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I recently purchased three video games. I don't really have the time to play them, but as I haven't played anything of the sort for some time, I decided to make these purchases. So far, so good...
I loaded up the first game, and it doesn't come with any sort of tutorial or instructions. The only option is to jump right in, and as this is a RTS--with dozens of onscreen options (all using abbreviations) and who knows how many hotkeys--my only "play" option was to wait for the game to kill me so that I could get back to the main screen to quit. There is a reference card included, which is about 6 pages long, and is completely useless. Most of the sections are for parts of the game that you cannot get to until you master the first portion, and do so completely unaided. The relevant section of the reference card is completely wrong. At first, I thought that they had mistakenly included the wrong card for the game... then I noticed that the title matched. My only conclusion: the card lies.
So, I forged ahead, and loaded up the second game. It takes bloody ages to load even to the main screen, but the graphics and sound are good, and there's a tutorial. Already it's scoring higher than the previous game. I started on the tutorial, and it baby-steps you through without making you feel like an idiot, which is no small feat. Then the game crashed. Not a graceful crash by any means, but a full-blown, "let's take the entire system's memory with us" sort of crash. Ok, these things happen sometimes, and it's just ill luck that it crashed during my first run. So I rebooted the computer, fixed the memory error, and started back up again. Then it crashed. I tried again, and it crashed, again. After several tries, I decided that this game too must be unplayable, or there's some problem caused by the combination of this game with the previous. I then deleted both games, and reloaded game #2, I started it on the tutorial again... and it crashed. I repaired my computer & tried some other option, thinking it must just be the tutorial that's bad. And it crashed.
After deleting the second game again--to prevent it from causing further problems, I loaded up game #3. It rapidly loaded from the cd, and jumped right into the game without delay. After playing it for a few minutes, it crashed... It did the same thing that game #2 did, and took the system with it in its suicide throws.
Now, I'm out the money spent, an entire evening wasted, and I have nothing but frustration to show for it.
The Pulling Report
In a world...
...where nothing is what it seems,
THEY LURK.
Hidden in your schools, playgrounds, even UNDER YOUR OWN CARPET.
(Sudden cut to zoom closeup of a woman screaming.)
Billions of them, watching, waiting, hoping to catch innocent victims unawares.
(Daytime shot of children playing on a sidewalk.)
They thought that the menace was over. Evil, vile, child-eating GAMERS, thought that they were now safe...
(Sidewalk shot fades to black.)
But now...
... she's back...
... for REVENGE!
And this time, she's CYBERNETIC.
Pulling Fear 2.0 coming this summer to a theatre near you.
Forums
I am a forum troll.
I spend entirely too much of my time on various forums, time that could be better spent on other projects... like the Lost Souls Evil 'zine, or the Midian Dark Fantasy Roleplaying game. I spout of at my virtual mouth (or talk out my virtual ass), and seem to perpetually have an opinion (usually negative), but never anything useful or productive to say.
But dammit, I like trolling forums... Oh yeah, our forums are back. Looks like I farted that miracle after all.
I am so fucking frustrated over the forums issue. The previous host of the forums moved, and wasn't supposed to have a broadband connection anymore. Thus, he left the old server's hard drive with me. For some assinine reason, php boards &/or mysql databases cannot be simply moved to a new computer... even if it's the same operating system, same file structure/folders, same build numbers, et cetera. I found a few "help" posts, but they all involve preparing a back-up from the old host, while still working. When it's a second hard-drive on a new server, it doesn't fucking work. I even tried making it the ONLY hard-drive on the server, but it wouldn't even load the operating system, much less let me pull up the forums to do the admin/backup bit... I tried reloading php & mysql from scratch; set up a new forum entirely, but of course, that doesn't fucking work either. I tried new forum types, new database types, everything that I could think of, and nothing works. I don't get it. Php works, according to its tests/checks; mysql works, according to its tests/checks; the old forums worked, with both cooperating just fine; but for some reason, nothing wants to work at all now...
It's not just the lack of a forum, the fine folks at Dragonscale offered to set up a board there for us. What really pisses me off about this, is that I'm letting the Lost Souls Evil E-zine / Midian community down. All of their hard work is on those forums. From the stories of Packmates to the additions to the fan-created net book, all of that is forever lost if I cannot somehow fix the old forums. I'm going to need to pull a real miracle out of my ass for this...
