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Archived blogs page.


March 31, '13 - Sunday - Happy bunny day / System builds - link
New system builds are up, but hardly anything has changed. Really it was only a few replacements for discontinued parts, and a return of the rank 5 to redonculous levels.

Hope everyone is having a good bunny day!

March 30, '13 - Saturday - rabb1t's ramblings podcast 101: Infinite hearthstone - Link
In this podcast I open with my thoughts on what I've played of BioShock Infinite. I'm about 8 hours in and there are a few changes from previous games, such as you can only carry two weapons, there are no hacking mini-games, and most notably the addition of your companion through most of the game Elizabeth. The game is stunning visually and has a much more open feel and faster flow than previous games. Fans of the series will definitely be in for a treat.

I talk about some early impressions on the announcement and news surrounding Blizzard's Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft. It looks like it could be the collectable card game I've been waiting for all these years.

And in the close I have some thoughts about StarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm. Multiplayer seems unfriendly, but there are some levels that get you avatars and stickers. And the single player campaign seems interesting. In the next weekend of the Neverwinter and Defiance beta I didn't really discover anything new I hadn't seen before.

March 29, '13 - Friday - Unreal Engine 4 tech demo; Infiltrator - YouTube link / Nvidia description link
And I thought the Samaritan video was cool.

For those who don't know a "tech demo" is a pre-programed thing in terms of characters and the scene doing a set thing, think of it like actors doing a scene from a movie, but it is rendered right then as you watch by the graphics card / computer in question (so think of it like a play you see live). Apparently this was done on a single GTX 680.

How soon could we see a game with this much detail? Well, that's hard to say. That's a lot of art assets going into that (time programmers spend to create what we see), so it's unlikely to happen "soon" because of the amount of work it would take. But the fact that someone could make something this detailed right now, WOAH. (Note that it likely wouldn't be quite this detailed running as a game in real time, as games take a lot more computational power than pre-set scenes.)

March 26, '13 - Tuesday - Epic Fail book 5, week 39 (week 247) - Link
The next week of Epic Fail year five is up in web and .pdf form.

Another cycle of school closes, and again I feel like it's not helping and that I'll never find a career.

March 23, '13 - Saturday - rabb1t's ramblings podcast 100: Awakened swarm - Link
In this podcast I talk about my feelings on the StarCraft 2 multiplayer changes that happened with the launch of Heart of the Swarm. Once upon a time it was stated you wouldn't need to get every expansion, multiplayer would be playable by all, but it seems this is not the case. Is it ok to go back on their original words and create a have / have not division in multiplayer? Are 'required purchases' ok?

I played through Dead Space 3: Awakened downlodable content and found it to be a perfect (for me) blend of action and story.

The NDA for Defiance dropped on March 22nd, so you can finally hear my thoughts on the 2nd beta weekend that happened on March 8th-10th.

And in the close, which I will likely make its own section in the future when I do it, I talk about my experiences with my new iPhone app to help me track calories and be less fat / unhealthy.

March 19, '13 - Tuesday - Epic Fail book 5, week 38 (week 246) - Link
The next week of Epic Fail year five is up in web and .pdf form.

Still recovering from being sick. While my life is much better than it was when I started this terrible journey, lately it still feels like everything I've lost will never be recovered, and more and more lately I can't help but feel sadness at the loss of... me.

March 16, '13 - Saturday - rabb1t's ramblings podcast 99: Neverwinter weekend - Link
In this podcast I talk all about the Neverwinter beta weekend. Of particular interest may be my ramblings on the arcade-like nature, the impact of a fast paced game on grouping, and how a game designed primarily as a single player experience affects interaction within a group.
March 15, '13 - Friday - Nvidia ignoring consoles? - Link
This seems an odd choice. I know Nvidia is getting more aggressive in the phone and tablet market, but I'd think something like consoles would have generated more income than things like their server rendering cards. Sure, those are way more expensive, but I'd think they are only used in a few facilities compared to potentially millions of console sales. I guess we'll see if they hold their 'we don't have the manpower' position when the Xbox 720 specs are revealed. IMO it would be a mistake for Nvidia to ignore both consoles since their design for the PS3 was the core of what became the desktop 8 series.

Yeah, I'm still predicting in maybe 15 years PCs and consoles will merge into a single unit, but we are still a long way off and consoles just dominate sales numbers these days (compared to desktop).

Edit: I wonder if this has to do with their Shield project. It could be the developers that would otherwise be working on console chips have been moved to Shield. If so IMO that's a mistake, as Shield is an untested market, while consoles continue to gain momentum every year. The handheld market has never been stable, and Shield being something which requires to 'be bound' to a PC makes it even more questionable in terms of adoption rate.

March 12, '13 - Tuesday - Epic Fail book 5, week 37 (week 245) - Link
The next week of of Epic Fail year five is up in web and .pdf form.

This week I am horribly sick, and when I start to recover I feel very sad and scared about my future.

March 9, '13 - Saturday - rabb1t's ramblings podcast 98: Madness and marbles - Link
In this podcast I do my first 'retro review' (games which are 6 months old or older) for Alice: Madness Returns. I found Star Wars Pinball. It's actually just a board add-on for Zen Pinball.
March 5, '13 - Tuesday - Epic Fail book 5, week 36 (week 244) - Link
The next week of Epic Fail year five is up in web and .pdf form.

I was starting to feel a bit better about things, but being displaced for most of a night quickly puts me back into a very sad place.

March 2, '13 - Saturday - rabb1t's ramblings podcast 97: Click do job - Link
In this podcast I ramble about my thoughts on 'click do job' style games. Robot Combat League has just started airing on SyFy and is pretty fun.
February 26, '13 - Tuesday - Epic Fail book 5, week 35 (week 243) - Link
The next week of Epic Fail year five is up in web and .pdf form.

Depression is letting up a bit, but I'm still very sad, and still very 'homesick' for all the basic things I no longer have.

February 23, '13 - Saturday - rabb1t's ramblings podcast 96: Why are all the women half naked? - Link
Have you ever wondered why female character armor is typically only half there? The answer is in a bit of art history with Frank Frazetta and Borris Vallejo. I ramble about gaming news; Playstation 4, Nvidia GTX Titan, and Bungie's Destiny.
February 21, '13 - Monday - Nvidia GTX Titan - link
The new Nvidia GTX Titan will likely not appear on my site. While it IS the most powerful single GPU chip card out there, for the estimated $1000 it just isn't a good choice compared to dual GTX 680. The only kind of user I'd see who would find this truly useful is possibly someone doing graphics rendering. For gamers, particularly those at my site who are concerned with performance-to-price ratios, it's just not worth looking at compared to dual GTX 680. (Now if it dropped to about $750, that'd be a different story.)

On a side note, I've been feeling lately that there is less and less difference between the rank 3 and 4 systems. While there is a pretty decent price jump, there isn't really a performance jump like I'd like to see. With the next generation I may make some tweaks and the pricing spots may change a bit and we'll see things like the rank 4 change to dual GTX 680 and the rank 5 go back to being a bit more redonculous with triple GTX 680. (Yes, I created the rank 5 system for those who could drop 5k on a system and not even blink. Yes, that was due to people requesting such a system.)

