An Update from Beyond!

And so, I acknowledge it's been awhile, but many things have happened since last we met. It'd be rather boring if not, no?

• My birthday! woOt another reminder I'm getting older!
• I created a #Unity3D scene for Shroud of the Avatar #LBSotA! It was to be a re-envisioning of Buc's Den from the #Ultima series. 
• I found out that Dubstep is actually good for something... working out! #Mindblown!
• Grand Theft Auto 5 came out! I must talk about it!
• I'm working on a variety of projects that I can't talk about yet. Oooh mysterious! 
• I'm still not sure if using a #hashtag outside of Twitter does anything, but I've just grown accustomed to using them. I'm so old I remember when a #hashtag was the #POUND sign. 1800-Collect what?!

The first official #LBSotA Scene Jam will be this weekend, which will consume my being for that weekend. I'll post up eventually what is made here. 

Walking.

And so, another year of my life has gone by. My birthday passed by and already en route to the next. Time truly does fly by, regardless if you're having fun or not. To think of where I am, where I've come from, where I've gone, and what I've done in this minuscule amount of time (in comparison to this), it's mind boggling. Choices. Walking.

Walking is composed of two tunes with Stones bringing up the finale. If you don't know the tune Stones, then you probably don't know who David "Iolo" Watson is... but you should. No, I didn't say #YOLO, I said Iolo. 

Upcoming Games

We all want and need to occupy our time somehow. With so many great games coming soon, it's going to be a mission to play them all and still have time to partake in the real world. Oooo, the real world (and not the MTV version!).

Lord British's Shroud of the Avatar: Forsaken Virtues... I haven't been this excited for a game in quite a while. So much so, it was actually the first product I've actually gone to KickStarter and backed. It's being created by a team of brilliant minds including Lord British himself, Richard Garriott, so it's quite obvious why I'm ecstatic and involved in the creation of it.

This is an interesting opportunity to be part of the creation of something new and great. I don't want to go into a whole rant about it now, but Single Player adventures abound plus Multiplayer as we all know a typical MMO to be but presented in a new way. Think of all those old school RPGs injected with some Multiplayer mayhem, PvP included (consensual meaning you KNOW you're going to put yourself into a PvP situation and are prepared to face the consequences and rewards) along with player created content... oh the merriment we shall have!

MOBAs have become popular recently thanks to League of Legends and DotA and now EA has given some funds to Waystone Games to further evolve the genre. OH NO! EA!! Yea.. get over it. DawnGate looks to be adding RTS elements into the current MOBA style along with heavy story elements. One really intriguing feature is the Shapers themselves saying things when using items, killing enemies or reacting to an event. The possibilities...!!

This one came into my radar a while ago but is now getting closer to beta and something I wouldn't mind getting my space and Wild West fix from. Homes floating in the sky seems like such a brilliant idea, I'm just going to have to check out WildStar.

So these are some games that I'm looking forward to. I am interested to know if I'm missing some, be them on a computer or a console. GTA V comes to mind! I must make a post somewhere about how much I am looking forward to wrecking havoc in the West Side (which is the best side)!!!

Gaming - A Sort of Self Retrospect

I look at the Urban Dictionary definitions of hardcore and casual gamers and can't feel more out of place. They both end up on such extremes that I'm not sure where I fall into. 

Years ago, when I was not a father and single, I probably fell into the hardcore gamer category because of the amount of time and research I put into playing games. I would aim to demolish the high score, I would learn the special moves and combos and yes... I even called the 1-900 number for GamePro and Nintendo Power when they existed. Really funny side story on that but that's for another post... *chuckles to himself* Yes, I was that kid in the arcade that would destroy players as they lined their quarters on the machine, waiting for their turn.

 

Nowadays we have the internet and its wealth of (FREE) information and distractions. Even my 8 year old son knows how to go to use Google to find a tutorial for a game he's stuck on. My old self would say that's totally ok but now as an 'experienced' gamer, I feel that it's just cheating you out fun for the game. Although, there are those times when you REALLY need to check how to pass some level or else someone is going to end up on tomorrow's news...

I find most of my gaming now is late night when the family is asleep and its nice and quiet. I've got plenty to do throughout the day and this is the perfect time to unwind. I don't play violent/graphic games when the kids are awake mainly because they don't need to see me performing chain takedowns in Far Cry 3 or killing cops in GTA. I'm aware some parents could care less, but I'm not one of them.

So what can I play while they're awake? Minecraft comes to mind but PvP must be turned off or my son will get NOTHING done as he attempts to kill me over and over. Almost anything on the Wii though I loath Rock Band style games. 

When all else fails, the smart phone is the go to... the bathroom, on the go, out and about, or even on the couch. Those 'simple' games have a way of keeping you coming back for more but lack the depth of the games I must play in Ninja Mode.

Who else remembers gaming before the internet? And if there are any parents out there, how do you get your game on with and without the kids?

First Post.... Let's get this out of the way.

TBH, I'm not sure how to begin this blog. I've done a few before, but nothing recently. My mind and actions have been scattered throughout different realms and emotions that it's actually needed some sort of release to express myself in some sort of way to not experience an explosion/implosion/boredom/etc.

I know... it's odd... that's just the way it is. First post DONE! Let's see if I do another...