Time Lapse Video, One Year in Two Minutes
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Friday, December 26, 2008
Congrats Bro!
My brother delivered a bit of long awaited good news for the holiday season; He an Jenny are engaged to get married!
Congrats Mikal!
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
What is Role Playing
I was reading a series of older articles at the Game Design Novice that did it's best to convince people that Zelda is NOT an RPG, and found myself searching for what really makes a game an RPG.
Typical gamers will say that any game that lets you progress a character's abilities is an RPG. Well, by that definition, there are a lot of sport games that could now hang the RPG tag to their title. For example, Madden NFL games (and other sports titles) have added the feature of creating your own NFL personality and play through the game as that player. You even get to increase his stats to improve it's abilities for the team position you choose to play. You can also hire a manager (NPC) to help negotiate a contract with a new team, so you're not just stuck with one team for your NFL career. It doesn't stop there; you can also equip your character with different outfits and other "bling", just like a character from an RPG. With all that, the game is now an RPG by the standards of most video gamers.
However, a role playing game is much more than taking on the role of a character and improving that characters skills and/or stats. That difference is linearity. Video games are very linear in their score and really don't allow you to improvise. And improvisation is the true hallmark of a role playing game.
The best parallel I can make for Role Playing is improvisational theatre. Everyone takes on a role (a character) and is given the basis of a situation (a quest) which they then get to interact with other characters to resolve. The main difference is that in table-top RPGs, you have a story teller (aka game master, dungeon master, or referee) who helps the game along by taking on the role of every non-player character the player interact with through their characters.
Another thing to keep in mind is that role playing really has nothing to do with dice. Though many role playing game systems use dice roles to determine the outcome of a situation, they are not necessary to the act of role playing. There are game systems that use points, karma, and/or cards to decide the outcome of player character actions, while others that use nothing but the discretion of the story teller.
So really, role playing is best described as a form of theatre often wrapped around (but not requiring) a system of event resolution mechanics. Anything that calls it self an RPG just because you take on the persona of a character without allowing you the free reign of self determination or choice is really nothing more than a scripted story that gives you few choices, limited by it's author, to reach a predetermined ending.
If that's all you want, you may as well go buy a book.
Typical gamers will say that any game that lets you progress a character's abilities is an RPG. Well, by that definition, there are a lot of sport games that could now hang the RPG tag to their title. For example, Madden NFL games (and other sports titles) have added the feature of creating your own NFL personality and play through the game as that player. You even get to increase his stats to improve it's abilities for the team position you choose to play. You can also hire a manager (NPC) to help negotiate a contract with a new team, so you're not just stuck with one team for your NFL career. It doesn't stop there; you can also equip your character with different outfits and other "bling", just like a character from an RPG. With all that, the game is now an RPG by the standards of most video gamers.
However, a role playing game is much more than taking on the role of a character and improving that characters skills and/or stats. That difference is linearity. Video games are very linear in their score and really don't allow you to improvise. And improvisation is the true hallmark of a role playing game.
The best parallel I can make for Role Playing is improvisational theatre. Everyone takes on a role (a character) and is given the basis of a situation (a quest) which they then get to interact with other characters to resolve. The main difference is that in table-top RPGs, you have a story teller (aka game master, dungeon master, or referee) who helps the game along by taking on the role of every non-player character the player interact with through their characters.
Another thing to keep in mind is that role playing really has nothing to do with dice. Though many role playing game systems use dice roles to determine the outcome of a situation, they are not necessary to the act of role playing. There are game systems that use points, karma, and/or cards to decide the outcome of player character actions, while others that use nothing but the discretion of the story teller.
So really, role playing is best described as a form of theatre often wrapped around (but not requiring) a system of event resolution mechanics. Anything that calls it self an RPG just because you take on the persona of a character without allowing you the free reign of self determination or choice is really nothing more than a scripted story that gives you few choices, limited by it's author, to reach a predetermined ending.
If that's all you want, you may as well go buy a book.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Locked In
Well, I had a very awkward moment today. As I'm getting ready to head to work this morning, I get in and start my car then grab the scraper to clear the windshield, but as I go to open the door, I find that nothing happens. I pull the lever, but the door does not open.
I know it was cold last night (sub-zero), but it was a lot colder earlier this week. I grumble, climb over the console and gear shift as I make my way out the passenger door. Pull. Nothing. !?!?!?
Irritated, I put the driver seat forward and reach for the rear door handle... Nothing!? I reach for the other rear door. NOTHING!
I don't know if my car has decided that if I'm going to let it sit out in the sub-zero temps, I was going to be stuck out there too. Well, I don't think so. The only option left was to open a window and hope I could open the door from the outside door handle. After all I was able to get in my car that way.
Well, as one might expect after a cold and snowy weekend, the windows were all frozen shut. [Insert best Charlie Brown "Argh!" here].
