(Dusting off the blog)
Well it has been a while since I have posted anything here, so what have I been up to and what is to come?
On the machinima side of things it is not really active at all lately. I have no real inspiration to make any machinima even though I have some ideas. When the inspiration hits, ill be making some, whenever that is. There might be one for my upcoming SL product, but will see. Read more below.
Second Life news, I turned six years old on Tuesday. Can you believe it, a whole six years that I have been on Second Life, although you can really count Second Life years like dog years. Thinking back even 3 years feels like another lifetime, probably with the fact that Second Life changes so fast.
On the topic of Second Life, I am working on a new product that I hope will be finished soon. It is once again a communication system, but this one have several twists to it that I am hoping is the start of something bigger. It uses a lot of methods that I haven't worked with before, so it is a constant learn and design cycle.
Other than that I played through the Mass Effect 3 Extended DLC for the ending and I have to say... wow. That ending is the type of ending everyone that knows Bioware expects from them and I am happy with how they ended it. Of course there is still some people not happy with it, but I am seeing a lot more people praising it than with the original ending.
I will post updates about the product when I have an idea when it will be released and I might make a post with more detail and my opinion to Mass Effect 3's ending.
Later.
Mass Effect 3 Tribute
Well it has been a long time since I released any machinima, but today I break that silence.
After hearing Malukah's beautiful song and recently completing Mass Effect 3 (yup, that's why I have been so quiet on the blog), I just had to make a tribute to this amazing series. Since Mass Effect, this series has shown a new type of RPG with an amazing story and a galaxy filled with detailed lore.
This tribute shows my Shepard and his story. It has been an amazing run from the first Mass Effect, with some funny moments that made me laugh so hard, emotional moments that made me tear up, decisions that I regret making and adrenalin filled moments that just made me want to kick some organic and synthetic behinds! It was truely a series I enjoyed every moment off (yes, even scanning every planet and reading it's details) and even if it makes me sad to see it come to an end, it was an honor to play it all the way through from the first Mass Effect.
The song used in the machinima is called Reignite by Malukah and if you haven't heard about Malukah yet then now is the time! She is an amazing music artist with a beautiful voice that did several covers of Skyrim songs which is where I first heard her voice. Her latest song is the one I used in my machinima and it really made the machinima, while at the same time honouring Mass Effect in a great way! Be sure to check out her channel and also check out the original Reignite video by her.
I know there is a great amount of controversy about the ending which I mostly do not agree on, but Bioware is working on a Extended DLC to add a bit more to the ending which will be interesting to see. There was also the issue with the face import from Mass Effect 2 which ended up with me waiting a month for a patch after I got it before starting to play. Sadly this is an issue with a lot of games these days, releasing them before they are ready.
In any case, overall I loved the series and it was truly one of the best game series that I have ever played. Big thanks goes out to Bioware for creating this galaxy filled with characters I fell in love with. Also thanks to Microsoft for publishing the first game and EA for publishing the second and third game.
Note: This video contains spoilers, so if you are playing the game or want to in the future and prefer not to have it spoiled, it is better if you do not watch this.
Enjoy!
After hearing Malukah's beautiful song and recently completing Mass Effect 3 (yup, that's why I have been so quiet on the blog), I just had to make a tribute to this amazing series. Since Mass Effect, this series has shown a new type of RPG with an amazing story and a galaxy filled with detailed lore.
This tribute shows my Shepard and his story. It has been an amazing run from the first Mass Effect, with some funny moments that made me laugh so hard, emotional moments that made me tear up, decisions that I regret making and adrenalin filled moments that just made me want to kick some organic and synthetic behinds! It was truely a series I enjoyed every moment off (yes, even scanning every planet and reading it's details) and even if it makes me sad to see it come to an end, it was an honor to play it all the way through from the first Mass Effect.
The song used in the machinima is called Reignite by Malukah and if you haven't heard about Malukah yet then now is the time! She is an amazing music artist with a beautiful voice that did several covers of Skyrim songs which is where I first heard her voice. Her latest song is the one I used in my machinima and it really made the machinima, while at the same time honouring Mass Effect in a great way! Be sure to check out her channel and also check out the original Reignite video by her.
