tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76178257271716440772024-03-08T21:33:34.188+00:00LummoxHello there. This is my blog. That's not a picture of me, but it's what I aspire to look like in my later years.
It's a blog touching on technology - APIs, Games, hardware; really if anything comes under my scrutiny I'll write about it ad nauseum.
I like goats, sleep and the banjo, although not always in that order.Gerald Hibberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03474921780312395792noreply@blogger.comBlogger148125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7617825727171644077.post-87817412919549877472014-06-26T16:24:00.001+01:002014-06-26T16:45:11.817+01:00Ingress: From level 4 to level 5.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://ingressgirl.com/items/weapons/xmp/l5-xmp.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ingressgirl.com/items/weapons/xmp/l5-xmp.png" height="400" width="225" /></a></div>
This is when things started to get interesting. After level 4, the AP required for each level basically doubles. From 4 to 5, it's 70,000 to 150,000, so you're going to need to earn 80k. Let's have a look at the AP breakdown.<br />
<br />
Deploy a resonator: 125 AP<br />
Deploy the first resonator: Bonus 500AP<br />
Deploy the eighth resonator: Bonus 250AP<br />
<br />
So, fully deploying a portal gets you 1750AP.<br />
<br />
Making a link: 313AP<br />
Making a field: 1250AP<br />
<br />
So, making three links and a field: 2189AP. If you had to fully deploy all three portals as well? 7439AP.<br />
<br />
So, essentially, building 10 fields from grey portals will get you almost all the AP you need to level from 4 to 5. But, as Claptrap would say, Screw that noise. Let's blow stuff up.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QyHKYHsqFPk/U6hLddfmH4I/AAAAAAAAKdk/ZDDvIyXyoPk/s1600/unprotected.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QyHKYHsqFPk/U6hLddfmH4I/AAAAAAAAKdk/ZDDvIyXyoPk/s1600/unprotected.png" height="178" width="320" /></a></div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
<b>Damage AP:</b></h4>
Now, AP for destruction isn't quite as rewarding, but combined with building, it soon adds up. So, head over to the ingress intel map (google for it if you don't have it bookmarked already). You want to look for stuff like this little portal on the right. It's a level 1 portal, that's attached to 2 fields. And (if you click the mods tab) it has no mods. This is perfect. Avoid portals with shields, force amps and turrets, at least until you're level 6 or 7. Especially with shields, you'll just waste far too many XMPs taking stuff down. Although, it can be very (*VERY*) satisfying to take down a level 8 portal, it will take about 8 trillion level 4 XMPs and LOTS of power cubes.<br />
<br />
Destroying a resonator: 75AP<br />
Destroying a link: 187AP<br />
Destroying a field: 750AP.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-STUaZELrWXI/U6gl46uIyhI/AAAAAAAAKdQ/KXyWewhQu9U/s1600/Screenshot_2014-06-20-13-41-09.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-STUaZELrWXI/U6gl46uIyhI/AAAAAAAAKdQ/KXyWewhQu9U/s1600/Screenshot_2014-06-20-13-41-09.png" height="400" width="240" /></a></div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
In reality</h4>
So, this little portal is worth 2661AP. Rebuild it afterwards for another 1750. And you can see how things add up quickly. With a little planning on the map before you head out, you run from level 4 to 5 in a matter of minutes.<br />
<br />
If you're blowing stuff up like the picture here, then be prepared to use a lot of power cubes. (I'm aware I'm level 6 and using 5 XMPs, but I didn't grab any pics at level 4...)<br />
<br />
I also found an interesting chart over at <a href="http://ingressportal.com/research/attacking/">http://ingressportal.com/research/attacking/</a> which shows the fol<span style="background-color: white;">lowing data:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 22px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Enemy Portal and Related Data:</strong></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px;"><colgroup><col width="114"></col><col width="171"></col><col width="113"></col></colgroup><tbody>
<tr><td><span style="background-color: white;">Portal Level</span></td><td><span style="background-color: white;">XM Damage to you</span></td><td><span style="background-color: white;">XM Cost To Hack</span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="background-color: white;">1</span></td><td><span style="background-color: white;">75</span></td><td><span style="background-color: white;">100</span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="background-color: white;">2</span></td><td><span style="background-color: white;">150</span></td><td><span style="background-color: white;">200</span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="background-color: white;">3</span></td><td><span style="background-color: white;">300</span></td><td><span style="background-color: white;">300</span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="background-color: white;">4</span></td><td><span style="background-color: white;">500</span></td><td><span style="background-color: white;">400</span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="background-color: white;">5</span></td><td><span style="background-color: white;">750</span></td><td><span style="background-color: white;">500</span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="background-color: white;">6</span></td><td><span style="background-color: white;">1125</span></td><td><span style="background-color: white;">600</span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="background-color: white;">7</span></td><td><span style="background-color: white;">1625</span></td><td><span style="background-color: white;">700</span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="background-color: white;">8</span></td><td><span style="background-color: white;">2500</span></td><td><span style="background-color: white;">800</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #989898; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px; text-align: center;">- See more at: <a href="http://ingressportal.com/research/attacking/#sthash.wwtAxyqY.dpuf">http://ingressportal.com/research/attacking/#sthash.wwtAxyqY.dpuf</a></span><br />
<div>
</div>
<div>
<br />
As you can see, a level 8 portal is really going to mess you up - at level 4 you can only carry a max of 6000 XM, so 2500 is a considerable chunk. If there are overlapping portals, and you're being hit by a couple at a time, you'll run out constantly. Pick your targets carefully. Also, watch out for Force Amps. I'll do another post on those, but essentially, they double the damage you take. Also note that as you weaken the portal, it'll do less damage with each hit.<br />
<br />
If you remember this chart above from the previous post, you'll see that the range for a level 4 XMP is quite short, so make sure you're standing right on top of the resonators as you detonate them. Start with the level 8 ones, and work your way around.</div>
<div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://ingressportal.com/w/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/XMP_Chart1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ingressportal.com/w/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/XMP_Chart1.png" height="195" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
</div>
Gerald Hibberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03474921780312395792noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7617825727171644077.post-25914056222331906752014-06-20T12:56:00.000+01:002014-06-20T12:58:58.830+01:00Levelling quickly in Ingress (part 1, levels 1-4).<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hello!<br />
<br />
I've started playing Ingress, and hit level 7 in a couple of weeks playing solo, so I thought I'd give some tips on what I did, in the hope that other players find it useful. Your level is dictated by the number of Action Points you have, which is the equivalent of experience in any other game.<br />
<br />
First things first, I live in London, so there are lots of portals EVERYWHERE. This is obviously an advantage. I also started walking home from work, and have covered ~70km in 2 weeks. And I do it all by foot (except this one time by bus, which proved to be more troublesome than useful). I've been putting in about 3 hours per day, on average. And learning about some amazing little things I never knew existed.<br />
<br />
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Levels 1-4</h4>
