Ocean Marketing vs. Their Customer (and Penny Arcade)

Anyone following this fiasco?  Saw it on Penny Arcade initially, which appears to have crashed now.  Traffic must be off the charts.

I'm wondering how extensive the ramifications will be for this marketing guy and his company.

A Surprising Turn of Events

I found myself weeping last night.

I spent many evenings over the last couple months mainlining the five seasons of Six Feet Under via HBO Go.  I remembered it being a good show, with a great  final episode, but something about the last 15 minutes of that finale had me in tears.

Suffice it to say that I'm not a particularly emotional person, so I found this disconcerting and still don't really understand where it came from.  Clearly the characters and plotlines are compelling. The dialog is well written and naturalistic, so I was drawn in and felt a connection.  But I think it was more than the content itself.

I think the way in which I watched the show had a subsuming effect, adding to the experience.  Specifically, I would watch in bed, on the iPad, with earbuds.  My wife would usually be asleep next to me, so the lights would be off.  I would also take off my glasses, limiting my near-sighted field of vision to the iPad screen in front of me, relatively close to my face, with everything outside that screen pitch black and hazy.  As a result, I felt immersed, both visually and aurally.

I think all this, combined with the compressed viewing period made possible by open access to back-catalog content and hi-def streaming capability, made for an emotional connection to a piece of art that I've hitherto not felt.

It was a little scary.

yeah, but can it play halo?

it turns out amphibians can play the game too. but they get testy when the juicy bugs turn out to be fake. be careful or they might take their frustration out on you.

why does Lou Ferrigno hate bears?

Into The Abyss

You know what would be a fun way to kick off winter? How about watching a depressing documentary about American crime? Warner Herzog's Into the Abyss opens at the Uptown Theater starting tomorrow.

Also: Attack the Block plays Friday and Saturday at midnight. Next to Drive it is my favorite movie this year.

Where do Zombies go from here?

Zombie movies have been around FOREVER. They had a moment in the sun in the late 60's early 70's with George A Romero, but soon fell into nothing but camp and B movie.

In 2002 we got 28 days later which was IMHO a very fun movie...and shortly after in 2004 there was Dawn of the Dead, another gem of a zombie movie (and also a remake of a Romero film.)

Yea, these had a little cheese and camp, but only a little. I see them as full bore A list movies.

Since then there has been a Zombie Craze. The popularity of the old B movies has risen and a storm of new B movies have been made. Unfortunately not a lot of A class new movies have been made. Those that have been made have really moved out of zombie and into comedy (Shaun and Zombieland, both good movies, but while they have zombies, the are comedies first and zombie movies second)

(Well, Crazies was an A list Zombie Movie, I guess I just didn't like it as much as 28 days/28 weeks and the Dawn remake.)

It has also moved over into books (World War Z to name just one very popular novel), video games (Left4Dead), graphic novels, (heck, it invaded the entire Marvel Comic) universe for a time, which in turn lead to TV's The Walking Dead.

It has even moved over to the shooting world in the form of zombie targets

http://www.zombietargets.net/ (even manikin ones that BLEED!) http://zombieammo.com/zombiepress/

One of the AR-15 companies (DPMS) has been having a Zombie shooting event for 4 years now (check youtube for Outbreak Omega)

And...now we have this.

http://www.hornady.com/ammunition/zombiemax

I am going to buy a box of 9mm. I am a bit disappointed they didn't have 357 magnum.

However, this makes me ask...where can the Zombie Craze spread to next?

Dogs on Fire

Who Do You Think You're Fooling? from Mike White on Vimeo.

shut up and play your guitar

i got all excited about Rockband 3 and the pro mode last year. recently i was checking out the Stratocaster that is a real guitar with built in sensors to let you play it in Rockband 3. i went to Best Buy and to see if they had it and i found this instead.

i bought it, and played nearly until my fingers bled.

it is everything i wish Guitar Hero was five years ago when i succombed to the guitar game Dark Side. you can use ANY REAL ELECTRIC GUITAR. all it takes is a special cable that plugs into the guitar and into the Xbox USB port. the cable comes with the game.