I know there is a great amount of controversy about the ending which I mostly do not agree on, but Bioware is working on a Extended DLC to add a bit more to the ending which will be interesting to see. There was also the issue with the face import from Mass Effect 2 which ended up with me waiting a month for a patch after I got it before starting to play. Sadly this is an issue with a lot of games these days, releasing them before they are ready.
In any case, overall I loved the series and it was truly one of the best game series that I have ever played. Big thanks goes out to Bioware for creating this galaxy filled with characters I fell in love with. Also thanks to Microsoft for publishing the first game and EA for publishing the second and third game.
Note: This video contains spoilers, so if you are playing the game or want to in the future and prefer not to have it spoiled, it is better if you do not watch this.
Enjoy!
Doorec Released!
Here we go! As mentioned less than 24 hours ago, I am launching another product that I have been working on, this one called Doorec.
Doorec is a security door system using cards to gain access that was designed for the build I am busy with and decided to expand it in such a way that it can be sold. It has several features such as deciding who gets cards (Public, Group, Names), who has authorization to change card holder's clearance (Group,Names), set custom area names and much more!
The cards themselves have the ability to display what clearance they have to their owner with the ability to add their own picture, change the card name and resize it. Anyone on the authorization list gets a different menu with the ability to change the clearance levels of the areas. Meaning that authorized people can click the card while the owner is wearing it and change the clearance fast and easy.
For a full features list and more information, head on over to the Marketplace Listing! Enjoy!
Doorec is a security door system using cards to gain access that was designed for the build I am busy with and decided to expand it in such a way that it can be sold. It has several features such as deciding who gets cards (Public, Group, Names), who has authorization to change card holder's clearance (Group,Names), set custom area names and much more!
For a full features list and more information, head on over to the Marketplace Listing! Enjoy!
New Product!
Yes I know this blog has been quiet for a while, but I am here now and I brought a little something something with me, one of the stuff that has been keeping me busy this last while.
Introducing Teporial, a teleporter to make moving from one point to another in your region so much easier. I designed Teporial for my own use a long time ago and over time I improved the code, added features, changed teleportation methods to what works better and now we have Teporial.
It also features my attempt in creating a bit more of a "realistic" method of teleporting. This is done by beams on the sides that charge up after you selected your destination. The beams will glow brighter, and at the peek of its speed it will teleport you to your destination, followed with the beams glowing less and slowing down to a stop.
I also decided to include a one prim pad for anyone that prefer to save prims.
The access menu will allow you to select between public, group or specific names who can teleport to the Teporial your setting up. Also a sector setting will allow you to "group" Teporials together, meaning any Teporial with the same name will be able to teleport to each other, making it easy to setup Teporials for different areas of your region.
For more information, animated image on how it looks and all the features , be sure to check out the Marketplace Listing.
Also I will be releasing another product hopefully today, so keep your eyes on this blog.
EDIT: 100th post on this blog! Whooooooooo!
Introducing Teporial, a teleporter to make moving from one point to another in your region so much easier. I designed Teporial for my own use a long time ago and over time I improved the code, added features, changed teleportation methods to what works better and now we have Teporial.
It also features my attempt in creating a bit more of a "realistic" method of teleporting. This is done by beams on the sides that charge up after you selected your destination. The beams will glow brighter, and at the peek of its speed it will teleport you to your destination, followed with the beams glowing less and slowing down to a stop.
I also decided to include a one prim pad for anyone that prefer to save prims.
The access menu will allow you to select between public, group or specific names who can teleport to the Teporial your setting up. Also a sector setting will allow you to "group" Teporials together, meaning any Teporial with the same name will be able to teleport to each other, making it easy to setup Teporials for different areas of your region.
For more information, animated image on how it looks and all the features , be sure to check out the Marketplace Listing.
Also I will be releasing another product hopefully today, so keep your eyes on this blog.
EDIT: 100th post on this blog! Whooooooooo!
KONY 2012
Well the latest video from Invisible Children has hit the Internet with storm with over 9 million views in 2 days.
So what is it all about? Well to quote their video description:
"KONY 2012 is a film and campaign by Invisible Children that aims to make Joseph Kony famous, not to celebrate him, but to raise support for his arrest and set a precedent for international justice."
And who exactly is this Joseph Kony? He is an Ugandan guerrilla group leader that is head of the LRA (Lord's Resistance Army) that does what he please for power. The LRA have been accused of murder, abduction, mutilation, sexual enslavement and forcing children to fight for them. And all of that has been since around 1986!