You should be able to hit level 5 (or even 6) by the end of your first week, and that's also when things start to actually be fun, so for the first few levels, don't worry too much about attacking enemy portals. I did, and it just wasted a LOT of time. As you can see below, the damage from low level bombs (XMPs) is pitiful. Even a level 4 bomb is going to outperform a level 3 bomb at 50m. Don't worry when your stuff is destroyed. It happens, and it's not a problem.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://ingressportal.com/w/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/XMP_Chart1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ingressportal.com/w/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/XMP_Chart1.png" height="195" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">image from <a href="http://ingressportal.com/research/attacking/">http://ingressportal.com/research/attacking/</a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
So, instead do the all the training missions. You can do them from your sofa, because it'll create portals for you. Then go to the ingress intel map (<a href="https://www.ingress.com/intel">https://www.ingress.com/intel</a>) and look for some unclaimed or partially claimed portals. As you can see below, even in the middle of London, there are quite often 3 or 4 grey portals very close together.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VvGPSPCPhMs/U6QZJ2jXJII/AAAAAAAAKTY/L6hRHEGLegA/s1600/cg.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VvGPSPCPhMs/U6QZJ2jXJII/AAAAAAAAKTY/L6hRHEGLegA/s1600/cg.png" height="237" width="400" /></a></div>
As you're walking there, hack everything, green or blue. Hacking enemy portals will give you a little AP (which is the experience) but mostly, you're doing it for gear and portal keys. You can long-press the hack key if you like, which will put you into the Glyph game. I've read various reports saying that the Glyph game isn't worth it, but I think it's fun, and it generally rewards 2-5 extra items per hack, so I do it probably 90% of the time. I generally get 2 of the Glyphs, and even without the time bonus, rewards are good. I just wish the interface ran a little quicker. But I digress.<br />
<br />
As you're walking around, you will find portals with less than 8 resonators on them. Deploy your resonators until there are 8 on the portal. And then hack it. There's a 70% chance you'll get a portal key. If you don't, don't worry just yet. If it's a grey portal, deploy all 8 resonators to fully claim the portal, (and remember to hack).<br />
<br />
You can hack a portal 4 times (once every 5 minutes) before it burns out. The burnout is specific to you, but will lock you out of more hacking for 4 hours. This can be reduced, but don't worry too much for now.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GRUT79usmC8/U6QeWBP7_7I/AAAAAAAAKTo/dLcivWjcT2Y/s1600/triangles.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GRUT79usmC8/U6QeWBP7_7I/AAAAAAAAKTo/dLcivWjcT2Y/s1600/triangles.png" height="251" width="400" /></a>As you'll remember from the training, you can link two fully deployed portals if you have a key for one of them. So, now start to link. And you want to make lots and lots of little triangles.<br />
<br />
Here's what I did in Regent's Park inner circle yesterday in about an hour. Most of them were grey, and a couple were green. I walked around all the portals in a clockwise manner, deployed 8 resonators on each. As I got the next, I linked back to the one I'd just hacked, when I had the key. After 3 loops, I had everything linked up, and did one more circuit for extra parts. It earned me somewhere around 30,000 AP.<br />
10 fields: 12500 (1250 per field, regardless of size)<br />
14 links: 4382 (313 per link, regardless of length)<br />
9 portals fully deployed: 15750 (125 per resonator, 250 bonus for first, 500 bonus for last)<br />
<br />
This is a great little cluster to fix up, regardless of level. And I'm hoping someone goes and blows it apart over the weekend, so I can rebuild it next week. That's the key here. Don't be upset when people destroy your work. It just means you can rebuild it and earn more AP.<br />
<br />
You'll find you start to acquire shields and other mods as you hack - hang onto these for the time being. They're best saved for when your portals have a slightly better chance of staying alive, rather than wasting them on level 1 portals.<br />
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Top Tips:</h4>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Long press the hack button to win bonus items.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
If you see a portal with less than 8 resonators, fill it up.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Link, link, link. Make lots of small triangles, not one big one.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
If you're bombing, don't forget to long press fire (let go when the circle closes over you), to do up to 20% extra damage.</div>
<br />
I'll post about levels 5-7 tomorrow, and then start to daily document my quest to level 8.<br />
<br /></div>
Gerald Hibberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03474921780312395792noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7617825727171644077.post-7610708780851192312013-02-23T15:21:00.001+00:002013-02-23T15:21:39.978+00:00Dead Space 3 Scavenger Bot Locations<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A quick video showing the locations of the scavenger bots in Dead Space 3.
They're located in Chapter 4, which you can't miss. Chapter 8 is a little trickier, and Chapter 13 is off the beaten path. Enjoy!<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe width="853" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/tPX9QsXzDRw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>Gerald Hibberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03474921780312395792noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7617825727171644077.post-34895544026913221122013-02-12T21:20:00.003+00:002013-02-22T08:39:23.146+00:00Aliens Colonial Marines: Dog Tags, Audio Logs & Legendary Weapons - All collectibles<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Aliens: Colonial Marines just dropped. It's interesting. In an hilariously bad way. If you're committed to seeing it through, and want to find all the Dog Tags, Audio Logs and Legendary Weapons, I'll be uploading my walkthroughs here as they happen.</span><br />
<br />
This is the playlist. See below for individual links.<br />
<iframe width="853" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/videoseries?list=PL5XHyWzRDjEHs32Hj-R74e_8by_JXD9Bb" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mission 1: Distress</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3 Dog Tags, 1 Audio Log and a Legendary Weapon: Hicks' Shotgun, which has increased firepower, rate of fire, and reduced reload (4s vs 5s).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwXW9jgFzbQ">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwXW9jgFzbQ</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mission 2: Battle for Sulaco</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3 Dog Tags, 2 Audio Logs</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1q_aCrcMAQ">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1q_aCrcMAQ</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mission 3: Sulaco Falls</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Flamethrower and 3 dog tags</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNBNdylIWRY">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNBNdylIWRY</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mission 4: No Hope in Hadley's</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Legendary Weapon: Gorman's Pistol + 3 Dog Tags</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OHdvFpc3-4">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OHdvFpc3-4</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mission 5: The Raven</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4 Dog Tags + Legendary Weapon: Hudson's Pulse Rifle</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Easter Eggs: Hudson + Newt's Doll's Head</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpcQyp4YeNo">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpcQyp4YeNo</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mission 6: For Bella</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mission 7: One Bullet</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mission 8: Rampart</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mission 9: Hope in Hadley's</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mission 10: Derelict Reclaimed</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mission 11: Home</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
Gerald Hibberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03474921780312395792noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7617825727171644077.post-15209326954311538892013-02-04T22:44:00.002+00:002013-02-07T17:15:28.374+00:00AntiChamber Map<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BV7D0Ud3bM8/URA5lNSeitI/AAAAAAAAE0o/j3kj4VlIsQU/s1600/2013-02-04_00001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Map for Antichamber" border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BV7D0Ud3bM8/URA5lNSeitI/AAAAAAAAE0o/j3kj4VlIsQU/s640/2013-02-04_00001.jpg" title="Antichamber Map" width="640" /></a></div>