my first complaint is that when you are in Amp Mode there is a noticeable fraction of a second delay from when you strum and you hear the notes coming out of the speakers. i assume it is a delay caused by my Xbox sound going through the HDMI cable into the receiver. the game suggests getting a component audio cable to plug directly into the reciever for the sound, and use the HDMI cable solely for the video. i haven't done this yet to see if it solves the problem. i assume it will. in any case, during game play you can't detect a delay as long as you have the lag setting correct. or maybe it's just that i am so bad at guitar.

my second comlaint is that they don't have Stairway to Heaven *or* Freebird.

how to trap Godzilla

Andrew's post about protecting your home from velociraptors made me wonder what to do if Godzilla shows up. this site ought to help you out.

check out this happy customer's testimonial:

"Hey I just received my new Godzilla trap a week ago and I must say that it works great and I have already caught two godzillas. The only problem I’ve had is finding a place to relocate them and transporting cost are outrageous. Also trying to fit the trap under bridges and power lines on the way to the relocation site is quite the task. I did not have the manpower to set the trap so I bought a large excavator to set it. Anyway thanks again for the great product. " -Chesley Hayman

Sweet Weeping Mother of Christ!

Am I bound (or maybe doomed?) to become a hardcore MMO player?

Just as I won't be able to let the Star Wars MMO go untried, I doubt I'll be able to take a pass on a Shadowrun one.

Leonard Nimoy's Ballad of Bilbo Baggins

I always find out about these things too late

Now that the month of September is almost at a close I am here to inform you that September is National Velociraptor Awareness Month!

The American Society for Velociraptor Attack Prevention, along with the North American Velociraptor Defense Association and the United Velociraptor Widows Fund, will be providing free velociraptor safety seminars at local Red Cross centers across the nation. Contact your local center for more information.

Velociraptor attack is the 3rd leading cause of death for men age 27-29. However, everyone must think about the implications of velociraptors: young and old, men, women and transgendered persons.

The American Society for Velociraptor Attack Prevention is a bi-partisan group of professionals, dedicated to the diffusion of knowledge concerning velociraptor attack prevention.

Know the Enemy

The velociraptor is a bipedal carnivore with a long, stiffened tail and can be distinguished from other dromaeosaurids by its long and low skull, with an upturned snout. It bores a relatively large, sickle-shaped claw, typical of dromaeosaurid and troodontid dinosaurs. This enlarged claw, up to 67 millimeters (2.6 in) long around its outer edge, is a predatory device, used to tear into the prey, delivering a fatal blow.

Velociraptors are often found on tropical islands, converted to millionarie amusement parks, but are commonly being sighted in the Pacific Northwest. Of the essential facts you should know about velociraptors:

• Velociraptors hunt in packs, and are known to form an equilateral triangle around their prey.
• Velociraptors can accelerate 4 m/s², with a top speed of 25 m/s on open terrain, 10 m/s while wounded, and 10 m/s in indoor laboratories.
• Velociraptors can open doors, but are slowed by them. They can open an initial door in approximately 5 minutes, and will take half that time for each subsequent door.
• Velociraptors do not know fear.

http://www.velociraptors.info/

Winterfell's 5-Day Forecast

The Ballad of Jean-Luc and the Four Lights

in retrospect, it makes sense

I guess the moral is just because something is grammatically correct doesn’t make it right.

I originally came here to share this little gem http://cowbirdsinlove.com/46

However I ran across this one and couldn't resist sharing it instead

Attack The Block

Just making sure you all have gone to see it so we can keep being friends. It is showing at Rosedale.

STAR WARS : The Solo Adventures

here is a video that was the winner of the prize for Best Animated fan film at Star Wars Celebration V

No, I Will Not Let it Go.

Be sure the closed (read: English) captions are on.

I Thought of Tim

via Gawker

i give it a 10

For Dock

From Our Valued Customers, a comic that captures the kooky stuff said in comic book stores.

ever think about writing fan fiction?

if you are ever tempted to write fan fiction, you may want to read The Eye of Argon first. then reconsider.

here is a snippet from the novella:

"A tightly rung elliptical circle or torches cast their wavering shafts prancing morbidly over the smooth surface of a rectangular, ridged alter. Expertly chisled forms of grotesque gargoyles graced the oblique rim protruberating the length of the grim orifice of death, staring forever ahead into nothingness in complete ignorance of the bloody rites enacted in their prescence."

