T w e n t y S i d e d
Another one of the conversations between myself and the WiiFit, transcribed for your enjoyment.
Grapple Rules
I tend to archive binge on Darths & Droids instead of reading it as it comes out. Unlike my shooting gallery for common tropes, Darths & Droids is far more intricate and lends itself more to binge-style reading.
Last week Darths & Droids took on the Dungeons & Dragons (or the fictional equivalent being used in their world) system of grappling, and linked back to my own lampooning of Attacks of Opportunity. (The thread on that comic is one of my favorites. Every post insisting that AoO are simple is refuted by the simple fact of its existence. Then there were counter-arguments based on that fact. There were some posts that went on for paragraphs trying to sum up the rules, and I suspected they were actually just provocateurs on the other side of the argument. The layers of irony stacked on until I couldn’t tell which side people were on anymore. It was brilliant. Then there was a secondary discussion about archery. If you read the comic and not the comments, you missed out on at least half the fun.)
For you non-tabletop players:
Attacks of Opportunity is a system that lets combatants take an extra attack out of order to prevent people from exploiting the inherent turn-based nature of the game. You can’t just run between the guards and take a swipe at the king without them getting the chance to act.
The grapple rules deal with people grabbing, shoving, pushing, and wrestling in a fight. If you want to pry the golden chalice away from someone or knock the driver off the stagecoach, then you’re probably going to need to turn to the grapple rules. Those rules are, as the Comic Irregulars point out, many times more complex than AoO.
It is odd that I went after AoO instead of the grapple rules. Aragorn is even doing a grapple while they argue over AoO! This is mostly due to the fact that I’d never bothered with the grapple rules. In the games I ran, on the occasions that someone did want to grapple I always glossed over it with such vigorous handwaving that it probably looked like I was trying to fly.
GTA IV vs Saints Row 2: Story
The battle continues. Which game will win? Actually, I guess I sort of gave that away back in the first post. Still, let’s go through the motions together.
Continue reading ⟩⟩ “GTA IV vs Saints Row 2: Story”
Left 4 Dead Server Update
The feedback I’m getting is that the Twenty Sided Left 4 Dead server is in some way providing people with entertainment. Lacking the ability to play myself, I am at least happy that others are enjoying the game. We have MrTact to thank for that. If you see him in game, do try to keep from shooting him, since he’s paying the rent.
It’s traditional to have a forum to go with a server or a group like this, but my first instinct is that providing one would be poisonous to the community that has arisen here. A forum would take some of the conversation and move it into a walled-off area, and suddenly there would be two “classes” of readers. It could have the side effect of causing the comment threads to wither, and I am keenly aware of the value they add to the site. If anything, I’d like this new thing to add to the site in some way, even for people who never play the game. Barring that, I want to make sure we don’t upset this rare mix of thoughtfulness and civility.
But sometimes you need a way to communicate asynchronously with the group. So perhaps I’ll do a weekly gaming thread. People can say whatever needs to be said about in-game events, or report problems, post their Zoey / Francis romantic fanficion, or whatever. I guess we can consider this post one such thread.
And just to satisfy my curiosity:
What’s your preferred game mode? Normal, Expert, and Versus seem to be three distinct experiences, and I’m curious what the break down is among players. Normal seems to be the most popular, but it may be that’s it’s simply a neutral middle ground between Expert and Versus players.
The New PC
Due to popular demand, I’ll show you my new machine. Be warned, it’s not terribly exciting.
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| Left: The venerable ten year old Dell, now a wise and genteel Linux box. (Ubuntu. It’s still young at heart.) Right:The new unremarkable gray box. |
The machine is this one. Intel Pentium Dual Core 2.4GHz – 4GB DDR2, 250GB SATA HDD.