Alas, Poor Yorick.
Until last night, an anatomically correct ceramic skull & jaw sat upon my monitor, in my Haven. Poor Yorick was something of a fixed feature, with me through many countries. However, Poor Yorick apparently had many personal problems that he didn't share with anyone, and chose to end his grey life this morning. Poor Yorick took a header off of the monitor, and shattered into myriad pieces, leaving tiny sharp shards all over the desk & keyboard.
As I'm sure most of you are aware, our forums are broke. The previous host/admin, Ceekay, had to move quite a ways away, and was no longer able to maintain a steady 'net connection at his new address. When he was helping me & nameless set up the new server for the e-zine/game pages (thanks), he dropped off the old server--dying hard drive & all--at the office. He did transfer the php files to the new server, but not the database--where the actual information was kept... He also didn't remember the password, so we cannot even reassemble his server & connect it to our network. Currently, we're faced with either: Ceekay rembers the password & we connect the old server to our network (until the HD completely fails), or completely start from scratch with new forums. The latter option is distasteful because all of the content from the old boards will be forever lost--neither google's cache nor archive.org's wayback have anything from them. All of the hard work done for submissions by the fans will be gone. I don't want that, but might not have a choice if we're to have any sort of forums for new content...
Even little bits of lost info can be pretty fucking frustrating. For example, there exists a guideline for a competent assistant helping a mage cast a ritual spell. This is applicable for familiars as well. This guideline was simple, elegant, didn't break anything, and had an inherent limit to the number of applicable assistants (as in the old adage about too many cooks spoiling the pot). It also isn't something that I can remember or find in any of my notes, and has been frustrating me for weeks. I want to ensure that this guideline is included in references to magic & familiars--Lorelei's Magical Primer chapter in the main book & the write-up on Undead familiars in Death: The Pale Horse, but I can't... fucking frustrating.
Midian: the Official Game of the Internet
Midian: the Official Game of the Internet.
Yes, I know that's fucking stupid, I'm cracking on the Optio commercial. Having an "official" anything of the internet is moronic. Not having a central "office" (with governmental authority implications), then there cannot be anything "official"--it is a matter of definition. I wonder if the marketeers (note the similarity to "mouseketeers") who created that slogan knew of this definitive impossibility--and this is why they went ahead with it (no one to stop them)--or if someone in power legitimately thought that they were the "official" camera... "Opti- o o o o o oh, shit."
I received an e-mail lately from some fuckstick that thinks he controls me just because he can threaten to sick the lawyers/US government/RIAA/whatever on me just with the magic phrase "copyright violation." Assbag. If you read this, let me educate you on a few key facts:
- If I am not in your country, your laws do not apply to me.
- If you are not the uncontested copyright owner, then you have no say in the matter. Suggestions, strong opinions, gut hunches, and the like do not give you the right to dictate my behaviour.
- If you are the bona fide holder of a copyright that you feel has been violated, then you must inform the supposed volator in no uncertain terms. Vague language, implied threats, or generalities, will not be addressed. If you are the specific holder of a specific copyright that is found to have been violated specifically by Lost Souls Publishing, and you specifically address us with such, then we can remove that specific material.
You don't have the right to tell me to shut my site down, or to even threaten to have it done by either your government or my ISP--and what the fuck does my internet connection have to do with a webserver that holds the vaguely disputed materials anyway?
What I have done is forward your e-mail to yourISP and mailhost. Additionally, since this was a vaguely written (looks like a form letter threat to me), and was an unsolicited e-mail, I reported you to your governing body's anti-spam representatives. Merry fucking Christmas, jackass.
If this shit continues, I will be forced to take protective measures of my copyrighted materials. That's right, the same measures that you want to use to stop me will actually help me, and fuck you over. Since what you are trying to do will limit my right to control how my copyright materials are distributed, you are in violation of your countries laws.
On the topic of electronic publishing
In any business, it is bad form to badmouth a competitor. It shows a lack of character (so to speak) on the part of the speaker (business owner), and makes the listener (customer) often wonder if the alternative may not be better, if one is reduced to trashing it verbally. I certainly am not accusing anyone of this behaviour, merely pointing out what I feel to be an obvious point, but one still valid to the discussion; I have actually had very good dealings with all of the e-publishers/game designers I have encountered.