I Wish I Knew How to See This Movie

i'm sure none of us can relate to this...

Speed Halo

This looks fun.

Trollhunter

This is at the Lagoon currently. Unfortunately I have some family stuff I am doing this weekend, but I'd be interested in checking out this movie, either during the week or maybe this weekend.

Is anyone else interested?

in case you need reminding. Hodor.

here is what everyone is up to in Westeros.

Light done well

http://www.artrenewal.org/pages/artwork.php?artworkid=13243&size=large

I saw this and was quite impressed with the skillful capture of light.

It also reminded me of the discussion on 'pictures of vases' with Waters

oh, the good ol' 2800 baud days

here is a recording of a modem connecting, but slowed down 700x.

Hipster Jon Snow is aThing Now

His Tumblr. Make your own with Meme Generator. Follow him on Twitter.

Not Today

An illustration by the talented Maré Odomo for a forthcoming Game of Thrones 'zine.

I Needed a Napkin

When he isn't leading sing-alongs on late night TV, my friend Brendan Hunt dresses up like Elvis Presley and performs Elvis Costello songs as his alter ego, Elvis Prestello. This is his first effort at a music video.

"Alison" - A Music Video by Elvis Prestello and the Tractionaires - watch more funny videos

via funny-or-die.

dorks win teh Wikipedia

here is a list of the 100 longest entries on Wikipedia.

but officer, it's only a hobby!

i guess even physicists need hobbies.

A Reaction

i wonder if i can get a wind tunnel at the hardware store

if you don't make your saving throw, watch this:

My Favorite Musical

I'm with Dayton. Tax 'em.

(I have been following this band for over a year now but no one wants me to share with them.)

Jim Woodring @ Walker

One of my favorite comic book artists, Jim Woodring, will be in Minneapolis the evening of June 4th to promote his new collection "Congress of the Animals" and demonstrate the 7-foot fountain pen he built with Kickstarter-style funding.  

Best Action Scenes Ever!!! (Indian Robot Endhiran)

welcome to the jungle...err...endor?

JoCo on Planet Money

This was relevant to my interests.

Virgin review of GOT

This review is long. The guy butchers names and gets a lot of details wrong. Still, I have watched 3 of his reviews and find it very interesting to look at the show from the eyes of someone going in totally cold. It is very interesting how he is coming to very similar conclusions from just watching the show which in my eyes is just skimming the context. Clearly, the actors are doing their job of delivering the context beyond their lines.

lost cat

did anyone lose a cat?

Here You Go, You Milquetoasts!

It appears someone has made a game like Dwarf Fortress, but all nerfed out for pansies and the marginally trainable.

Did I say "pansies?" I meant "you pansies."

It's slightly on sale on Steam right now.

Hitler has dinosaurs

What?



what put me in stitches was when the dinosaur runs up and throws a goat. I mean, okay I can buy that Hitler's genetic scientists in the 1940s could extra dinosaur DNA from fossils, and then apparently attach semi-robotic guns and slave them to the dino's small brain, but NO WAY can you teach a dinosaur to throw a goat.

Also, why? Was the dinosaur using the goat as a bullet sponge? Milk? Cheese? Maybe the goat ate some grenades and will explode 5 seconds after being thrown.




Further, maybe if the dinosaurs didn't spend so much time practicing their goat-throwing skills, they'd be more able to withstand some kung-fu moves. That dinosaur went down awful quick.

Definitely too much time spent studying goat strategy not enough time in the dino-dojo. I mean, the Japanese were Hitler's allies after all. This means there was plenty of opportunity to bring over top notch Aikido teachers.

I do like how even in this alternate universe they do cling to some immutable truths. If you watch, I don't think that Frenchman fights even once.

Farm Fresh Girl

NSFW?

