaining about it on an internet forum, thank you.
Goddam it, just set up new router
What the hell setting do I need to change to make a 3DS work?
Everything works without trouble.
Fucking NintendooooooooooooooooooARGH!
Worked second time….
My 3DS was the only thing that could connect to any online gaming related thing. Everything else “couldn’t connect to the server” or “required an internet connection” when it had 5 bars. After a factory reset, now everything works!
Katawa Shoujo talk:
I freaking love Kenji. You know, I want someone to write a version of Harry Potter, starring Kenji. I imagine he would avoid the letter from Hogwarts, fearing anthrax or something. And then the series ends, right then and there.
Why don’t we start a thread of Kenji quotes?
Argh, there was one where you’re in the shower with him and it’s funny as hell and I forget it…
ARRRGH! D:
I did find a direct quote, but it’s not the full conversation:
OH GOD NOT THE SHOWER SCENE
Thank god for the conveniently levitating leaf.
This guy just shits gold. I should make a thread of Rin quotes sometime. They’re just as good.
A series of short stories by Phlanispo:
Chapter 1:
“You’re a wizard, ‘Arry.”
“Nah, I’m okay thanks.”
And then Harry Potter grew up, became a banker, and lived a normal life until the ripe old age of 94.
Chapter 2:
“Winter is coming…” Ned solemnly said whilst gazing over the North.
“Come back inside dear, you’ll get a cold.”
And then he did and didn’t get involved in any wars and that was that.
Chapter 3:
“Call me Ishmael.”
“Okay Mr Ishmael, your Starbucks coffee will be ready soon, please wait over there!”
‘Cheers.”
The end.
“Luke… I am your father…
And Palpatine… is my lover.”
Luke looked on in disbelief.
“Allow me to explain…” Vader continued.
After thirty confusing minutes, Palpatine stood next to Vader, their hands entwined.
Luke simply smiled and said “So… Dad… which of you is the cushion?”
I’m sorry, that (^) was terrible.
So people who’ve played Rust, is it worth the $20?
It’s worth the $20, though not worth the Alpha in terms of the game will almost certainly change (perhaps for the better of course).
I’d love to get a decently sized group together to play it, as currently it’s very much a strength-in-numbers deal, and I am but one lonely caveman with a rock against an army of clothwearers with hatchets :'(
When I get back I want to play it 24/7!
Dark Souls. I’m playing it again. Discovery of the merchant meant I now have a whole whack of good gear and I’m getting through everything up until the boss easily.
But the
Taurus Demonis kicking my ass in like 2 hits. Apparently you can block his attacks but whenever I put my shield up I still seem to get hit. Managed to do some damage by jumping off the ledge onto him but then I will die horribly each time 🙁I also love the way when you quit the game from in-game, it doesn’t actually quit, but dumps you back to the main menu where you have to sit through like 45 seconds of unskippable logos before you can actually quit.
Ten attempts. Ten failures. Not even making it to half way. Giving up. Fuck this shit completely.
Rolling is much better than blocking against bosses. Jump off ledge to do the jumping attack, roll back to the ladder, repeat until success.
Would you block an oncoming truck? Get out of the road doofus, bigger things have right of way!
That guy is one you can easily spam, do the plunge attack from the tower, run away till you’re in the middle (because he can hit you on the ladder) and wait for him to catch up & start an attack, when he does, roll and sprint back to the ladder and repeat.
Best comment.
He beats me to the ladder 2 times out of 3 and smacks me before I can get all the way up. Which is usually an instant kill.
I realize it’s better to dodge, which is what I’m doing. But if you’re not in a position to roll in time, the block should work, except half the time it’s hitting *near* me and not blocking.
The belligerent attitude toward me when asking for help isn’t really appreciated by the way. Not that it matters. I probably won’t play it again as the last failure attempt I had almost triggered a panic attack for me afterward. No game is worth that.
Woah the doofus thing was supposed to be a joke! Shit, sorry if I pissed you off there, most unintended.
When you run for the ladder, where are you running from and more importantly are you running or sprinting? The latter makes all the difference. I’ll go through the approach I’ve used successfully twice
Go through the fog onto the battlements
See all the bloodstains and start to worry or look for my souls if its not my first attempt
Move forward very slowly until the daemon starts to jump down (or until you see his health bar, I can’t remember which appears first)
Immediately turn and sprint back to the ladder next to the fog door & get up. There should be enough time to get there before he can hit you.
Do the plunge attack and run towards the middle of the battlements again, pretty much where he landed when he spawned
Wait till he gets over to you and dodge his attack, sprint back to the ladder and repeat the plunge.
It may vary dramatically on how much stamina your character has, it’s one of those things I didn’t think about much in building up my character until I hit the Taurus where I found it useful as all hell to be able to both block and sprint in rapid succession.
But yeah, if the game is triggering panic, it might be an idea to set it aside. Fun should be fun after all. I had to stop playing Condemned: Criminal Origins because it was triggering my claustrophobia in a big way, nothing else before or since ever has, no idea why that one did
Be a man, stand your ground and look that Taurus demon straight in the eyes and yell “Over my dead body!” then charge. Guaranteed success 1 out of 1000 times.
Better yet, talk to him! You might resolve your dispute without physical conflict and you can skip hand in hand through the rest of the game as BFFs
I’m going to be the dissenting voice here and say fuck the plunge strategy. It’s hard work and slow for not much pay off. By far the best way to deal with him is counter intuitively to charge in and roll into his attack. Most of the time he’ll swing over you and he doesn’t handle you around his legs very well. Take a couple of whacks rolling sideways when he attacks and charge and roll again when he jumps away. He is a piece of cake using that strategy.Plunge is easy if you’re good at timing it and does a respectable chunk of damage even with reasonably measly weapons and most importantly is lowest risk. Engaging him & using your mobility is a better strategy overall but you need to be a bit more comfortable dodging for it to pay off
Ever had him join you on top of the tower? I have. He’s not a great party guest up there.