February 18, '13 - Tuesday - Epic Fail book 5, week 34 (week 242) - Link
The next week of Epic Fail year five is up in web and .pdf form.

Depression continues to get worse, and an incident with a tire causes me to lose another $175, ruining any chance of having money for extra / unplanned for fun or to put into savings.

February 18, '13 - Monday - Corsair power supply updates - PC page link / Systems link
Corsair snuck in some new totally modular Platinum certified power supplies. PC page and system recommendations have minor updates.
February 16, '13 - Saturday - rabb1t's ramblings podcast 95: Rage against the founders - Link
In this podcast I ramble about some of my thoughts about all of the hate towards founders pack buyers and I give people a reminder to blow out their system.
February 12, '13 - Tuesday - Epic Fail book 5, week 33 (week 241) - Link
The next week of Epic Fail year five is up in web and .pdf form.

Most of the week is still super sad and depressed feeling, but the sad times seem to finally be going away as things start coming together at the end of the fail week.

February 11, '13 - Monday - Pondering my founders packs rambling on podcast 94 further...
Ever since playing a dark elf in EverQuest back in '99 I've pondered how racism, classism, and elitism in is sometimes prevalent in (multiplayer) gaming. There has been a lot of flat out hate and ridicule for people buying Neverwinter founders packs pretty much everywhere. I certainly wouldn't decline a gift of Neverwinters $200 founder pack and have considered buying it myself. The reasons I would do so is to support the game developers, to get access to more character slots (from a post it seems there are 3 by default for the base account), get in to the beta and get a closer look at the mechanics of things, and to be able to play as a drow (I'd planned on a female drow for my rogue)(even though I expect they will be sold post release as a for real monies race). It would also give me a poop ton of Astral Diamonds, which I'm assuming I could use to purchase future races, classes, outfits, and countless other things. But, above all, it would give me immediate access to the Foundry, allowing me to once again be a DM after years of having no one to play with.

But looking at the reactions of players and looking at things from a role playing standpoint - and granted this is likely a smaller number than those who would not react like this - and thinking about what kind of potential hatred I could face in game, it makes me wonder... if I were playing my female drown in game and someone ridiculed / attacked me for it, is that racism? They would be hating me for something my character is born as, something in terms of role playing she could not control for. (Would they consider the possibility that her mother was raped by a drow and she is only half? I doubt it.) Would it be classism towards me as a player because I did choose to spend the money on the founders pack while others didn't or couldn't?

I will likely ponder this further and ramble about it on podcast 95, but it made me think... People are jumping to conclusions and attacking others for making this purchase. Why is that? Why do they not see it as someone supporting the idea of something that they may love? Is it because doing things like linking and talking about a game are seen as support, and founders packs are seen only as "developers being greedy"? Is it because players feel others should only be recognized for accomplishments and buying something isn’t an accomplishment?

Back when I was young and doing pen and paper gaming gamers didn't attack others for having all the books, they were like 'can I borrow that? K thxs'. They certainly didn't think well of that person, 'good job supporting those developers', but it was never the kind of direct attacks against people I'm seeing in response to those buying founders packs.

I suppose 'haters gonna hate', but it strikes me as curious so many are so quick to jump to the attack.

February 9, '13 - Saturday - rabb1t's ramblings podcast 94: Destruct sequence 1, code 1-1 A - Link
In this podcast I ramble about some rabb1t's ramblings podcast news. I talk a bit about Dead Space 3. And in the final section I talk a bit about my rambly thoughts on Founders packs.
February 5, '13 - Tuesday - Epic Fail book 5, week 32 (week 240) - Link
The next week of Epic Fail year five is up in web and .pdf form.

Sad times this week as I feel extra lonely and sad, and like things I accomplish always fall apart as I continue to try to get rabb1t's ramblings back on iTunes.

February 2, '13 - Saturday - rabb1t's ramblings podcast 93: Outside of the game - Link
In this podcast I ramble about some of the techniques I use to deal with asshats. In the second half I ramble about some games I've stopped playing, and why in some cases I go back.

As a side note iTunes no longer seems to be hosting rabb1t's ramblings on the iTunes store. If you are already subscribed you should still automatically get the new podcasts, however, I will need to change the feed thingy so that iTunes sees it in the future, so at some point you will need to adjust your subscription. I have instructions on the page, as well as in the podcast, on how to do that so you don't miss anything.

January 29, '13 - Tuesday - February system recommendations - Link
The system recommendations for February are now up. Lots of minor changes; cases, SSD, gamepad.
January 29, '13 - Tuesday - Epic Fail book 5, week 31 (week 239) - Link
The next week of Epic Fail year five is up in web and .pdf form.

With my podcast being dropped from iTunes and the new coffee shop connection becoming unstable it feels like everything in my life is falling apart, and again like anything new I accomplish in these homeless times eventually goes to poop.

January 26, '13 - Saturday - rabb1t's ramblings podcast 92: Five top 5 - Link
In this podcast you get to know a bit more about teh rabb1t as I talk about my top 5 most anticipated games of 2013, the top 5 non-video game games I'd like to play, the top 5 movies I'd recommend from my collection, the top 5 TV series I'd recommend from my collection, and the top 5 things I'd like to cook.

As a side note iTunes no longer seems to be hosting rabb1t's ramblings on the iTunes store. If you are already subscribed you should still automatically get the new podcasts, however, I will need to change the feed thingy so that iTunes sees it in the future, so at some point you will need to adjust your subscription. I will let people know the status of that on this index page as well as in the podcasts themselves. In the mean time I will be duplicating the old and new info to help ease people over during the transition.

January 22, '13 - Tuesday - Epic Fail book 5, week 30 (week 238) - Link
The next week of Epic Fail year five is up in web and .pdf form.

Still feeling very sad, alone, isolated, that nothing I'm doing is changing anything, and that I am far closer to death than I should be.

January 18, '13 - Saturday - rabb1t's ramblings podcast 91: Endless running, not PvP, and my fat - Link / iTunes link
In this podcast I talk about Temple Run 2, which just came out for iOS and will come out for Android next week. I have some rambly thoughts on why it is I may not like competitive PvP games. I have a bit of gaming news, then talk about my bad health and fat tummy.
January 16, '13 - Wednesday - Catzilla - Link
Ever wanted to have a benchmark that was fun, silly, and had giant cats with lasers?! Now you can. Go grab the Catzilla benchmark from ALLBenchmark.
January 15, '13 - Tuesday - Epic Fail book 5, week 29 (week 237) - Link
The next week of Epic Fail year five is up in web and .pdf form.

Been feeling very sad about death the past few days. I guess I am slowly balancing back to ok, but sad times seem extra sad lately.

January 12, '13 - Saturday - rabb1t's ramblings podcast 90: Surviving the future - Link / iTunes link
In this podcast I talk about a game that's technically still in beta, but basically ready to go; Don't Starve. In my first ever first look I ramble about Nvidia's Project Shield. Looper is out for purchase and rental. And in the final bit I talk a little bit about why I am still playing League of Legends.
January 11, '13 - Friday - Suddenly scared of death
Suddenly started worrying about my own survivability / death. At the rate I'm going I may have a tough time hanging on to 4 years, let alone the 44 I should have remaining. I worry a lot about what my homeless time is doing to my overall lifespan since I'm having such an incredibly hard time hanging on to anything close to a healthy / fit state. I was super terrified and had chills like I'd hurt myself bad, or was in some scary could have died situation.