Repent Walpurgis

If you have eight and a half minutes to spare today, why not observe Walpurgisnacht by setting something on fire and listening to this:

The eye of the storm- that calm piano bit in the middle- is Bach's Prelude no. 1 in C Major, making the transition back into the main theme an actual rock block of Bach.

naked chicks baffle scientists!

and they can baffle you too.

i think a ladder might be easier

...but it wouldn't be as much fun.

Marewencol on PBS

It's airing tonight as part of PBS Independent Lens.

Set your DVRs.

Krallice - Diotima

Streaming at NPR, of course.

Yesterday's Enterprise Part 2.

The STNG fan-film we've all be waiting for. Also: everybody fucks.

getting pwned by a thirteen year old in Halo is bad enough

for the person who has everything. especially too many birds

you need to hook yourself up with one of these.

who knew? wagging tails inspire fear in birds.

oh no, there goes Tokoyo...

i am DAIKAIJU. What are you?

No more "Friday"

"Friday" has been up too long. I decided to counter Rebecca Black with some art. Upon viewing my choices it appears her name may have influenced my choices amongst Edouard Manet's works.

friday friday it's friday friday friday

which do you prefer?


this version:



or

this version?

p.s. who the heck is Rebecca Black?

p.p.s she rips off the Beatles!!11!11!!!

ever wonder what the net worth of a dragon is?

here is an estimate for the value of Smaug's treasure.

Armadillo

Read Russ Fischer's write up at /Film.

13 Assassins - Official Trailer [HD]

if you refuse, you die; she dies... everybody dies.

a montage of video game deaths. for fun, try to identify the games. i assume Gus will excel at that challenge.

Vivian Maier

All I can say is WOW

http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/07/new-street-photography-60-years-old/

NYTIMES has 19 photos of hers which can be full-screened, absolutely wonderful.

http://www.vivianmaier.blogspot.com/

The discoverer is posting photos regularly on a blog devoted to her.

Hawken

They're totally dumbing down video games AMIRITE?

who knew 4th-order runge-kutta simulators could be so fun?

be the envy of your office! own your own trebuchet

Agalloch Live

NPR has the set from the band's first ever shows in NYC.

baby ducks can't be potty trained?

George R.R. Martin vs Taiwanese News

A Dock Movie

So we've already determined what an "Andy movie" is. It's historical, most likely involves weapons and is about, by and large, men. But there's also, I believe, such thing as a "Dock movie" and its either a coming of age story or a movie about people talking to each other.

Let's see if Certified Copy (with the Denby seal of approval) fits the bill.

so. you're an out of work furry?

no problem

sorry, we're all out of phased plasmas rifles in the 40 watt range

but we do have an infra-red laser pistol in the 1 megawatt range.

She Don't Like Firefly

Ascension

I'd been exposed to Nethack by avk a decade ago, and like many, couldn't get my head around it. It's like looking at the Matrix from the outside -- you have to learn to read the code encrypted. But eventually you just see blonde, brunette, redhead...

I can't remember precisely when I dove in headfirst, but it was sometime n the last year. I've played other games in that time, but in the grand scheme, relatively few. And kept coming back to Nethack.

The turning point was my discovery of of the iPhone/iPad implementations. The ability to knock out a level or two waiting in line, on the toilet, or at a boring event (cough...ice dancing... cough) was critical to bending my learning curve. Another recommendation from avk was crucial: stop playing random characters until you know what the hell you're doing. Once I focused on my Lawful Valkyrie, it allowed me to learn the language from a single teacher, instead of from a cacophony of voices and accents shouting in my face. And of course, spoilers help...

The end result (or is it just the beginning?) was my first ascension approximately one hour ago, at 9:51 CST on March 9, 2011. No simple way to obtain proof outside a server-based game, so I had to resort to screen shots.

So, hearken all ye unto me! See below the final glory of Wolf the Swashbuckler, Level 19 Lawful Female Human Valkyrie, Slayer of Death, wielder of Excalibur, vanquisher of the Wizard of Yendor (and 2946 additional creatures).

There Be Dragons

If you haven't heard George is done~enough.

http://www.georgerrmartin.com/if-update.html

i know what you're thinking

"Did he drink six malt liquors or only five?" Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement I kind of lost track myself. But being as this is a Magnum 40, the most powerful bottle in the world, and would surpass the minimum fracture-threshold of your neurocranium, you've got to ask yourself one question: "Do I feel lucky?" Well, do ya, punk?

is that a bat'leth in your pocket?

here is an article about ten fantasy swords you wish you could own. but the writer didn't include this one.

