Nothing to report, but here's a mere sampling at what goes through my mind.....
Me: Okay, work is done, I'm on my way home, what's the plan for the evening?
Me: Food.
Me: Well, yeah obviously...
Me: Sushi!
Me: No, no sushi, I ate out twice already this weekend.
Me: Noodles!
Me: No! I said we're eating in tonight!
Me: But we don't have anything to eat in the house!
Me: I went shopping yesterday, there should be...
Me: What? All you bought was tea
Me: No I got other stuff...
Me: Yeah. Carrots.
Me: Not rice again?!?
Me: What's wrong with rice.
Me: Nothing, just boring that's all.
Me: No it's not, I have lots of sauces and stuff...
Me: Had. You ran out remember...
Me: .. and forgot to buy more yesterday.
Me: Pizza!
Me: No! No pizza! No noodles! No sushi! Just rice!
Me: Awwww!
Me: Too late, already on the stove. So, what's the plan after supper.
Me: Dishes.
Me: Ew.
Me: Well you were supposed to do them on the
weekend. What did you do instead?
Me: Er, shopping?
Me: And then?
Me: Ummm....
Me: You know what you did. Unreal....
Me: Okay, I played Unreal Tournament 2004...
Me: And lost...
Me: Yes. I lost. Because somebody doesn't know how to lead a target...
Me: We could go to the gym!
Me: We went Saturday and Sunday. Two days on, one day off. Today is the day off.
Me: But it's Monday!
Me: ... hottie day!
Me: Yeah But I'm still sore from...
Me: Wah, wah, wah. You never have a good workout Mondays because all the stations are full but that's not the point. Remember Red Sonja?
Me: Oooo.
Me: Yeah.
Me: Jeez, what's the point? Not like you ever would do anything about it.
Me: What do you mean?
Me: Remember a couple of weeks ago? Two cute girls? They actually talked to you?
Me: Yeah, so. I haven't seen them since.
Me: That's the bloody point! You didn't follow up at all. An open, no, two open invitations to make converstion. And what do you do?
Me: Now that's just....
Me: You just work on your chest and back. Real ladykiller you are. A player's player....
Me: Potstickers!
Me: Shut Up!
Me: So if we don't go to the gym, what do we do?
Me: The dishes?
Me: Besides that!
Me: Unreal Tourn...
Me: No.
Me: Galactic Civi...
Me: No.
Me: Chicken Balls!
Me: No!
Me: Ummmm...
Me: Hmmm....
Me: Porn?
Me: No!
Me: Leia's Metal Bik...
Me: No! Shutupshutupshutup!
Me: What then?
Me: *sigh* the gym I guess...
Me: Yay!
Me: Boo!
Me: Rice is ready!
Me: Groan!!!
Monday, March 20, 2006
Sunday, March 19, 2006
So Yeah, I'm Surfing
Oh my, three links posted today. That's not a record but a very good indication of how productive my day has been.
Surfing counts as church right?
Er, okay publishing seems to be screwed up again.
Surfing counts as church right?
Er, okay publishing seems to be screwed up again.
This Just In...
Alright I'm a geek, I find this disturbing yet somehow...well you get the idea. Not safe for work (although it does depend on where you work.
Leia's Metal Bikini
Okay, chicks who cos-play rock.
Juicy enough for ya H?
Leia's Metal Bikini
Okay, chicks who cos-play rock.
Juicy enough for ya H?
Good News Everyone!
Looks like Futurama is being revived (and not in the year 3000). Billy West is the voice of fry and his blog/BB says it all....
Second Posting Down
Of course, ths is because The Lemming bought another boxed set last week!
Second Posting Down
Of course, ths is because The Lemming bought another boxed set last week!
Saturday, March 18, 2006
V for Vindicated
Alright, last night went for a few brews (sans green food colouring) with the boys, then went to see V for Vendetta. Pretty good movie if a little disjointed (and a hollywood ending).
But sure enough, had a whole row of young whipper-snappers yapping through the entire movie, despite the fact that three patrons (including myself) told them to shut the hell up.
Hmmm, maybe if the theatre issued a one-shot taser to one in every ten patrons, things would be quieter (after the initial series of zzzzzzzzap! Yeow! ).
