Twenty Sided

By Shamus Posted Monday Nov 17, 2008

Next PostFallout 3:
Questions Answered 

I think one of the major mistakes they keep making with the Silent Hill series is that they keep trying to tell stories about the town itself and the cult that got things started. I don’t think the story of Silent Hill is what we’re here for. We’re here for the premise, which is a spooky town that can pull people into the otherword. Once we have that, we don’t need an ongoing tale. Grafting new people and events onto the established narrative doesn’t make the setting more interesting or compelling.

This graph depicts the highly accurate and scientific readings of several games in the Silent Hill franchise, using equipment to measure the freakishness (using the standard Lovecraft logarithmic scale) against the innate wackyness (as measured in kilostooges) of the content. All devices were calibrated against solitaire prior to measurements.

Continue reading ⟩⟩ “Silent Hill Series”

Shamus Young is a programmer, an author, and nearly a composer. He works on this site full time. If you'd like to support him, you can do so via Patreon or PayPal.

 World of GooPrevious Post

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Questions Answered 

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Weezer Keep Fishin on Ukulele

By Shamus Posted Saturday Nov 15, 2008

Filed under: Movies 65 comments

 A Capella Tribute to John WilliamsPrevious Post

Next PostThe Escapist Film Festival: Unskippable 

It’s pretty hard to justify this as geek culture, but this kid has talent and I want to link her and this is my website so I will:

Link (YouTube)

This is Julia Nunes, a YouTube celebrity musician. Which means many of us have probably never heard of her. Internet fame is so strange because it’s so compartmentalized. What I like about this video is how she messes up the start but keeps going, instead of starting over or editing her mistake. There is a certain self-confidence in that. I suppose in this context we should call it showmanship.

She’s got a lot of videos, most of which are done using the format above: She plays ukulele and does multiple voice tracks so she can harmonize with herself, and sometimes she plays rhythm with her hands.

Also noteworthy is her cover of It’s The End Of The World As We Know It, which is an incredibly challenging song. She and a friend conquer it with skill and a dash of teenage silliness. That song was big when I was 16 and Julia was minus two. It’s nice to know our music is still hip enough for the young people. This is not always the case.

Additional trivia: She sometimes refers to her friend “Shamus” in her videos, (like in this one at the 4:20 mark) and it never fails to freak me the heck out. In my 37 years (I’m not old!) I’ve never heard that name spoken except in reference to me, and it’s really hard to get my brain to not think of it as me. Imagine if you bumped into a stranger on the street who blurted out your first, middle, and last name. That’s what this feels like. I imagine people named “John” and “Dave” get over this really early in life, but it’s just not something I ever encounter.

Shamus Young is a programmer, an author, and nearly a composer. He works on this site full time. If you'd like to support him, you can do so via Patreon or PayPal.

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Stardock Admits Mistakes

By Shamus Posted Thursday Nov 13, 2008

Filed under: Video Games 42 comments

 Command & Conquer MisprinPrevious Post

Next PostTomb Raider Underworld Reviews 

A few weeks ago Stardock released their 2008 customer report (PDF) which discusses, among other things, the current state and future plans for their own content delivery platform, Impulse.

Impulse is the first serious rival to Steam. Not in size (at least not yet) but in functionality and intent. It offers many of the advantages of Steam while avoiding many of the annoyances. The PDF I linked above gives a peek at what they have planned. It’s a long read, but it’s not padded with a lot of touchy-feely PR speak. It is a vessel densely packed with information, and time spent reading it will not be squandered.

One of the most intriguing things about the report is that it looks at what went wrong with Impulse at launch, what’s been fixed, and what issues still need to be resolved. It reads like an internal memo, but it’s been sent out to all of us so we can see where the company is going with this. This is something I love about Stardock: The ability to appraise and address shortcomings in public. Compare this to how a company like EA or 2kGames approaches criticism:

Continue reading ⟩⟩ “Stardock Admits Mistakes”

Shamus Young is a programmer, an author, and nearly a composer. He works on this site full time. If you'd like to support him, you can do so via Patreon or PayPal.

 Command & Conquer MisprinPrevious Post

Next PostTomb Raider Underworld Reviews 

42 comments

Crpl tunnl is a btch

By Shamus Posted Wednesday Nov 12, 2008

Filed under: Personal 37 comments

 Wind StormPrevious Post

Next PostA Pet Project, Euthanized 

Ow. I’m not sure what the deal is, but my arms are going all carpal on me. This came about very abruptly. Monday I was fine. Tuesday I was flicking my wrists and massaging my forearms. I haven’t changed my workspace, and I haven’t increased my typing output, so I don’t know what’s causing this.

