Starcraft TWO!
I got beta invite a day or two ago and have been playing every chance I get. SUPER fun so far!
They’ve basically taken SC1 and perfected it by enhancing unit function and doing an obvious UI makeover. As far as balance concern I have no doubt Blizzard will pull it off. I’ve only played a few games, all of which were against fairly easy opponents so it’s hard to say where balance stands at the moment.
As stated, they’ve increased the unit count AND unit function in really innovative ways that open up the game to a whole new world of strategy compared to SC1. Bottom line, I’m having a blast with this one. I’ll keep you updated on my experience and maybe post some replays/videos.
For those of you in beta my name is bananatron.com (com is the suffix thing)
Grasshopper
Robyn: omg lol
Robyn: marvin just hauled ass up the stairs and flew on to the bed
Robyn: to drop a grasshopper on me
Robyn: EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
Spenser: LOL
Marvin is the hardest creature on earth to take pictures of.
Entitlement
I see myself as an observer. Observing without passing (much) judgment is something I think I do fairly well. In the end, I am fascinated by what makes people do what they do I guess.
In today’s age there I observe a strong sense of entitlement from people. An old friend from high school and I were talking about this today. Maybe this has always existed, I don’t know. “I deserve nice things, so I’ll charge it on the credit card.” “I deserve to get their first, so I’ll cut in front of you across 2 lanes of traffic.”
I don’t think people are inherently rude or inconsiderate. I don’t think we could have made the world we see before us if that were the case, but (as evident in the same world I cite) we certainly aren’t perfect. In my experience I can link many people’s negativity and psychological resilience to a sense of entitlement, and I think it’s a sad mindset to be in on both a personal and societal level. If you feel you are entitled to everything, then the world must be full of injustice, and quite frankly, a pretty damn depressing place. If you, however, accept that things are the way and you are only entitled to what you get out of an experience, life might be much more rewarding.
Oddly enough, this same sense of entitlement that makes individuals miserable can make a corporation very rich. If you can convince someone they’re entitled to something beyond their means, then you’ve created a marketing mechanism with greater power than any slogan can produce (consumer credit being the obvious big winner here).
In the end, I think entitlement is the end to something. Meaning, entitlement is the result of a feeling of emptiness occupying many people, which I see as whole different issue. Maybe something I can report on later.
Rainy Weekend
I’m glad it’s Friday today. It’s supposed to be raining this weekend which puts me into a extra spectacular mood. It will be EVEN better when I have my own house to go home to. Right now we’re beginning the underwriting process (and by we, I mean, the bank). Hopefully everything goes OK and we can get in soon.
Right now I have lots of ideas and nowhere to put them. Now is the time for preparation. Soon enough I suppose…
Bioshock 2: DRM
So last night I was so fed up with Bioschock 2’s DRM that I wrote 2KGames the following ranting email:
Dear 2KGames,
Bioshock 1 is my one of (if not THE) best games I’ve ever played. My wife and I have purchased any Bioschock related swag we can find, and genuinely think it’s an amazing work. So naturally, I preordered Bioshock 2 for my wife and I to play. I ordered it for the PC so we could install it on 2 computers and play at the same time (you know, like how you’ve been able to do it since the beginning of PC gaming). My first issue: Windows live forces you to sign on before you can SAVE YOUR GAME?! Not only that, but it appears as though you MUST be connected to Xbox Live while you’re playing (which means you MUST have an internet connection) and can only sign into an Xbox live profile on one computer at a time (I give that more leeway due to the nature of multiplayer).
Now look, I don’t expect to be able to give the game to all my friends who can install it to give it back and I wouldn’t expect you to be able to play online on multiple computers under one gamertag, I get that. But to force GFWL AND an active internet connection in order to play single player content is absolutely ludicrous.
The game (aside from the install/gameplay bugs that we experienced, and should have been caught before release) seems great so far, and meets all my expectations, however the experience of managing this ridiculous DRM has soured my experience to a point extreme frustration. Anyone involved in writing/designing/programming the Bioshock series I give two thumbs up and a pat on the back, no knock to them. But whoever makes the decisions about DRM just doesn’t get it! When it’s more convenient to pirate your content rather than pay for it, YOU’VE GOT A PROBLEM!