Stuck, I figure I'll have to let my car run and hope that that will defrost whatever might be frozen and preventing me from exiting my car. Ten minutes pass and not progress. Windows are also still frozen.
I'm already running late for work, so I send the windshield wipers back and forth a few times to clear enough of my view of the road so I won't be driving blind and set off for the station. If I'm lucky, the doors will be released by the time I get there.
No luck. I pull into the parking lot and pull on the lever and still nothing.
Grabbing my cell phone, I call the front desk and ask if they can send someone out to let me out of mt car. I hear a giggle from the other end and soon my door is opened by one of the production crew who gets a laugh out of the situation.
Still hoping that its merely a problem with the cold, I let the car run, with the heater running full blast, for an hour and still no luck...
I've put a call in to the Kia dealership where I bought the car - two years ago - and they said to bring it in tomorrow for them to take a look at. With my luck the doors will work fine tomorrow, but for right now I have to worry about how I am going to get out of the car once I get home tonight.
I know it was cold last night (sub-zero), but it was a lot colder earlier this week. I grumble, climb over the console and gear shift as I make my way out the passenger door. Pull. Nothing. !?!?!?
Irritated, I put the driver seat forward and reach for the rear door handle... Nothing!? I reach for the other rear door. NOTHING!
I don't know if my car has decided that if I'm going to let it sit out in the sub-zero temps, I was going to be stuck out there too. Well, I don't think so. The only option left was to open a window and hope I could open the door from the outside door handle. After all I was able to get in my car that way.
Well, as one might expect after a cold and snowy weekend, the windows were all frozen shut. [Insert best Charlie Brown "Argh!" here].
Stuck, I figure I'll have to let my car run and hope that that will defrost whatever might be frozen and preventing me from exiting my car. Ten minutes pass and not progress. Windows are also still frozen.
I'm already running late for work, so I send the windshield wipers back and forth a few times to clear enough of my view of the road so I won't be driving blind and set off for the station. If I'm lucky, the doors will be released by the time I get there.
No luck. I pull into the parking lot and pull on the lever and still nothing.
Grabbing my cell phone, I call the front desk and ask if they can send someone out to let me out of mt car. I hear a giggle from the other end and soon my door is opened by one of the production crew who gets a laugh out of the situation.
Still hoping that its merely a problem with the cold, I let the car run, with the heater running full blast, for an hour and still no luck...
I've put a call in to the Kia dealership where I bought the car - two years ago - and they said to bring it in tomorrow for them to take a look at. With my luck the doors will work fine tomorrow, but for right now I have to worry about how I am going to get out of the car once I get home tonight.
Friday, December 19, 2008
RIP: Majel Barrett-Roddenberry
Majel Barrett-Roddenberry, Gene Roddenberry’s widow, has passed away. She died of leukemia Thursday morning.
She may be best remembered as the voice of the Star Trek Computers
Also as the mother of Diana Troi who had a long standing crush on Capt. Picard.
She may be best remembered as the voice of the Star Trek Computers
Also as the mother of Diana Troi who had a long standing crush on Capt. Picard.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Winter Warning
Now that it's winter, and we have another snow storm on the way, I felt that I should post a video reminder of how not to drive when the roads are covered in snow and ice.
Drive safe :)
Drive safe :)
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Monday, December 15, 2008
Iron Sky Teaser
I lost track of this movie after seeing this trailer earlier this year. Finding it again, I am really looking forward to it's release.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Quantum of Failure
I went to see Quantum of Solice before Thanksgiving, and was not impressed. The villain wasn't up to par with Bond villains, to much Jason Bourne-style action, and a huge WTF ending.
This movie will replace "On Her Majesties Secret Service" as the worst Bond film...EVER!
Recently, When asked by Collider about doing a sequel to Quantun, Daniel Craig said, "No fucking way."
*whew*
http://io9.com/5106160/next-bond-wont-be-a-sequel-to-quantum-of-solace-thank-god
This movie will replace "On Her Majesties Secret Service" as the worst Bond film...EVER!
Recently, When asked by Collider about doing a sequel to Quantun, Daniel Craig said, "No fucking way."
*whew*
http://io9.com/5106160/next-bond-wont-be-a-sequel-to-quantum-of-solace-thank-god
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Winter
Yesterday saw the first substantial snowfall so far this season. Close to 6 inches of the white stuff was reported in the news this morning for Austin. The big winners were Dodge Center (8.5") and Decorah (8").
On a whim, a couple cold feet, I decided to go out and buy a pair of winter boots. I don't think I've actually owned a pair of real winter boots since I was a teenager. What's next? Snow Pants? Snowmobile Suit?
On a whim, a couple cold feet, I decided to go out and buy a pair of winter boots. I don't think I've actually owned a pair of real winter boots since I was a teenager. What's next? Snow Pants? Snowmobile Suit?
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)