It is said that RPG's are a "niche market," generally meaning that there is a small portion of the populace that regularly play or purchase games. Inside the industry it is further divided, although non-exclusively; different players and Game Masters have varying preferences in their buying and playing habits. What this means for us is that, while a given gamer may like both products, one publisher has little to fear from his or her ideas or target audience being stolen outright by another, given the differences in genre and mechanics. Even games that have much in common, by virtue of using 3d6 vs. skill or being sci-fi games for example, could freely share both customers and ideas without undue advantage to either at the other's expense. In fact, the opposite may be quite true; by cooperating with one another as an industry, all participants may achieve greater goals than unfriendly opposition.
There are several industries where cooperation, or at least a lack of direct rivalry, is the norm. Newspapers and other media outlets report on each others' stories, and when was the last time you were at a overbooked hotel that recommended a nearby competitor that still had availability? The automotive industry has sub-niches, like the game industry, such that two consecutive car commercials can air without complaints from either merchant--a definate "no-no" with other products--because the target audience isn't seen as the blanket total of consumers looking for a new auto, but rather divided among people looking for a used car, an SUV, or even specifically a red two-door Nisan. Even with computer operating systems, there is a degree of cooperation in an otherwise apparently hostile relationship--for example, Microsoft making Office, Outlook, and Internet Explorer for Macs.
Think about things this way. Imagine if you were talking with the creator of a game called "Steel & Rockets." You were looking for a new sci-fi game but find that this one was about 13th century China. When mentioning this to S&R's publisher, she responds, "Those games are crap. This is the only one you want. Don't trust those other guys who make those goofy 'Babylon 5 meets Battlestar Galactica' ripoffs." How would you feel then? Would that lower your opinion of an otherwise great historical fantasy game with a different base of assumptions than western Europe, one that you may later tell someone else about or even buy it yourself?
As far as sharing product, rather than simply discussing general ideas, I am in favour of it. Then again, my game doesn't have an associated cost to read online, so my opinion there may be seen as skewed. If my product was for sale, I still would freely share it as a pdf with another e-publisher. I do feel that it is the best way of sharing an idea in context; that is, another publisher looking at your game being able to see how a given attack mechanic is applied in that system's combat, and can look up any game-specific terminology for full understanding. Sharing product freely--by "freely" I mean "openly" as much as "without cost"--has definate uses.
Sharing with one another is also used for review purposes, and any exposure for one's product is a good thing, as in "there's no such thing as bad publicity" while not always true, does hold some merits. I for one would like the oportunity to review games, but budgeting constraints limit this currently to free systems and supplements--I love free RPG's, but would like to broaden my reviewing options. This isn't meant to be a way to scam free product, but I wouldn't want to pay for something that I know that I'll likely never play--or even look at again--just for a review of someone's book. I see these proposed reviews as a way to make additional contacts in the industry, broaden my own reader base--even if reciprocal reviews aren't forthcoming--and maybe even find a product that I would love to use with my own gaming group, all while doing something that I like--reading RPG's. On a side note, I fully support shareware, and would pay for a game that I played for enjoyment even if I was given a free review copy.
Other than bandwidth, or possibly electricity if you run your own server, there really isn't an associated cost to share electronic products with other publishers. I can think of a few other reasons why one would not want to do this, none of these I rate very highly: a prior agreement with a distributor for exclusivity, perception of a missed sale, fear that other publishers wouldn't reciprocate, dislike of someone "getting over" by receiving free product, a distrust of the competition, or simply stinginess.
As far as taking someone seriously, I have seen many different game systems in various formats: printed, pdf, html, text, and with costs ranging from free to over US$100. The quality of these games--and by association, how seriously I would take their creators--has ranged from sophomoric to inspired. I have seen games with no pictures, or ones of lower quality, but an incredible engine; artistically beautiful books, but had no true content, and the text was all but illegible over the art; professional-looking works that were free; "mommy helpt me w1t riteing" garbage that could be subtle satire--but if that were so it was lost on me--that were at the upper, upper end of the cost spectrum for RPG's. I would definately be more favourably inclined towards another publisher who extended what I saw as professional courtesy. While having to shell out cash for something does get someone's attention, it isn't an exclusive arrangement, nor does it affect being taken seriously--I'll let you draw your own conclusions to this last point with the following elements: g-strings, poles, dollar bills, alcohol, and table dances.