The last few computer purchases have been Systemax, and I guess it’s only dawned on me now that they have a terrible survival rate. My wife’s Systemax Laptop bricked after 3 years. My previous PC was also a Systemax, and it bricked after 3 years as well. I helped my brother set up a Systemax three years ago, and that one is still in service. (Although it doesn’t see a great deal of use.) I have a favorable impression of the machines because they’re always so nice out of the box. (Not loaded with demos and crap.) If this one doesn’t go the distance it will be our last Systemax.
Continue reading ⟩⟩ “The New PC”
TwentySided L4D Server
A reader* was kind enough to rent some server space, so we now have a dedicated Left 4 Dead server for the Twenty Sided group on Steam. This means Twenty Sided members can play together without needing for everyone to add everyone else as a friend, which was quickly becoming an untenable solution. (157 members as of this writing.)
The server should show up in the server list for all members, so you can jump on and know you’re playing with other people from the site. This should keep out the riff-raff. (He said, adjusting his monocle.)
A new graphics card is on order, and as soon as that arrives I’ll be joining in. I tried using my integrated graphics card in L4D yesterday, and:
1) The results were hilariously bad: No lighting. No fog. Abysmal framerates. Graphical artifacting. The smell of brimstone and the sounds of children weeping.
2) So bad, in fact, that I can’t believe it worked at all. Kind of impressive that I got the game to run. Although full-bright no-fog L4D is sort of pointless.
Once I have some civilized hardware in this thing we can resume our zombie-killing adventures. I’ve had a great time playing L4D and Team Fortress 2 with other Twenty Sided members. Maybe I’ll formalize it a bit with a dedicated thread on Friday nights. We’ll see. As always, I have to balance these games against my need to play, review, and lampoon other games on a regular basis.
* I forgot to get permission to print a name or pseudonym. Since the name I have looks like a real one, I don’t want to put it out without permission.
$5 Fan Kills 100 times its value in hardware
My new computer is here and I’m slowly hammering it into some sort of usable shape. I’ve performed an autopsy of the old machine and its accoutrements. The butcher’s bill:
- My power supply.
- Motherboard. (And without the motherboard, I can’t say if the CPU survived. Not that it matters. I’m not going to go shop for a compatible motherboard (a complex task even if the CPU is brand new and you know the exact make, which it isn’t and I don’t) so I’m calling it a loss as well.
- Everything plugged into a USB port. (My wireless Mouse & keyboard set.)
- My video capture card. (Nooooooooo!) That is going to be a nightmare to replace.
- My AGP graphics card is most likely dead, although that’s no big loss as I no longer own an AGP compatible machine.
Silver lining: The hard drive survived. I have backups of the critical data and patchwork backups of the less-critical stuff, but the drive itself is far better.
I’ll post more about the new machine later.
Off-Brand Intel Single-Core 3.0Ghz passed on this weekend as the result of prolonged internal cooling difficulties. It was 3. Services will be held at the Greater Pittsburgh Recycling Center this Thursday. Born in 2006, Off-Brand is survived by a lone Western Digital hard drive.
From The Archives:
Resident Evil 4
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Dead Island
A stream-of-gameplay review of Dead Island. This game is a cavalcade of bugs and bad design choices.
Marvel's Civil War
Team Cap or Team Iron Man? More importantly, what basis would you use for making that decision?
The Truth About Piracy
What are publishers doing to fight piracy and why is it all wrong?
Civilization VI
I'm a very casual fan of the series, but I gave Civilization VI a look to see what was up with this nuclear war simulator.
Are Lootboxes Gambling?
Obviously they are. Right? Actually, is this another one of those sneaky hard-to-define things?
Silent Hill 2 Plot Analysis
A long-form analysis on one of the greatest horror games ever made.
Could Have Been Great
Here are four games that could have been much better with just a little more work.
Charging More for a Worse Product
No, game prices don't "need" to go up. That's not how supply and demand works. Instead, the publishers need to be smarter about where they spend their money.
What is Vulkan?
There's a new graphics API in town. What does that mean, and why do we need it?