Friday, March 05, 2010

| KK: Specific

I am very much game for Kombat Kommander Pacific. jr0n expressed strong interest too. I guess homeboy generally likes the Pacific theatre much more than Europa/Afrika.

Sounds like I should check out this House of Leaves business. Ahhh... GRRM stuff is great. I reread the series last year and enjoyed it a lot. I picked up a lot that I had missed or forgotten the last time around. I wish he would get no 5 out. I hope he doesn't slow down even further because of any involvement the HBO series that was recently green lighted for 9 episodes plus the pilot.

D>M>

| Oh Yeah

Don't forget I have Combat Commander: Pacific just itchin' to be played, Rudy. So I'll corner you at Kubla and we'll make it happen, whether you want it or not. Because sometimes 'no' really does mean 'yes'. Right guys? Right?

| House of Leaves, gettin' tougher

As the book sort of, changes, in the 100's it has become obviously more difficult to read. Not that the subject matter is tougher, but the physical act of reading the book has become borderline, annoying.

Not real big annoying, but enough that I am discouraged to read it in bed at night which is when I usually read. Lots of page flipping and axis shifting, etc. I still like it, and I 'get' what's happening and how the story and book are sort of running parallel (I think), but still. I still likey, of course.

I actually picked up Storm of Swords again (in House of Leaves protest)last night and I never finished it the first time and really there is no point in trying to continue on - I need to at the very least start the book over to refresh wtf is going on.

So I did. And now I feel like I need to restart Clash of Kings too, so I can get the back story to SoS. Cool! I just need to read roughly 1500+ pages to catch up with where I left off last time! Wheeee!

Thursday, March 04, 2010

We're like some unofficial bookclub! I barely got through the introduction before falling asleep. I'm just so not used to reading these days. It was interesting though! I will try to read some more this weekend, but I also picked up 2 World War II books about the Pacific I need to read too.

All those two's looked so weird. :)

That sucks about the outcome of the game you guys were doing :( I dunno, don't give up, do something new, I'll learn C# or something and do the music for free.

Wednesday, March 03, 2010

| well the real worst part

Is I'm a raging asshole to work with!

Just got into the mid-100s section of House of Leaves, where the form of the book really starts getting weird (and the reading gets much faster). I was glad when I realized the reflected parts were just showing the page behind and that I didn't really have to hold the book up to a mirror... or should I still???

| Worst Part?

All the people who did the work for 'free' or back-end payments did the work on-time and to a satisfactory level, meanwhile the people getting paid did not, and worse decided to fuck around with the netcode, and essentially break the game, before we submitted it to Microsoft for part of the review process.

Good times, good times.

Hell is other people.
Awww, I'm gonna fly off my roof tonight!

I think it's like most artistic mediums in that there's a lot of lazy motherfuckers out there that you're forced to deal with because the days of the 1-man band are pretty much done. But I still think anything is possible, and it just takes a tremendous amount of hustle to get shit done. I know my own music has been stagnant for a long time and that's 100% my own fault. I think it's some kind of fear-of-failure complex I have.

I don't know! I wanna see The Crazies! Yeah!

| Ah, what could have been

Yes.

In fact this is exactly what I was working towards a few years back but was told 'it was too hard, impossible, etc.' by our 'programmers' and some outside consultants, as well as by Microsoft, but let's not go there.

Let this be lesson to us all: if you have a 'crazy' idea that seems impossible, do it anyway. Especially if you are drunk and it makes perfect sense that you should be able to fly off the roof and land safely, do it. Especially if you're Enron.

Tuesday, March 02, 2010

Check out this interesting game on Facebook from Microsoft:
Match Defense

Toy Soldiers. The facebook game is a color-matching bejeweled/puzzle quest kind of game in a war game wrapping. They're also doing a Live Arcade game that's a full on 3-D realtime strat game or something but that ties into this one. Sounds interesting. The puzzle quest part is pretty fun.
Little Article about it: HERE

Edit: It's actually sorta Jewel-matching mixed with Tower defense - it's interesting. It sorta reminded me of the game you guys were gonna make in an abstract sorta way.

