Steve

Thought I'd remind/inform folks that Halo Waypoint is now available on Xbox Live for everyone, and not just participants of the Dashboard beta, for the low-low price of Free. You'll need to download the app (~100MB) for it, link for which should be in with the other "what's new" stuff. Once downloaded, you can launch it out of your Games library.

Waypoint acts as an "Achievement" aggregator, looking at all the 360-based Halo games (so far Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, Halo Wars) and showing what Achievements you've attained so far in all of them; then, based upon the number of Gamerscore points you've gotten from them, will unlock Avatar awards. (Again, for no charge.) My Avvie is sporting an ODST t-shirt and has a pet Monitor now.

Waypoint also acts as a news aggregator of sorts for Halo stuff, though that's still in the early stages.

Most urgently, though, Waypoint will also grant free viewings of some of the episodes from the upcoming Halo Legends anime collection DVD/BR... but only for 24 hours each Saturday. Today the short "Babysitter" is running, in which an ODST team acts as support for a SPARTAN-II on a mission behind enemy lines. Next Saturday, a "behind the scenes" documentary on "Babysitter" will run. Saturday after that, another short, then another "making of" doc, and so on.

So if you want to see the video you'll have to download Waypoint really soon.

-- Steve's looking forward to seeing the vid when he gets back from work.

I'm staying in today, trying to out-last this silly resurgence (if that's what it is) of last week's cold. Head's packed, so I'm pouring in a lot of hot drinks to loosen things up... and I decided it was time to turn the heat on for the season, as it'd dipped below 10°C in the apartment even with the sunlight. Damn, I wish I felt alright enough to go out... if for no other reason, that Brütal Legend is out now and I'd like to pick up a copy if I have to stay in. Then again, head-banging is probably contra-indicated for sinus symptoms so maybe it's for the best.

Tomorrow, though. And I'll do a grocery run and get the fixings for a big spaghetti dinner that I can use to fume out my head (and freeze for lunches when I return to the office on Saturday.) Maybe I'll pick up some stuff to do sweet-and-sour pork for Friday night too; it's been ages since I had Chinese, and I have an unopened bottle of soy sauce in the cupboard that's been sitting there for weeks. (I wonder if I could do it with lemon juice and plum sauce? I have those both handy.)

For now, though, it's time to put some soup on and maybe a grilled cheese sandwich. Then after lunch I'll take another hot shower to loosen up the attic contents, gasp and splutter for a while, and then I'll settle down to finishing my Legendary medal in ODST.

-- Steve'll just have to make the best he can with what he's got... as usual.

A little video called "Fun Theory", that has a great deal to do with Jane's theory on using ludology to solve real-world problems like getting folks to use the stairs instead of queuing for the escalator.

-- Steve found it fascinating. And a hoot to watch.

Dean Takahashi's article goes into the creation of the "Sadie's Story" radio play embedded into Halo 3: ODST. Well worth the read; I think Dean is One Of Us, given the depth of the article.

-- Steve loves this sort of stuff.

Bungie Publications is an online archive of papers written by Bungie staff and delivered in games industry conferences. With sections on Art, Audio, Design, Engineering, and Production, there are *counts rapidly* 19 articles up for public view on the "Bungie Way" of making games.

Though most are written for audiences within the industry, if you're interested in "inside baseball" perspectives on the game industry they make for fascinating reading.

-- Steve's downloaded a few of these over the years, and is glad to see they're collected all in one place for easy reference.

Gold-level (ie: paid) members of Xbox Live can, for a limited time, (how limited is unknown) download a "Prepare to Drop!" premium theme pack for their NXE Xbox 360 dashboards. For free. Grab 'em while their hot!

-- Steve'll be grabbing this when he gets home tonight.

Spotted via the Halo.Bungie.Org news page... your premier source of Halo news.