Another dull day today. Gym, and, well that's pretty much it. May have to go to Best Buy and drool over toys.
But sure enough, had a whole row of young whipper-snappers yapping through the entire movie, despite the fact that three patrons (including myself) told them to shut the hell up.
Hmmm, maybe if the theatre issued a one-shot taser to one in every ten patrons, things would be quieter (after the initial series of zzzzzzzzap! Yeow! ).
Another dull day today. Gym, and, well that's pretty much it. May have to go to Best Buy and drool over toys.
Thursday, March 16, 2006
I Need a Beach
Man, I need a beach. Not just a vacation (which ain't happeneing until July) but a place to sun, swim, eat and be merry.
Looking through old vacation photos ain't no help neither.
Winter blues. This is actually the upswing where I'n no longer near-suicidal, but still somewhat blue. And bored more than anything.
Hmmm, tomorrow is Green Beer day. Ah yes alcohol! To quote a wise sage, the source and solution to all of life's problems.
Ah well, off to the gym. Oh wait!
New girl at the gym, who for very obvious reasons I have dubbed Red Sonja. Firey red hair, body builder body without being too hard and, well, let's just say a chainmail bikini would look very fetching. Doesn't hurt she wears a sports bra and tights/shorts. Grrrrrowwwwrrrrr!
Hell's Donkeys, I need a girlfriend...
Looking through old vacation photos ain't no help neither.
Winter blues. This is actually the upswing where I'n no longer near-suicidal, but still somewhat blue. And bored more than anything.
Hmmm, tomorrow is Green Beer day. Ah yes alcohol! To quote a wise sage, the source and solution to all of life's problems.
Ah well, off to the gym. Oh wait!
New girl at the gym, who for very obvious reasons I have dubbed Red Sonja. Firey red hair, body builder body without being too hard and, well, let's just say a chainmail bikini would look very fetching. Doesn't hurt she wears a sports bra and tights/shorts. Grrrrrowwwwrrrrr!
Hell's Donkeys, I need a girlfriend...
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Movies, Pirates and Pirate Movies
So let's see, the movie moguls and the **AA types are screaming that theatre revenue is down from 5% to 9% (depending who does the reporting) over last year. And they are, of course, blaming piracy.
Now I love going to the movie theatre to see a movie. A good movie. A few months ago, I managed to get 20 $5 movie theatre passes because I spent at least that much a year on the theatre.
Haven't used any of them yet. No reason to. No movies I would be willing to spend the cash (or coupons) on.
And why should I? Over the past few years, the movie mills have been slavering at the teat of new technologies: DVD, Pay-Per-View, Video on Demand. So instead of either a) seeing it in the theatre or b) hoping, after a year at least, that it will be released on VHS, I have a plethora of mediums to choose from. So going from most expensive to least expensive (but also from release date on) here are my options:
1) Full price, first run theatre
2) Second Run theatre
3) Purchase the DVD
4) Rental
5) Video on Demand
6) Pay per view
7) Premium Cable movie channel
8) And (maybe) on regular broadcast TV
So why, if I don't want to go to a specific theatre at a specific time and pay $13 plus snacks (making it $25 for one person) should I feel guilty for not going? I have plenty of options. And working in the business (okay the distribution end) I know for a fact that the movie companies get their cut for rentals, PPV, VOD etc. And they are very aggressive at getting the movies on your television.
But the most significant reason I simply don't go to the theatre is the audience. The morons who chat like they are in their living rooms. The cell phone talkers. The idiots who ask what's going on to all and sundry. Because they are easily confused by today's intricate plots, subtle characterization and unpredictible story lines.
So with the frustrations of the theatre, the easy and cheaper access to several media to see it after release, not to mention there just isn't anything worth seeing lately, why should I go to a theatre?
And I don't download movies. Not much point really. The risk is too high that there's something malicious hiddin in there somewhere. Or it's corrupt, or it's of very crappy quality. Or I may get sued.
Yes, that is a deterrent for me. I have really, really bad luck when it comes to stuff like this (remeber, two tickets in 2 hours?). Hell, I'd get sued for downloading an old episode of Gilligan's Island, forget about a full length feature film.