Leningrad Cowboys & Red Army Choir - SWEET HOME ALABAMA

The Russian Red Army must be really hard up for cash to be doing this, but at least they aren't selling nukes

shrimp or GTA?

see more at This is Indexed.

ET comes eat reese's pieces and kick ass. and he's all out of reese's pieces.

Inside Game of Thrones HBO Aired version HQ 720P

Meek's Cutoff

Meek's Cutoff
Uploaded by ThePlaylist. - Check out other Film & TV videos.

Another one for the Andy movies list.

I Like Where This Is Headed

Black Coffee: Chapter 1 of Trails of Tarnation from New Picture Agencies on Vimeo.

From Nicholas Gurewitch, the Perry Bible Fellowship guy. Official site for the series here.

One of the reasons that I love you guys ...

... and one of the many reasons that you love me back.

EDIT: BTW, THIS IS FROM A SERIES OF SECULAR SERMONS INCASE THE RELIGIOUS PANSIES AROUND HERE RAN AWAY. :)

Jane McGonigal - On Productivity from The School of Life on Vimeo.

It is 45 minutes long but worth the time. The post's title is referring to about the 20 minute mark. Also, to be honest in our loving relationship(s) I feel that I should tell you that I am crushing pretty hard on Jane McGonigal.

Feel it in Your Pancreas.

This week's favorite song:

Incase you missed it.

Your bias I mean.

I know it is pledge week but did anyone catch the NPR TOTN bit, "Expert Finds Bias — Among Bias Researchers?" (audio and transcript)

The interviewee was engaging, unafraid of his argument and willing to explore any fallout and/or push-back; what little of it there is so far. That makes for a good call-in radio program. (I haven't read the site comments though. (as a rule))

This Does It For Me

The Wise Man's Fear

We are a month away from book II!

Here is an excerpt from an amazingly sweet blog post:

"There is an art to conversation, you see, and part of that art is the ability to occasionally let a trifling difference of opinion slide by without making a federal case out of it."

Ok Universe, I get it, I said I was effing sorry and Waters is all up on my ass too . . .

Winter Is Coming XIII-2

FFXIII-2

Now with feathers.
Will probably be terrible.
...
Day one.

First Person Shooter Map Design

Can you guess which one I prefer?

P.S. this could also be labeled WOW dungeon design Vanilla and Now

LOL XIII

On Monday NPR teased a story involving Final Fantasy but I had to go to class before it aired. The audio is here. A few excerpts:



"Final Fantasy XIII is set on the floating planet of Cocoon. The main character is Lightning, a pink-haired, sword-wielding young woman out to save her sister who is in danger of losing her soul forever. Beyond that, the plot is too intricate to even begin to explain."

LOL, Intricate.

""It's so cool and seductive, the idea that there is this cryptic, mysterious, confusing thing," says Lantz. "You know that there's something going on there, and you don't know what it is, but if you make the effort you can unlock the secret.""

LOL, No there isn't. No you can't.



""I personally liked that my mom didn't understand what buttons to press, and how she couldn't play the games," he explains. "It was something that I enjoyed that other people couldn't.""

LOL, Nerd with Mommy issues.
LOL, press the 'X' button.

Too soon?

Straight Outta Rochester

Atmosphere - Minnesota Nice feat. Felipe Cuauhtli, Prof, Mr. Gene Poole by rhymesayers

Atmosphere will be embarking on a Minnesota-only tour with zero stops in MSP. This new track features some of the MCs he'll be bringing along with him.

This Is My Milwaukee

Handbook.

via Brandon Boyer

EARTH

It is almost misleading to call EARTH heavy metal. The band did start out as a quintessential "doom" or "drone" metal act, but eventually evolved into something different.

Over at NPR Lars Gotrich (who is shaping out to be the genre's greatest cheerleader) writes the intro to a full-album stream of their latest "Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light 1."