Thus endeth today's "Kinslayer's Rant."
Lazy, lazy, sacks of shit. How fucking difficult is it to pull up to a computer & fucking update your web page? Very damned difficult apparently. I'm absolutely sick of sites that cobweb away to nothing. Meanwhile, I'm still clicking away on their site daily like a nob hoping against hope that they've finally deigned to add new content. Much to my dismay, I have become said webmaster. I've been so busy with new content for the Midian game--proceeding slowly I might add (the damed laziness thing again), I've let the rest of the site suffer. The whole original purpose of this site was to be a central point for the scattered Lost Souls--focusing on too many other things has distracted from that. Enough self-whine. On to bigger & better things.
Censorship
Specifically, the fuckwits that arbitrarily decide what websites I am alowed to look at. There is various software that limits net usage. This could be either a list of acceptable sites, a list of banned sites: added to either via keywords or excess usage (too popular--got to go), or with someone digitally "reading" over your shoulder--looking at the same page you are (such as your private e-mail).
This software is either on the computer itself--in which case it is easily corrupted or erased, or located on a hub or router--these take a bit more work, but not much.
It's not the effort involved in bypassing ths shit, it's the fact that someone else has taken it on themselves to "protect" me from the very same fucking things that I am on the net to try to do. This moronic attempt at censorship is found at public libraries, some of the companies I visit & attend to, and some entire countries have blocking software inherent to their corner of the net.
What the fuck gives any asshole the right to even monitor, much less try to block what sites I want to view. Watching over your own young children is one thing, making yourself the "internet guardian" is entirely fucking wrong.
Stupid, fucking, inbred, deadbeats. What the fuck makes people think that the person on the other end of the phone is automatically wrong because you didn't feel as though you don't have to uphold your end of an agreement.
Stupid fuxtards.
Listen up jackasses. The person on the other end of the phone is just that--a person. They are not the unfeeling, faceless corporate monster that they work for. They are some poor fucker trying to earn a paycheck just like you are.
Go ahead, take out your frustration on the poor misfortunate that happens to take your calls. It's not like you need their help to solve your pathetic little problem that you called about. It's not like they have the ability at their fingertips to remove some service or item that you desperately need for your tragic excuse for a lifestyle.
"I don't feel like paying my cable bill, and you are a fucker!" No more TV for you shithead.
"I don't understand why you charge me twice as much this month." Because you didn't fucking pay it last month, dumbass.
"I pinky swear that I'll pay some of what's past due when I get paid." Yeah, and your phone service is 'in the mail' too.
"How dare you reposess my car because I didn't feel I had to pay it!" Fuck you.
"You don't understand what I'm saying." You're just pissed that I'm not telling you what you want to hear--that you don't have to pay your fucking bills.
"This is rediculous." And the fact that you're parents are blood relatives is...
"I have to talk to your boss right now!" Good luck there, ass-hat.
"But when I called here a few minutes ago, they said..." A) The person you are talking to now is probably not the same one you talked to earlier--although company policy hasn't changed--why do you think that what you say someone else said would have any true merit. I wasn't part of that conversation, and what you are saying the other rep supposedly said, sounds like complete bullshit--sounds like you are even making up the name. B) If you just called here, why the fuck are you bothering me now? Obviously they didn't tell you that your bill will be magically erased, so why the hell do you think I'll tell you the same thing?
If someone has the ability to fuck your whole world over, don't piss them off; especially when they have your name, address, phone number, and possibly even credit card number right at their fingertips. Not to mention the fact that you are cursing at the very person who you really want to help you with your fucking little problem... like your service being discontinued because you don't feel you have to pay your fucking bills.
Screenshot
Just so that there's proof, here's the screen shot with the Lost Souls e'zine & Midian game at #1--unedited and in all of its temporary glory...