<span id="goog_44016392"></span><span id="goog_44016393"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, this is the AntiChamber map.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you want actual solutions to the rooms, check out this video:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fi0ORG354o">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fi0ORG354o</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For quick access to the guns, how about this:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=am52_V_Phh4">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=am52_V_Phh4</a></span></div>
Gerald Hibberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03474921780312395792noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7617825727171644077.post-50022401015531130672013-01-18T23:06:00.003+00:002014-06-26T16:46:40.176+01:00Spawning Dexiduous the Invincible and Omnd-Omnd-Ohk - Twister & Chopper<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, Dexiduous the Invincible And Omnd-Omnd-Ohk. They drop the chopper and the twister, respectively.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="http://i.stack.imgur.com/OKuKC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://i.stack.imgur.com/OKuKC.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dexiduous is a hidden raid boss. You may have noticed these Eridium totems scattered around Hunter's Grotto. They cost approximately 25 Eridium each, and there are 4 of them in total. When you pay them all, a lever in the middle of the map will be pullable, which will spawn 3 waves of Witch Doctors, Savages, and finally, Dexiduous (who's a big Drifter - really big)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm just uploading a video showing how to spawn and kill him solo. It's actually pretty easy. The hard part is collecting the Eridium. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here's the video:</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://i.ytimg.com/vi/B7BAJq_libU/0.jpg" height="480" width="854"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/B7BAJq_libU?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="854" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/B7BAJq_libU?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dexiduous drops the Chopper - a ridiculous assault rifle that has all the ammo in a single magazine, and empties the lot the moment you pull the trigger.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Twister drops from Omnd-Omnd-Ohk. He's an evolved Ultimate Badass Savage. The super badass witch doctors will level one up (randomly, it's far from guaranteed), and he has a chance to drop it. I'm working on spawning him at the moment, and will drop a video in here when I crack it,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ok, spawned him.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3QNrXa5eyA">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3QNrXa5eyA</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Don't say I never give you anything ; )</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">An easy way to top up Eridium is to farm Henry, who drops about 12 Eridium per 5 kills, and it''s quick.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">An easy way to farm 100 quickly is to do the warrior. Do both on regular mode, not true vault hunter. You stll get the eridium, and it's WAY quicker.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Why not head over to the forum to discuss:</span><br />
<a href="http://lickmyear.org/forum"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">http://lickmyear.org/forum</span></a></div>
Gerald Hibberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03474921780312395792noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7617825727171644077.post-60275742371682191222013-01-01T20:55:00.001+00:002013-01-01T20:55:12.743+00:00XCOM - How to capture an alien<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Pretty straightforward, this one. Research the stun gun. Hurt the alien a bit (better chance with less than 3hp). Then get inside the blue circle and stun it. Video below!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='480' height='854' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/ndeT09EZNkg?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
Gerald Hibberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03474921780312395792noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7617825727171644077.post-44340947633740373552012-12-31T02:34:00.000+00:002012-12-31T02:38:05.186+00:00Assassin's Creed 3 Frontiersman Mission UFO Bug/Glitch<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Unfortunately, The UFO Mission in Assassin's Creed 3 is extremely glitchy. After picking it up in the Frontier, you have to go to Boston to speak to someone in a tavern, but it simply won't trigger thanks to a glitch.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At this point, after 3 major patches, there is still no fix, so the best thing to do is go to the official Ubi forums and post there, to let them know it's affecting you. The more people who post, the sooner it will be fixed.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here's what it should do. If it doesn't work like this, then visit </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://forums.ubi.com/forumdisplay.php/27-Assassin-s-Creed">http://forums.ubi.com/forumdisplay.php/27-Assassin-s-Creed</a></span><br />
<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='854' height='480' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/CyZKjP3Wt7g?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br /></div>
Gerald Hibberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03474921780312395792noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7617825727171644077.post-73518220132828059012012-12-29T02:30:00.000+00:002013-01-18T23:32:29.884+00:00Far Cry 3 Tribal Knife (Sacrificial Knife)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Tribal Knife in Far Cry 3 - some people refer to it as a Sacrifical Knife - is a pre order bonus in the Warrior Pack, which was a pre-order bonus with Amazon, and part of the Insane Edition.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You can now also get it for PC, PS3 and Xbox as part of the Deluxe Bundle DLC for £7.99/$9.99/800 MS points from an in-game download.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's not a signature weapon. For the signature weapons, check the video below:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='854' height='480' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/yYU31zsdwok?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>Gerald Hibberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03474921780312395792noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7617825727171644077.post-79614861740257416162012-12-28T04:09:00.001+00:002012-12-28T04:09:14.419+00:00Of Orcs and Men Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So. Of Orcs and Men.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Pretty standard fantasy fare, really. Nothing new here. Orcs vs Humans. Humans have driven the Orcs practically to extinction. They've built a huge wall (think, Game of Thrones type wall) to keep out the few remaining tribes. The Orcs are hippy earth mother types. You're The Butcher of Bloodjaw Tribe (Riddick, anyone?), Arkail, and tasked with killing the human emperor in a final suicide mission. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You're sent looking for a guide who turns out to be the only sentient goblin in existence (the others are basically feral, like wild dogs, unable to speak and how little or no signs of intelligence - in fact, you're going to be killing lots of them).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Styx is your goblin friend, and between you, you make a pretty formidable pair. Combat is intriguing. You slow down combat (to practically a standstill) while you queue up to 4 commands from 2 trees. There are actually 3 tress, but one is "special" and hardly used.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Arkail the Orc has Offence and Defence. Also, a rage bar. Offensive attacks fill the rage bar more quickly than defensive. Defensive attacks also contain rage-bar-emptying moves. If you max your rage, you (literally) lose control of him, and he auto-attacks everything, including Styx, if he's close. He pumps out way more damage, though. Juggling rage deployment is key to winning battles. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Defensive moves trade damage output for aggro generation and damage mitigation, with some light healing, including a shell buff.