Sitting at my desk in Koobikal Hel, with the humungous Halo 3: ODST transparent display box grabbing at my pants-leg every now and then, time grinds forward at a tectonic rate. It doesn't help that it's perilously close to 100% humid today, and that as a result I didn't sleep too well last night. Argh. Eight more hours to go...

It was a remarkably quiet pick-up; I was the only customer at EB, one of eight folks who hadn't picked up their Collector's Edition pre-order yet, and checkout took something like three minutes. The bus was early, the store was open early, and service was fast; so I had time to raid the Timmy's in-mall kiosk for breakfast before poking back over to HMV only to find that they're opening at 10am today. *shrug* Oh well, that just means I'll get the soundtrack album from Sumthing Digital tonight online.

The CE looks very nice. I did poke through the instruction manual to see the flash fiction enclosed and read up on any changes to the control scheme. (Not much; other than the "x" button being remapped to control the VISR instead of equipment it seems to be identical to Halo 3. Well, VISR and the lack of dual-wielding.) I picked up my Sgt. Johnson card but other than the plain-text description there didn't seem to be any special bennies. I haven't had a good look at the controller yet but it does look purty.

-- Steve also printed out a fan-made "ODST" recruitment poster Boxer put up over on HBO: here's the full-size graphic under a cut.

( Caution: LOLHeug graphic )

Well, I guess I had to at some point or another. I downloaded and installed the Crysis demo yesterday evening just to see how this system would handle it.

As it turns out, rather well. I used the demo's auto detection and it suggested that everything be set to "high"... though it defaulted to 1024x768 instead of 1280x1024 resolution. I bumped up the resolution to the latter and turned of Anti-Aliasing, then gave it a shot.

Mechanically it was excellent; though there was no built-in frame counter I didn't encounter any slow-downs or stuttering. There was an awful v-synch artifact (horizontal lines scrolling down the screen) that I couldn't address in the settings (poor form, Crytek; poor form indeed) but it disappeared when I switched from full-screen to windowed view. Odd. In any case, though, to my eye it appeared to support a framerate higher than 30fps even in the tight-and-crazy action. (I did try it with anti-aliasing and did find some stutter in cutscenes, though.)

Case temperature remained under my scare value, with the CPU reaching 50°C, the mo-bo 49°, and the system hotspot (the southbridge) staying below 72°. And that's with a game notorious as a system crusher... so I guess I shouldn't worry so much about heat build-up.

As far as gameplay goes... well, I didn't like the earlier Far Cry very much and Crysis is basically the same game in a prettier wrapper. It's competant as a shooter and the "open world" approach does grant the illusion of freedom, but the AI seems woefully artificial to me (though I'll grant its intelligence) and I found the story pedestrian; the combat is involving, but it's just an exercise in sneeking and use of iron- (or reflex-) sights. I won't be buying the retail version any time soon.

-- Steve did find it very pretty, though, and it actted as an excellent "proving ground" for "Dark Knight".

http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/gaming/ProductDetails.aspx?pid=091&active_tab=systemRequirements

According to my former Dark Masters at Mount Doom, I can unplug the controller from my Xbox360 and plug it into my computer. Plug n' Play, too, so the drivers'll just autoinstall and away I go. Now, I wonder if it'll work with that copy of Freespace...

-- Steve was browsing online for joysticks and finding them thin on the ground these days. Maybe this is why.

So I got my bonus last night, and it was even bigger than I expected. Almost enough to make my system come under the "50% of the loot" budget, even. The extra money came from a reserve fund from last winter; each year an extra lump of cash is set aside to cover possible "spikes" in service expense for our Roadside Assistance division, for instance in case of an ice storm the size of the one that hit Quebec and Ontario a decade ago. This contingency fund often gets tapped into during the winter, but this year apparently the cold snap led to more battery boosting (which is cheap to provide) than towing (which ain't) and folks took their driving seriously... so when last year's fund matured at the end of last quarter it was rolled over, so operational money didn't have to go in, so extra profit, so bigger profit-share bonus for everyone. Yay!