So here's my recommendations:
1) Chop theatre ticket prices by one third. And the snack bar prices by half. Then people may be willing to show up. And I could tolerate the twenty minutes of commercials.
2) Actually enforce some of things we took for granted in the theatre (being quiet, turn off your phones etc). I am more than willing to script and animate some very biting commercials for this. when was the last time you saw an usher in a theatre?
3) Stop making tired old crap. Indie films are getting more and more attention the past few years. Take a little risk and fund some of these folks.
4) There is nobody on the planet who is worth $10,000,000 for twelve week's work. You can reduce the cost of production by using cheaper actors, who will do just as well as the 'A-list' celebs.
5) Release movies over the course of the year. The summer blockbuster is dead. Why do studios insist on fighting for the consumer dollar twice a year when they can release something good in the spring? Moronic.
6) Reduce DVD prices by a couple of bucks. Really, it costs pennies to produce one. Get it into the price range of an impulse buy rather than a day's wages.
7) And for that matter, drop the price of those DVDs that are considered 'small yield'. $50 for 'The Seven Samurai' is insane. There are alot of films I would love to get on DVD but just can't justify spending the money (and I seriously consider downloading them).
Times are changing folks. Change or die. And if you think it's bad now, wait a couple of years. Imagine a market where the competition isn't the other big studios, but the small group of individuals who put together a full length feature film in their garages, basements and backyards and sell it for $2 a pop online. SFX? No problem, I could cook up some myself. Editing? Hey digital editing suites are coming included on most operating systems today. Actiing? Hells, I've seen better on stage at my local playhouse (and in the office for that matter). As for scripting, well, writers are a dime a dozen nowadays....
Now I love going to the movie theatre to see a movie. A good movie. A few months ago, I managed to get 20 $5 movie theatre passes because I spent at least that much a year on the theatre.
Haven't used any of them yet. No reason to. No movies I would be willing to spend the cash (or coupons) on.
And why should I? Over the past few years, the movie mills have been slavering at the teat of new technologies: DVD, Pay-Per-View, Video on Demand. So instead of either a) seeing it in the theatre or b) hoping, after a year at least, that it will be released on VHS, I have a plethora of mediums to choose from. So going from most expensive to least expensive (but also from release date on) here are my options:
1) Full price, first run theatre
2) Second Run theatre
3) Purchase the DVD
4) Rental
5) Video on Demand
6) Pay per view
7) Premium Cable movie channel
8) And (maybe) on regular broadcast TV
So why, if I don't want to go to a specific theatre at a specific time and pay $13 plus snacks (making it $25 for one person) should I feel guilty for not going? I have plenty of options. And working in the business (okay the distribution end) I know for a fact that the movie companies get their cut for rentals, PPV, VOD etc. And they are very aggressive at getting the movies on your television.
But the most significant reason I simply don't go to the theatre is the audience. The morons who chat like they are in their living rooms. The cell phone talkers. The idiots who ask what's going on to all and sundry. Because they are easily confused by today's intricate plots, subtle characterization and unpredictible story lines.
So with the frustrations of the theatre, the easy and cheaper access to several media to see it after release, not to mention there just isn't anything worth seeing lately, why should I go to a theatre?
And I don't download movies. Not much point really. The risk is too high that there's something malicious hiddin in there somewhere. Or it's corrupt, or it's of very crappy quality. Or I may get sued.
Yes, that is a deterrent for me. I have really, really bad luck when it comes to stuff like this (remeber, two tickets in 2 hours?). Hell, I'd get sued for downloading an old episode of Gilligan's Island, forget about a full length feature film.
So here's my recommendations:
1) Chop theatre ticket prices by one third. And the snack bar prices by half. Then people may be willing to show up. And I could tolerate the twenty minutes of commercials.
2) Actually enforce some of things we took for granted in the theatre (being quiet, turn off your phones etc). I am more than willing to script and animate some very biting commercials for this. when was the last time you saw an usher in a theatre?
3) Stop making tired old crap. Indie films are getting more and more attention the past few years. Take a little risk and fund some of these folks.
4) There is nobody on the planet who is worth $10,000,000 for twelve week's work. You can reduce the cost of production by using cheaper actors, who will do just as well as the 'A-list' celebs.
