Flagon With The Dragon | Streamweaver’s pellet of poison.

My Writings. My Thoughts.

Star Trek Online Beta Impressions

// January 12th, 2010 // No Comments » // Fluff

Some feedback I posted on the Star Trek Online Open Beta. Reposting here in case there is interest.

These are my initial impressions after 2 hours of play. It’s only 2 hours but I think this is important as it’s what forms my initial impression of the game.

* Space is way too crowded. Having ship after ship stacked up on each other gives the whole game way too much of an amusement park feel.

* Waypoints to missions and goals are very confusing to me if they even exist. Which they don’t seem to. Not knowing where to go leaves players dead in the water.

* The overall pacing in the game feels slow and boring in ground combat.

* Distances in Space combat feels and looks too cramped and confusing. I’m often so close to things, particularly the borg cube, that I can’t even see what’s going on. The general distances make me feel like I should be able to throw rocks at the other ships. Definitely lacks that Trek Feel.

* Power management is good and gives that Trek Feel.

* Weapon arcs, shields and so forth all feel good and have that Trek Feel.

* Ship customization is great. Beef up the descriptions more please though.

* Skill descriptions are nice but some of the numbers leave me a bit flat. One ability gives me a 0.01 increase to something, which makes it seem pointless. Perhaps a more meaningful scale for players.

* I like the skills system but it’s difficult to get a feel for how things should play out. Perhaps a suggested builds system similar to what you have in CO would help.

* I don’t see why I don’t have a list of targets in the system, right now the only way I can see to select things is via Tab, which doesn’t work well, or manually select which seems just plain silly. This is Star Trek, we have sensors and all that. I should have a list of targets at least.

* I should have WAY more information about things on screen. I have to be right on top of something before I get the target name or can select it. Similar to the weapon ranges above, this just seems like a genre breaker for me out of the game and makes the whole thing feel like a silly DS game or something rather than an immersion driven MMO set in a virtual world.

Overall there seems to be a depth to the space combat that could be enjoyable but the presentation makes it feel like a shallow console game rather than a meaty MMO. If that’s what you’re going for cool, but I’m not left with a great impression of the game out of the gate.

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Da-gone Dragons

// November 13th, 2009 // No Comments » // Fluff

I’ve pretty much been sucked in by Dragon Age lately and it’s a GREAT game. The narrative in it is fantastic and there’s no lack of great things being said. A few niggling annoyances to me though that don’t seem to bother anyone else.

The world feels small and definitely ‘console rpg like’ to me. I generally hate this trend in games and it adds to heavily to the spoon fed feel of a world.

The fighting in the game is the LEAST interesting part of it to me as most fights are just a zerg fest and moving from one “orcs in a field” section to the next.

There is a particular party mix you need to be successful in combat in the. This works counter to the NPC stories in that you can’t really adventure with the NPCs you like, you have to go for party balance.

The NPC mages they give you are the suck. You do about the same if you create a fighter or thief class but will be far ahead of the game if you make the main character a mage. I find this disappointing.

My other real comment is that I seriously doubt the toolset for this will be as successful as the Neverwinter Nights toolset. The game shines on cut scenes and voice-acting and I don’t see communities having that strength. We’ll probably just see “orcs in a field with various landscape” modules from the community because that’s all the game is without the cutscenes and acting. I think the gaming community is missing the point on customizable toolsets. If NWN is any gauge, what players want is a world creation kit to make their own MMO. The ‘M’ in this game being ‘Moderatly’ multiplayer instead of ‘Massively’. Nobody is filling that space and I wonder if anyone ever will.

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Free Fallen

// October 14th, 2009 // No Comments » // Fluff

My online gaming life has been all over the place lately but it’s all been enjoyable.

For the most part I’ve been playing Fallen Earth since launch and enjoyed it more than just about any other game in the last year. I don’t want to do a review here but a few of the particular highlights for me are:

It has more content than any game I’ve ever seen at launch and has more content than many games that are years old.
It’s one of the more sandboxish character driven MMOs out there (but still far behind Eve Online)
I really enjoy post-apocalyptic games and have been wanting to get my FallOut on in an MMO since the 90s
Have a good group of people to play with
Have good RP hooks with my character

If you’re playing or going to play drop me a note and we can hookup in game. It’s lots of fun.

I’m even thinking about trying my hand at making a FRAPS based video for my character.

One thing I really find ironic about Fallen Earth though are people who claim to love the sandbox and non-linear design of the game but who insist on playing through every quest as if it’s a guided experience. /emote shrug

I’ve been having fun dabbling in other games as well. Champions Online is a fun game with some interesting features, particularly in breaking the walls of the MMO silo.