I’m going to forego the posts I’d had slated for today and engage in some premeditated slacking. Just so I don’t send you away empty handed, here is some stuff to read:

Alex reviews Bully.

Kaedrin talks about Anathem, the new Neal Stephenson book. Also good is this post on Blu-Ray, which suggests that Blu-Ray isn’t as important as Sony thinks it is.

Jay Barnson takes another look at the eternally slippery term “RPG”.

Ow again. Kind of sucks when your job, your second job, and your hobby all require lots of typing.

EDIT: I have no idea if this is true carpal tunnel or not. It’s an ache in the backs of my wrists and the front of my forearms which makes typing painful. Addendum: Ouch.

Shamus Young is a programmer, an author, and nearly a composer. He works on this site full time. If you'd like to support him, you can do so via Patreon or PayPal.

 Wind StormPrevious Post

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Command & Conquer Misprin

By Shamus Posted Tuesday Nov 11, 2008

Filed under: Video Games 41 comments

 MMO Games:
The Pwnage PrinciplePrevious Post

Next PostStardock Admits Mistakes 

By now many of you will have seen the latest DRM debacle from EA. Command & Conquer shipped with a misprint in some manuals, so that only 19 of the required 20 digits were printed in the manual. The solution offered by EA? Simply guess at the last digit. After all, there are “only” 36 possible characters.

That gem of advice was given here, although at some point since the story broke they actually changed the answer and told you to call support for a new CD key. Which is faster: Trying to guess the correct code or waiting on hold to talk to a human being at EA?

People keep suggesting that the ongoing DRM blunders are simply part of an overarching scheme on the part of EA to push gamers over to consoles where they can be more effectively bilked. Others think that this is all a simple pattern of idiocy and incompetence. I do not see any alternate explanations. They are either pernicious saboteurs or keepers of a stupidity so virulent they pose a danger to themselves and the industry they depend on.

But let’s not be narrow minded. They could be both!

Shamus Young is a programmer, an author, and nearly a composer. He works on this site full time. If you'd like to support him, you can do so via Patreon or PayPal.

 MMO Games:
The Pwnage PrinciplePrevious Post

Next PostStardock Admits Mistakes 

41 comments

Stolen Pixels #37:
Part One of Infinity

By Shamus Posted Tuesday Nov 11, 2008

Filed under: Column 0 comments

 Stolen Pixels #36:
You Only Hurt the Ones Who Love You Previous Post

Next PostStolen Pixels #39:
Not a People Person 

In the book of short-sighted, cynical ineptitude, a new chapter has been authored. Apparently the people of Activision believe that the need for sequels transcends the need for quality, originality, aesthetics, wit, and fun. The industry is rife with counter-examples, but you’d have to know something about videogames to understand that and spot the changes that are going on. And for whatever reason, none of the big publishers will let gamers into the boardroom.

Shamus Young is a programmer, an author, and nearly a composer. He works on this site full time. If you'd like to support him, you can do so via Patreon or PayPal.

 Stolen Pixels #36:
You Only Hurt the Ones Who Love You Previous Post

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Not a People Person 

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MMO Games:
The Pwnage Principle

By Shamus Posted Monday Nov 10, 2008

Filed under: Video Games 78 comments

 EA: The Noose Loosens Previous Post

Next PostCommand & Conquer Misprin 

xMEGA MANx offers us his Sun Tzu-esque advice on battle strategy.

MMO games inevitably follow their own variant of the Peter Principle: Players will choose increasingly tougher foes until their defeat is assured.

This has always been my #1 gripe with online games, that a majority of players are idiots at risk assessment and are impervious to teaching. No matter how many times they end up face-down, they refuse to consider an alternate strategy.

In City of Heroes (and most other MMOs) foes in the game are color-coded. The coloring varies slightly from game to game, but in general it works something like this: Foes with White names are about the same level you are. Yellow foes are a little above you and so slightly tougher. Orange means it will be a challenge, Red means it will be very dangerous, and Purple is nearly insurmountable.

There is a bonus to XP when you fight something above your level. Some players assume more bonus=more better, and thus the thing turns into a sort of monkey trap for clueless players. Sadly, you have to team with these people, and the monkeys outnumber the smart people.

Continue reading ⟩⟩ “MMO Games:
The Pwnage Principle”

Shamus Young is a programmer, an author, and nearly a composer. He works on this site full time. If you'd like to support him, you can do so via Patreon or PayPal.

 EA: The Noose Loosens Previous Post

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The Brilliance of Mass Effect

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DM of the Rings