Which means, of course, that my impulse control slipped last night and I picked up a new game for "Dark Knight", Dawn of War 2.

Gosh, it's pretty. It also provided the first real measure of what "DK" can do, as I ran its configuration test; at 1280x1024 resolution (the maximum I'm willing to put through my ancient monitor) with 4xAA/4xCF, all details and effects dialled up to maximum, and full Havok™ physics invoked, it returned the following framerates.

Minimum: 33fps
Average: 61fps
Maximum: 140fps

Checking with the motherboard's temperature sensing utility showed a peak CPU temperature of 48°C, a peak system temperature of 49°, and the southbridge just stayed in its usual 62°-66° range. Alas, I didn't think to log the CPU usage to tell how much of its horsepower it used, but I don't think it actually broke a sweat. I think that the Phys-X support on my multiplexed pair (total 2GB RAM) of graphics cards took a lot of the burden away from the rest of the system there.

I am pleased.

-- Steve does note that DoW2 does run under DirectX 9, so in retrospect perhaps it wasn't a good test of the system's limits.

PS: I'm still in the early stages of the singleplayer campaign and I haven't tried any multiplayer at all, so I'll hold off on reviewing the game until I have more experience with it. So far, though, it's been fun... though it peeved me somewhat to find that I had to install Steam™ before installing the game. WTF? It's a Games for Windows Live™ title on DVD, not a Valve title or a download. Also, having to write down a second product key for multiplayer provided by Steam™ did not endear this form of DRM to me.

http://3dimka.deviantart.com/art/3D-Stereogram-Tetris-36795242

The URL is the explanation; it's a "Magic Eye" 3D version of Tetris, and it's playable. Since I can't run external executables on my office computer I have to go by the word of others (I would anyway, because I can't perceive stereograms properly) and cannot vouch for its qualities... but be advised that some have reported getting headaches from trying to remain unfocused while playing.

-- Steve enjoys a good game of Tetris, but not enough to sprain his eyes to play it.

spotted via The Escapist

The following post contains what some may consider spoilers for Halo 3: ODST, though since they're being announced by Bungie Studios themselves and don't disclose actual plot points I don't. Still, for those who would:

( Spoiler-Guarded for Your Protection )

-- Steve can't wait to go looking for this himself.

edited to add: In plainly non-spoiler territory, xbox.com's ODST promo looks to be interesting, putting you in the role of an ODST recruiter/personnel officer going through candidate dossiers with a few puzzle-unlockable bennies... others have enjoyed it so far, but I haven't had a chance to explore it yet.

http://www.gog.com/en/page/1year_promo

To mark the first anniversary of their coming out of Beta, GOG is offering a buy-one-get-one-free sale on its whole catalog of Interplay games. That's the Fallout series, Earthworm Jim, Descent, the Freespace series... and so on. Remember, too, that these titles start at $6 so this is a cheap way to fill out your gaming library with some classic titles. Plus, no DRM. And some titles offer bonus stuff too, like soundtrack files and concept art.

The sale's only good for a week, so if you plan on taking advantage of it don't dawdle too long.

-- Steve's tempted to order them and leave them on the server until his new computer's done... but he will grab a few before the week is done. (Hey, y'gotta have a backup plan in case it's rainy on Labour Day, right?)

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 will be scored by Hans Zimmer.

A pause, while fanboy squeeing subsides.

For those who don't recognise the name, this is going to be Zimmer's first game soundtrack but you've almost certainly heard his work before: The Dark Knight, Gladiator, Madagascar, Rain Man, Pirates of the Carribean, Black Hawk Down, Crimson Tide, Backflash, Days of Thunder, Black Rain... all his.

-- Steve's waffling on whether to pick up the game, but the soundtrack album just became a must-buy.