I’ll post screenies sometime.

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Horus Out and About

// April 12th, 2009 // No Comments » // Fluff

I decided to try my hand (feet really) at running again for the first time in 15 years. I use to run all the time and after a back injury I decided to give it up, primarily because the stern doctor looked at me and told me flat out that my “running days are over.” I ran cautiously and with small agreements, I’d run for 15 minutes and see how my back feels and I’ll force myself to stop if I feel any kind of back discomfort. I have to make these kinds of arrangements or I just wont stop.

Anyway, I didn’t stop. I only did about 2 miles in a time that would have gotten me kicked out of the army back in the day but still I finished. Cardio wise it wasn’t much of a problem after a year and a half of cycling and I could have done more I think. My biggest difficulty was in the new motion and legs. Those weren’t a big problem either, hell I ran 2 miles the first time out in 15 years without much of a problem, still though it’s a different motion and I can tell it’ll take some getting use to. Particularly difficult was holding my knees and midsection firm but not tense, something you can be a lot more lax about on a bike.

How does Horus come into this you might w0nder? Well in a rather interesting way it turns out and one that only one or two of you will understand.

I ran from Medlock Park to Mason Mill Park and as I was hitting the turn around point in Mason Mill I start having that conversation with myself that I have pretty much anytime I push myself. It’s that self questioning part that asks things like “Okay, so are we really doing this or are you just going to be a total waste of oxygen?” .

It’s an effective internal tactic for me because there is this really obstinate internal part of me that jumps out when I’m challenged, even by myself. I gave myself the usual answer I give when I ask myself this question, “Go fuck yourself” and I keep running on.

10 seconds after I say this to myself and lean into the run to go on I see Horus, right on the ground in front of me, about 8 feet away. I ran out and back around and snapped some pictures of him with my iPhone, he’s small but you can make him out.

Not really something I can explain here but I’ve mentioned the topic to a couple of you. Neat stuff and I’ll end with just posting a couple of the pictures of him. I couldn’t get that close when I came back in but you should be able to make him out on the ground and again on the light post where he flew up to as I tried to get closer.

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Sign o’the times

// April 11th, 2009 // No Comments » // Fluff

While shopping at Publix I saw an elderly asian woman working as a cart collector. I don’t know her or her story but the narrative that arose in my mind about it just depressed me. Is this really where the country has ended up? A woman, who by all rights shouldn’t be consigned to back breaking work, is forced to strongarm lines of shopping carts just to get by?

Though I’ve seen all kinds of people out there strugging, the image of this woman wrapping a bright read scarf around her and still remaining dignified while doing this work really bothered me. It makes me happy I’ve always been a person who brings is cart back but for no real particular reason, if everyone did that this woman wouldn’t even have a job.

I can’t really figure out why this particular thing bothers me so much but it just does. Gives me a case of the arghs.

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You are what you think

// April 6th, 2009 // No Comments » // Fluff

The idea of how minds change has been in my thoughts quiet a bit lately and it’s become a reoccuring theme in many different areas of my life, as things tend to do. I’ve mostly been contemplating how my thoughts have changed over the last 9 months, and how or if that’s changed my fundamental way of thinking. Many of you know it’s been a year of pretty big changes for me and through it I have been incredibly mindful that how I came out of this was a great unknown, but still in my hands to shape somewhat.

The number of changes have been dramatic and largely unexpected. I’m a much more positive person in general now than I was a year ago, I’m much more relaxed and anger has largely gone out of my life, at least compared to previously. I’m still coming to terms with exactly what is contributing to all these changes, in small ways it’s a contious effort though. I meditate regularly, I have gotten good at turning my thoughts in a particular direction or another and I regularly stay away from particular sets that would give me a more brooding cast than in the past.

I don’t really want to do a retrospective on what’s causing the change as I want to take a moment to be a bit amazed at the very concept of a mind changing in the first place. Biochemistry is a wonderful thing but there are times (like now) where it’s hard to sit there viewing the mind as a biochemical engine of thought and the implications of what it means that a bunch of chemicals could “decide” to change. Think about that for a second, a system, even a dynamic one, is sitting there doing what it does and begins to change with a purpose. If we saw this happen in a beaker we’d talk directly about it being a proof of God. I’m not trying to use this as such because the system I’m trying to describe is a vast over-simplification. Still though sit there for a moment and contemplate the reality of mind deciding to change itself.