I suppose since this life is all I have known, once I am dead I won't worry, and thus if there is or is not a reincarnation afterwards where I will again live and perceive I shouldn't worry because when I am gone I will cease to be, and thus no longer living would not bother me, much like how I have no memory of my being before I was born.

But I do. And it makes me sad. And it's hard not to with all the sad things in my life.

January 8, '13 - Tuesday - Epic Fail book 5, week 28 (week 236) - Link
The next week of Epic Fail year five is up in web and .pdf form.

This week I feel very sad and insignificant, and like even if I do ever recover, or better still live a happy rabb1t life, I may still never be seen as important or truly have an impact on people's lives.

January 7, '13 - Monday - Farewell menu bar
As you may notice there is a very large hole up top in the menu area. There used to be a flash animation which had games I was playing and games I am looking forward to. Since I started the podcast the podcast took over this task and there has been no incentive, or really any need, to update the flash animation. I have since removed it. (Particularly since I only got three comments on it ever.) It has been replaced with a standalone graphic for an email link. I do have anti-spam stuff in there though which will hopefully stop robots from farming it. (Originally it was imbedded in the flash, which protected it from 99% of the robots.) Hopefully people will find it useful who still need an email link.
January 7, '13 - Monday - First look: Nvidia's Project Shield - Link
In my first ever First Look I'm going to ramble about Nvidia's new handheld which was presented to the world at CES.

Technology: Nvidia Shield is a handheld gaming system running on Android OS. It has a 5" multi-touch screen with 1280x720 resolution (aka 720p at 294 dpi), making it a sharper screen than phones and other mobile devices out there of its size. It features a quad core CPU and a GPU with 72 cores, making it a decent advancement on chips used in phones and tablets, and even a bit above many used in netbooks. It features a full sized controller with the standard number of buttons you'd find on a controller for a console. It features built in speakers, and HDMI out so its output can be sent to a regular monitor. It features WiFi for connectivity. While it is unstated how much built in storage it will have there is a micro-SD card slot. It's possible this could serve as the main storage unit while built in storage is fairly minimal (I'd guess maybe 8 to 16 gig.)

Timing: The timing on this is a bit odd, since Nvidia is basically going "surprise". They are supposedly targeting a Q2 time period, which means April, May, or June, some 3-5 months from now.

Why could it fail: With a surprise announcement it seems like this is a bit premature. Every handheld, in fact every gaming system, will live or die based on its games. Nvidia is a graphics chip manufacturer. They don't even make the cards themselves. They are reliant on 3rd party manufacturers to make the cards. This means they are providing the specs, the CPU/GPU for the system, and that's it. They will be 100% reliant on 3rd party developers to make games. (Unless they decide to open up a games studio.) With no support from game developers the system will fail. The target market for the system is also a bit of a mystery. While noone would argue portable systems with better controller types tend to do better, there are several curious things about Shield. It has a touch screen, meaning they may be targeting touch gaming. If so, touch gaming may be odd with a controller attached. Many could feel that it just gets in the way. With a full controller they may be targeting the 'hardcore' audience and looking at console type games. Console like games historically have not done well on handheld platforms because they are either very stripped down versions of the full game, or simply bad ports.

Why could it succeed: With Nvidia basically being an unknown in handheld gaming the market is wide open for game developers to embrace the system. If the right games are made that take advantage of both the power and the controls, it could really do well in the handheld market.

Final thoughts / opinion: Unlike Sony or Nintendo where people know there will be anywhere up to half a dozen titles at launch which come with every launch, Nvidia's Shield has exactly zero titles people will expect to see. Since there is no attention being called to must have games specifically being made for Shield my guess is there aren't going to be any at launch, and if there are it will be a very small number. With the cloud technology they announced at the same time (Grid) it looks like they are targeting a few things for this launch. It looks like they will be targeting Nvidia GPU users by allowing people to stream their game from their desktop to the Shield and play from somewhere other than at their desk. I find this very curious because I don't know anyone who would rather play a desktop game from somewhere that isn't their desktop. Everyone I know who, say as example, would sometimes like to play from a bigger screen, already have an HDMI out to that screen, wireless headphones, and a wireless controller, and they already do that. It also looks like they may be targeting Android gamers. I really don't know anyone who would go out and specifically buy a Shield who wants to do Android gaming. My guess is they already all have Android phones and don't need another device.

Price is also going to be an issue. With the tech they are showing I'm going to guess they will have a very difficult time keeping the unit under $250-300. In fact, a launch price of $300-350 including a free game or two would not surprise me at all. It looks like a premature launch trying to garner attention from fans and news agencies, while main development of games and production of units ramp up for a more solid launch around the holiday season.

Personally I think size will also be a major issue. When people think portable gaming they think, well, portable. They like to put a unit in their pocket, even if it's a tight fit, and for the unit to be easy to carry. The Shield is pretty big; as big, if not slightly bigger, than a full sized controller. While carrying that isn't impossible for most people, carrying an item as big as roughly both your hands clasped together is far more inconvenient than something that fits into your pocket.

It will really come down to games more than anything else. With a design somewhere between a phone and a console it is unclear who the system is targeting. There will need to be games which support both, and which are more than just 'you can play this on Shield in addition to your regular Android device or PC'. If it never goes beyond that people will never see why they shouldn't just play the game on the Android or PC system that they already own. And if the games are little more than ports from consoles, again, people won't see a reason to play a version that is less desirable than they could play on their console.

Time will tell if Nvidia can make Shield a success, but I really think it will come down to game developer support and getting the cost down (into the sub-$200 range.)

January 5, '13 - Saturday - rabb1t's ramblings podcast 89: These things are not like the others - Link / iTunes link
In this podcast I talk about some games that are not like other games. The Walking Dead has gotten rave reviews; It's a graphic adventure, which we haven't seen in like 25 years. FTL: Faster Than Light is a randomized space adventure similar in basic concept to Oregon Trail. You Don't Know Jack is a crazy trivia game. And in the final section I talk about a golden age style Sci-Fi movie; Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow.
January 1, '13 - Tuesday - Epic Fail book 5, week 27 (week 235) - Link
The next week of Epic Fail year five is up in web and .pdf form.

Another sad end to another sad year. So little is changing as time goes on.

December 29, '12 - Saturday - rabb1t's ramblings podcast 88: Imagination and social connectedness - Link / iTunes link
In this podcast I talk about how I feel I've been missing something from my games lately. I ramble about my childhood and going to Disneyland and a possible connection to imagination and how a prevention of being able to imagine in video games may be leading to part of my feeling like something is missing. I remind people it's not too late to donate, if you can. And in the last part I talk about social connectedness with William Shatner's Get A Life!
December 25, '12 - Tuesday - Epic Fail book 5, week 26 (week 234) and Pic series 31 - Link / Pic link
The next week of Epic Fail year five is up in web and .pdf form, also picture series 31.

Sad Holliday times are sad for me. Hopefully everyone else is having a good Xmas time.

