Friday, March 31, 2006
Posts here being as erratic as they are these days, it's unlikely anyone would notice my absence over the coming week, but anyway...Regardless of it being *very* early in the year, Andrea and I are off on holiday.
We're going to split the journey into two, going as far as Milton Keynes tomorrow, where we'll stop off at the Broughton Hotel, and then on sunday we're off down to Brighton, where we're spending 5 days at the White Horse hotel in Rottingdean.
Expect a large influx of photos into my flickr album when we return.
In other news, I picked up Sega's OutRun 2006 Coast 2 Coast for PSP today.
It's very much like the reviews said it would be. Not a whole lot of depth, but VERY pretty, and great if you just want to pick up and play. I'd probably feel pretty ripped off if I'd bought this for PS2, but on PSP it makes perfect sense.
As an aside, I've been unable to make the internet play feature work so far. My guess would be that the game's so new (released here today), they haven't got the server set up properly yet.
We'll see. I hope they sort it, coz head to head games with real people would be a blast.
Update: I've found why I couldnt connect, and it was nothing to do with their server.
I had to set up port forwarding, to send the signal from the wireless router here to my psp.
So now I've played it online... what's it like?
Great fun, when it works.
It's a little unstable, and I couldn't find a game to join, so started my own. The moment I did, loads of people piled on board. Seems like people are either unsure of how to use the thing, or just plain mean with their bandwidth.
But still... much fun :D
Another update:
The stability issue I was worried about seems to have been a one off, as it's been rock solid since then.
People still don't seem to have got their heads around hosting games themselves, merely lurking and then jumping on board as soon as I host one.
However... now I've gotten used to how it all works, online play is *absolutely magnificent*
It'd be nice to be able to speak to the other players somehow, or have a forum, or *something*, as seeing nothing but a nickname and some very vague details is rather impersonal, but that's really the only gripe I have. Maybe I should set up a dedicated chatroom... but with no way to contact the players, they'd never know about it, unless they actively searched.
Steve 5:22 PM [+] (0) comments
Sunday, March 26, 2006
You know how it is.You're in a chatroom and you find it just isn't to your liking any more. If you complain, the standard response is "if you don't like it, start your own room."
So, that's where I'm at right now.... giving serious thought to bringing back my own chatroom, though in slightly altered form.
I haven't decided what network to settle on, coz though blitzed is ultra reliable, dalnet is huge and has a better chance of drawing in more chatters.
On the other hand, Undernet has always been my home, and I'd love to set up there, but they just make it way too hard to register a room.
Also, I think there will be far less emphasis on webcams. I guess I may leave up a link to my cam, but I really can't be asked to maintain a list of links to other people's cams, and have to mess around with all the instructions for the software, etc.
The name of the channel will be "#civilized", and that's what the place will be about... civilized behaviour and enjoyable conversation. It won't have a huge list of rules... the only rule will be "Behave in a civilized manner, and if you have to ask what that is, you don't belong here."
So, when will this place be set up?
Actually, if you're a mirc user, it already is, provisionally, at least, on dalnet. Don't expect much in the way of activity though, coz I haven't set up a webpage and applet for it, and till then, I don't expect any visitors at all.
Official opening will likely be in a couple of weeks, after Andrea and myself return from a week in Brighton. Also, it's dependant on that online job I applied for. I haven't heard anything from them since the interview, but if I actually did get that job, I wouldn't have time for this room.... so we'll see.
Truth is, I don't really know what to expect in terms of who shows up.
Unlike the last time I set up my own room, I'm not bringing in a group of freinds from an existing room... it's gonna be starting from scratch.. just me, possibly Andrea, and anyone else who chooses to put in an appearance.
More info when I have it.
Labels: chatrooms
Steve 6:33 PM [+] (0) comments
Saturday, March 18, 2006
Games and an interview.First, the interview.
Andrea spotted an ad for a job, just by chance, that she thought would suit me perfectly. Can you believe they actually pay people to be chatroom moderators? I've been doing that for years, just for the fun of it.
So on friday, I made my way by bus to this little town I've never heard of, in the middle of I dunno where, to have an interview in a hotel lounge. Quite an odd experience, it must be said.
I dunno how I did, to be honest, but it certainly wasn't one of those excruciating interviews where you walk away feeling a complete arse.
Fingers crossed.
The games.
1: Black.
First person shootemup with lots of guns, lots of people to kill, lots of stuff to blow up, and very pretty graphics.
It looks absolutely awesome, and is brilliant fun to play.
But....
It's too short by far, and to compensate for that, to make the game last longer, they implement wholely unfair game save points. There are places where if you don't reach the end of the level before you turn off, the next time you play, you'll have to replay over an hour's worth.
That's just wrong, in my book.
2: Shadow Of The Colossus.
I've only been playing for a couple of hours, and having killed one colossus, am really enjoying it.
It's original in the extreme, it's breathtakingly beautiful, and it's bloody hard.
Also... and this is something you wouldn't expect.... when you finally manage to kill a colossus, it makes you feel quite sad. It's not like beating an end of level boss, so much as killing an innocent creature who's only sin was being big.
Most unusual.
So the PS3 is still around 8 months away, and the PS2 is by no means a dead format, but I do believe that these two titles will be the final top quality, triple A, 'must have' games for it.
If you don't buy many games, sticking only to absolute top quality titles... these should both be on your shopping list.
If you only want one game this year though... make it Legend Of The Colossus, simply coz you'll never see anything else quite like it.
Labels: games, interviews, work
Steve 8:27 PM [+] (0) comments
Saturday, March 11, 2006
We went to a place called Gainsborough today, just to see what was there.I took loads of photos, so if you wanna see what we saw, go click the link to my Flickr album, down on the left, or click here for the slideshow.
Labels: photos
Steve 10:22 PM [+] (0) comments
Monday, March 06, 2006
Ahhh... I'm feeling human again.The combination of being generally beaten up in the gums region, being unable to eat much more than goo, and being on a heavy duty dose of antibiotics, has had me feeling pretty crappy over the weekend.
Today though, I'm feeling half decent.
I'd go out now, but the dog pissed on my boots in the night.
Gotta love animals.
Oh yeah.
Penicillin makes my pee smell like a swamp.
Maybe I should return the favour and piss on the dog ;-)
Steve 7:53 AM [+] (0) comments
Friday, March 03, 2006
Double ouchie!I felt her break the bone around the socket while she was wrenching the root around.
She told me a piece of the bone around the socket had broken off.
But yeash.
Okay, so it's not a massive hole, but it's jagged and ugly. Good job you cant see it really.
And bloody hell it hurts.
Steve 10:36 PM [+] (0) comments
Ouch!
Went to the dentist and had a surgical extraction of a canine tooth... or rather, the root.
It wasn't as terrible an experience as I'd imagined, merely involving having the bone surrounding it drilled away, and then having the base of it hammered away at with blunt instruments, before she levered it out with the dental equivalent of a crowbar.
Whats most surprising to me is how quickly the anasthetic has worn off. It's was barely half an hour later that it started hurting, and right now, it's fairly brutal.
Still... I'm very releived to have had it done, as I'd put off having it done for years.
Steve 12:22 PM [+] (0) comments
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