I find the whole thing rather amazing at this moment and wish more people could realize just how plastic our minds can be. How we can shape them more than we give ourselves credit for and that we’re not just trapped in there with ourselves, or perhaps that we are but that we can be better company than we realize.

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Long-time, No Update

// January 26th, 2009 // No Comments » // Fluff

Wow it’s been a long time since I’ve updated here. Primarily this is because I’ve been Twittering and Facebooking my little heart out. A larger part though is work being so hectic and there being no relief in sight.

Anyway, randomly jumping in while I have the energy.

I’m sick. Up late right now waiting for the latest dose of TheraFlu to kick in and not happy at all. I HATE being sick (as if other people like it) I’m usually pretty lucky in that I normally get ALMOST sick. Not today and I feel like this so infrequently that it’s a jolt when I do. It’s one of those “I forget what it’s like to be well” kind of sicks. Blargh.

Having a hard time forming my brain around what else is going on for a proper update. So very fragmented…

When did the idea of a ‘trim’ get lost in our culture? I get the wierdest look when I got into a hair place and ask for one. Just take what it looks like now and make it a tiny bit shorter with some layering, is that really so hard? Apparently because I had a hair disaster this weekend on a scale that even I noticed.

Work is absolutly overwhelming at times but not usually in a bad way I guess. I’m trying to take the Anarchy that reigns there and turn it into something resembling a system. My hope was to avoid a Despotism in the meantime but I don’t think that’s possible. Not my very favorite thing every. Still though there are some gems in the middle of it all so it’s not so-so bad.

Hanging out with a few frends and all that jazz at other times but nothing really monumental on the social front right now. I’m taking my mother to see King Tut in Feb which we’re really looking forward to. She took me when I was 8 in NYC and it was one of those monumental childhood moments that burn a memory into you. Needless to say we’re excited to go again now.

Okay, getting sleepy enough to go back to bed. Peace everyone.

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New President, New Day

// January 20th, 2009 // Comments Off // Fluff

Watching the swearing in of Barak Obama live right now and overcome with a bit of emtion.

I can’t remember the last time my country stood up together, not out of fear or anger, but out of hope and joy. I think this is in part what the excitement is about this president, that we no longer feel ruled by fear of what could happen but by the hope of what we might yet do. By no means do I think Obama will fix all our problems, nor do I think any President could do easily. I do feel a joy in hoping that we’ve slowed our downward spiral with hopes that we’ll see a light again someday at the end of all this.

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Lets Get Physical

// January 12th, 2009 // No Comments » // Fluff

I had a comprehensive physical done on Friday after some much appreciated hen-pecking from my Doctor. He’s really a fantastic guy and GREAT Doctor, one of those guys who is old enough to have given Moses his first physical but really sharp and great social skills.

Anyway, I really love when doctors seem to marvel a bit at my physical condition. I’m not a thin person so I don’t really look like I exercise the amount that I do and at 42 the number of people who stay active is rather small so I guess they aren’t use to it. The end result is everything is great so far. In particular it was really cool to have my Doc hand me a copy of my EKG and tell me to put it in my glove compartment. He told me this because my resting heart rate is so low that if I got into a car accident and was unconscious, not knowing somewhere in the mid 50s is my normal resting heart rate, they would immediately send me to the ICU because of it.

To say I’m happy about this is an understatement and all this before I’ve really begun to train for my next long distance ride. Hopefully this points to the likelihood of this being a good year.

Overall I really feel great but my left leg is still a bit of a problem. My left thigh gets tight and that causes some knee problems if I don’t massage it out and ice it down. My left Achilles Tendon can get pretty sore from the scare tissue I got in last years crash and overdoing it. Honestly though, that’s just age and you have to learn to play hurt sometimes. It’s not really the physical conditioning but the recovery from injuries that sets this age bracket apart from my 20′s and 30′s. Being in your 40′s isn’t really that much different if you keep in shape other than recovery and how fast things slide if you slack off. This is why I think getting older just gets so much better if you keep on top of it if the equation is something like Physical -1, Mental/Emotional +10.

Anyway, I’m waiting on one last test result before my doc clears me for the next long-distance ride but I’m working up a training program right now and really looking forward to it.

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New Riding List

// January 12th, 2009 // No Comments » // Fluff

My riding playlist for this week. Can’t seem to shake ‘Click Click Boom’ which makes me wonder if I have a secret (even from myself) Fast and Furious fetish. ‘Til I Collapse’ is still hanging in there but it’s new enough to my library to stick around. The rest, what can I say, I always seem to come back to Beastie Boys and Cake sooner or later.