Well, I went in to preorder my copy of Halo 3: ODST last night. As I wanted the version that came with the controller (the controller that came with my console is starting to get a bit wonky, and the Collector's edition is cheaper than buying a regular copy plus a boring-plain wireless controller) that meant returning to that wretched hive of scum and villainy, my local Electronics Boutique. A pox on exclusives, I tell you...

Remarkably, though, it seems that in the nearly two-and-a-half years since I've last been there they seem to have made some changes in staff and business practices. The people behind the counter were much more professional in attitude, much less prone to trying to "slam" the sale with extra and unasked-for crap, and, well, presentably hygenic. Assuming (and that's a relatively big assumption) they don't screw up this order I may return to having them in my shopping loop instead of relying upon HMV and Future Shop for my gaming needs.

-- Steve's Collector's Edition preorder also includes the Sgt. Johnson skin for "Firefight" mode. Feet first into Hell, just to light a cigar...

I know I still need to finish blogging about Worldcon, but I'm going to procrastinate on that a bit longer.

However, listening to Major Nelson's podcast this week did spark an idea for next year. I won't be going to Worldcon; for 2010 it's in Melbourne, and airfare plus a lengthy hotel stay would explode my budget even should I be able to take all the time I'd need to make a trip to the antipodes and actually enjoy it. So it'll just be the complementary Supporting 2010 membership for me that comes from having attended the 2009 convention.

Worldcon is out, but next spring the Penny Arcade Exposition is going to have an east coast showing in Boston... and, coincidentally, the utterly luxurious yet oddly affordable Porter Airlines begins a thrice-daily YTZ-BOS service this autumn. So maybe I should dust off that passport application and try to free up a week or two for that. I've heard great things about PAX but Seattle's out of reach for me, and my research into Porter during the VIA strike tweaked my interest.

So now's the time to start the hoarding again, I guess.

-- Steve got the expectedly-shocking VISA bill for Montreal yesterday. Remember, lad, it's in the budget... you're okay... just breathe deeply into the paper bag...

I found this one on The Escapist, a personality test tailored to gamers. I know, I know, OKCupid and a dozen other sites have these online personality tests running and they're a dime a dozen, but this one seems... interesting. In any case, the vast majority of those who've run it say that it's reflective of their tastes.

It's called BrainHex, and it uses a four-page survey (maybe 5 minutes) to find your preferred play style. It then categorises that style into one (or possibly two if the preference isn't strong) of seven archetypes tied to the regions of the brain and neurotransmitters that style will tend to stimulate.

For example, I got categorised as a Seeker:

You like finding strange and wonderful things, or finding familiar things.

Your behaviour often shows curiosity, sustained interest, and a love of stimulating your senses.

Your major brain regions are the hippocampus (where memory is co-ordinated) and the various sensory cortices where vision, sound and so forth are processed.

Your chemical messenger is endomorphin, which is chemically related to opium, and has been linked to interest.

If you were an animal, it would be a cat.

The description of my preferences and playstyle is reasonably accurate, though of all the games it recommends to me I have played only Final Fantasy VII and frankly it wasn't for me... though admittedly I didn't play it long enough to really explore. And I do enjoy map exploration as much as combat, which explains my incredibly-long play sessions of Fallout 3, Mass Effect, and the Halo-series campaigns. I also scored fairly low on Social play or as a Conqueror, given my relative lack of time in "versus" multiplayer.

Still, the test is interesting and it would be even more interesting to see how the different types corresponded to players' reactions to games.

-- Steve's well aware that people play games for a great many reasons, which is why all those interminable discussions as to which one is the "best" are ultimately pointless given that different people are looking for different experiences.

PS: I should note that it does ask for your Myers-Briggs profile, if you know it. There are some online versions you can take if you wish to fill out that part of the survey. Also, they're looking for people willing to answer some follow-up questions to refine the test... I believe the group is looking to research player preferences in order to support game developers.