Here is the latest video from Invisible children, that explain exactly who Joseph Kony is and how you can make a difference! This is well worth 30 minutes of your time!
I heard there is already several blogs jumping up against Invisible Children and what they want to achieve. You can judge for yourself what you think of it, but I for one support what Invisible Children is trying to achieve. There is today, at exactly this moment, young girls used as sex slaves and boys used as soldiers. Can you really look at your young sister, brother, cousin, daughter, son, nephew or niece, and say you do not care?
Spread this video, talk to everyone and make sure everyone know who Joseph Kony is!
"KONY 2012 is a film and campaign by Invisible Children that aims to make Joseph Kony famous, not to celebrate him, but to raise support for his arrest and set a precedent for international justice."
And who exactly is this Joseph Kony? He is an Ugandan guerrilla group leader that is head of the LRA (Lord's Resistance Army) that does what he please for power. The LRA have been accused of murder, abduction, mutilation, sexual enslavement and forcing children to fight for them. And all of that has been since around 1986!
Here is the latest video from Invisible children, that explain exactly who Joseph Kony is and how you can make a difference! This is well worth 30 minutes of your time!
I heard there is already several blogs jumping up against Invisible Children and what they want to achieve. You can judge for yourself what you think of it, but I for one support what Invisible Children is trying to achieve. There is today, at exactly this moment, young girls used as sex slaves and boys used as soldiers. Can you really look at your young sister, brother, cousin, daughter, son, nephew or niece, and say you do not care?
Spread this video, talk to everyone and make sure everyone know who Joseph Kony is!
Scientist Salarian Reaction
So with Mass Effect 3 only a few days away, I remembered I had a recording of where Mordin is singing Scientist Salarian. When watching it, I saw the hilarious reaction my game's Shepard had when Mordin stopped singing, and as suggested, uploading that image and posting it here. Enjoy!
For in case you never saw Mordin sing Scientist Salarian, here is a Youtube link, or if you haven't yet, go play Mass Effect 1 and 2!
 |
| [Shepard] Mordin... just don't... |
For in case you never saw Mordin sing Scientist Salarian, here is a Youtube link, or if you haven't yet, go play Mass Effect 1 and 2!
Still here!
I know it has been very quiet on this blog for a while, but I just want to say that I am still here!
I am currently working on a build in Second Life that I wanted to have done a long time ago. It's taking some time since I am creating most of the furniture, items, animations and more that I need, but it is getting there slowly and I will hopefully have it up and running soon-ish.
Just wanted to throw a small update here, I will have more news soon!
I am currently working on a build in Second Life that I wanted to have done a long time ago. It's taking some time since I am creating most of the furniture, items, animations and more that I need, but it is getting there slowly and I will hopefully have it up and running soon-ish.
Just wanted to throw a small update here, I will have more news soon!
Skyrim: Lack of difficulty in RPG elements – my opinion.
After playing Skyrim for some time, here is my opinion about the lack of difficulty concerning RPG elements like quests and map markers, puzzles, crafting and more. This is one long post!
Greetings all.
Skyrim is a great game, and since its announcement I was looking
forward to it till the day of the launch. Although it had its share of
problems, some more major than other; it’s still fun to play and with the
latest patches, the performance is even getting better and better. There is
just one issue that keep tugging at me while I play Skyrim, how easy some RPG elements
are. This has been talked about before, but here is my opinion.
I am going to use Morrowind as the main example here as it fits what I
am talking about, and is part of the same series. A lot of people that have
played Morrowind will tell you, including me, that Morrowind was a lot more
immersive than Skyrim. Yes, Skyrim’s graphics are better and the game play (for
example Duel Wielding) is a welcome addition, but it lacked the RPG elements
that RPG’s are all about.
One of the main things that always bother me is the map markers. For
example, you will get a quest to find clues about a Dark Elf’s past, but
instead that you are left to look all over Skyrim for clues, you get a waypoint
directing you straight to where to find information. To compare to Morrowind,
when you first start the game and have to go to the town of Balmora, you’re not
even shown where it is (unless you look on your physical map, the in-game map
didn’t even show you until you reached it). The best thing to do is to ask
local NPC’s then where it is and they will either tell you who to ask or direct
you where to walk. There was nothing like map markers in Morrowind, and you had
to depend on the description of NPC’s to figure out where a certain person,
town, house or item is.