December 22, '12 - Saturday - rabb1t's ramblings podcast 87: Mechs, Superheroes, and a Hobbit - Link / iTunes link
In this podcast I compare the current beta state of MechWarrior Online to Hawken. I found a free iOS game by Double Fine productions called Middle Manager of Justice. And in the final bit I talk about my thoughts on 3D high-framerate Hobbit; an Unexpected Journey.
December 18, '12 - Tuesday - Epic Fail book 5, week 25 (week 233) - Link
The next week of Epic Fail year five is up in web and .pdf form.

Feeling extra lonley, fat, and sad, but a few betas and a disruption in my routine due to school ending keeps me fairly distracted.

December 15, '12 - Saturday - rabb1t's ramblings podcast 86: Not a Halloween special - Link / iTunes link
In this podcast I talk Amnesia: The Dark Decent, a spooky graphics adventure. I talk about a few iOS/Android games; Into the Dead (iOS) and Plague, Inc. (iOS/Android). And for my final section I talk a bit about a movie which is a cult classic; Repo! The Genetic Opera.
December 11, '12 - Tuesday - Epic Fail book 5, week 24 (week 232) - Link
The next week of Epic Fail year five is up in web and .pdf form.

Things seem extra sad, lonely, and I feel very unattractive and fat.

December 8, '12 - Saturday - rabb1t's ramblings podcast 85: No levels here - Link / iTunes link
In this podcast I talk about how my current multiplayer/co-op game has no levels. I talk about some iOS games; the Bowling Dead, Zombie Flick, Pitfall, Verticus, and the Vectrex app. I talk about the Karateka remake. And in the last section I talk about a web series that came out a bit ago; Mortal Kombat: Legacy.

Please note that there is now an archive page for podcasts 1-50, as a single page was getting ginormous.

December 4, '12 - Tuesday - Epic Fail book 5, week 23 (week 231) - Link
The next week of Epic Fail year five is up in web and .pdf form.

Things seem extra sad with the instability at the restaurant, tires draining all my money, and the holidays approaching.

December 1, '12 - Saturday - Windows 8 rambling - PC page link
I added a small bit of rambling for Windows 8 in the operating system of the my pc page.
December 01, '12 - Saturday - rabb1t's ramblings podcast 84: Ninjas and explosions - Link / iTunes link
In this podcast I talk about a lesser known game, Mark of the Ninja. I found my way to the Borderlands 2 Campaign of Carnage content. And in the final section I award Apple a dummy head award for not saving app data on the system you sync to.
November 27, '12 - Tuesday - Epic Fail book 5, week 22 (week 230) - Link
The next week of Epic Fail year five is up in web and .pdf form.

Things slowly return to normal, but there is bad news for my tires.

November 24, '12 - Saturday - rabb1t's ramblings podcast 83: TV time - Link / iTunes link
In this podcast I talk about my system getting back so quickly. I talk about an iOS / Android game; Bladeslinger. And in the last bit I ramble about some shows I'm watching; Alphas, Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome, Arrow.
November 20, '12 - Tuesday - Epic Fail book 5, week 21 (week 229) - Link
The next week of Epic Fail year five is up in web and .pdf form.

The laptop returns. Whuuut?!?

November 17, '12 - Saturday - rabb1t's ramblings podcast 82: Bad or none - Link / iTunes link
In this podcast I talk about putting out something bad and on time vs. putting out nothing at all. I also talk about how this may apply to sequils in movie or television. I talk about Stan Lee's iOS game Verticus. I close the podcast with Skyfall.
November 13, '12 - Tuesday - Epic Fail book 5, week 20 (week 228) - Link
The next week of Epic Fail year five is up in web and .pdf form.

Now that my laptop is off for RMA I have to reacquaint myself with the old netbook. Slow days and waiting begin.

November 10, '12 - Saturday - rabb1t's ramblings podcast 81: The System is Down - Link / iTunes link
In this podcast I talk about sending away the laptop for RMA. I can't think of what else to talk about, so I talk a bit about Wreck-It Ralph.
November 6, '12 - Tuesday - Epic Fail book 5, week 19 (week 227) - Link
The next week of Epic Fail year five is up in web and .pdf form.

More system troubles, but at the close of the week I'm preparing to send off the system to go through the RMA process. The week ends on a hopeful note for a change.

November 3, '12 - Saturday - rabb1t's ramblings podcast 80: Answer the phone - Link / iTunes link
In this podcast I talk about some iOS games; Eyelord, Funky Smugglers, and 10000000. I also got some new headphones for my iPhone by Tweaked Audio.
October 30, '12 - Tuesday - Epic Fail book 5, week 18 (week 226) - Link
The next week of Epic Fail year five is up in web and .pdf form.

System troubles and sad times make bunny cry. But I persevere, because I must.

October 27, '12 - Saturday - rabb1t's ramblings podcast 79: Halloween special 2 - Link / iTunes link
In this podcast I ramble about my favorite candies. And I tell a few ghost type stories.
October 23, '12 - Tuesday - Holiday System recommendations - Systems link / PC page link
Holiday system recommendations are up. Lots of little changes, things like the DVD, a few GPU changes due to minor changes, and some monitor changes. Change from OCZ to Corsair due to my SSD incompatibility issues, but either is fine. Overall mostly the same as the update done a few months ago, but there are a few tweaks.

Edit: Oops. AMD dropped new CPUs on us today as well. Didn't know that. Pages now updated for that too.

October 23, '12 - Tuesday - Epic Fail book 5, week 17 (week 225) - Link
The next week of Epic Fail year five is up in web and .pdf form.

Feeling sad and depressed about my unchanging life this week. Motivation and happiness are difficult to come by.

October 20, '12 - Saturday - rabb1t's ramblings podcast 78: Too short - Link / iTunes link
In this podcast I ramble about various things in the games I'm currently playing. I talk a bit about Chris Roberts' return to the industry and what that means for space combat sim fans. And in the last bit I talk about how I feel disappointed with games that have short completion times.
October 18, '12 - Thursday - Memory recommendation changes
Updates to the memory recommendations on 'my pc' page. Guess it's about time to do another system recommendation update as well what with the holidays coming. I'll set that for before November.
October 16, '12 - Tuesday - Epic Fail book 5, week 16 (week 224) - Link
The next week of Epic Fail year five is up in web and .pdf form.

Happy week, sad week. I have my new games, which are super fun, but at the end of the week I feel a bit sick and get more and more sad about my life.

October 13, '12 - Saturday - rabb1t's ramblings podcast 77: Hello old friends; Dishonored, XCOM - Link / iTunes link
In this podcast I ramble about the Torchlight 2 demo. I talk about my experience so far in XCOM: Enemy Unkown and Dishonored.
October 10, '12 - Wednesday - Nvidia GTX 650 Ti launch
Nvidia's GTX 650 Ti has launched, rounding out the mainstream choices at around $150. I find it curious though that neither the GTX 650 nor the 650 Ti can't run in SLI. (They lack the connectors.) Getting a lower cost card and then adding another later, or getting one as a gift, is a huge benefit for those who don't have a lot of up-front money. Removing that potential seems like a big mistake in my opinion. (Though it's also possible this kind of user would lack a power supply strong enough or with enough connections to run multiple cards, so it may not be as critical of an error as it sounds.)
October 9, '12 - Tuesday - Epic Fail book 5, week 15 (week 223) - Link
The next week of Epic Fail year five is up in web and .pdf form.