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Styx, on the other hand, has melee and ranged. Instead of rage, he has a 'concentration' bar, which fills over time (stats/equipment affect the charge speed) which limit his high damage attacks.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Given his lack of health, it makes sense to keep him ranged as much as possible, while letting Arkail suck up the ammo. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In addition, Styx can stealth, and kill enemies before combat proper starts. In this way, you can turn the odds against you. It's fun to scout around and work out who you can take. Lightweight stealth, generously implement. It's easy to see who you're meant to get, and not hard to get them. But fun nonetheless.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There are many types of debuff (damage armour, vulnerability, bleeding, stuns and more). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's a bold system that reminds me in a large way of Mass Effect, although you can actually (and will need to) switch players- you're not stuck playing as one or the other.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's also extremely punishing. You will die. Often. Especially at the start. But autosave points are frequent (basically before every combat), and at least on PC, you can manually save wherever you like. Also, if a character dies in battle, raising your team mate is quick enough that's it's practically instant, although their health will be low when they come back, so you'd better have a plan.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Levelling up is also done nicely. At each level, both characters gain a stat point (mind, stamine, agility, strength), which each affect 2 of 8 characteristics. The characteristics and concepts aren't desperately well explained, but that's ok. What exactly does striking force 25 mean? Is it a percent? Is it added to my stun attempt? I don't know. But 26 is probably better.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You also gain skills, and here things get interesting. Each skill has 2 options to specialise, and you can only take one. It encourages a replay, just to see how it would have played out differently, especially if you consider the stats which can change you loadout considerably. Do you go for low damage, high survivability with Arkail, or a comparative glass cannon? Do you focus on offensive skills to max out rage quickly and go on a frenzy? Or do you want to balance high damage with control?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Loot is generous with stat boosts too, meaning you can recover early mistakes with gear easily.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The levels themselves are seriously linear, with exploration limited to the occasional alley offshooting from the main corridor. Loot is limited. But that's part of the charm. It's a short game (maybe 15 hours if you take your time), so you're never going to scream in frustration at getting stuck on terrain, or the awful voice acting (listen to Styx and Arkail, skim the subtites and skip the rest). The appalling human character models won't upset you too much, because the Orc and Goblin are really something to look at, and it's them you're looking at for most of the game.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The side quests are unimaginative too, always a case of "go here, kill some people on the way, then kill a miniboss, then watch a loading screen".</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But, there's definitely something about it. If you can pick this up from a bargain bin, and enjoy a good, quick romp through a pretty fantasy world (with ugly characters), I'd strongly recommend it. Styx and Arkail do have some great lines, and I found myself, while not laughing, at least smirking in appreciation of some of their comments, but quickly started to skip any interactions with other characters.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You can see the first part of my playthrough here:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
Gerald Hibberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03474921780312395792noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7617825727171644077.post-27535588613754284662012-11-24T03:15:00.000+00:002012-11-24T03:38:54.464+00:00How do I know if I have the Assassin's Creed DLC (digital deluxe) installed<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So, I grabbed the Assassin's Creed Deluxe Digital edition for PC. Comes with a bunch of lovely extras (although, it's bloody hard to find a list of exactly what, so here it is). I also had trouble verifying I had the DLC actually installed. So you need to go to extras from the main menu, and enter the code, even though you've already entered it to register the game with UPlay. Very weird, very lame, very confusing (at least for my pathetic little mind).<br />
<br />
The Lost Mayan Ruins single player mission, which includes the Sawtooth Sword<br />
The Ghost of War single player mission(s).<br />
A Dangerous Secret single player mission.<br />
Benedict Arnold Missions<br />
<br />
A war club (meh).<br />
Naval Boarding Axe (in game it's a pirate's axe)<br />
Pirate Flintlock<br />
Scottish Flintlock<br />
<br />
Captain of the Aquila outfit<br />
Colonial Assassin outfit<br />
<br />
And, the season pass.<br />
<br />
I snagged it off Greenmangaming for about half price, so I think I did pretty well.<br />
<br />
The Lost Mayan Ruins are the closest we get to a puzzle dungeon, and it's EXTREMELY short. And that's all I've played so far. I'll update this post with screenshots and videos as I make them.</div>
Gerald Hibberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03474921780312395792noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7617825727171644077.post-49677774183811318232012-10-20T19:52:00.001+01:002012-10-20T20:15:18.935+01:00Captain Scarlett and Her Pirate's Booty Guides - Borderlands 2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Oh hai,<br />
<br />
I want to write a review of the new DLC but for now, I'll just drop the guides in. So, without Further Ado (it's important that you capitalise that)<br />
<br />
<h2 style="text-align: left;">
Oasis:</h2>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Cult of the Vault</h3>
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/VueZ5c9Akd8?list=PL5XHyWzRDjEEqMj6Ebj6af43xBtw-liyb&hl=en_GB" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Hidden Rooftop Chests and Message in a Bottle</h3>
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/KuaY0zVGlxI?list=PL5XHyWzRDjEEqMj6Ebj6af43xBtw-liyb&hl=en_GB" width="560"></iframe><br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Horrid's Hideaway</h3>
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ZFK0OGWylMU?list=PL5XHyWzRDjEEqMj6Ebj6af43xBtw-liyb&hl=en_GB" width="560"></iframe><br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">
Wurmwater:</h2>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Cult of the Vault</h3>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/vzMinnGSMQ8?list=PL5XHyWzRDjEEqMj6Ebj6af43xBtw-liyb&hl=en_GB" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Refined Tastes and Skiffless</h3>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/rW3ALtZWGDg?list=PL5XHyWzRDjEEqMj6Ebj6af43xBtw-liyb&hl=en_GB" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Message in a Bottle</h3>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/tCadASWBwfg?list=PL5XHyWzRDjEEqMj6Ebj6af43xBtw-liyb&hl=en_GB" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Ye Scurvy Dogs</h3>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/9nb1Nwey1ZU?list=PL5XHyWzRDjEEqMj6Ebj6af43xBtw-liyb&hl=en_GB" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">Hayter's Folly</h2>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Master of my domain and Message in a Bottle</h3>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/yoIoDd29HJw?list=PL5XHyWzRDjEEqMj6Ebj6af43xBtw-liyb&hl=en_GB" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Wet Reward</h3>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/adggoidelag?list=PL5XHyWzRDjEEqMj6Ebj6af43xBtw-liyb&hl=en_GB" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Cult of the Vault</h3>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/dA3DYE7C1po?list=PL5XHyWzRDjEEqMj6Ebj6af43xBtw-liyb&hl=en_GB" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">The Rustyards</h2>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Crow's Nest and Message in a Bottle</h3>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/c0KYu9SK1Ks?list=PL5XHyWzRDjEEqMj6Ebj6af43xBtw-liyb&hl=en_GB" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><h3 style="text-align: left;"></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">My Main Squeeze (Scarlett Dolls) and Cult of the Vault</h3>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/oPgqYjLtQuY?list=PL5XHyWzRDjEEqMj6Ebj6af43xBtw-liyb&hl=en_GB" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">Washburne