Monday, March 01, 2010

| The Wrestler

Eeeuggh, what an intense movie. Really, really good but really nerve wracking.

Features copious amount of Marisa Tomei toplessness.
This Celestial speaks truth! Well, if Michaels does in fact have paints suitable for your toys, then it should be noted that practically every week the news paper has a Flier with 40% off or so. Enticing, I know.

Rented "The Hurt Locker" and "Godfather 2" this weekend. Hurt Locker was pretty good. It's about the bomb-squad type of units over in Iraq and it's super tense and just sorta fucked-up throughout, but not in a preachy way. And then Godfather 2 is just awesome. 3.5 hours goes by so fast when it's that sorta shit.

Also saw Shutter Bug Island on Friday and it was good in a "classic movie magic" sorta way. Wanna see The Crazies next - actually got pretty good reviews!
yeah, i registered last night and it was still 35 bucks, but the system is a bit different now. I don't know how to pre-signup for the events. Anyway, the list of games looks totally different. I don't see shogun OR (god forbid) Axis and allies on Sunday 10am slot anymore. (visine tear drop). So now I'm effectively stuck with Settlers of cataan tourny that starts on friday night and I don't even like playing SOC! (that much)

I used to get some paints and primer stuff over at Michaels. I didn't notice too much difference between the two paints, except the lack of metallic colors. Metallics aren't ususally used in Hobby clay pots. You know, if you wait for 50% off coupons, that shit gets really cheap. But then I never really was a Art fanatic, so you guys will probably notice different color hues that I does not.

Just fyi all, I won't be staying nights at the con, so whoever is doing the room thing, just leave me out. I'm only 25 miles away, so Im going to sleep in the comforts of the home bed.

Jon - do you have a copy of inglourious bastards? If so, lemme borrow it from you the next time I see you. Been meaning to get that movie for a while now, but just haven't gone around doing it.

Erick - really? you don't enjoy Bioshock? it's impossible to start on survivor or hard, think you have to start on medium first. Otherwise it's just utter BS how hard killing the monsters is.
oh shit, just did it now too, still $35 bucks apparently!? Yay.

| Saved by the Bell!

Will register now, thankz 4 tha 411!

Yeah, what's with the Citadel prices? (The refrain of our generation of nerds.) Ludicrous. Armory primer is the kind with the logo by the Munchkin guy, right? If so, stay away! I bought a can once and it really was the primer equivalent of Munchkin, in that the first 1/3 of the can was fine but everything after that was a horrible experience, never to be repeated. I have never seen PP primer around so have never tried it. I have heard good things about Krylon. I've meant to pick up a can several times but they never seem to have it at Home Depot. Some people swear by the cheap shit you can pick up at Wal-Mart.

I've also recently learned about gesso. The terrain guys like it because it doesn't eat foam, but also some people swear by it for hand priming small numbers of minis, particularly in inclement weather. Do you guys have any experience with it?

Why does this coffee taste like sweat, and should I have drank this much of it?

| Kubla still $35.

I have done this the past couple of years. Come Monday morning after the $35.00 cut-off, I realize I have missed it, only to find, they have not updated the price yet. Last I looked about 3 minutes ago, the price was still $35.00. get it!

I will know as we get closer to this weekend and the weather reports are more accurate for the weekend. Say Thursday morning.

D>M>
Glad you're enjoying House of Leaves, Aeryk. I knew that book would be right up your alley from page xi. I agree with your summary, except I have never read any Derrida, so you have out-literated me there. Although I have read some Borges. Hey, they're both Mexican, right? I'm only on page 70 but should make some substantial headway by end of business day. I have today off, and it is my aim to spend a great deal of the day chillaxing.

Hopefully the 13th works out! Enron when will you officially know the scoop? (Update, saw your post after posting this post.) We can try Grind out then as well. Incidentally, why is it that you guys find warjacks hard to paint? Both of you and Doc Italia all echo this sentiment.