This week I settle in the hard drive to it's new home and try to get the system into shape for using in the new form.

October 6, '12 - Saturday - rabb1t's ramblings podcast 76: Data move - Link / iTunes link
In this podcast I ramble more about some Borderlands 2 stuff I like and a little about Guild Wars 2. I talk about keeping in touch with friends in different games. I give a hardware tip to clean out old stuff you don't use. In the pre-close I talk about my hard drive swap and data moving.
October 2, '12 - Tuesday - Epic Fail book 5, week 14 (week 222) - Link
The next week of Epic Fail year five is up in web and .pdf form.

This week I get the new drive and it works fine, but my software to clone the drive doesn't. Also there is a weirdness, and my friends I play with may not want to be my friends anymore.

September 29, '12 - Saturday - rabb1t's ramblings podcast 75: Moar Borderlands 2 and expectations - Link / iTunes link
In this podcast I ramble more about some Borderlands 2 stuff I like. I talk about how expectations, both in life and in games, can lead to disappointment. I talk about my troubles with the hard drive change that have happened so far.
September 25, '12 - Tuesday - Epic Fail book 5, week 13 (week 221) - Link
The next week of Epic Fail year five is up in web and .pdf form.

Dealing with issues with the new drive. It seems there are few things in my life that happen without having problems.

September 24, '12 - Monday - XCOM: Enemy Unknown demo - Link
Zomg there is a demo out for XCOM: Enemy Unknown. Joo can play some two weeks early.
September 22, '12 - Saturday - rabb1t's ramblings podcast 74: Return to the Borderlands - Link / iTunes link
In this podcast I talk about some of the differences between Borderlands 1 and 2, and what makes 2 cool overall. I talk about checkpoint systems. In the close I talk about some of my issues with trying to get my hard drive switched over.
September 18, '12 - Tuesday - Epic Fail book 5, week 12 (week 220) - Link
The next week of Epic Fail year five is up in web and .pdf form.

Despite the system running ok for the past week, it seems today was another bad day. DOS style boot fail / disk check when I started it up. So, as I said before, that was the final straw and I ordered the new solid state disk. There goes nearly all my savings. But with several failures in the past few weeks, as well as other minor indicators the disk isn't working / writing correctly, I don't have any choice but to replace it and hope that the hard drive is indeed the only thing wrong.

September 15, '12 - Saturday - rabb1t's ramblings podcast 73: Not what it once was (MMOGs) - Link / iTunes link
In this podcast I talk about how Guild Wars 2 kind of falls short on tactical combat. I ramble about the differences between EverQuest and Guild Wars 2; how the (MMOG) industry has changed as a whole over the years, and changes in how players connect because of it. I close with some notes about Nvidia's recent launch of the GTX 660 and GTX 650.
September 13, '12 - Thursday - Nvidia launch; GTX 660, GTX 650
Nvidia has rounded out the entry level and mainstream segments with the launch of the GTX 660 and GTX 650. The GTX 660 performs very closely to the Ti, with a more theoretical difference than not when running with average gamer settings. Those who overclock will want to go with the Ti, but since the newest drivers automatically overclock the 6 series there's really no reason (IMO) to manually overclock cards. The GTX 650 would likely be a solid entry level choice for someone who isn't 'as serious' about gaming as they are overall solid performance.
September 11, '12 - Tuesday - Epic Fail book 5, week 11 (week 219) - Link
The next week of Epic Fail year five is up in web and .pdf form.

A crazy whirlwind week of the system almost dying, then performing like it was new again.

September 8, '12 - Saturday - rabb1t's ramblings podcast 72: Crafting and system troubles - Link / iTunes link
In this podcast I talk about how being in a guild may influence your desire to craft. In the second and closing bit I talk about how system troubles have brought me to blowing out my laptop in a different way.
September 4, '12 - Tuesday - Epic Fail book 5, week 10 (week 218) - Link
The next week of Epic Fail year five is up in web and .pdf form.

Some ups during the week, but at the end of the last day (today's posting) there is some serious trouble with the laptop. I may be forced to replace the hard drive. I prey if I do that is the only item causing the problems. I'll have to keep a very close eye on it.

September 1, '12 - Saturday - rabb1t's ramblings podcast 71: Who are you protecting? - Link / iTunes link
In this podcast I talk about how who you are expecting to play a game with may influence your class choice. In the second section I ramble about my experiences with crafting; both good times and meh times.
August 28, '12 - Tuesday - Epic Fail book 5, week 9 (week 217) and picture series 30 - Link / Pic link
The next week of Epic Fail year five is up in web and .pdf form. Also, picture series 30.

It is getting tougher to ignore my persistant sads. I think I'm in a tragedy.

August 25, '12 - Saturday - rabb1t's ramblings podcast 70: Pre-order - Link / iTunes link
In this podcast I talk about different pre-order things; early entry, special items, locked content. I talk a bit about my thoughts on how linear content can be a bad thing. Have we gone backwards as time has gone on? Does the player have enough choice?
August 22, '12 - Tuesday - Epic Fail book 5, week 8 (week 216) - Link
The next week of Epic Fail year five is up in web and .pdf form.

Is a birthday week. Some good things, some bad things. Mostly lonely and contemplative.

August 18, '12 - Saturday - rabb1t's ramblings podcast 69: Paying, playing, and changing - Link / iTunes link
In this podcast I talk about what motivates me to play games and how playing should be a critical part of our lives. I talk about how it is important to pay for entertainment and support the things you enjoy. I talk about how games can stay the same or change over time, as well as how we ourselves can change. (My 'falling out of love' with tower defense and real-time strategy games.)
August 16, '12 - Thursday - Nvidia GTX 660 Ti launch
Nvidia's GTX 660 Ti is starting to launch. This is a very high-end mainstream part, giving about 85% of the performance of the GTX 670 at 75% of the cost (at the time of this writing.) At the time of this post about half a dozen 2 gig cards show up on NewEgg and the 3 gig are nowhere to be seen. It could be a few days until the launch is in full force, but this gives those in the mainstream a very solid choice for the higher range.
August 14, '12 - Tuesday - Epic Fail book 5, week 7 (week 215) - Link
The next week of Epic Fail year five is up in web and .pdf form.

The summer comes to a close, and I will likely be alone (physically) on my birthday, as I have so many before.

August 11, '12 - Saturday - rabb1t's ramblings podcast 68: Same as everyone else... or not - Link / iTunes link
In this podcast I talk about a game watch for Neverwinter. In the second section I talk about thoughts of being special, or not.
August 9, '12 - Thursday - Game Watch : Neverwinter - Official site link

Game: Neverwinter
Type: RPG / Action / MMO
Developer: Cryptic Studios
Distributor: Perfect World
Platform(s): PC
Players: Multi-player MMO
Release: Late 2012

What is it? Set in Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition rules, Neverwinter takes place in and around the city of Neverwinter, in the Forgotten Realms.

Why is it important? Dungeons & Dragons licensed products are few and far between. Neverwinter will allow you to play the newest setting (with tweaks to the rules for the PC version) and it will do so totally for free. The game will be both free to download and not have a subscription.

