Reviews!!

It's been a good couple of weeks and I've gotten some presents, seen a movie and treated myself to some very good things. So I thought I'd share.

First though.

Lunar Eclipse last night (on the Midsummer Solstice too). Yay!

But it was more like $%^*&%@#$ CLOUDS!!!!!

/rage

The movie I saw on the weekend was Tron and it was with some friends from uni. I quiet enjoyed it and it was easy to follow even though I had never seen the "first" one. Nice effects, interesting costumes (wouldn't wear it though), story was ... good. All in all I would recommend it.

Treats I

I went to the Pancake Manor before going to Tron. It was wonderful. Nice servers who were polite and prompt, even though it was busy (gave a nice tip 'cause I was so impressed). The food and drink was delicious. I got a Hot Cocoa with marshmallows and a Regular Stack (three pancakes) with cream and ice-cream. So delicious but I couldn't eat it all, which was a shame. Next time I treat my self I'm getting a Short Stack.

Treats II

On Monday I purchased Minecraft Alpha just before it became Beta. It was interesting and worked quiet well despite being just an alpha. I had a go on a few servers, some of which now do not function because of the change to beta. The game reminds me of Dwarf Fortress, except it is a first person game. I would recommend it to everyone, though if you don't want to pay Є14.99 and then an extra Є20 for the completed game try the free Classic Minecraft.

Bioshock Day 2

I recorded this on the 31/10/10 but have been too busy to put it up straight away

Last time I limited myself to one hour, and will do so again. This is so I can get it out of my system and move on to my animation assignments.

I met the woman I had heard earlier. She had a projectile weapon os some sort, which disorientated me. I shocked her several times before I remembered my wrench. I also drank a few bottles of whiskey and vodka I found lying around to calm my nerves.

I found some cash and another recording near where the toilets are. Down the stairs near the couple. It was from a women at New Years Eve, and it seemed that a battle or something broke out.

Found a couple of packets of cigarettes which kinda hurt to smoke.

I went in the kitchen and found a few dollars and ammo. When I came out there was two splicers in the water (a bit of flooding I think), Atlas told me to electrocute them. So I aimed at the water, cause of all the conductivity.

Met another one of them up the stairs, where I'd been before. I don't know how they get in. Probably from that hole in the wall I saw before.

I went through the hold and Atlas told me to lower my weapon. I didn't know why till I saw a little girl with a massive syringe stickin' it to a dead fellow. Don't know what she was doing though. As I was walking across some rigging above the girl, Atlas informed me she is a Little Sister. Created for the genetics, and that she was no longer an innocent child. I heard here singing, and he said the name of this place. Rapture. It just doesn't seem right.

There is a stair case, but I find myself not wanting to go down. As I descended, a splicer attacked the Little Sister. She shrieked and that mechanical monster I saw before destroyed it. Atlas told me that it was the Big Daddy, and that it looks after the Little Sister as she goes about her business of extracting the Adam. Which I assume is what they call genetic material. I do not want to be on the bad side of those freaks!

I was attacked by another one of those splicers, just after the room with the Little Sister. She had a gun, but was easy to dispatch. I passed another one of those Vita Chambers, and heard a voice. Probably another splicer. I got him further along, and through the window I observed two more of them down stairs. It looks like they were looking for something, nothing good I figure. It was near something that looked like a Big Daddy, but it wasn't moving. Could it be a downed one?

There was more flooding where they were so I shocked them. When I came down, it was indeed a corpse of a Big Daddy. Frightening that something so powerful could be killed.

I found some bandages in another toilet block, near a gate labeled medical. I couldn't get there due to the closed gate. Opposite was an opened door called Neptune's Bounty.

When I went to go through the gate, an alarm of some sort went off. Three splicers came, but I got them as they went in the water. There was a machine of some sort that spit fire on the other side of the now closed gate. Atlas tells me to go through Medical instead.

It is now open.

When I got to a Room with many monitors, the lights went out, and the door closed behind me. Atlas is trying to find or override the system to get a way out. Before too long a giant monitor came to life, and a Ryan, started raving about the CIA and KGB. I'm not sure if he's sane or not, but I can hear voices not too far away, so I don't really care all too much.

I was right, three splicers came and started bashing on the glass windows. Atlas got the door to open and I quickly passed through and opened the next door.

It took a while for the door to open fully. It looks like an airlock and the water could flow in from the side. But it was fine. On the other side there was another Vita Chamber and some more ads. Atlas told me the Ryan guy was the founder of Rapture. Seems a bit Return to Sender, if you know what I mean.