Refinery</h2>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Arm Thyself, I get it for the Articles and Cult of the Vault</h3>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/cYpd871qy0A?list=PL5XHyWzRDjEEqMj6Ebj6af43xBtw-liyb&hl=en_GB" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">Magnys Lighthouse</h2>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Maroonie's Inheritance, Noob Cannon and Cult of the Vault</h3>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/JCl76-Ya2Zw?list=PL5XHyWzRDjEEqMj6Ebj6af43xBtw-liyb&hl=en_GB" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Message in a Bottle</h3>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/KZEmguhf-Dw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">Leviathan's Lair</h2>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Cult of the Vault and Lost Lost Treasure</h3>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/OmzKYIQ1Zjo?list=PL5XHyWzRDjEEqMj6Ebj6af43xBtw-liyb&hl=en_GB" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">How to kill th Leviathan solo (and no skills at all)</h3>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/yoxC8UtUZqE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Gerald Hibberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03474921780312395792noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7617825727171644077.post-70828334913746292462012-08-22T01:31:00.002+01:002012-08-22T01:31:57.890+01:00Updates and suchProbably time for some updates, eh? I'll start with games. Tomorrow.Gerald Hibberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03474921780312395792noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7617825727171644077.post-27229679371753301522010-06-26T14:20:00.001+01:002010-06-26T14:20:52.564+01:00A trip to Ramallah, GazaI've just got in from a trip to Gaza, which was incredibly interesting.<br />
<br />
If you just want pics, the full album is here: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; white-space: nowrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://goo.gl/YNd1">http://goo.gl/YNd1</a></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; white-space: nowrap;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_a79csw8q1ho/TCXSa1NPVfI/AAAAAAAABIs/bdDQ6go_H_g/s1600/SANY0034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_a79csw8q1ho/TCXSa1NPVfI/AAAAAAAABIs/bdDQ6go_H_g/s400/SANY0034.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; white-space: nowrap;"><br />
</span><br />
First was a trip to Ramallah, where we showed up at a <a href="http://www.gtugs.org/chapter.jsp?id=316001">coding event</a> and gave a quick talk, and then let them get on with it.<br />
<br />
It was in a treehouse/café called <a href="http://www.thisweekinpalestine.com/details.php?id=2203&ed=143&edid=143">Snobar</a>, which confused us, but it's arabic for 'pine'. About 100 people turned up. Good results.<br />
<br />
The following day, we went to Gaza for 3 days, which involved a lot of red tape. It was our second attempt to get in - the first was back in november, when our passes never came through. This it went smoother.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_a79csw8q1ho/TCXSl5RvCrI/AAAAAAAABJs/PWWgRQLTN4A/s1600/IMG00097-20100622-0959.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_a79csw8q1ho/TCXSl5RvCrI/AAAAAAAABJs/PWWgRQLTN4A/s400/IMG00097-20100622-0959.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div>Once there, we headed to the hotel, and checked in, and left our stuff. Then we headed out to a summer camp, where some of the 200, 000 girls and boys from the UNRWA-funded schools can play together and work on arts and crafts for a couple of weeks.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_a79csw8q1ho/TCXSpkQOToI/AAAAAAAABKA/DVvF1I5cjko/s1600/IMG00102-20100622-1034.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_a79csw8q1ho/TCXSpkQOToI/AAAAAAAABKA/DVvF1I5cjko/s400/IMG00102-20100622-1034.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div>After that, off to an actual school to talk with teachers about some of their challenges. They have very few computers (I wrote down 640, but for 200, 000 students, that seems way too low). But, they're implementing a school for basic arabic and maths for the 45, 000 students who are currently failing them. Many schools run split shifts - that is, different students morning and evening, because there aren't enough buildings.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_a79csw8q1ho/TCXSq9ELN_I/AAAAAAAABKI/KDn2L-O_7Ko/s1600/IMG00104-20100622-1129.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_a79csw8q1ho/TCXSq9ELN_I/AAAAAAAABKI/KDn2L-O_7Ko/s400/IMG00104-20100622-1129.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div>Then, to the UNRWA, where we learnt some pretty shocking statistics - I won't preach them at you now, but suffice to say, the region is destitute.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_a79csw8q1ho/TCXSt2cSvGI/AAAAAAAABKg/uIXp1ulsjGQ/s1600/IMG00110-20100622-1415.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_a79csw8q1ho/TCXSt2cSvGI/AAAAAAAABKg/uIXp1ulsjGQ/s400/IMG00110-20100622-1415.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div>After that, some lunch, and then to a school for the deaf, who learn english, arabic and have a partially equipped hearing aid and medical lab, funded largely by donations. 300 students learn classes and vocational training - some stay to work in the workshops making furniture, rugs and trinktes. You can buy online from here: <a href="http://www.atfaluna.net/crafts/">http://www.atfaluna.net/crafts/</a></div><div><br />
</div><div>Then it was time for a meeting with<a href="http://www.impact.ps/site/index.html"> Impact Consulting</a>, and a chat about some of the problems Gaza faces. It turns out that actually, the internet is one thing they do have access to, and with pretty good speeds. Their biggest issues are equipment - there's a 1 year waiting list to get ADSL, although when you get it, it's 2meg, and reliable. Companies frequently have 20 meg or more. Universities are well connected too.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_a79csw8q1ho/TCXSeQ3u15I/AAAAAAAABI8/007Fsol5-B0/s1600/SANY0081.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_a79csw8q1ho/TCXSeQ3u15I/AAAAAAAABI8/007Fsol5-B0/s400/SANY0081.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div>Then, back to the hotel to meet some kids who were working with Mercy Corps to learn about global politics. Their YT Channel is here: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/GlobalCitizenCorps">http://www.youtube.com/user/GlobalCitizenCorps</a></div><div><br />
</div><div>Then, dinner with MercyCorps, who had helped us get in - their work behind the scenes can't be overstated, and they're there every day, not just for a short visit like us.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Bed time (so tired), and then up at 6, for another day of full meetings. The morning was spent visiting 3 universities with varying degrees of technology - they all had internet with PC labs, but facilities varied wildly, and 2 universities had 20k students. The backbones were anything up to 1gig networks, but outbound was significantly lower, ranging from 5 - 20 meg.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_a79csw8q1ho/TCXSrVqoafI/AAAAAAAABKM/go-W_mp_Snk/s1600/IMG00105-20100622-1130.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_a79csw8q1ho/TCXSrVqoafI/AAAAAAAABKM/go-W_mp_Snk/s400/IMG00105-20100622-1130.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div>The third started as an e-learning centre, but the government refused to recognise e-learning as attendance, which is a requirement for obtaining a degree, so they've pioneered a video streaming and archiving service for their entire curricula which means students can always go back and watch, and easily find out their tasks, as well as video chat with other students and professors. Pretty awesome.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_a79csw8q1ho/TCXS0t4expI/AAAAAAAABLI/nHZ3ySCjaso/s1600/IMG00121-20100623-1138.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_a79csw8q1ho/TCXS0t4expI/AAAAAAAABLI/nHZ3ySCjaso/s400/IMG00121-20100623-1138.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div>As mentioned in one of the pictures, we also saw a makeshift UPS from car batteries, and a mechatronics lab.</div><div>Madness.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Next, Marna House, where a number of companies talked to us about what they're up to. Everything from web design and SEO, Android development, serach engines, trading platforms through to ISPs and e-government initiatives.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Then, off to meet an incubation program, PICTI, which invests in student projects. One of the universities ran a similar program, with three clear steps from idea to functioning business, and mentors along the way. Many startups are building apps for phones or the cloud, taking advantage of the global economy. One major problem is banking - the few banks which remain often can't cash cheques - one guy had a $3000 check that he couldn't cash.