What makes the game design special? While Neverwinter is more traditional than not, they are focusing on both the single player experience and the group based experience. Many games ignore the balance between the two, but the developers have stated they want the game accessible to all. They have also designed dungeons with replayability in mind citing loot and completion runs as the reason to replay (instead of the typical 'grind' due to lack of content.) Additionally, they are including one of the things that makes D&D great, player created content. You will be able to create your own dungeons and campaigns and have others play through them. (Don't worry, in an interview I saw there will be a rating system, so runs that are bad or imbalanced will not receive high ratings and you can run filtered searches to avoid those.)

Why is it going to pwn? The footage that's out there shows a game that is focusing on newer elements in the genera; high-action in terms of character animation, while not requiring button mashing, intelligent reactive combat where you will need to pay attention, and a low number of hotkeys, meaning you are not forced into whack-a-mole.

Why could it fail (game design)? A game focusing on replaying content and leaving the door open for player generated content could be a sign they aren't going to have much content, particularly since the game will cost nothing to download and nothing to play. Those familiar with D&D may also feel constrained by the 'pure' nature of the classes which offer a very limited choice compared to all the possible combinations of the pencil and paper game.

Why could it fail (developer)? Cryptic has had a bit of an odd history. It's first game, City of Heroes received very good reviews (averaging around 85%), while their next two games, Champions Online, and Star Trek Online, got poor reviews, ranging from average to slightly below average (60%-75%). While Champions Online was designed as a free to play game, Star Trek Online was not, but very quickly went free to play due to lack of interest and lack of subscribers. If their historic trend continues, the game would rate at below average. The company would have to redirect in several ways to break their recent trend. (Thankfully hands-on previews at recent events have been very favorable.)

Personal opinion / thoughts: I'm always looking for cool D&D licensed products to play, and I'm pretty excited at the possibilities of Neverwinter. Originally the game was a single player game, looking closer to Gauntlet than not, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Part way through development Cryptic Studios was brought under the wing of Perfect World and changed from a single player / co-op game to a full MMO. The game looks pretty solid, and I do like low number of hotkeys. (It looks like somewhere between 7-10 abilities will be on your bar.) Though I am very curious about the depth of character building. There really hasn't been anything stated about abilities, or as most MMOs would call them, talents, and an initial launch of only four classes sounds very restrictive. I absolutely loved City of Heroes (though it was really repetitive really quickly in terms of mission design), but I cringed when I tried Champions Online. It had horrible animations and the combat design was just terrible. I think Neverwinter's biggest hurdle will be content and what exactly they do in order to generate money. If their cash shop is 'pay to win' I don't think the game will go very far. Similarly, if character development / personalization isn't deep enough, I think four classes is just going to be too limiting for most. Lastly, with a stated 2012 launch I am getting very concerned about their ability to deliver a solid game. Beta has not opened yet, and with only four months left of 2012 that's going to put them very short on test time before their stated launch window runs out. Will they correct the mistakes of the past? Will there be enough content? Will there be enough character depth? We may know the answers to these questions very soon.

August 7, '12 - Tuesday - Epic Fail book 5, week 6 (week 214) - Link
The next week of Epic Fail year five is up in web and .pdf form.

This week I am very sad. Though I know I am good at what I do in my gaming life, in everything else I can't help but feel like a failure.

August 4, '12 - Saturday - rabb1t's ramblings podcast 67: Second opinion - Link / iTunes link
In this podcast I talk a bit about several games I've been playing or thought about playing. In the podcast I refer to the podcast and segment as second opinion, but I think second thoughts may be more appropriate. A super close friend had a sad time lately, and it reminded me of my own sad times and what I used to do to cheer myself up.
August 2, '12 - Thursday - System recommendations, generaion 19 - Link
New system recommendations are up. Not a lot changed, a few CPU choice tweakes, nearly all systems have moved to SSD. Two systems are waiting on an Nvidia GTX 660 Ti, rumored for launch in a few weeks.
July 31, '12 - Tuesday - Epic Fail book 5, week 5 (week 213) - Link
The next week of Epic Fail year five is up in web and .pdf form.

This week I have a lot of lost sleep, a lost mouse, more itchiness, and worry about being stuck in cycles that don't move forward.

There is a cover for book five, but it didn't turn out quite like I'd hoped. I may redo it later.

July 28, '12 - Saturday - rabb1t's ramblings podcast 66: Philosophizing - Link / iTunes link
In this podcast I talk a bit more about the philosophy of roles, but this time from a more emotional or goal oriented standpoint. I talk about how you should try and face cycles and change with welcome. And in the last section I talk about how people seem to just be grinding dungeons in TSW, even though many aspects of the game are different.
July 24, '12 - Tuesday - Epic Fail book 5, week 4 (week 212) - Link
The next week of Epic Fail year five is up in web and .pdf form.

This week I have the reality of my sad homeless life on my mind more often than not. There are some good times with my friends, and a homeless dream which is hopeful. Still haven't made the book 5 cover. Motivation is difficult due to the change in my routine depressing me.

July 21, '12 - Saturday - rabb1t's ramblings podcast 65: Terribad sound begins - Link / iTunes link
In this podcast I talk about how there may be a change for the worse in how the podcast sounds. I talk about tanking, or other roles, as a philosophy, not a set of abilities or requirements. I talk about how the time of day may play a part in your gaming.
July 17, '12 - Tuesday - Epic Fail book 5, week 3 (week 211) - Link
The next week of Epic Fail year five is up in web and .pdf form.

The week begins with good news about the car, but as time goes on there are some sad things, and it generally ends with me feeling sadder than most weeks.

July 14, '12 - Saturday - rabb1t's ramblings podcast 64: Comparisons - Link / iTunes link
In this podcast I talk about how I think you will enjoy your gaming time more if you are coming from a relaxed and ready state. I mention my thoughts on what will likely be inevitable comparisons between The Secret World and Guild Wars 2. In the last section I think I may have finally discovered what it is about in-game crafting I don't like.
July 10, '12 - Tuesday - Epic Fail book 5, week 2 (week 210) - Link
The next week of Epic Fail year five is up in web and .pdf form.

This week my bestest friends decided to pick up The Secret Word, so we get that and has a fun.

July 7, '12 - Friday - rabb1t's ramblings podcast 63: A secret world, a civilization, and dishonor - Link / iTunes link
In this podcast I do a game watch and talk about Dishonored. My friends I play with decided to pick up The Secret World, so I talk about some post release thoughts on that. And in the last section I talk about my experience with Civilization 5 so far.
July 3, '12 - Tuesday - Epic Fail book 5, week 1 (week 209) - Link
The start of Epic Fail year five is up.

About as good of a start as one could hope for. Note there is no year five cover yet, so that will change in a bit.

July 2, '12 - Monday - Game Watch : Dishonored - Official site link

Game: Dishonored
Type: Stealth / Action
Developer: Arkane Studios
Distributor: Bethesda
Platform(s): PC / Playstation 3 / Xbox 360
Players: Single player
Release: October, 2012

What is it? You are a supernatural assassin eliminating targets in revenge for wrongful accusations against you.

Why is it important? Dishonored will let you play in an open environment with randomized elements. You can play through to the goal by stealth or by open run and gun style.

