T w e n t y S i d e d
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Continue reading ⟩⟩ “DM of the Rings LXIX:
New Dimensions in Storage”
DM of the Rings LXIX:
New Dimensions in Storage
Continue reading ⟩⟩ “DM of the Rings LXIX:
New Dimensions in Storage”
DM of the Rings LXIX:
Continue reading ⟩⟩ “DM of the Rings LXIX:
New Dimensions in Storage”
Six Songs Collide
This is an amazing example of how far mashups have come. Norwegian Recycling – How Six Songs Collide:
Continue reading ⟩⟩ “Six Songs Collide”
XIII: Final Thoughts
I mentioned some of the shortcomings of this game in an earlier post. Now I’ve finished the game. Here is the usual list of observations:
The big thing in this game was THE CONSPIRACY. The bad guys were planning to overthrow the US government. There were 20 conspirators in all, including the main character. They were numbered I though XX, with the main character being the eponymous XIII. Throughout the game you work your way though the list, figuring out who everyone is. The big secret is: Who is number I?
Except, it wasn’t much of a secret. From the start I just assumed it was “Fred”. (I made that name up.) I thought it was pretty clear Fred was the guy. Then everyone kept asking me to find out who Number I was. You mean we don’t know? Gosh, I was sure it was Fred. Then I reached the end of the game, stopped their evil plans, and in a final ending cinematic they reveal the deep, dark, super-secret: It was Fred!
Yeah. Good one.
Continue reading ⟩⟩ “XIII: Final Thoughts”
Bootie 2006
The other day in the post on creativity, several people mentioned what they listen to when their creative juices are flowing. I thought I’d mention this:
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This is what I’ve been into lately. There is apparently an entire subculture of these mashup artists now. I remember hearing my first mashup years ago, and I thought they were amusing but limited in what could be done with them. Since then the number of artists has really grown, they have developed better techniques, and gotten their hands on better software. Now there is just a whole lot of really impressive mashups out there. The artists seem to thrive on unexpected or challenging combinations. Like, Kanye West vs. Beethoven vs. Walter Murphy. Or Jay-Z vs. Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons. If you want one song with some of everything, try Chemical Brothers vs. Velvet Underground vs. U2 vs. Sugababes vs. MARRS. Note that these don’t sound like an overlapping mess. The mashup artists take these songs apart and make something amazing and new from the components.
I can’t explain why I’m so fond of this stuff. It tickles my brain the same way They Might Be Giants and Weird Al do. The music is clever and unexpected. I never listen to Metallica, and I haven’t listened to Run DMC since I was junior high, but I can’t stop listening to the Enter Sandman + Tricky mashup. Often I’ll enjoy a mashup even if I hate the source songs.
You can download any and all tracks for free. It’s likely to be very hit-or-miss, and the favorites will most likely vary from one listener to another, but for what it’s worth my favortie tracks are #3, #4, and #12.
I love the internet.
Building Edoras
A quick note: I re-worked the last panel of the most recent comic. I don’t even know if anyone will notice, but I just in case you do: No, you’re not going crazy, it was changed.
But while I was looking at that last panel I was struck by the sight of Edoras:
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They really built that town. It wasn’t made with CGI. What amazes me is that they did it so that it can withstand a wide shot like this. Where are the tracks from the construction vehicles? Heck, just the people traveling to the site on a regular basis should have left a visible scar. I can only assume that stuff is on the other side of the hill, along with the trucks of food, mobile shelter, transport, generators, equipment, crew, and all of the other stuff needed to support all of the extras in that shot.
This place is in the middle of nowhere. I know the main actors probably got there via helicopter, but a helicopter didn’t bring all of those people, and they didn’t walk. They didn’t come by bus, because there aren’t any roads.
It really is amazing the millions of dollars that were spent on making that minute or so of footage.
Chad Vader
I remember a time, before YouTube, when writing a blog required actual writing. Now I can just repost stuff other people have put up on YouTube.
It’s a real time-saver.
(Found here.)
DM of the Rings LXVIII:
Deeds of Legend
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From The Archives:
Quakecon 2011 Keynote Annotated
An interesting but technically dense talk about gaming technology. I translate it for the non-coders.
What is Vulkan?
What is this Vulkan stuff? A graphics engine? A game engine? A new flavor of breakfast cereal? And how is it supposed to make PC games better?
Why The Christmas Shopping Season is Worse Every Year
Everyone hates Black Friday sales. Even retailers! So why does it exist?
The Mistakes DOOM Didn't Make
How did this game avoid all the usual stupidity that ruins remakes of classic titles?
Silent Hill Turbo HD II
I was trying to make fun of how Silent Hill had lost its way but I ended up making fun of fighting games. Whatever.
Batman: Arkham City
A look back at one of my favorite games. The gameplay was stellar, but the underlying story was clumsy and oddly constructed.
Deus Ex and The Treachery of Labels
Deus Ex Mankind Divided was a clumsy, tone-deaf allegory that thought it was clever, and it managed to annoy people of all political stripes.
The Loot Lottery
What makes the gameplay of Borderlands so addictive for some, and what does that have to do with slot machines?
Dead Island
A stream-of-gameplay review of Dead Island. This game is a cavalcade of bugs and bad design choices.
A Telltale Autopsy
What lessons can we learn from the abrupt demise of this once-impressive games studio?