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Finally, we had some students present to us their ideas, which ranged from a prayer time display to a wirelss health monitor for ICUs, complete with business plans. A little rough around the edges, but impressive to see such work being done at all.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_a79csw8q1ho/TCXSiPCgB-I/AAAAAAAABJU/csb5jBN9pmU/s1600/SANY0125.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_a79csw8q1ho/TCXSiPCgB-I/AAAAAAAABJU/csb5jBN9pmU/s400/SANY0125.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div>Then the third day, we presented for 5 hours to a crowd of developers, entrepreneurs and students keen to learn how Google could help them. We covered <a href="http://adsense.google.com/">Adsense</a>, <a href="http://blogger.com/">Blogger</a>, Knol, <a href="http://google.com/chrome">Chrome</a>, <a href="http://code.google.com/apis/maps">Geo</a>, <a href="http://translate.google.com/">Translation </a>and <a href="http://google.com/ta3reeb">Transliteration</a>, <a href="https://chrome.google.com/extensions/?hl=en">Chrome Extensions</a>,<a href="http://html5rocks.com/"> HTML5,</a> Mobile Web, <a href="http://code.google.com/appengine">App Engine</a>, <a href="http://google.com/a/">Google apps</a>, as well as sessions on basic search and innovation. The questions asked showed a pretty decent understanding of the web, and many people already had websites operating. The one that sticks in my head is <a href="http://eshopy.co.cc/eshopy/index.htm">http://eshopy.co.cc/eshopy/index.htm</a>. Uses the Maps API, too.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_a79csw8q1ho/TCXSjUMBiUI/AAAAAAAABJc/Fy5TYBUUZKw/s1600/SANY0163.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_a79csw8q1ho/TCXSjUMBiUI/AAAAAAAABJc/Fy5TYBUUZKw/s400/SANY0163.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div>Then, off to the checkpoint for 3pm, for some insane security checks and re-entry to Israel. </div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
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</div>Gerald Hibberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03474921780312395792noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7617825727171644077.post-69551948764241932492010-06-04T18:05:00.000+01:002010-06-04T18:05:05.997+01:00G-GhanaI thought I'd better update my blog, given that I'm at G-Ghana today, and just presented a session on blogging. It doesn't look good when I haven't updated in a while.<br />
It's been an incredible week over here, and it's such a shame it's coming to an end. We started with Doodle for Google on wednesday, and the last couple of days have been the <a href="http://sitescontent.google.com/gghana/">G-Ghana event</a>.Gerald Hibberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03474921780312395792noreply@blogger.com2Accra, Ghana5.555717 -0.1963065.3848625 -0.4297655 5.7265714999999995 0.037153499999999978tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7617825727171644077.post-1599022455646228972010-05-11T21:44:00.000+01:002010-05-11T21:44:40.978+01:00Panoramio WidgetryToday, I am a little happier than usual!<br />
Panoramio have released a super-easy-to-use API that lets me embed pictures easily into any website, using iframes or javascript.<br />
There's more over here: <a href="http://www.panoramio.com/api/widget/api.html">www.panoramio.com/api/widget/api.html</a><br />
<br />
Here's an example (ugly red border is all my work!)<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="140" src="http://www.panoramio.com/wapi/template/list.html?tag=goat&width=280&height=140&rows=2&columns=4&orientation=horizontal" style="border: 2px solid red; margin: 10px;" width="280"></iframe>Gerald Hibberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03474921780312395792noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7617825727171644077.post-57859815681679269682010-05-07T14:41:00.001+01:002010-05-07T14:41:50.572+01:00Eurogamer and Alan Wake<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm pretty stupid, and tend to pre-order games based on hype-alone. Sometimes, I end up cancelling, if the review is really bad and it hasn't already been shipped, but other times I end up with crap like Alone in the Dark.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, I pre-ordered Alan Wake, and I was just reading the </span><a href="http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/alan-wake-review"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Eurogamer review</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> (I know, I should have been working, but I have, like, 6 minutes before a really big presentation, sitting outside the meeting rooom so there's little point in starting something else - although I am writing this. But I digress).</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Anyway, there's a line in there that goes like this:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">He decides to take a holiday in a bid to clear his head. And how does Alan choose to get away from it all, do you think? By spending a fortnight in Rio, drinking pina coladas by the pool? Or by visiting a tiny, rainy Pacific Northwest town inhabited by hilarious simpletons and frightening weirdoes, where the only available accommodation is an ancient log cabin in the middle of a haunted lake?</span></i></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;"><br />
</span></i></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It made me laugh, anyway.</span></span>Gerald Hibberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03474921780312395792noreply@blogger.com2London, UK51.5001524 -0.126236251.473436899999996 -0.1846012 51.5268679 -0.067871199999999993tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7617825727171644077.post-50914415332632128202010-05-06T21:59:00.001+01:002010-05-06T22:00:01.391+01:00Final Fantasy 13<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Well, here's a post that's never going to rank. Ever. There are already a bajillion FF13 pages.<br />So, as you may know, I was playing a LOT Of Resonance of Fate. Great game. Sucked ~140 hours of my life, but time well spent, I'd say. It had engaging lead characters, a story that was only really ever suggested (rather than overtly told, like in FF13), and a cool combat system to boot. Fun.<br /><br /><br />But, I've </span><a href="http://blog.lickmyear.org/2010/03/resonance-of-fate-first-thoughts.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">covered that already</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">.<br /><br /><br />So, Final Fantasy. Well, first Splinter Cell. I played a bit of Splinter Cell: Conviction (which I note was topping the games sales charts for a bit), and it was pretty good fun. I didn't finish it (at least, not at time of writing. Check out my live profile to see I have finished now! </span><a href="http://www.xboxlivenation.com/community/livedna.php?gt=lord%20of%20goats"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">http://www.xboxlivenation.com/community/livedna.php?gt=lord%20of%20goats</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">). Actually, I also played some Lego Indy 2 (VAST improvement on the original), some more DJ Hero, and Just Cause 2 as well, before starting FF13.<br /><br />I'm going to actually not talk about FF13 at all, and instead talk about the other games. Save FF for later.<br /><br /></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Splinter Cell</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br />Fun. Interesting. A couple of places where I kept wiping were incredibly annoying - especially when I had to sit through a cutscene before being allowed to try again - and the loading times weren't always that good, but on the whole, very enjoyable. As I mentioned above, I haven't finished it yet, but I'll probably go back to it at some point. The multi-player is also intriguing.<br /><br /></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Lego Indiana Jones 2</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br />If you like the lego games, you'll like this too. They've mixed things up a bit in the layout - the hubs are a little more interesting, and the replays are pretty cool. It's all a bit better signposted, in some respects, but worse in others. Still fun, though.<br /><br /></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Just Cause 2</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br />Ridiculous, in the best possible way. And frankly beautiful to look at. You've got a massive MASSIVE island sandbox to play in. And although some of the missions are a bit samey, and the gameplay gets a bit stale after a few hours, it's still one of the most striking games I've ever played. Steal a helicopter, take off, blow up the guards, fly up, jump onto the front, hook onto a plane and throw out the pilot. Stupid. Fun. And stupid fun.