If you like this be sure to check out "The Bees Made Honey In The Lion's Skull." It is a profoundly lovely record.

The Battlestar Galactica Story Bible

Ron Moore's bible (.pdf) for the Battlestar reboot. Moore was just coming off a long stint on Trek, so keep your eye out for lots of jabs at the series.

via i09 > Original Source

Dazed and Confused in Two Minutes

Kansas City MC Mac Lethal breaks the movie down in rapid-fire rhyme. For Dock, of course.

forever only lasts until May 3, 2011

you don't have to wait for forever to play Duke Nukem Forever.

Why Girl Talk is my Stravinksy

Classical music is lost on me. I wish I liked it, and even tried “Classical Music for People Who Hate Classical Music.” In the end, I decided it was like playing Frogger in 2011 – you can say you enjoy it, but I suspect it’s either for the nostalgia, or you’re a curmudgeon.

However, the history of classical, and the connections to today’s music are interesting. One particularly fascinating modern influential artist is Igor Stravinksy. In addition to being afraid of the dark, marrying his first cousin, and creating the first mosh pit in 1913, he challenged the prevailing definition of music. Wikipedia calls it serial composition, but to me it sounds haunting, layered, and noisy. If I could stand classical music, Stravinksy would be my guy.

Flash forward 94 years – to when some of you tried telling me how grand Girl Talk was…OK skip that, flash forward 98 years, to when I hear Girl Talk on the current. After a quick sojourn to some terrible “Girl Talk” jazz muzak on iTunes, I find the website, name my price for the whole discography, and begin the experience. Girl Talk, aka Gregg Michael Gillis, challenges the definition of music again – laying Busta Rhymes on top of the Police background, or my favorite, Get Low on top of Cecilia. There is an art to not creating crap in this process. Hell, in art class I’d end up with brown every time I tried to combine 3 crayons.

Gillis also thumbs his nose at the system by using unauthorized samples, distributes without a formal label, and is subtly reversing the business model. After buying Girl Talk at a discount, I was reminded of several classic tracks I picked up at full price. Maybe artists should pay him for his sampling.

If you haven’t given it a listen, throw the guy a few bucks and download an album. Meanwhile, I’ll be listening to Girl Talk drop Gold Digger on top of Oh Oh It’s Magic whilst I play Dig Dug.

Paranoid

Never Forget

Have You Read Any Good Books Lately?

Some of my friends have been posting this on facebook. The YouTube page gives a shout-out to io9.

Borderlands...a year(+) later

On Sunday a friend at work asked me if I had ever played 'Borderlands' and I assured him that I had, but it was some time ago. (yes folks, I was at work at 5:15 AM Sunday 1-2, while you were all still in bed)

This has made me reminisce about the game, both good and bad.

When all is said and done, I liked the game, but didn't love it. I'd rate it 3.5 out of 5 stars.

What I liked:

#1 I really liked the idea of 4 separate classes, and of those classes I REALLY liked 3. I never cared much for the tank. Each class having a supernatural (for lack of a better word) ability was very fun. Again, 3 of the classes had great specials, while the tank's special seemed kind of meh to me.

#2 I though the mix of shooter and RPG elements was handled very well. It never took me outside the system or caused me to think 'oh, I missed because of my stats rather than my aim' (although sometimes I did curse and blame a miss on the stats of my gun) I liked idea of the tech tree, but not all the details of the implementation. (in general I don't like tech trees where in the end you have maxed out 2 of 3 branches. I also like each branch to be a bit more focused)

# 3 One thing I always think about when rating a shooter is how the ammo supply and health supply feel. I always want to have a LITTLE concern about both. No one likes to be crippled by the shortage of bullets or drugs, but too many games have them given in such bountiful quantities that there never seems any need to conserve. This game hit that balance just right.

#4 I thought the vending machines were a wonderful decision for that world. They were great fun with random items, 'specials of the hour' and clocks telling me when to check again. Their presence also helped with the ammo/health supply issue. If I chose to shop (or scrounge) I could always start a mission with full ammo stocks, and generally finish it with half my ammo depleted if I was careful.