5) Release movies over the course of the year. The summer blockbuster is dead. Why do studios insist on fighting for the consumer dollar twice a year when they can release something good in the spring? Moronic.
6) Reduce DVD prices by a couple of bucks. Really, it costs pennies to produce one. Get it into the price range of an impulse buy rather than a day's wages.
7) And for that matter, drop the price of those DVDs that are considered 'small yield'. $50 for 'The Seven Samurai' is insane. There are alot of films I would love to get on DVD but just can't justify spending the money (and I seriously consider downloading them).
Times are changing folks. Change or die. And if you think it's bad now, wait a couple of years. Imagine a market where the competition isn't the other big studios, but the small group of individuals who put together a full length feature film in their garages, basements and backyards and sell it for $2 a pop online. SFX? No problem, I could cook up some myself. Editing? Hey digital editing suites are coming included on most operating systems today. Actiing? Hells, I've seen better on stage at my local playhouse (and in the office for that matter). As for scripting, well, writers are a dime a dozen nowadays....
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
So Ya Want Juicy, Huh?
How does this grab ya?
Er, it was a photo of me. Real sexy. Dammit, musta broke Blogger again....
Er, it was a photo of me. Real sexy. Dammit, musta broke Blogger again....
Monday, March 13, 2006
Fricken' Cold
Argh. I can't shake this damned thing.
I'm fine for a day. Then I'm sick for a day. Then I'm okay again until I try to do something, and my stomach grinds itself into knots. Damn and blast.
But for the first time in months, whn I woke up the sun was actually above the horizon at a decent degree. Which is always a bonus. And it also means 'Spring Forward' is coming, and it takes me a couple of weeks to adjust again.
It's Monday, which means it's eye-candy day at the gym. Yay! But it's also an abs and legs day. Boo! It's the most boring of my workouts and produces the least results. Damn flab.
I'm fine for a day. Then I'm sick for a day. Then I'm okay again until I try to do something, and my stomach grinds itself into knots. Damn and blast.
But for the first time in months, whn I woke up the sun was actually above the horizon at a decent degree. Which is always a bonus. And it also means 'Spring Forward' is coming, and it takes me a couple of weeks to adjust again.
It's Monday, which means it's eye-candy day at the gym. Yay! But it's also an abs and legs day. Boo! It's the most boring of my workouts and produces the least results. Damn flab.
Saturday, March 11, 2006
Spore, Hangover and Coffee
First and foremost, I get accused of being a geek-enabler. Video, games, movies, books etc, I loan them out, a knowing, evil smile on my face as I know have made a healthy, creative and vibrant person waste a colossal amount of time on geeky pursuits.
But sometimes it works the other way. The Lemming sent me this.
Oh. My. Gods.
Now if I had a rating system for games I haven't played and haven't been released, it would be, from lowest to highest:
Never, ever will this hit my hard drive.
I may play it if the CD comes embedded in a box of Cheerios.
I'd play it if someone gave it to me.
I may pick it up when it hits the bargain bin.
I'd be willing to pay full price for it after it's released.
Heck I'll pick it up the day of release.
Wow, I'm pre-ordering that!
And now a new category: Holy Crap, I will kill, maim and torture to get my hands on a buggy alpha release of this!
And I'm hung-over today. Bar after work, a hockey game and then a bar after the game. Eeesh. Not much of note actually happened, but what the heck, a night out with a two-day hangover never hurt anyone.
Coffee. Coffee is key....
But sometimes it works the other way. The Lemming sent me this.
Oh. My. Gods.
Now if I had a rating system for games I haven't played and haven't been released, it would be, from lowest to highest:
Never, ever will this hit my hard drive.
I may play it if the CD comes embedded in a box of Cheerios.
I'd play it if someone gave it to me.
I may pick it up when it hits the bargain bin.
I'd be willing to pay full price for it after it's released.
Heck I'll pick it up the day of release.
Wow, I'm pre-ordering that!
And now a new category: Holy Crap, I will kill, maim and torture to get my hands on a buggy alpha release of this!
And I'm hung-over today. Bar after work, a hockey game and then a bar after the game. Eeesh. Not much of note actually happened, but what the heck, a night out with a two-day hangover never hurt anyone.