I hear a maniacal laughter beyond. I don't know what I'll find.

I found a bot of some sort, and am attempting to hack it now. I go it to work and now it is flying about. I hear a voice on the other side of the door. I am about to investigate.

A splicer nurse and doctor awaited me. They had weapons too, but I got them. I inadvertently tripped another alarm as I tried to gain emergency access to Neptune's Bounty. I went into the next room and found a semi-automatic weapon, but also saw some more splicers coming to get me through the window. I got them. But Atlas says I have to find a Doctor of some sort. He doesn't know how human he will be after so long.

Bioshock Day 1

This is my written journal, word for word. Also anything in italics is an explanation if I think something needs more.

I am setting a limit to how long I will play. An hour seems sufficient, but I am unsure. I will use the kitchen timer.

I checked the options and I can't change the difficulty for some reason. It is on medium. I don't know how I will go. I found out why. I clicked on the New Game and it asked me to choose Easy, Medium or Hard.

Cut Scene

I got to control my player when he surfaced. It was very nice cinematics.

Inside the submersible

I can't move, during the descent, only look. The music is awesome, as is the underwater city. Though it could be better now. It was released in 2007. I saw a whale and a worker of some sort. And ads like the 60s and the lights of Vegas/New York.

I was met by someone but he was viciously murdered by some god-awful creature, which then attacked my vessel. It went away, I was directed by Atlas, someone on the radio, to seek higher ground. I don't know what for, since I'm under water. I shall be very careful, since I don't know what else may be lurking in the darkness of this underwater marvel. I encountered a Vita Chamber. Apparently it revives you if you've been injured or killed.

I don't want to experience that at all!

It looks like I'm in a station. Like the Grand Central Station in New York City. However, everything is in a disarray, and all the flights or trains have been cancelled. I wonder what happened. I don't feel very safe. I can still hear the creature, murmuring in the shadows. I don't have anything to defend myself with. It has hooks for hands, while I merely have hands. Here is a picture, as far as i can make out.

Picture of curved hooks

Description next to the picture. It was dark, but they glowed, like red hot embers.

I saw the 'Splicer', as Atlas calls it, the fiendish thing went for me. But Atlas had a contraption that chased it away. It was in the station area and I soon found a weapon of sorts. A wrench from a construction site. Abandoned for some reason. I still don't like my chances. The Splicer eviscerated the poor fellow from before.

Nearby there was debris blocking my way. I smashed it and on the other side a stair case with a burning table was pushed down. I heard noises of a battle. It was some kind of Splicer. Not the one from before. Less dangerous, but still formidable. A quick bashing soon sorted it out. I was slightly hurt and a bit shaken. I then heard a child, but am not sure from whence the voice came. I searched its body. It had some sort of first aid, and an 'EVE', whatever that is.

Nearby there is a door, which I daren't open for fear of flooding the chambers I am in. There are windows beside it and I can see the great expanse of ocean. I'm not sure how much has collapsed or been broken. I don't want to find out.

I saw an ad for 'Plasmids'. I'm not sure what they are either. I heard the child again. It seems it is an ad like on the radio.

I just woke up from an injection of Plasmids. Very painful. It seems it changes my genetic code some how, as Mister Atlas puts it. While I was semi-conscious I was visited by two more of the Splicers, who soon fled because of a 'Daddy'. I wasn't sure I heard right. I blacked out again, but then saw what must of been the Daddy. I cannot fathom what it is, but it was accompanied by a girl child, which I did not like the look or sound of. They went away though. Thank God! When I was fully recovered, or as much as I could, I discovered I could shoot electricity from my hands. A useful thing in a dangerous city like this.

Against my better judgement I used my new found power on the door I had passed. The controls where sparking before I got very close.

Holy Crap!

As soon as I got through the door the plane wreckage smashed into the glass!!! walk way. I had to rush to the next door to avoid drowning. I was right to be cautious.

Another one of the creatures. Atlas advises to zap then punch. I hope I can do it without dying!

I did it! But it tired me out greatly. I found a blue liquid which I hope will revive me somewhat.

Several more attacked me, one was on fire. I heard shouting before him. Looks like he came from a lift, which is now on fire, no doubt because of an engineering error. I still hear the unseen man. Atlas pleaded with me to help him escape this hell hole with his family. I can't say I blame him.

I went on the elevator and it took me past the Splicer I had heard, but then I heard a woman I think. I have to take care not to assume. It was a woman. A crazed one at that. It was then, that Atlas told me of the Plasmids' affects on the population and the descent of the cities denizen into madness and chaos.