Other news:
- As usual, having reminded everyone to pre-reg for Kubla, I have failed to do so myself.
- I caught Hurt Locker in a local theater yesterday. It was good, but I wouldn't say amazing. I have now seen all the best picture nominees except for An Education, Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire, and Up in the Air. Inglourious Basterds is great but I think my favorite of the bunch was A Serious Man by the Coen Brothers. It's hard to describe why this movie is good but many scenes from this movie have stuck with me after just one viewing. Recommend Shreking it out on DVD.
- Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. Also, we have no control, shun the handshake, and Frogger with my life.

| Carnuba Khan

I'm pre-reg'd as well.. Yay! I suppose now is the time to start the discussion about how many rooms and how many days. Thursday night room or no? Two rooms or one?

In like Flynn:
eLzar, Rude, jr0n, Dr. Futbol, eNron, Ian

Unconfirmed:
P. ennis, Pe-tar, DaveDefeat

Am I missing anyone?

So what is the consensus?

eLzar, yeah citadel is just silly expensive anymore. I'm still rolling with a couple of Citadel cans I bought a couple of years ago during my Warmachine Primer blitz. jr0n, have you tried the Armory stuff? Its quite a bit cheaper. Privateer also makes primers that are pretty affordable. Again I will yield to my contemporaries for opinions on these.

The 13th seems to have possibility. At this point, the weather forecast in LA looks descent, although not great, next weekend (5th-7th). If it remains so, than logistically it looks like I will be here the 13th. Still have to get buy in from the missus.

D>M>

Sunday, February 28, 2010

| Whew, close one!

- The tsunami alert we had in Santa Cruz proved an empty threat. Whew!

- Pre-reg'd for Kubla Khan? Oh, hells yes!

- Got Grind. Probably be better with a) a real life opponent, b) league rules. It's interesting, and for sure there is a lot to learn with how all the moves and whatnot are applied to a game setting, but for now it seems a lil' weird. Looking forward to exploring it more with the SF WM contingent.

- Discovered I have two OOP games that fetch a pretty penny on the Troll and Toad buy list! Hooray for trading old games for credit! ASL Solitaire 2nd Ed. is on the buy list for like $230 bucks (bought for $40 at the War House) and a sealed copy of Battle Cry is on there for like $80 (bought at the going out of business sale at the Game Keeping in Del Amo for $20). Now if I could only find some one to buy this piece of shit unpunched Agricola...

- Feels good to start painting some minis again. The smell of primer is a comforting feeling, fo shizzle. NO IDEA if I still have any chops, and War Machine jacks are kinda hard to paint anyway, so time will tell. Ran out of primer so ran to my FLGS and bought a can of Citadel Chaos Black Primer for $16.00!!!! WTF? Krylon here I come (next time)!

- Picked up Gears of War I again for $9.99 and remembered pretty quickly why I sold it the first time... Also, started playing a borrowed copy of Bioshock I, and got about as far as the first time, then lost interest. I REALLY want to be engrossed, but I'm just not.

- "House of Leaves!" Read it! My twitter about it: "House of Leaves - What happens when Jacques Derrida, HP Lovecraft, Douglas Coupland and the Blair Witch Project have a love-child." I continue to be engrossed, disturbed, intrigued, and fascinated with this book and am trying to pace myself so I don't finish it too quickly. Very unique, very worth your time.

- How we lookin' for the 13th, Enron?

- Playing around with a Wordpress installation I have on the AT server, some of you probably received a password in the email because I forgot to click the 'do not send' option when I created the dummy accounts. I converted the AT Reviews blog with some ease, yet all the posts show as being mine, so I fear what will happen when I roll the REAL blog over.... but Wordpress seems way, way cooler to use and customize than Blogger ever has been, and I look forward to moving on. Poor move on Google's part to alienate their FTP 'customers' I think, but hey, who's gonna argue with our new Overlords?