I have, it was fun! I seem to recall dodging and scooting down the ladder till he followed me
Tried that. Doesn’t work because I am shit.
The problem isn’t the boss, it’s the 10 minute slog through boring as fuck repetitive enemies I could kill in my sleep now (unless the game bugs out again on me) in order to get to the stupid boss to re-challenge him.
I am having one of those days where I want to do everything but also don’t want a bar of it.
Same here.
So I took a bunch of old, unwanted games to JB and hey presto, $175 credit! XD
PS4, you will soon be mine.. However, now I am thinking about that PS Vita again..
Why not both?
*Mexican Music*
22 hours left until Coin OPS finishes downloading! 😀
So I picked up a DS for 10 dollars yesterday. Seems like a bargain.
That is definitely a bargain. The ugly first model?
Nah, 2nd gen before the Lite.
Lite is 2nd gen. Phat is 1st, DSi is 3rd and then 3DS (Not including XLs)
You shut your mouth the Phat is a thing of beauty.
It’s a hideous beast of tech that makes the 2DS look rather pretty. 😀
DS Phat was the greatest and most comfortable handheld Nintendo ever produced until the 3XL 😛
Put an R4 card in and you’re set!
An R4 was a really good purchase, but the new one for 3DS is $100 over here. The problem is, the new one has to have one game per SD card. I’d rather just pay Nintendo somewhat directly.
I would recommend Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time/Darkness. I will not stop harping on about this game until all of Kotaku has experienced its glory!
VIRUS_: But doesn’t it have a 59 on metacritic?
PHLANISPO: SHUDDUP! BEST GAME EVAR!
Agreed. And Blue rescue team as well. And the ranger series. All games that I enjoyed so much mroe than the main series.
Or Sky, even, which added more after-game content than the originals. Originally, when I finished Time, I had no idea there was an end-game mode, because it came back to the start screen, so I did the whole game again. And again. It was great.
Sapporo 650ml cans are brutal.
Bashcraft just got a free headline.
He can take it from there.
I bought a bottle of Gekkeikan this weekend, I can’t wait to try it. Hopefully it’s not as brutal!
Hmm. Windows 8 made me update its video player today. Now it takes me to an advertising page before every video launches.
Hello media player classic. Welcome back.
Oops. I clearly can’t read. ADS WITHIN A MEDIA PLAYER?! 😀
Why the hell were you using Windows Media Player in the first place? MPC is the only player worth using.
I still use VLC. =P
VLC = Console peasants
MPC = Glorious PC master race
Oh please, XBMC would like to have a word with you.
And Daum PotPlayer, don’t forget Daum PotPlayer.
XBMC is a whole different thing though. It’s a full Home Theater package, not just a player.
(It’s also kind of shit compared to Plex but whatever)
Not windows media player. Xbox Video. It worked alright without a problem but now it’s pretty insistent and intrusive trying to get me to buy movies from their service.
I’m considering testing multiplayer betweeen my PSVita and PSP…
What would be a good game to test out?
I already have GTA Liberty City Stories and GT PSP, so there’s two already.
And you can add the PSP version of Soul Calibur to that list. 😀
Also, I’ve decided to build a MAME cabinet with my XBOX 1 as the main hub! 😀
Basically, we have an old Pole Position 2 cabinet in the shed that’s just gathering dust, so I might invest in an X-Arcade stick and Xbox adaptor, and install CoinOPS on the Xbox.
Then, we’ll be all set!
Also, it already has Soul Calibur 2 on there. 😀
And I have an old 20″ CRT that my brother gave me that will be the mainstay for visuals. 🙂
Well?
What were the results?
I won’t have CoinOps until tomorrow night, I’m afraid. 🙁
I would’ve had it sooner, but there was maintenance on the power lines near our place, so we had no electricity for most of the day. 🙁
If you’re talking about the multiplayer testing, then it worked flawlessly.
Also, Soul Calibur: Broken Destiny is damn good fun. 😀
(Removed, Local Pick up in US only. 🙁 )
Well, being sick in 41-degree weather sucks. Today was proof of that. Even Katawa Shoujo and Jesse Cox’s playthrough of Beyond: Two Souls couldn’t make this day better. 🙁
Saw what looked to be a large rear-projection TV on the way home, not too far from here.
Kinda wanna go back and strip it. Though the road is sort of busy, would feel kinda shifty. And it’s probably too big to haul home myself, even if I could fit it in my car. But then I’d have to deal with the looted corpse afterwards too.
That’s the dilemma I face every time I see a hitchhiker and think that their organs would fetch a good price on the black market. Getting rid of the wrapping is always the annoying part of getting anything new…
Unless you’ve got a kid. They’re only ever interested in the box, no matter how much the contents is worth.
Posting on old TAY to keep this discreet as possible:
@strange, @sughly, @popdart5, @gutsoup, @jimu, @welbot, @transientmind, @sernobulus, @virus__, @dkzeitgeist, @beardymcmuttonchops, @lambomann007
I got a text from Freeze last night.
I hear that Mrs. Freeze is getting extremely stressed about this thing she’s planning and the lack of people getting back to her on the TAY front. If you haven’t already, can you contact her for details and also join this Facebook group she’s got going on. E-mail me at: dp[hyphen]clarke[at]outlook[dot]com if you need contact details!I don’t have Facebook but thanks for the reminder I just got in contact with her.
Discreet, but also a page-get. D’oh!
It’s the Freeze way, my friend. THE FREEZE WAY.
I feel bad that I completely forgot to do this. I shall rectify this at once.
I replied the same day I got the invite!
I textededed