I went forwards to a bar like room. Music was playing, but I heard a couple arguing. Not to be too heartless, I used the gun I found to put the bloke out of his misery. I came to a rest room. The mens, I think, has a hole in the wall. The other had a ghost like apparition of a women. I found some liquor in a toilet stall and some more first aid stuff. A Splicer surprised me. He was in a stall that I didn't look in. Now I have no more ammo for the gun. I found an account of a man. I can't remember what he said though.

This is where I finished the hour of play. There is quiet a few errors in grammar and spelling in my account, as well as in my written journal (much more in fact in the journal).

Bathroom Pondering

I was just having my shower, when it occurred to me that Christmas is fast approaching. Only 55 days to go! I was thinking of the gifts I would have to get for all my family and friends, some of which aren't in the same state as me anymore. Some are difficult to buy for, while others are really easy.

My brother, for instance, doesn't care much what I get him. I asked him what he would like, a game? some hardware? or money? He doesn't know what he wants. I will probably end up getting him a gift card to Sanity (other audio/visual shops are available) or the local hardware store. Or a book about cars.

My mind wandered to the people around me, and then I remembered the nice Samaritan that helped me get home several months back. One of her sons was interested in a train game, so that is one gift I can give.

I will document from beginning to end how I create the models, textures, gameworld and programming. The first three are easy, the hardest is getting it all together and programming it with no errors. I will use Unity for that because I have had the most positive experience with it as a game engine. It will still be very hard, but worthwhile as a learning exercise.

More to come!

Great Escape

Well last night was the first of a monthful, where my parents are no longer in the country. It felt like any other day, except now I have to clean, cook and take out the garbage.

I'm not sure how they are doing. I've only gotten two text messages. One from mum about landing in LA, the other from my father about my work. Since I don't want to get in debt from replying, I emailed back (my mum has a blackberry). Hopefully they are having a blast.

Today I have an assignment due, which I confess I have done absolutely nothing on. Except for a few things. So I have to beaver done and get working. It will be hard because I got a new game yesterday (Bioshock) and am chronicling my adventure as I go along. I did it with TES: Oblivion, which had a lot of pages of my experiences, though I'm not sure where I put the massive amount of pages. I'm post my adventure of Bioshock later.

Abroad

It has been such a long time since last I wrote. However, now I have much more stuff to write about.

Lamenting that I didn't see Avenue Q with my glasses, I went and got myself a passport and had a lovely, if short, holiday across-the-way, in New Zealand. Short, in that I arrived at 1am on a Sunday and left the next day at 7am. It was my first time visiting another country, and it was a positive experience, so during the Christmas holidays I will most likely go again, hopefully for longer than the 36 hours or so I stayed before. And the good thing about living in the Southern Hemisphere is that it will be Summertime, so I won't suffer under the harsh cold.

Recently I discovered that a friend of mine had also been to New Zealand, except a different part. And he stayed longer than me (ten days), but I don't envy him that much because he went to Queenstown to snow board. It would be a nice thing to experience once, 'cause of the snow, but the novelty would surely dissipate in the first couple of hours. I'm more of a sun and warmth person, so Queensland is just fine for me.

I have also gone to a new bar this year, the first time with a friend, because Fortitude Valley is not for one, and the second time with a whole group. Unfortunately one couldn't make it because of her sisters birthday.
Happy 18th Birthday!!!
So next time for her.

The bar is called The Mana Bar. It is a very unusual bar, because unlike most it has video games to congregate around. Some that are old, some that have just been released, and once in a while one that hasn't even come out yet! The drinks are also different, though I don't partake of the alcoholic beverages, they have all kinds of names from the game genre. Some that even the game illiterate should know of, like Princess Peach (from Mario Bros.), Health Potion (from any game really) and Finish Him (from any fighting game).

Avenu Q

Tonight I finally saw Avenue Q. It was the last performance of it's run in Brisbane. Hopefully it is going to Sydney or Melbourne, because once was not enough.

The whole experience was fantastic. The atmosphere, the crowd and even the refreshments during the interval, was great. The only problem was I forgot my glasses. A cardinal sin for me when I'm going out to the Theatre or a movie.

Curse my short sightedness.

However, I was pretty close to the stage so I didn't miss much. I do like to see the expression on the actors face though. Hence my hopes of the production moving to another city in Australia.

The only thing that really spoiled my night on the town was the lack of public transport. Luckily a kind Samaritan offered to take me home.