<br />Or, you know, just hook two planes together, and go for a ride:<br /></span><object height="405" width="500"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/lZf_OheMaek&hl=en_GB&fs=1&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01&border=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/lZf_OheMaek&hl=en_GB&fs=1&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="500" height="405"></embed></object><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br /><br /></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Projector</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br />What now? Yes. I got a projector. Games on a 12 foot screen can't be beaten. Here's a quick capture showing the motogp, in broad daylight. Just imagine what it looks like at night!<br /></span><object height="405" width="500"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/kh_p9OTtGpY&hl=en_GB&fs=1&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01&border=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/kh_p9OTtGpY&hl=en_GB&fs=1&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="500" height="405"></embed></object>Gerald Hibberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03474921780312395792noreply@blogger.com0London, UK51.5001524 -0.126236251.473436899999996 -0.1846012 51.5268679 -0.067871199999999993tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7617825727171644077.post-80356274113552705472010-04-01T09:43:00.000+01:002010-04-01T09:43:06.533+01:00Resonance of Fate, sidequestsSo, I found the in-game training area last night. Which sort of defeats my need for a combat guide. But I'll likely write one anyway.<br />
<br />
In the meantime, here's a brilliant guide containing all the locations of the weird sidequests - like who is the good looking female for whom the postman has a delivery (A small errand)? And who's the target in 'freight request?'. Anyway, you get the idea. Check out the guide.<br />
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<a href="http://www.xbox360achievements.org/forum/showthread.php?t=214586">http://www.xbox360achievements.org/forum/showthread.php?t=214586</a>Gerald Hibberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03474921780312395792noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7617825727171644077.post-70070036420184941302010-03-30T11:52:00.002+01:002010-04-15T15:13:20.033+01:00Resonance of Fate - Combat 101So, Resonance of Fate, and the crazy crazy combat system. In this quick guide, I'm going to talk simply about the very basic attacks - hero attacks and tri attacks. I'm assuming you've done the basic training in the Arena, so you understand the basic concepts. If you haven't done the training (and I only found it after 50 hours of play), go to the Arena, then head to the entrance door, and go left. There's a guy hiding under a girder, who does the basic concept training.<br /><br />So, first things first. Guns?<br /><b>Guns and Damage Types</b><br />There's really no wrong setup here. You'll start the game with 2 handguns, and 1 machinegun. Later on, you can dual-wield if you like. I've found success with most loadouts, so do what works for you.<br />I've tried one person with dual machine guns, and 2 handgunners, and also 2 machine gunners going solo, with a dual handgunner.<br />One thing worth noting - you probably want to keep someone equipped with the first aid kit - just in case -access to escape hexes is never a bad thing.<br /><br />I'm hoping you understand scratch damage vs direct damage. If not, leave a comment, and I'll do a separate post, but the training should cover it. Which takes us to tactics.<br /><br /><strong>Party order</strong><br />First, you'll want to go to the character screen and hit (x). This will let you rearrange your party. Put the machine gunner(s) at the top.<br /><br />For most enemies, you should find you can beat them in under 4 attacks with the following method. Some bosses require a slightly different approach, but this should keep you going. Before each attack, you want to jump, to ensure that damage is spread across the enemy's parts.<br />Also, note that you can change targets mid-hero attack by using the D-Pad. This is essential.<br /><br /><br /><ol><li>Run player one back left with a hero attack. Depending on your level, you should be able to get at least one complete bar emptied. Once you've done this, you can switch targets using the dpad, and try to run down another. </li><ul><li>Res points: 1</li></ul><li>Step 2: Run player 2 to the back right. Charge one bar on the fully depleted enemy that your gunner has attacked, and kill it. For the second, pick someone you want to gauge break (stun), and get the biggest charge you can.</li><ul><li>Res points: 2</li></ul><li>Step 3: Run player 3 straight to the back. Gauge break the toughest foe.</li><ul><li>Res points: 3</li></ul><li>Step 4: Run player 3 back to the starting position. Gauge break the toughest foe.</li><ul><li>Res points: 4</li></ul><li>Step 5: Tri-attack. Make sure you've selected the machine gunner as your lead character. Go for maximum charge on each pass. You might need to occasionally change target to make sure you're attack someone you're running towards, and not away from.</li><li>For most packs of enemies, that's it. You're done.</li></ol><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">In fact, for ever weaker/smaller groups, you can run your MGer front and left, and your second guy front right, and then just start a tri-attack.</span><br /></b><br /><div><b>Extending your run</b></div><div>Normally, you just run to your destination. Or you jump. You can extend the time spent charging by running for the majority of the path, and then jumping right at the last moment.</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Changing targets</b><div>When attacking, you can change target with the d-pad. This means, if you've got a very strong machine gunner (or gun), you can reduce many targets to zero in a single hero attack. Using the method above, you might run towards two targets. On the 'run' part, you charge that attack, hit 'a', and do your damage. Then, hit 'x' to jump, push left or right on the d-pad to change targets, and get another big charge on a secondary target.</div></div><div>The next gunner to attack can potentially kill 2 people in a single run, and break the gauge of a third.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Gauge Breaking</b></div><div>The exact method of gauge breaking is a little unclear. Your guns have a gauge break value, but I'm not clear what this does. It seems that you multiply the direct damage you do by the gauge break multiplier from your charge, and if this equals 100% of the creature's health, you break the gauge. </div><div>Regardless, a full charge with dual handguns will generally break an enemy pretty effectively.</div><div>The reason for gauge breaking is two-fold.</div><div>1) It stuns them, meaning they're less likely to attack next round.</div><div>2) You earn more bezels, which are key. If you've broken the gauge into 3 parts, say, then killing the enemy will earn 3 bezels instead of just one. Most enemies break to 6 individual parts. Some bosses will break less.</div><div><br /></div><div>Well, that's all there really is. Get creative. Enjoy.</div>Gerald Hibberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03474921780312395792noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7617825727171644077.post-2472761801462952142010-03-29T12:50:00.001+01:002010-03-29T13:38:52.765+01:00Resonance of Fate - first thoughtsI was in Estonia last week, which is a pretty cool place. Although I was there for a very short time, Tallinn struck me as a cross between Helsinki and Prague. I hope no-one's offended by that. But that's not what I'm here to talk about.<br />
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On thursday, I had 2 conferences and a flight, and as I left the house in the morning, I saw that the postman had delivered Resonance of Fate. So, I glared at it, and tried to put it out of my mind, knowing that I wouldn't have a chance to play it until I got back. But get back I did, late friday night, thanks to various planes being broken and rescheduled. And I popped it in. What a game.<br />
<br />
There's no gentle introduction to the characters. There's no background story on why these 3 are together. But, as time goes on, their friendship becomes clear, and the cutscenes are both well written and well acted, for the most part. I find myself chortling along with many of them, which is quite refreshing. In the first hour or so, the stereotypes are out. Emo boy. Headstrong young man. Childish girl. I figured they were going to be extremely one-dimensional. But they're remarkably likeable.<br />
<br />