What makes the game design special? Dishonored will share elements I have not seen since Thief 3, which released roughly 8 years ago. You have several ways to enter the areas your targets are in, allowing for flexibility in playstyle as well as making the levels highly replayable. Target location is randomized, which means they may not be in the same place twice. There are multiple ways to gain information that will help you succeed; you can ease drop on conversations or you can find notes strewn about the level. Any new information updates your waypoints.

Why is it going to pwn? True freedom to play as stealth or run and gun is rare. Add on elements which are randomized and the game becomes highly replayable and different each time. The game is also set in an (alternate world) early 1900s time period which has elements of steampunk and the supernatural, so the world will be a fresh new experience.

Why could it fail (game design)? Being set in a completely new universe will be a difficult task. While the flexibility to play as full stealth or run and gun allows for great freedom, often times in games run an gun is so much faster and easier it would be easy to have an imbalanced game in terms of completion time for run and gun, or one that simply doesn't feel worth the time investment for full stealth.

Why could it fail (developer)? The last game that Arkane Studios made like this was Dark Messiah of Might and Magic, which released 6 years ago. The games share a very similar look and feel, and while Dark Messiah could also be played as stealth or run and gun it often wound up that using positioning to simply kick opponents into traps, or off ledges, was the fastest way to succeed, effectively reducing the number of ways to complete goals because there was often a single 'best' path in terms of abilities to use, speed, and ease to complete the goals.

Personal opinion / thoughts: I'm very excited to see a game that is copying many elements of gameplay that we haven't seen since Thief 3. While many games have tried to allow for freedom and benefiting stealth, none have compared to Thief 3 in terms of giving player extra information through ease dropping, or providing benefits to non-lethal takedowns or simply waiting for stealth openings to sneak past opponents. Most games that have tried in recent times seem to have a single 'best' path by mixing some stealth with some faster run and gun tactics. The fact that the target location is randomized is really exciting to me, as that added to the multiple ways around the level should really provide a high level of replayability, flexibility of choice for a player to choose a path that suits their style, and a constant feeling of danger due to not necessarily being able to predict guard position and pathing. Will it replace Thief 3 as my 'go to' game for when I have nothing else to play in my downtimes? Maybe. I have yet to see a game come close to the freedom mixed with randomized elements that Thief 3 provided.

July 1, '12 - Sunday - Epic Fail book 4, week 52+ (week 209) - Link
The end of Epic Fail year four is up.

Note that the week will be posted again when it's the end of week 209, as the week is split between the end of year four and the start of year five.

June 29, '12 - Friday - rabb1t's ramblings podcast 62: The Secret World revealed - Link / iTunes link
In this podcast I talk about my recent experience with the Secret World's final beta weekend. I add on a few more thoughts to my previous thoughts on Magic The Gathering: Duels of the Plainswalkers 2013. And in the last section I talk about how I've decided not to pick up Magic Online due to the feelings I get about the community from what I've seen.

Since I messed up posting the Epic Fail week late, joo can has the podcast a bit early.

June 27, '12 - Wednesday - Epic Fail book 4, week 52 (week 208) - Link
The next week of Epic Fail book 4 is up in web and .pdf form.

I'm so sad and disappointed in myself that I forgot to close it and post yesterday. Nothing bad happened, I just got frazzled and forgot.

June 23, '12 - Saturday - rabb1t's ramblings podcast 61: That new card smell - Link / iTunes link
In this podcast I talk about my recent Guild Wars 2 beta weekend experience. Although I find it difficult to describe I talk about Magic The Gathering: Duels of the Plainswalker 2013. I remind you to clean out your optical drive.
June 19, '12 - Tuesday - Epic Fail book 4, week 51 (week 207) and picture series 29 - Link / Pic link
The next week of Epic Fail book 4 and picture series 29 is up in web and .pdf form.

Still a bit sick, getting better, and ramblings about the approaching end of year 4.

June 16, '12 - Saturday - rabb1t's ramblings podcast 60: The universal language of gaming - Link / iTunes link
In this podcast I talk about the language of gaming. The first section talks about how language may not matter. The second section talks about differences in gaming culture, possibly related to language. In the last section I talk about how mood can affect, and is affected by, gaming.
June 12, '12 - Tuesday - Epic Fail book 4, week 50 (week 206) - Link
The next week of Epic Fail book 4 is up in web and .pdf form.

"Things are possibly slowly returning to homeless normal. ... When I checked my blood pressure it was way down at 122/81, which is the closest to my previous 120/80 that I was in more years than I can count."

June 9, '12 - Saturday - rabb1t's ramblings podcast 59: Too much? - Link / iTunes link
In the first section of this week's podcast I ponder on if there can be such a thing as too many games. I ramble about how money and time play apart in that. In the second section I ramble about my thoughts of E3 as a show - is it really necessary anymore? In the close I ramble about playing games alone; how games are moving towards multiplayer vs. single player.
June 5, '12 - Tuesday - Epic Fail book 4, week 49 (week 205) - Link
The next week of Epic Fail book 4 is up in web and .pdf form.

"It's June today. The start of the last month of the Fail year of being homeless. It's tough to believe that another year has passed with really no change. I suppose this year it doesn't seem surprising."

June 2, '12 - Saturday - rabb1t's ramblings podcast 58: A Death in the Family - Link / iTunes link
In this podcast I talk about the closing of 38 Studios and how game companies closing affects gamers. I talk about my thoughts on why I enjoy what could be considered real world crating, but typically don't enjoy in-game crafting. In the last section I talk about how Blizzard adding auto-join to general chat may not be the best idea for Diablo III.
May 29, '12 - Tuesday - Epic Fail book 4, week 48 (week 204) - Link
The next week of Epic Fail book 4 is up in web and .pdf form.

Finally have a new car, but I think too I may have a new cold.

May 26, '12 - Saturday - rabb1t's ramblings podcast 57: Too many sads - Link / iTunes link
In this podcast I talk about some stuff in Diablo 3 I missed or may have been unclear about, a few new discoveries, and make a few suggestions. I talk about how my time without my online friends has made my game playing seem more sad. XCOM: Enemy Unknown is discussed a bit on a game watch.
May 25, '12 - Friday - Game Watch : XCOM: Enemy Unknown - Official site link

Game: XCOM: Enemy Unknown
Type: Turn-based strategy
Developer: Firaxis
Distributor: 2K Games
Platform(s): PC / Playstation 3 / Xbox 360
Release: October, 2012

What is it? You take control of an elite world-unified fighting force trying to protect the Earth from unknown invaders.

Why is it important? Strategy games are few and far between, and back when the original X-COM launched in 1993 the series rapidly stood out as THE turn-based strategy to play.

What makes the game design special? Turn-based strategy games are almost unheard of these days. This alone will help XCOM: Enemy Unknown stand out. However, it is the blending of several elements that made the original series really stand out. You have a mystery unraveling as you are invaded. You unlock technology and discoveries about the invaders by spending time researching what you find in the battlefield. As your funds increase you expand your base, which increases your potential for research and training. No two games were ever the same due to the randomized elements of how, and where, the aliens chose to invade, and how effective your forces were at unraveling the mystery.