#5 I found the grenade mods to be a nice touch I hadn't experienced with any game before. I hope other games copy this feature. The shields were fun, both when worn by me and the enemy. I normally hate games where you can duck under cover and quickly be healed, but for me it just seemed different when I made the conscious choice to wear a shield that would heal me vs a shield that had more strength or faster rebuild times. Bonus points for having the enemies who would drop the shield to actually be wearing them during combat (and wielding the guns they dropped) The class mods were okay, but not a big deal. Maybe by the time I bumped into the first one I felt I had enough on my plate juggling the tech-tree, a couple different weapons, a pair of different shields, usually a pair of grenade mods, etc.

What I didn't like:

# 0 Character customization: I liked the basic look of each character but the degree of customization (changing the color of 10% of the character's outfit) was disappointing. (This isn't really enough of a complaint to warrant a number.)

# 1 Storyline: What? there was a storyline? It was paper-thin even for a computer game storyline...and it was stupid.

Solution: spend more than 3 minutes on creating the storyline.

# 2 The "Madder than Mad Max Mutants" look wasn't great to begin with, and got old FAST.

Solution: I'd have loved to have seen crazy-punk-rocker-mutants in a few areas, but in other areas see folk similar to the Sand-men of Star Wars, etc.

# 3 The place was too empty of people. I think part of the plot was you were supposed to care that the Crimson Lance was going to take over. Take over what? All the towns were empty except for very rare annoying mutant nut-balls. The few 'real' people you met were all grade A assholes. Okay lots of shooters and RPGs have this problem, but it was worse here.

Solution: they at least could have had your fist arrival into a town coincide with the last of the normal residents packing up and departing rather than face the increasing mutant threat or the Crimson Lancer's marital law. Then populate each 'town' with a few wandering normals, like maybe the town drunk or the old man who has buried his family here and doesn't care if he lives or dies, he "ain't leavin"

# 4 The Technicals were too powerful, you could drive over any threat you didn't bother to auto-target with your unlimited ammo rocket launcher.

Solution: give us dirt-bikes, dune buggies, or just the same outrunners without guns. The player can do fun jumps in, travel from spot to spot, and for the most part speed past threats. Give us access to the Technicals only in the spot where vehicle-on-vehicle encounters are to be had.

# 5 The Guns. There were two problems.

A. There were too many of them. Way way way too many of them.

Too many "layers" were in the creation program which meant that most guns dropped by bosses or in crates or whatever were not something I was interested in. If you DID find a combination you liked, too bad, you'd never find it again. Main complaint is the frequency of a contradictory mix. You can have a 'Variety' (Cobra) that is improved accuracy at the sacrifice of damage but it's "Body Type 3" (AR-Cobra) which means it sacrifices accuracy in the name of improved damage. And when 6 'layers' are used to create the gun, it just gets messy.

Solution: Variety X cannot access body type 3 or 5 as they are contradictory, and repeat this for manufacturer, body type, material, manufacturer, add-ons, . OR...allow a player to pay to 'clone' his gun just sliding it up the level scale by 10.

B. In the end I did not care for their elemental system. In the end, it seemed like two identical weapons, one 'vanilla' and one 'elemental' the vanilla one did 125% the base damage of the elemental. But as unimproved elemental damage was supposed to give you about a 125% damage increase, it was a total wash. Using the 'perfect' elemental type against it's intended 'best foe' type (i.e. Corrosive vs Armored, Lightning vs Shield) gave a benefit, but it wasn't a big enough benefit to justify swapping away from your best gun. However, if your best gun WAS an element type and you happened upon a creature using that same element you were really hamstringing yourself.

Solution: Make element ability matter enough that it is tactically useful to swap to a slightly inferior gun of the perfect element type for your target. This way you don't NEED to have one weapon of each element in your backpack, but keeping around that Lighting X-3 revolver for when you encounter a shielded opponent is a smart move.

screen cleaner

i would have done better on the color hue ranking, but i used a 1987 green monochrome monitor. and the screen was dirty. so i got screen cleaner utility. now i just have to change monitors and redo the test!

Color test

http://www.xrite.com/custom_page.aspx?PageID=77

I got a 4. Try it yourself. Then have your S.O. try it, but what how much quicker she burns through it.