I would gladly cut these artists a check for a job well done and leave Microsoft and the 2K execs out of it. I love Civ, Bioshock, etc but clearly you guys are out of touch. I’ve already purchased Bioshock 2 so there’s not a whole lot I can do about it, however I CAN assure you that I will not purchase another 2KGames title that has such ridiculous DRM.
I will be expecting a meaningful response to this email. I hope this helps your future endeavors, feel free to contact me anytime.
Thank you,
Spenser Coke
1 Minute Video
Alachia has started a 1 minute video group on Flickr. Fun idea, my first contribution:
I listen to Ralph Bailey (local radio talk show host) every day when I get off work.
Fallout 3
I’ve been spending a lot of time in the Capital Wasteland recently. Ends up (as usual) I’m late to the party for Fallout 3 but I’m glad I’ve put some time into it. I see a theme with recent games continuing to come back to the alternate reality/post apocalyptic themes. I site mainly Bioshock and Fallout (although to be fair, Fallout 1 was created like a million years ago). I think Borderlands has that going as well (Don’t know, haven’t played).
Both Bioshock and Fallout are extremely enjoyable and inspiring. Games can really effect you on a deep level much like a great movie or piece of music (I would even argue that they effect you MORE than other forms of entertainment). Both Fallout and Bioshock are on alternate time lines and have a real ‘big picture’ thing going for them which I enjoy. Bioshock, for example, has handed me heavy interest into a period of time (50-60s) that I otherwise would probably care less about. The music, culture, art is all influenced throughout both games, and has given me some insight, which breeds interest.
I think in the end it comes down to us wishing there was something more than the world we’ve been given. These games allow you to emerse yourself in a different world with a fantastic story. The truth is, these are not worlds that would even be desirable in reality (violence, poverty, filth, hardship) but for whatever reason it’s refreshing to experience something so different in a meaningful way (more meaningful than watching a screen for 2 hours or reading a book at least). The strange thing is, I have no complaints about the REAL life I live, so I’m not sure what really grasps me about these other worlds. It must be the sheer fact that it’s different.. I’ll have to think more about it.
ALSO Bioshock 2 is on it’s way! I can’t wait but part of me feels it won’t be able to stand up to the original. We can cross our fingers…
Little Green Men
So as we (hopefully) get closer to getting our house here in the coming weeks I’ve been looking at ways to document our journey on camera (mainly for SleepyMoon) and have settled on the Zi8 as far as hardware is concerned. Upon researching this I’ve rediscovered (as I do about twice a year) all of my old videos stored on various places on the web. I also rediscover how much better Vimeo is vs. YouTube (another discussion for another time).
I wanted to start sharing some of those with you:
This is some footage I shot with some friends and we planned to make something out of it; who knows, maybe someday? There’s also some behind the scenes footage that goes along with this.
Anywho, fun to remember and hope you enjoy.
Phrases I Would Like to Know the Origin Of
- Cool beans
- Just Joshin’ ya
- Later fool
- Raining cats and dogs
Well, I can’t really think of anymore but I’ll make sure to add to this list...
New Years Resolutions
In some ways my life has changed a lot over the last year, and in some ways, it hasn’t changed at all. I don’t know what this next year will bring but I’ll try my best to nail down these resolutions.
- Buy a place. This is one I’m most looking forward to. Nothing quite like place to call home. Will also help me get started on Sleepymoon.net in a big way. (This should help #2)
- More media. Blogging, podcasting, drawing, whatever. Put more effort and energy into the creative stuff. More of it ALL.
- Eat healthier. This will hopefully be easier after #1 where we control the food we buy, eat, grow and store.
- Don’t become complacent. Buying a place in the city and doing the day job hamster wheel thing breeds complacency, debt, bad choices, etc.
- Life. Enjoy friends, be social, enjoy life, be in the now.
I guess technically it’s the 6th, but who’s counting?