The same goes for when you go into a dungeon or house. Let’s say you
have to find a specific item but you want to do it with stealth instead of
killing everyone. You sneak throughout the house, looking in rooms and even
risking it in some guarded rooms for in case it is there. In Skyrim, you are
pointed directly to the item, making it a lot easier with not even bothering
with the rooms you know it isn’t in.
I remember the quest from the Balmora, where you are sent to find a
Dwemer Cube located in a Dwemer ruin east of Balmora. I eventually killed
everything in that ruin and still couldn’t find the item, until finally, I saw
a room I missed and found the item in there. Although I wasted hours looking
for it, I felt really good in the end that I found it. Now all satisfaction you
get with Skyrim is that you can understand how to follow a map marker.
Another example is in Skyrim(not going to mention a lot for in case I
spoil anything), is a quest where you have to find a murderer and you have to
investigate who did it. Instead of getting the option to choose who did it and
by that maybe false accusing someone, you only get one reply saying who it is.
For anyone that did not figure it out by then, your character knew more than you
did about that, which in an RPG is a big flaw.
One option to fix the map markers is by basically just turning them off
in the journal system for Skyrim, but sadly that is not really an option, because
when you turn a map marker off, you are lost. There is no option to ask a NPC
for directions (for specific people or places) and the amount of information
you get from the NPC giving you the quest is limited, only saying the basics,
with the directions being replaced by map markers. All Bethesda had to do is
give more information, like describing where the ruin/house/dungeon is located,
for example West of Riften, where you can then use your physical map, ask
directions or look at the town signs to find Riften and then look for the
location west of it. Although this takes longer, it is a lot more immersive and
a lot more satisfying when you find it.
Then there are the puzzles. Morrowind did not really have detailed
puzzles, so I am happy for the Skyrim ones. Sadly, Bethesda seemed to have
thought the circular doors will be too difficult for people to figure out so
they showed exactly how to do it in the 20min game play videos that was
released before Skyrim came out. Anyone that was hyped up about Skyrim wanted
to see more and watched the game play videos, in turn spoiling one of the main
puzzles of the game. There are some other puzzles I have seen so far in the
game, and some are smart, but still not close to anything challenging. One
thing that is a nice addition is the treasure maps, although some of them are
way too easy.
Something mentioned by a friend of mine is the journal system. What
happened to the detailed descriptions? All you get now is a very brief
description of the quest that barely scrape what was explained of the quest,
with the targets being more a bullet point system than information. The old
Morrowind journal (improved with the expansion packs) description was detailed,
entertaining to read, and if you wanted even more information you could get the
dialog of the person that gave the quest.
Crafting is something new to the Elder Scrolls series and something I
was really looking forward to in Skyrim. I do enjoy it, but it could have been
so much more. Crafting armour for example, you are showed exactly what you can craft
and the same goes for cooking. The only one that seem to have done it right is
the making of potions, where you only discover after making the potion how to
make it, or if you find some recipes around the world. This should have been
done for all the crafting, needing you to find out how to make something with certain
items/ingredients by means of trying different methods or finding recipes/books
explaining it. I was really disappointed seeing everything listed on the
cooking menu after finding the book “Uncommon Taste” and thinking if I have
right ingredients, I have to manually select them and see what happens.
I have been trying to understand why Bethesda decided to make this so
easy and one of the reasons in conversations with other Elder Scrolls players
that always come up is... mass market. I have to agree with it, but I do not
get why they did it. People love a challenge, which is why we buy a game with
the tag of Role Playing Game. We enjoy looking for more powerful items,
figuring out puzzles and spending hours on a game, sometimes even with pen and
paper on our desk to take notes off riddles or puzzle hints.
If Bethesda was worried that people will get bored of the game if they
have to spend too much time looking for something, they were worried about the
wrong thing. The game is tagged as a RPG, and everyone that buy it knows
it’s a RPG, knowing that is isn’t going to take 5 minutes to complete a quest,
7 hours to complete the game or have everything spoon fed... although the
latter seems true in Skyrim.