#1 on Die Roller's Top 50
Ah, short-lived success... We currently (as of this writing--3:22AM, wednesday, 06MAR02) have a 5-star rating & the number-one spot on rpggateway.com's Die Roller's Top 50 page. nameless got an e-mail from a fan about this with the subject: CHECK THIS OUT QUICK!!!!! Normally this means junkmail, but: A: this was not forwarded multiple times, and B: this was from someone who had e-mailed us previously about the Midian game. I don't expect this situation to last, but it is nice while it lasts. Thanks to everyone who voted us with the maximum rating.
Another thing that pisses me off: bio-parsers. People that make themselves feel superior by pointing to the flaws in another's grammer, word choice, or spelling. Glaringly obvious mistakes will be noticed by the writer/speaker; you don't need to flame/ridicule them.
It's one thing to tell someone that you are familiar with that a word has a completely different meaning than what they were using in context. It is also different to question an ambiguous statement. However, ridiculing--or nit-picking--someone isn't cool. Making fun of someone who uses 'hacker-lingo' in chat or on a BBS will probably just encourage them. The point of communication is to communicate. If that end is adequately accomplished, then all goals have been met. Not everyone will use the same choice of phrases or spelling conventions. Some of us speak English as a second language & will use word-combinations that convey the meaning that we wish, even though it isn't a commonly-used phrase.
Another thing to take into consideration is that different countries and cultures will use different terms, phrases, spelling, & grammar. The same word may have different meanings or spellings to someone from Canada, Brittain, or the United States.
Having said all of that; when someone is writing something for posterity or general distribution, some care should be taken to ensure that some conventions are utilised to ensure that your meaning is conveyed. In otherwords, proof-read your work, or at least use a spell-checker.
On a related note, people who complain about 'foul language' piss me the fuck off. Certain words carry a strong emotional signal that I fucking want to use to express myself with. This is contextual. For example, with this informal Rants page, I write how I speak. What I write for the Midian game will be quite different--as I am attempting to state things differently & consisely without the same emotional content (with a few exceptions such as for satirical purposes). This is intentional; you would speak differently to your friends then you would to the police officer who is writing your ticket. You use different conversational methods when speaking with co-workers then you do with your boss or a customer.
In other words, don't fucking tell me how I should write. This is the same thing as my telling you how you should feel.
I smoke.
I smoke to wake up. I smoke to calm down to go to sleep. I smoke after a filling meal. I smoke when I'm hungry.
I smoke.
I smoke because I feel like it.
What pisses me off about non-smokers is when they feel that they have some say in my bad habits. I've been dead before, so I figure that I'm on borrowed time any god-damed way. If I'm not blowing smoke in your face or otherwise violating your personal space, then leave well enough alone.
I can respect someone's wishes that I not smoke in their house, in their car, around their kids, or while they are eating (I don't smoke while I eat--that's just tacky). I have enough self-control to wait--or just go outside. Someone on the street has no fucking right to tell me that I can't light up.
Fuck them.
TRUTH. If ever there was a more mis-named campaign... Even if the ads weren't often blatant lies, they would still be insipid, pathetic, stupid, and degrading to everyone involved or watching.
Fuck them too.
We've been taking a short recess from creating game content due to our efforts in creating new site content. I am endeavoring to learn this strange new language called 'cgi.' None of the Lost Souls Publishing staff has had much sleep in the past few weeks, and I have been going for several days/nights at a stretch without break. The things we do for our art... I hope you fuckers appreciate the effort.
Fuck
Fuck... This has been an extraordinary time. I think that the best way to sum up the experience is with a new skill for Midian:
Site Development:
Martial
Apprentice
8000 hours
A web-surfer (apprentice) developes calluses on the fingers and thumb from typing and mouse work. A freelance writer (journeyman) has entirely lost the feelings in her hands, making them useless to deliver the projects she promised. A webmaster has hands that are impervious to pain and damage as his fists have been repeatedly slammed through monitors.
We are currently working on finishing material that was not ready for the beta-version of Midian's first release. This will include more classes (including the much demanded technomancer), class-related add-ons (such as the traditions for wizards), more species (sentient or otherwise), and additions to the woefully inadequate equipment list. We will also include sample characters (still being made fully compatible with the beta version), and a downloadable blank character sheet in document format.
The hard-copy of the game is nearly through the editing process, we are waiting of the pictures and graphics to be completed.
Most of the usual things that I bitch about on this page have been ignored whilst I finished up the game. Rest assured, people still piss me off daily...
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