The actual maps that you explore outside of combat are probably quite beautiful, but I think they've been designed for a 60 inch TV screen. On my measly 40 inch screen, it's pretty hard to pick out details. Maybe I should just sit closer.<br />
<br />
But, exploring is only a very small part of the game. The world map is nicely done - you have various shaped hexes you have to fit into the world to explore - you can either just plot the fastest line to each destination, or (if like me you have a bit of the old OCD), you can completely cover each level - which gives you some treasure and a one-way quick travel system (if you totally cover a level). The advantage of the hex system is that you can plan in detail and use the minimum hexes required, or just grind for extra parts and lay them down any old how. It's pleasing, and a nice distraction.<br />
<br />
But, onto the combat. The combat starts without any tutorials (unless I missed something, which is entirely possible). But there's a pretty comprehensive in-game manual. The problem (if it is a problem) is that because it's a way of fighting that I've never seen before, the terms quickly became overwhelming in the abstract. That is, there's talk of hero attacks, bezels, tri-attacks, scratch damage, direct damage, knockdowns and so forth.<br />
So, I started slowly. First, just killed a couple of monsters with the standard attack. Then started to understand scratch damage. Then started using hero attacks. Then realised I could jump. Then realised I could air-juggle. Then realised I could switch targets in a single attack. Then started to understand weapons charging (direct damage doesn't increase with charges, scratch damage does) Then realised how tri-attacks work. Then realised how to make them awesome. Then started upgrading weapons with custom parts. Then I learnt about body parts properly. And gauge breaks (although I still don't totally get them). And I've just started playing with double-wielding.<br />
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I'm going to write a more in-depth section on the combat, since I haven't managed to find any great sites online yet (I imagine most people are playing final fantasy, for example). But, I've been playing just over 40 hours now (although at least 10 of those are from leaving it on overnight), and almost every time I fight, I find some new nuance to the combat system.<br />
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One quick word about the custom parts - they're awesome. Sweet crafting and upgrade system for your guns (I just fitted my third barrel to a gun....)<br />
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So, currently, I'm very much enjoying it. Lightly amusing cut-scenes. Pleasing world. Neat exploration mechanic. Cool combat that not only plays nicely, but looks really cool.<br />
Downsides: the town scenes seem a bit last-gen, and some of the lower-level random encounters can start to seem a little repetitive (but you can buy an accessory to remove the chance of these, or just run).<br />
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So, yes, on the whole, a good game. If you like RPGs that focus on numbers, this is for you.<br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTLMNav5fKg"><object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hTLMNav5fKg&hl=en_GB&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hTLMNav5fKg&hl=en_GB&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object></a><br />
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In the video above, standard attacks at the beginning. Hero attacks start at around 1.35 and there's a (pretty poor) tri-attack at around 2.30Gerald Hibberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03474921780312395792noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7617825727171644077.post-46374576378709030652010-03-16T14:42:00.002+00:002010-03-16T14:42:46.719+00:00Dwight David Honeycutt is aceA friend just sent me this. I still can't work out if it's real or not.<br />
But it IS awesome.<br />
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<object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/lMRWNNBYAc8&hl=en_GB&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/lMRWNNBYAc8&hl=en_GB&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Gerald Hibberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03474921780312395792noreply@blogger.com0Conway, AR, USA35.0886963 -92.442101134.9482318 -92.6755606 35.2291608 -92.2086416tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7617825727171644077.post-13310553779025544742010-02-20T11:32:00.004+00:002010-02-20T11:36:39.345+00:00G-Nigeria.I'm in Nigeria for the g-nigeria event. People are <a href="http://twitter.com/#search?q=%23gnigeria">tweeting right now</a> about it, so get stuck in using the #gnigeria tag if you want to take part.<div>You can always browse the archives, too.</div><div>If you want to download the presentations from the event, please visit the <a href="http://sitescontent.google.com/gnigeriaday2010/Home">main website</a>. We will link the presentations from the agenda pages.</div><div><br /></div><div>As always, contact <a href="http://www.blogger.com/africadeveloper@gmail.com">africadeveloper@gmail.com</a> if you have any questions.</div>Gerald Hibberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03474921780312395792noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7617825727171644077.post-10931092176521690452010-02-17T12:59:00.000+00:002010-02-17T12:59:16.877+00:00The Lion ManNot sure how many, if any of you, watch the Lion Man on Sky (at least, it's Sky in the UK).<br />
This dude, Craig Busch (tee hee) runs a wildlife sanctuary for big cats. He also seems to keep a bunch of deer, but they're never mentioned, so I can only assume they're only there for catfood.<br />
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Anyway, he has bengal tigers, white tigers, white lions, barbary lions, and some other cats too.<br />
You can learn more about them at the <a href="http://www.zionwildlifegardens.co.nz/">Zion Park</a> website.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img28.picoodle.com/img/img28/8/6/15/f_babytiger03m_a8d8921.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="http://img28.picoodle.com/img/img28/8/6/15/f_babytiger03m_a8d8921.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The baby tigers are ridiculously cute (I just grabbed this pic of the 'nets).<br />
<br />
Anyway, at the of an episode, it said 'dedicated to Dalu', so I wondered what happened. turns out, he was mauled by a tiger and killed. But that's not all. Craig's mum was bought in a couple of years back to refinance the park, and soon after, sacked Craig. Weird.<br />
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Full story is over at <a href="http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_latest_news_on_lion_man_craig_busch">Wikianswers.</a> One of those "too strange to make it up" ones.Gerald Hibberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03474921780312395792noreply@blogger.com0Gumtown, Northland, New Zealand-35.692855216353912 174.21286582946777-35.697211716353912 174.20557032946778 -35.688498716353912 174.22016132946777tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7617825727171644077.post-18433009066011177512010-02-16T15:48:00.008+00:002010-02-16T16:05:11.084+00:00Quick side by side DA:O comparisonGamespot have kindly put together a comparison of the graphics for DA:O across PS3/Xbox/PC.<div><br /></div><div>It's actually a little misleading, because they've restricted the PC to 720p, which seems completely pointless. Why would you set it lower than necessary? I run it at 1920x1200, 8x anti aliasing, with everything else set at max. (I've got a fairly kick-ass <a href="http://www.tweaktown.com/articles/1708/nvidia_s_geforce_gtx_295_overclocked/index.html">graphics card</a>)</div><div><br />I've been a bit naughty, and stolen a couple of images, but it shows the key differences. The PC version adds better textures (note the sacks) and also extra elements (note the chest). But check out the full article over at Gamespot for more info and details.<br /><a href="http://uk.gamespot.com/features/6239466/index.html">http://uk.gamespot.com/features/6239466/index.html</a><br /><br /><img src="http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2009/features/hardware/dragon-age-image-comparison/006.jpg" name="Xbox" alt="Xbox" title="xbox"><br /><img src="http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2009/features/hardware/dragon-age-image-comparison/006_1.jpg" name="PS3" alt="PS3" title="PS3"><br /><img src="http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2009/features/hardware/dragon-age-image-comparison/006_2.jpg" name="PC" alt="PC" title="PC - note the extra chest in hte background and the textures on the sacks"><br /><br /></div>Gerald Hibberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03474921780312395792noreply@blogger.com0