Coffee. Coffee is key....
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
Ill but not Bad
So I'm getting another cold. Yesterday was hell, as you feel it creeping up on you, your nose getting more and more 'liquid', your intestines clench etc.
So I went home, sucked back a liter of juice, a couple of Vitamin C tablets, a pot of Echinacia tea and went to bed at 8:30.
So I'm stuffed up this morning but over-all feel okay. Work will fix that though.
No, not very interesting, but sometimes I forget just how much a good night's sleep makes you feel. Obviously, I didn't even start playing GalCiv2.
Hmmm.... half an hour before I need to go to work.... maybe a couple of turns....
So I went home, sucked back a liter of juice, a couple of Vitamin C tablets, a pot of Echinacia tea and went to bed at 8:30.
So I'm stuffed up this morning but over-all feel okay. Work will fix that though.
No, not very interesting, but sometimes I forget just how much a good night's sleep makes you feel. Obviously, I didn't even start playing GalCiv2.
Hmmm.... half an hour before I need to go to work.... maybe a couple of turns....
Monday, March 06, 2006
Death Carries a Calculator
So guess who just did their taxes?
There's Death, there's Taxes, and there's also Death by Taxes. I owe a grand. Which ain't bad after the first crack at it had me owing over $2500.
Yes there's no time like Tax Time (cue cheesy 50s instructional film music). The smile and far-away look in the eye as Joe Taxpayer contemplates what he'll do with that fat refund check. Maybe he'll buy that boat he's been eyeing! Or that glitzy new American Made automobile! Why, he'll be the envy of his neighbors! And just imaging Bob's expression when Joe pulls into work in that fine automobile. Of course Mrs. Taxpayer may have a little surprise herself! Good thing that tax return can pay for that new crib! Congratulations Joe, and Joe Jr.! (show film flickering, the sound warbling and the lighting burning a hole through the celluloid.)
So after that wonderul bit of news, I tried to figure out how much more in RRSP contributions I needed to make to break even. Turns out I would have to double my contributions. Who needs to pay rent? Maybe I can carjack Joe Taxpayer and live in his Caddy.
As for RRSP contributions, I don't buy it. Sure, it takes off a little bit of tax, but they ding ya later, for more if you get a decent return on investment. They get ya comin' and goin'. Not to mention that RRSPs are a bit of a gamble. There's no guarantee of any kind of returns, and all that needs to happen is another bubble 'n' burst in the next thirty years to bring any of those 'investments' to rock bottom. And I'm no good at investing. I'm the kind of guy who puts a buck in the change machine and gets back three quarters. So I'll just spend it now, and hope my kids will supp...
Uh oh.
There's Death, there's Taxes, and there's also Death by Taxes. I owe a grand. Which ain't bad after the first crack at it had me owing over $2500.
Yes there's no time like Tax Time (cue cheesy 50s instructional film music). The smile and far-away look in the eye as Joe Taxpayer contemplates what he'll do with that fat refund check. Maybe he'll buy that boat he's been eyeing! Or that glitzy new American Made automobile! Why, he'll be the envy of his neighbors! And just imaging Bob's expression when Joe pulls into work in that fine automobile. Of course Mrs. Taxpayer may have a little surprise herself! Good thing that tax return can pay for that new crib! Congratulations Joe, and Joe Jr.! (show film flickering, the sound warbling and the lighting burning a hole through the celluloid.)
So after that wonderul bit of news, I tried to figure out how much more in RRSP contributions I needed to make to break even. Turns out I would have to double my contributions. Who needs to pay rent? Maybe I can carjack Joe Taxpayer and live in his Caddy.
As for RRSP contributions, I don't buy it. Sure, it takes off a little bit of tax, but they ding ya later, for more if you get a decent return on investment. They get ya comin' and goin'. Not to mention that RRSPs are a bit of a gamble. There's no guarantee of any kind of returns, and all that needs to happen is another bubble 'n' burst in the next thirty years to bring any of those 'investments' to rock bottom. And I'm no good at investing. I'm the kind of guy who puts a buck in the change machine and gets back three quarters. So I'll just spend it now, and hope my kids will supp...
Uh oh.
Sunday, March 05, 2006
It's All About Pacing, Baby!
