ug.. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

No, really, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! In case all of those global cell-phone text messages from persons you haven't spoken to since high-school didn't reach you, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

So.... HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Sorry.. do I sound irritating? I'll stop now.. :)

My apologies, friends, but in this digital age I have received no less than 13 text messages telling me to have a happy new year. Phone numbers that I don't even recognize are quick to make sure I'm not going enter this new year without an undue welcome.

My daughter will be back from her mothers tomorrow, I'll pick her up from the airport... Did you know that the online game she plays, Club Penguin, boasts an easy 12 million players?! World of Warcraft only just recently posted 11.5 million! Of course Club Penguin costs less and there are other factors, but I had no idea there was such an alternative market out there.

















Food... for... thought... ... mmmm... money... :)

I can't play games anymore . . .

. . . at least for very long.

Despite what I post, my game time is always limited. Very limited.

Back when we were in under-grad, me and my buddy, Jimmy, used to play games for hours, even days together (UO). I swear there was always the next adventure just waiting for us to stay up all night.

Now, I make games for a living. I spend hours upon hours at a time working on a single game. At work, I no longer look at a game as entertainment, but a job. Not that it's unenjoyable, I love my job, but it's work, no less. To better myself at doing my job means constant learning and constant critiquing, which I really enjoy. Therefore, any game I set eyes on will now be subject to extreme scrutiny.

Therein lies my dilemma; I can't simply play a game and enjoy it for what it is without picking it apart. The LOD algorithm in D&D Online was awful and causes geometrical popping. The layered player animations in Warhammer get stuck repeatedly. There's all kinds of stuff. Oh, yeah, I'm supposed to 'immerse' myself in this world. Too bad I'm always thinking about ways to make it better (or not suck).

I guess that's just the price of fame. Oh wait. ;)

Current Music: Falco, Erasure
Current Book: Windows System Programming - J. Hart

Gaming: Warhammer Online Lvl 0-11 Impressions

I consider myself to be well versed in the matters of MMORPGs, having crossed off a few years of my existence playing them, all for no gain in life. Then again, what is the value of entertainment? Seems that moderation is the key to all things, to quote an intelligent someone (whom I obviously ignored).

Anyway, I have to hand it to Mythic and EA, so far they've made a great game. A game that's not World of Warcraft, yet will appeal to the masses. I'm sure they're not going to compete with Blizzard, and that's too damn bad. I'm sure there are lots of reasons why Warhammer kicks the shit out of Warcraft, but I'm going to focus on the ones that really stand out to me (so far, playing Destruction):

1. The goal is to kill monsters, people, and contribute to the overall cause. Dancing, gesturing, and the general grab-wiener that goes on in WoW, where the ultimate goal is to stand around, try to impress nobody you know, and flaunt your gear, is frowned on.

2. The Realm Vs. Realm play is great. You can engage the enemy in coordinated (read balanced) scenarios where you get experience for killing the enemy. That's right, folks, you actually get experience points for killing the enemy! You can also enter open RvR zones (read anything goes) by yourself (preferably with a warband) and fight whoever comes along. Just be a aware that doing this solo is a good way to get your ass pounded.

3. The graphics are well done, and can have a subtle humorous aspect. You never know what to expect, but everything is very well detailed with nothing anachronistic to ruin the immersion.

I said I was done playing MMORPGS after Ultima Online, D&D Online, and numerous others, but this one's really good (somebody please laugh). I do recommend it for anyone disenchanted with MMORPGs, but still likes the idea. For current WoW players . . . I can only suggest a frontal lobotomy.

Current Games: Warhammer Online, Clive Barker's Undying
Current Music: Breaking Benjamin, Linkin Park, Amiga Tri-Star tune

Merry F'ing Christmas...

It sucks when you have to work late.

It sucks when you have to wait on a build.

It sucks when you're working late, waiting on a build, and find a fucking unauthorized charge on your checking account for $500.

Someone pulled 500 bones out of an ATM machine that I've never been to in a nearby town. Now, how is that possible when I have the debit card still in my wallet? Now that's a fun one to report with a straight face. The good news is that WaMu told me that it can happen and I'll have my money back in five business days. The bad news is that it's Christmas and I'll be spending it without my own money while some douche-bag is out blowing it on coke or whatever.

My Christmas wish is that this person will be killed when he (or she) does some kind of drug deal with the money he stole from me. Then I wish that the money will be donated to help homeless kids. Amen.

Current game: Warhammer Online
Current music: Judas Priest - Live!

Programming: Bit Shifting

Bit shifting is an interesting thing. My general line of thinking is that I don't have a real use for bit shifting, that the compiler will optimize any basic math operations I have without worry.

However, recently I've been dealing with a lot of save-game writing on the Wii and have been trying to pack everything I can into every 'int' we use. Next thing I know, I'm shifting bits in and out making all kinds of things happen to maximize the space. Then I remember . . .

Oh, crap, other people are going to need to understand this code, too . . . surely there's a balance?

It's snow time!

It's snowing a lot here.

Remember when you were a kid and it snowed a whole lot, but you still had to go to school? Remember how pissed off you were, hearing on the radio all the schools that were closed and yours wasn't? That your parents made you go to school anyway?

That's what it's like to work in Chicago, except you're the parent and if you don't show up, you don't get paid.

Hey, at least your employer gives you a pass on being late. But is that a fair trade off for what you had to go through in traffic just to get to work?

I love it. I really do. Maybe there's something about growing up in West Texas and New Mexico, where snow can really be rare, that makes it so magical. Oh, sure, the falling snow will be tripling your commute time, but can you explain the excitement of that first glance looking out the window and see everything being covered in that white, cold stuff?

I tell you what, Illinois winters can be pretty cold, but as long as the snow keeps coming . . . I'm all in.