Well, it's my birthday again... not a "landmark" one, but still the position of the Earth in its orbit about the Sun is the same as it was when I was born. Apparently the world decided that the day was important enough that I couldn't afford to miss it by sleeping in.

For my birthday, I want a rifle with a scope and enough ammunition to sight it in and then punish that idiot bricklayer at the place in back who decided to literally drop a load of bricks at 6:10 in the Gad-damned morning. And then spend time bustling about cleaning it up, reversing his little load lifter that beeps just like my alarm clock and clattering fired clay against fired clay. For this, the fucker must die.

It didn't help that I was up until brutally late last night; as a treat I bought the newly-rereleased Evil Genius from Good Old Games, and I made the mistake of giving it a try in the evening. When I looked up, it was 02:30... the game's a bit repetitive, but amazingly absorbing despite that. Think The Sims: Bond Villains (or maybe Dungeon Keeper set in the early '60s) and you're on the right track. Very stylish and funny, both mocking and loving the "big spy" epics in its look and feel; the menus, for instance, are made to look and sound like the opening credits. (The aqualunged commandos doing Esther Williams choreography in silhouette is particularly amusing.) The music would be appropriate for such a film, even in a theatre, though they could use a bit more variety after the first several hours. (I could easily see this game extending out to sixty or seventy hours of play if you try for all the side-missions or take the "slow and steady" approach to building your criminal empire.) The animations are deliberately cartoony but they work very well when you have a hundred or so characters interacting, and surprisingly well when you zoom in to take a closer look. There's nothing quite like the dismayed body language of an enemy agent when one of your minions stuffs him into a commissary bread mixer to make him talk...

So not only am I sleep-deprived, I've been in training as a criminal mastermind ruling through greed and fear; that's my defense, Your Honour. Besides, he had to die; six-in-the-morning brickwork is an affront to Nature.

-- Steve's mildly dismayed that he wouldn't be able to complete the ensemble even if they make Nehrus in 44 Short; he's allergic to cats, including white Persians, alas.

PS: Here's hoping that the day caps off with the much-delayed launch of of the Space Shuttle Endeavor.

Smith & Tinker is Jordan Weisman's new holding company for ex-FASA intellectual property, if I have that quite right; I do know he (through the company) has reacquired the rights to the Battletech universe from the wreckage of FASA Interactive and Microsoft. So they and Piranha Games look to be creating a new MechWarrior game, set before all the others in the "old" Inner Sphere days of 3015. Which, by the by, is the era I played the most in my misspent college days...

-- Steve's eagerly awaiting more.

PS: Apparently battletech.com is going to be releasing MechWarrior 4 as freeware to mark the 25th (!!) anniversary of Battletech. Cool, but man I'm starting to feel old again.

edited to add: More details available at the Escapist, including the juicy tidbit that they're looking at including battlefield roles for all classes of 'Mech in multiplayer and that you can gain experience for playing the same type of machine over time... so it's not just a long grind up from Locust to Atlas, and even the little guys can win out against the big-bads. *chafes hands* I can't wait.

Alright, as gripes go this one is fairly trivial, but I do want to get it off my chest.

I'm looking forward to the upcoming Halo 3: ODST game and likely will buy it upon release. (Sept. 22 this year, FYI.) Indeed, there's no reason I shouldn't pre-order it to reserve a copy, and a very good reason to want to; there's a bonus offered by participating retailers to include in pre-ordered copies a code for a Sergeant Johnson skin (with combat dialog!) usable in the game's cooperative multiplayer Firefight mode. For those who have played the Halo games, you know exactly how awesometacularly fun it would be to play.

Alas, so far as I can find, no Canadian retailers are yet participating.

-- Steve's wondering when, or if, someone around here will drop sufficient testicular endowment to be worthy of my pre-order dollars or if they're all going to be ball-less maggots.

PS: It'd be nice if the stores would even mention the possiblity of stocking the Limited Edition, with it's themed Xbox wireless controller, too. So far, none in Canada seem to even know of its existance.