Sunday morning. Nothing like a Sunday morning to drink a pot of coffee.
So yesterday, went to the gym, ate at Burger King (which I do once in a while, then regret it), washed some clothes, cleaned the carpeted half of my place, and played GalCiv2 for a bit.
I also started watching the Firefly series again. Man I love that show.
Ran into a guy at the gym who did time in Fort McMurray (you do time there, there's no other way to express it) when I was there. Kinda weird in that I keep running into people from my sordid past these past couple of months. See what happens when you break up with a girl who books your social calender solid?
Hmmm, maybe I should explain about the cleaning routine. You see, my apartment is basically in two halves: the living room and bedroom is the 'carpeted half' and the kitchen, bathroom and hallway is the 'linoleum half'. Over a weekend I'll do one half per day. The carpeted half tends to get messy: books (okay, mostly comic books) various doodads I've collected since the last cleaning etc need to be collected and put somewhere. And this weekend I officially ran out of space on my bookshelves. So I need to buy another bookshelf. And find a place to put it.
Now the 'linoleum half' is just a pain in the keister. Without a dishwasher, I just do dishes once a week (not like I cook or anything, just coffee mugs, the occasional bowl and maybe a plate or two). And of course there's the mopping. It's not like I leave everything until it starts to evolve new lifeforms (er, maybe once in a while) but I just find cleaning such a chore. Which is probably why it's called a chore. I hate chores.
So that brings up today's plan. Try and resist the urge to start up GalCiv, maybe watch another episode of Firefly, clean the bathroom, then get it dirty again, head to the gym, pay for those tickets, drop off the dry cleaning, do the dishes, clean the kitchen, mop and maybe do my taxes. Exciting, no?
Yup, I'm a swingin' bachelor.....
So yesterday, went to the gym, ate at Burger King (which I do once in a while, then regret it), washed some clothes, cleaned the carpeted half of my place, and played GalCiv2 for a bit.
I also started watching the Firefly series again. Man I love that show.
Ran into a guy at the gym who did time in Fort McMurray (you do time there, there's no other way to express it) when I was there. Kinda weird in that I keep running into people from my sordid past these past couple of months. See what happens when you break up with a girl who books your social calender solid?
Hmmm, maybe I should explain about the cleaning routine. You see, my apartment is basically in two halves: the living room and bedroom is the 'carpeted half' and the kitchen, bathroom and hallway is the 'linoleum half'. Over a weekend I'll do one half per day. The carpeted half tends to get messy: books (okay, mostly comic books) various doodads I've collected since the last cleaning etc need to be collected and put somewhere. And this weekend I officially ran out of space on my bookshelves. So I need to buy another bookshelf. And find a place to put it.
Now the 'linoleum half' is just a pain in the keister. Without a dishwasher, I just do dishes once a week (not like I cook or anything, just coffee mugs, the occasional bowl and maybe a plate or two). And of course there's the mopping. It's not like I leave everything until it starts to evolve new lifeforms (er, maybe once in a while) but I just find cleaning such a chore. Which is probably why it's called a chore. I hate chores.
So that brings up today's plan. Try and resist the urge to start up GalCiv, maybe watch another episode of Firefly, clean the bathroom, then get it dirty again, head to the gym, pay for those tickets, drop off the dry cleaning, do the dishes, clean the kitchen, mop and maybe do my taxes. Exciting, no?
Yup, I'm a swingin' bachelor.....
Saturday, March 04, 2006
Friday, March 03, 2006
Fuel Status Marginal
Yawn...
Okay I've had no energy this past week. Granted my gaming habits may have something to do with it, but I've been walking around in a light pink fog all week, even when I got to bed on time. Maybe I had a nervous breakdown and didn't realize it?
Looks like a chores weekend. Cleaning, laundry, taxes (ugh), dry cleaning and paying the bills. Fun stuff, I know. So those of you who live vicariously through me (you know who you are) may want to take the weekend off.
Gym can wait until tomorrow though.
Okay I've had no energy this past week. Granted my gaming habits may have something to do with it, but I've been walking around in a light pink fog all week, even when I got to bed on time. Maybe I had a nervous breakdown and didn't realize it?