To improve the experience for the map markers and information, one
thing to do is mods. With the Creation Kits, more information can be added to
the dialog topics and map markers can be removed. The only problem with that is
it won’t be the original voice actors. The puzzles, journal system and crafting
I am sure is going to see changed in the near future by the modding community.
It would be great if Bethesda included it with their next expansion,
increasing the information you get for quests, add directions options and
making the puzzles a bit more difficult. They could still keep the map markers,
but at least make the game playable for anyone that think the map markers is
making it way to easy.
To conclude, Skyrim feels like there is no challenge for the mind. The
only skill involved is to know what to spend your perks and gold on to make
your character as powerful as it can be to defeat the next monster, which
really isn’t that hard. I enjoy looking for rumours told by NPC’s, figuring out
riddles, puzzles for old treasures and looking for lost items. Sadly, in Skyrim,
you will just be pointed toward the “lost” item.
I love the game and the series, it is just sad to see it go this way. I
will leave you with this quote from a friend of mine concerning the map markers:
“GPS did not exist back in that time, why do we have it?”
I have posted this on the Bethesda Forums as well.
TPAD Update!
Well it has been pretty quiet on this blog lately, with the last post being the protest against SOPA, which seem to be shelved for now, woohoo! Lets hope it stays that way.
In other news, I updated an 2009 product of mine called TPAD, a Dial Home Device for the Alteran Stargate Network created by Alpha Fox for Second Life. The difference between TPAD and the other DHD's that can be found in-world is that TPAD has a much lower prim usage, 5/6 prims, compared to the 30 - 50 prim DHD's.
I recently decided to update it to look and work better. I have changed to include a crystal sculpt map located under the DHD and made three different DHD types named Industrial, Advanced and Stone. The Advanced version has a touch indicator that indicates where you have just clicked. Overall the code has been optimized big time with a script that works better and faster than before and also an automatic updater is included now.
The TPAD DHD can be found on the Marketplace! Enjoy!
In other news, I updated an 2009 product of mine called TPAD, a Dial Home Device for the Alteran Stargate Network created by Alpha Fox for Second Life. The difference between TPAD and the other DHD's that can be found in-world is that TPAD has a much lower prim usage, 5/6 prims, compared to the 30 - 50 prim DHD's.
I recently decided to update it to look and work better. I have changed to include a crystal sculpt map located under the DHD and made three different DHD types named Industrial, Advanced and Stone. The Advanced version has a touch indicator that indicates where you have just clicked. Overall the code has been optimized big time with a script that works better and faster than before and also an automatic updater is included now.
The TPAD DHD can be found on the Marketplace! Enjoy!
Joining The Strike Against SOPA & PIPA
Tomorrow Nocater will be joining the internet strike against SOPA & PIPA and will not be reachable.
Don't know what it is? Well better than me trying to put it exactly in words, here is a video that explains it all.
Like you can see, this can cause real damage to everything you ever loved about the internet. Several websites and communities are in danger of this, and freedom of speech as we know it on the internet will become something of the past.
If you never heard about SOPA or PIPA, do not feel to bad, the media has been keeping it very quiet since several media companies support it. What better way to get what they want than to keep everyone in the dark?
Well tomorrow, the 18th of January, is the day the internet makes a stand. Reddit and Wikipedia is planning to black out for most/all day and Google is planning a homepage protest to let everyone know about SOPA and PIPA. There is several more websites making a stand tomorrow, and so will Nocater.
If you would like more information and how this will affect you, join the fight and even censor your own website, head on over to http://americancensorship.org/
Join the fight tomorrow and protect the internet we all love and enjoy!
Don't know what it is? Well better than me trying to put it exactly in words, here is a video that explains it all.
For anyone that can't watch the video, head on over to the article by arstechnica.com for more information.
If you never heard about SOPA or PIPA, do not feel to bad, the media has been keeping it very quiet since several media companies support it. What better way to get what they want than to keep everyone in the dark?
Well tomorrow, the 18th of January, is the day the internet makes a stand. Reddit and Wikipedia is planning to black out for most/all day and Google is planning a homepage protest to let everyone know about SOPA and PIPA. There is several more websites making a stand tomorrow, and so will Nocater.
If you would like more information and how this will affect you, join the fight and even censor your own website, head on over to http://americancensorship.org/
Join the fight tomorrow and protect the internet we all love and enjoy!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)