Why is it going to pwn? Firaxis is taking everything that made the original series great, and adding on new stuff that technology of today allows for that simply couldn't be done with the originals.

Why could it fail (game design)? The only way I could see the game failing, in terms of design, is if things have been simplified too much for a modern day audience, particularly if the player happens to be a fan of the original series. There were several resources to manage and time tables to consider with the original that could add up to a fun challenge or quickly lead to the Earth's demise if not managed properly. There will be a fine line between modernizing those old-school elements and ruining that balance.

Why could it fail (developer)? Firaxis has a strong history with strategy games, but I've only played a few of their titles. The primary risks I see with XCOM: Enemy Unknown are based in the fact that this is really an unknown quantity. XCOM really is almost it's own sub-genre of strategy games. While there are other turn based strategy games out there which deal with resource management, there is ... almost a human element to the XCOM series that seems critical to victory. Although it doesn't seem logical to say that, since with previous games element were random, and therefore not predictable in terms of motivation, it did seem to follow a certain kind of ... biological motivation that could be predicted.

Personal opinion / thoughts: I've always been a huge fan of the X-COM series and I can't express how excited I am to see a true continuation. I would completely agree that a restart is the way to go. Fans of the original will love the nostalgia, and new fans will have a whole new world to discover, and be eased into it with what made the original series so great. In recent times there was a lot of news about a title simply called XCOM, which was a first person shooter set in the same universe. While I was thrilled, as this was the first reappearance of the XCOM franchise, I was disappointed it was a shooter, which was set to use new enemy types that didn't quite seem to fit with the original turn-based games. I looked forward to it, but wasn't thrilled with the idea. XCOM: Enemy Unknown is a true restart of the original series, and this is what it's all about. Anyone who is a fan of sci-fi, strategy, research, and base building should absolutely pick this up when it comes out in a few months.

May 21, '12 - Tuesday - Epic Fail book 4, week 47 (week 203) - Link
The next week of Epic Fail book 4 is up in web and .pdf form.

"Today felt very lonely and sad, and became more so as the day went on. ... When I played Dungeon Defenders alone it felt so sad I almost shed a few tears. It seemed very lonely and very empty. Maybe it was because last time I played that level I was with my friends that I normally play online with and two others were in our chat and we were all having a good time."

May 19, '12 - Saturday - rabb1t's ramblings podcast 56: Limitations in mind - Link / iTunes link
In this podcast I talk about how my (real life) limitations prevented me from thinking about certain options for gaming. I talk about some general Diablo 3 thoughts. I talk about how new school boss encounters may be better, or worse, than old school boss encounters.
May 15, '12 - Tuesday - Epic Fail book 4, week 46 (week 202) - Link
The next week of Epic Fail book 4 is up in web and .pdf form.

"After a while it dawned on me - it is because of all of the limitations in my life being so deeply rooted in my core. Because of all of the instability with my connection, because of my not having friends outside of the circle I play with (who are only on a few hours a few days a week, and not of the right level), because of fearing various inappropriate or unfriendly interaction with strangers, I simply didn't even consider the fact that I could make / host my own game."

May 12, '12 - Saturday - rabb1t's ramblings podcast 55: More dungeon defending - Link / iTunes link
In this podcast I talk a bit more about my time in Dungeon Defenders. I talk a bit about some downloadable content for it which has been... frustrating me.
May 8, '12 - Tuesday - Epic Fail book 4, week 45 (week 201) - Link
The next week of Epic Fail book 4 is up in web and .pdf form.

Starting to feel better from my cold. There is a system scare later in the week.

May 5, '12 - Saturday - podcast 54: Talk to the Hand aka Dungeon Defenders - Link / iTunes link
In this podcast I talk about my (limited) experience in the Guild Wars 2 beta weekend. My online friends and I are playing Dungeon Defenders now, so I talk about that quite a bit.
May 3, '12 - Thursday - System recommendations, generaion 18 - Link
New system recommendations are up. Stuff for Ivy Bridge are now in. The mid-range graphics from Nvidia for series 6 still haven't launched, so most of the graphic card recommendations stayed the same. Also, it seems Evga is late on motherboards (again), so the one recommendation for them is only a temporary link.
May 3, '12 - Thursday - Death d4 Dishonor soundtrack - Link
If you have ever wanted to hear more rabb1t silliness you can now hear everything I've done for the Death d4 Dishonor podcast. Instructions on how to get the soundtrack are on the page.
May 1, '12 - Tuesday - Epic Fail book 4, week 44 (week 200) - Link
The next week of Epic Fail book 4 is up in web and .pdf form.

Still pretty sick, wiped physically. There is an incident with an online chat room, and I am super creative making a soundtrack. (Though it's not officially released yet, so no link for you just yet. )

April 28, '12 - Saturday - podcast 53: Communities - Link / iTunes link
In this podcast I talk about my thoughts on the Legend of Grimrock. I talk about my very early impressions of the Guild Wars 2 beta weekend. And I talk about an odd experience I had being part of a chat room.
April 24, '12 - Tuesday - Epic Fail book 4, week 43 (week 199) / Pic series 28 - Link / Pic link
The next week of Epic Fail book 4 is up in web and .pdf form, also picture series 28.

Mostly sick, but today I got meds and should be getting better soon.

April 21, '12 - Saturday - podcast 52: Cycles - Link / iTunes link
In this podcast I talk about my thoughts on playing games as part of a cycle. My thoughts on the difference between playing a game and a living an interactive story. I talk about my brief experiences so far with the Legend of Grimrock, a new-school game done in old-school dungeoning style. I talk about the open test weekend for Diablo 3 and mention that it is rumored to have a "starter version" post-release that works in the same way as the test weekend.
April 20, '12 - Friday - Diablo 3 for everyone this weekend - Link
Blizzard is opening up Diablo 3 to everyone for this weekend only. It runs from Friday at noon until Monday at 10 AM PST.
April 17, '12 - Tuesday - Epic Fail book 4, week 42 (week 198) - Link
The next week of Epic Fail book 4 is up in web and .pdf form.

The possible cold becomes very bad. Very sick all week.

April 14, '12 - Saturday - podcast 51: Social thing - Link / iTunes link
In this podcast I talk about some experiences I've had with Mass Effect 3 multiplayer lately. I talk about how it's important to yourself and the group to know your role. I talk about hardware upgrade news that surfaced recently. And for the last section I talk about how public opinion may influence your decision.
April 10, '12 - Tuesday - Epic Fail book 4, week 41 (week 197) - Link
The next week of Epic Fail book 4 is up in web and .pdf form.

Some good things this week. Two of my online friends are turning more to 'real' friends. But there is also some bad; I get a terrible fright and now I'm scared a lot of the time again, and as of yesterday I think I'm coming down with a pretty bad cold.

April 7, '12 - Saturday - podcast 50: A something - Link / iTunes link
In this podcast I ponder if 50 podcasts, in and of itself, is an achievement. I talk about how our personalities may be more "forged" than not. I talk about some new news for Mass Effect 3 and The Secret World.
April 3, '12 - Tuesday - Epic Fail book 4, week 40 (week 196) - Link
The next week of Epic Fail book 4 is up in web and .pdf form.

Nvidia GeForce GTX Meet-up bla bla, get close on a car, and I'm ok being not quite normal.


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