Looks like a chores weekend. Cleaning, laundry, taxes (ugh), dry cleaning and paying the bills. Fun stuff, I know. So those of you who live vicariously through me (you know who you are) may want to take the weekend off.
Gym can wait until tomorrow though.
Thursday, March 02, 2006
GalCiv2: AKA Software Insomnia
Okay, I'm writing a review of Galactic Civilizations 2: The Dread Lords because I'm to go to a play tonight. Understand that for the past week, I've been coming home from work, putting a Pizza Pop in the microwave and starting the game. Next thing I know, it's way past my bedtime, the Pizza Pop has congealed in the nuker and I still can't hit the 'Quit' button.
And if I do that tonight, I won't make the play.
GalCiv2 is a classic 4X (eXplore, eXploit, eXpand and, um, eXfoliate) turn-based strategy game along the lines of Masters of Orion, the Civilization series and, well, GalCiv1. And since it's in space I of course had to try it out. So after a digital purchase and download (c'mon, c'mon, c'mon! Download already you piece of ....) I fired it up and got invaded by another civilization before the first year had ended.
Alright, check the forums for strategies. Nope, too new, everyone is learning. Okay go through the tutorials. Okay I think I got the grasp of this. Start a new game....and Earth is invaded by aliens within a year. Alright read the actual manual. Oh so the default spending is 50% but to get everything working at top capability, max spending to 100%. Ah okay. Start up another game, crank up the spending, go into debt by the end of the year, have my colonies rebel by the end of the second year and assimilated by angry robots by year 3. Doing better at least!
Start up a new game, do stuff to get my population up and be happy by researching those technologies and I have 5 colonies humming along by the end of the year, okay, now let's... oh wait, another race is demanding my lunch money. Screw you alien scum! My, what a big fleet he has, and here's me with no military to speak of....
And that's the game really; you need to balance spending, popularity, technology, efforts into building economic output, military, your influence on other races, your influence with your own people, deal with moral dilemmas (dilemmae?), negotiate, lie, cheat, steal and outright beg from other civilizations including the genetically-modified warrior squirrels (no, I'm not kidding).... There are so many things to balance!
Which is great!
One of the really neat things in this game is the construction of your ships. You can customize things like weapons, defenses, sensors etc, but there is also a huge catalog of cosmetic add-ons you get for free to make your ships as cool as you want them to be. this is turning out to be a huge hit for the fans out there. I've been avoiding it since I got City Of Heroes and played with the costume creator for an entire month. Bloody addictive personality.
The AI is really solid (almost too solid at the harder levels) and the devs make no apologies: a computer can micro-manage much better than a human (especially me). And although you can repeatedly hit the 'Next Turn' button, every time you do, the uneasy sensation that you are forgetting to look at something grows...
The learning curve is pretty steep, and although the manual gets into the mechanics, it takes some time to figure what does what (and what side-effects they have) to get a civilization going, and for some that will not be an appealing feature. Even when you do get over the hump (which I did recently by dominating the universe, not by force, but by selling cheap trinkets, pushing diet soda, and making sure out technologically enhanced pop-stars make regular appearances on alien worlds. In other words I destroyed their cultures with my own! I felt a little dirty, but dammit I won.) there is still alot that can happen with random events, planet placement, races, events etc etc. No game plays the same twice and, here's the main thing, no strategy will work every time!
So as a game it's pretty damn good. Add to that, there is some very tongue-in-cheek messages (one race invaded me because I tried to sell them diet cola), some really great graphics you have a winner.
Now there are some cons here. The interfaces can get a little confusing and may not work as well as expected. But I'm putting together a list for the forums, which by the way, the devs are very active on and have already implemented some suggestions in a patch or two. It's a typical indy-developer viewpoint getting more and more presence: they know who buys their games, they know there will be problems, and they know they are fixable. This is a refreshing change from the big-corp method of 'Behold, our great and innovative sequel! Tremble and be amazed!' attitude.
So overall, this is a fantastic, turn-based strategy game in a day and age where the genre has been declared dead. It's not without it's warts, but frankly it's a helluva lot more polished than many of the 'offerings' from the big boys over the past couple of years. So it looks like I have a new source of sleepless nights for the next while (besides the other reasons).
