I finally got around to putting up more images into the images gallery. I will be doing some more in the not too distant future, as well. I had been hesitant to put up that many images until I knew what I was going to do for a watermark system… I now have that set up and automated, so each image has a little translucent “www.nadreck.org” in the lower right corner.
You can find them here.
This is hardly a full list of games I wish would be created, but it is certainly a start.
1. Mega Man as a console first person shooter, ala Metroid Prime and Halo. Think about all the cool weapons and interesting enemies that could be done with this franchise. Far better this than the current rehashed dead-end currently being developed.
2. Starship Troopers as a MMOG. Universal ranking system, platoon “clans”, a combination of rpg elements, FPS, and RTS (at the command level). Something similar is being done currently called “Planetside”, which looks decent, but there is always room for improvement, and this universe is a perfect choice to build from.
3. Third Person MMORPG with graphics and gameplay reminiscient of Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past. The graphics in that game were non-photorealistic, which is part of what gave the game its charm. The drive for “realistic” graphics (lots of detail, dark gory characters, ala Warcraft, Diablo, EverQuest, Quake) is in my humble opinion a poorly thought out fad on the part of developers, and needs to go back to being A graphics methodology, not THE graphics methodology.
4. A reassessment and revamp of the concept of “role playing game.” There is a difference between console-rpgs, and pc-rpgs (this is a generalization, there are console style games on the pc, and pc style games on the console), and the difference primarily lies in the design philosophy applied. Originally in console-rpgs, you were essentially playing an interactive book or movie. You were essentially starring in a story, and the steps you take (with the exception of a few optional side quests) are both predetermined and storyboarded. PC-rpgs tend to leave a lot more ambiguity as to the progression of the story, leaving the player with a lot of freedom to develop as he so chooses, doing (at least in theory) what he wants. The PC-RPG seems to be in the lead in terms of number of games coming out, with really only a few (the Final Fantasy series, Xenosaga, Wild Arms, a few others) operating in the console arena. I want to see more games where the emphasis is on the story and characters, cut scenes and all. I have a suspicion that if we want the console-rpg style to survive, it needs to be redefined and delineated from the pc-rpg style.
Heh, ranted a bit more than expected on that last one. Wasn’t even a particular game I’d like to see made… it’s more of a general “I wish THIS would happen in the gaming industry!” So I guess it’s close enough to be on the wishlist.
I’m currently at my school residency (I attend Vermont College, which is part of Union Institute and University), which I’ll hopefully find time to write about in the not too distant future, as it is definitely worth of comment. I just wanted to post a quick update as to what’s going on and all.
Some interesting links:
Stealing Andy: this is an interesting band out of Rochester, NY, that has an interesting sound to it. Eric Cox, the lead singer/guitarist is a classmate of mine. He happened to bring some demo cds with him to residency, and I’m pleased with what I hear.
Vermont College: Nice school, with a focus on LEARNING, not grades. Non-traditional, but that’s a good thing. (Again, I’ll write more on it later.)
MindFlight: I’ve had this site listed in my links for ages… it is the fledgling brainchild of a friend of mine. If you have some writing that you’d like to get online, head over there. I’m finally writing a blurb about it because he finally has something on the main page.
Okay, enough for now, more later! (And if you visit, post a comment!)
It is official: I’m a geek. I now have all three of my consoles connected to the internet. Not only that, but it’s WIRELESS. Here’s how:
The three consoles (my GC broadband adapter just came in today) are plugged into a switch which is plugged into my ethernet converter, which communicates wirelessly with my airport station, which also acts as my router for my cable modem. Ta-da, no running cables all over the house.
Of course, I haven’t tested the Auto Modellista online capabilities yet through this set-up… I was on the beta and had connection problems, which they said they were going to fix. So when the actual game gets released, I’m like “woohoo! Online cell shaded racing at its finest!” Flip open the manual to discover that it (supposedly) requires a direct connection to the cable modem, and will not work over a NAT’d router.
What the hell kind of shit is that? Who pays for broadband in order to SOLELY connect it to the PS2? BAD Capcom! No biscuit!
I’m going to test that after I get back from my residency… too busy at the moment.
I’ve been muttering about switching to an external (and thus dynamic) links file for my list of links, and it has finally been implemented! It was really easy to do. PHP is your friend. Of course, PLEASE LET ME KNOW if you find a broken link. I’m pretty sure I got all of them, but you can never be sure.
Umm, I don’t really have much else to say in the way of an update at the moment. Expect more (visible) changes/additions in the near future.
You’ll also note that I removed Exploitation Now from my links list, and added both Diesel Sweeties and Goats. I did this because Exploitation Now is over (he ended the series, went off to do other stuff), and both DS and Goats are FREAKIN’ HILARIOUS.
Okay, so I got my new drive (thanks LaCie!). It is the same size as the old one, but slightly better… the previous one had been FW&USB, this one is FW&USB2. Hey, I’m all for it… especially since the recovery attempt failed, so the unexpected bus upgrade helps cheer me up.
The recovery attempt cost me $200. When they opened the drive, they discovered that the reader head had broken off and physically shredded the platter, completely eradicating my data. Nothing to be done. At least now I know. If another drive fails in the future, I’ll probably use DriveSavers again… they were expensive (most are), but they were cool enough to not treat me like an idiot.
Continue reading