Oh, and if any of the devs are reading this, who came up with the confirm message for quitting to be "Are you sure you want to quit? A few more turns won't hurt..."
Bastards.
And if I do that tonight, I won't make the play.
GalCiv2 is a classic 4X (eXplore, eXploit, eXpand and, um, eXfoliate) turn-based strategy game along the lines of Masters of Orion, the Civilization series and, well, GalCiv1. And since it's in space I of course had to try it out. So after a digital purchase and download (c'mon, c'mon, c'mon! Download already you piece of ....) I fired it up and got invaded by another civilization before the first year had ended.
Alright, check the forums for strategies. Nope, too new, everyone is learning. Okay go through the tutorials. Okay I think I got the grasp of this. Start a new game....and Earth is invaded by aliens within a year. Alright read the actual manual. Oh so the default spending is 50% but to get everything working at top capability, max spending to 100%. Ah okay. Start up another game, crank up the spending, go into debt by the end of the year, have my colonies rebel by the end of the second year and assimilated by angry robots by year 3. Doing better at least!
Start up a new game, do stuff to get my population up and be happy by researching those technologies and I have 5 colonies humming along by the end of the year, okay, now let's... oh wait, another race is demanding my lunch money. Screw you alien scum! My, what a big fleet he has, and here's me with no military to speak of....
And that's the game really; you need to balance spending, popularity, technology, efforts into building economic output, military, your influence on other races, your influence with your own people, deal with moral dilemmas (dilemmae?), negotiate, lie, cheat, steal and outright beg from other civilizations including the genetically-modified warrior squirrels (no, I'm not kidding).... There are so many things to balance!
Which is great!
One of the really neat things in this game is the construction of your ships. You can customize things like weapons, defenses, sensors etc, but there is also a huge catalog of cosmetic add-ons you get for free to make your ships as cool as you want them to be. this is turning out to be a huge hit for the fans out there. I've been avoiding it since I got City Of Heroes and played with the costume creator for an entire month. Bloody addictive personality.
The AI is really solid (almost too solid at the harder levels) and the devs make no apologies: a computer can micro-manage much better than a human (especially me). And although you can repeatedly hit the 'Next Turn' button, every time you do, the uneasy sensation that you are forgetting to look at something grows...
The learning curve is pretty steep, and although the manual gets into the mechanics, it takes some time to figure what does what (and what side-effects they have) to get a civilization going, and for some that will not be an appealing feature. Even when you do get over the hump (which I did recently by dominating the universe, not by force, but by selling cheap trinkets, pushing diet soda, and making sure out technologically enhanced pop-stars make regular appearances on alien worlds. In other words I destroyed their cultures with my own! I felt a little dirty, but dammit I won.) there is still alot that can happen with random events, planet placement, races, events etc etc. No game plays the same twice and, here's the main thing, no strategy will work every time!
So as a game it's pretty damn good. Add to that, there is some very tongue-in-cheek messages (one race invaded me because I tried to sell them diet cola), some really great graphics you have a winner.
Now there are some cons here. The interfaces can get a little confusing and may not work as well as expected. But I'm putting together a list for the forums, which by the way, the devs are very active on and have already implemented some suggestions in a patch or two. It's a typical indy-developer viewpoint getting more and more presence: they know who buys their games, they know there will be problems, and they know they are fixable. This is a refreshing change from the big-corp method of 'Behold, our great and innovative sequel! Tremble and be amazed!' attitude.
So overall, this is a fantastic, turn-based strategy game in a day and age where the genre has been declared dead. It's not without it's warts, but frankly it's a helluva lot more polished than many of the 'offerings' from the big boys over the past couple of years. So it looks like I have a new source of sleepless nights for the next while (besides the other reasons).
Oh, and if any of the devs are reading this, who came up with the confirm message for quitting to be "Are you sure you want to quit? A few more turns won't hurt..."
Bastards.
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
this is not a post
I know, I said pictures. They are coming, probably on the weekend.
Galactic Civilizations 2 is a good game.....
Galactic Civilizations 2 is a good game.....
Saturday, February 25, 2006
Introducing: "The Red Light"
Well, since Blogger is not working for uploading images, here's a link to one:
The Red Light!
The Red Light!
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