I always feel somewhat sad to see summer finally pass...a holdover from my youth, I suppose. Now begins the season of affective disorders and leaf mold. Here's to another autumn...
Peace,
JT
Showing posts with label daily life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label daily life. Show all posts
22 September 2011
Sië sinta lairë...[]
Today is the last day of summer…and also Hobbit Day. I only realized the latter thanks to a group of my co-workers, who filled the breakroom with snacks and posters for the occasion. A jolly good celebration, and quite an unexpected party.
I always feel somewhat sad to see summer finally pass...a holdover from my youth, I suppose. Now begins the season of affective disorders and leaf mold. Here's to another autumn...
Peace,
JT
I always feel somewhat sad to see summer finally pass...a holdover from my youth, I suppose. Now begins the season of affective disorders and leaf mold. Here's to another autumn...
Peace,
JT
21 September 2011
Drawing Batman...[]
It all started back in May 2011...I drew a simple whiteboard sketch of Batman:
I could've stopped then, had my friend not put up a whiteboard on the fridge. It started innocently enough. Unobtrusive but omnipresent...
Still, it wasn't enough...I had to draw.
for the past while now, I've been drawing Batman on the whiteboard, a new sketch every couple days. Here's one from a few weeks ago:
Yeah, they often involve Batman and mythical/ancient beasts. It happens. So I'll be posting these intermittently. I have a few more already, but I'll post them one a day so that they'll last, and hopefully I won't run out of them.
I'll also try to do regular posts more...regularly.
I'm Batman...
Peace,
JT
I could've stopped then, had my friend not put up a whiteboard on the fridge. It started innocently enough. Unobtrusive but omnipresent...
Still, it wasn't enough...I had to draw.
for the past while now, I've been drawing Batman on the whiteboard, a new sketch every couple days. Here's one from a few weeks ago:
Yeah, they often involve Batman and mythical/ancient beasts. It happens. So I'll be posting these intermittently. I have a few more already, but I'll post them one a day so that they'll last, and hopefully I won't run out of them.
I'll also try to do regular posts more...regularly.
I'm Batman...
Peace,
JT
14 April 2011
A Busy Mind...[]
So I'm working on converting over a very large amount of content to my site: all my conlang stuff that used to exist on an old Angelfire site. Won't even post the link, due to horrid design and oldness...
Of course, by "converting," I mean "redesigning" and "redoing" for the most part. Will take quite a while. At least this will give me an opportunity to polish up a lot of this content.
Also working out ideas for those novels I keep meaning to write, which is a related project as they're set in one of the worlds I created for several of my conlangs. Good stuff.
In unrelated news, I've picked up The Name of the Wind, since a certain webcomic recommended the series. Good reading so far. That's always a good sign.
Peace,
JT
Of course, by "converting," I mean "redesigning" and "redoing" for the most part. Will take quite a while. At least this will give me an opportunity to polish up a lot of this content.
Also working out ideas for those novels I keep meaning to write, which is a related project as they're set in one of the worlds I created for several of my conlangs. Good stuff.
In unrelated news, I've picked up The Name of the Wind, since a certain webcomic recommended the series. Good reading so far. That's always a good sign.
Peace,
JT
05 April 2011
It Shall Be Epic...[]
I've been re-reading A Game of Thrones in preparation for the HBO series starting later this month, and I've rediscovered several things about the book, some of which explain why I became captivated by the series (and am eagerly awaiting the long-delayed fifth book, set to be released July 12, 2011).
The Song of Ice and Fire series is set on a parallel earth in a parallel medieval setting and involves epic battles, knights, evil sorcerers, conquerors from across the sea, fallen civilizations, and dragons. However, The Lord of the Rings it is not (although both authors are British and have middle initials R. R.).
Despite the superficial similarity, A Game of Thrones and its subsequent novels are not high fantasy, all noble lords and quests. The books are dirty. They involve incest, rape, illegitimate children, eunuchs, treachery, tragedy, and above all graphic and senseless loss of life of not only "good" characters but leading protagonists (one of whom will be portrayed, interestingly enough, by Sean Bean, who also portrayed one of the few important and "good" Tolkien characters to be killed permanently). Good does not always triumph, and in fact it's not always easy to tell who exactly is good.
Each chapter is named after one of the characters, and the narrative is told via his or her perspective, though still in the third person. While this doesn't always give multiple views of the same action, it does bring about some troubling moments for the reader (troubling in the best way, that is). At the start, the reader is fairly sure who are the "good guys" and who are the "bad guys." It's the Starks, noble and honest, versus the Lannisters, devious and heartless. Yet early on an ambiguous character is introduced in the small form of the dwarf Tyrion Lannister, who, while no paragon of moral behaviour, is portrayed (when the author's perspective is behind him) as thoughtful, loyal, and almost kind, especially to the downtrodden and rejected. It is quite jarring when the suspicion of murder falls upon his shoulders, especially because the reader has actually no reason to doubt its truth. Later, when Tyrion is captured and tried for his alleged crime, however, the author has had a whole chapter from Tyrion's perspective to re-sympathize him to the reader, making it difficult to know for whom to cheer when his sellsword friend must duel to prove Tyrion's innocence.
I think the strangest point came later in the book, when the Starks and Lannisters were at open war. Treachery of the worst sort has led to the death of the king by the queen (a Lannister) and the imprisonment of the head of the Stark family. Tyrion's capture by Lady Stark has furthermore prompted the Lannister household to move against them. From the chapters before, which describe how cruelly and maliciously the Lannister's act, one watches as the young Robb Stark leads his troops into battle to defend his house and rescue his father eager for them to win. Then the chapter turns, and the reader is once again behind Tyrion, seeing him thrust into battle by his stern and unloving father. When the Stark battle horns sound and the armies clash, it's nothing short of jarring to realize that you are now hoping desperately for a Lannister victory. Then several more chapters down, you're on the opposite side of the battlefield, once more cheering on the Starks.
All the while, the exiled princess is sold into a marriage by her wicked brother, to a foreign people whose culture she must adopt and whose heir she must bear at a young age. You want her to succeed, and to be able to return home, but you know that if she succeeds, all the characters you care about will be in danger.
Essentially, this creates a great ambiguity on all sides. All sides have reasons to win, and while there are a few characters who seem always to act as "villains," it's never truly clear with whom the reader is supposed to sympathize. Essentially, then, you care about all of the plotlines and most of the characters, which does a lot for entrenching you in the story.
Long-winded there, I know, but that's just the first point. Secondly, the world of A Song of Ice and Fire is rich in detail and history. There's enough backstory to this fictional world to fill whole other novel series (the author has actually produced just such a series, it seems, unconnected, at least directly, to the other series). The history of the continent of Westeros goes back thousands of years, and the populations and demographics that make up the inhabitants therein is shown to have changed as one group conquered the group before it. Each culture has its own customs, religion, and history, such that the whole kingdom (known as the Seven Kingdoms for a reason) is not homogenous. Furthermore, the world of the series is vast and diverse; more diverse, even, than Tolkien's Middle Earth. True story. Fortunately, several appendices and maps help aid the reader. This depth makes the world at once fantastic and believable.
What helps also is that, while there is no connection to Earth history, several familiar motifs give the reader a grounding. Where a new term is introduced, it is given in context, so that the reader develops a working vocabulary, so to speak. In this way, there is more depth in the world, and the growing familiarity with it makes it much easier to relate to characters and become invested in the plot.
Thirdly (and probably lastly, since this post is already incredibly long), there is an immense cast in this series, and even marginal characters are given names, relationships, brief descriptions/backstories, and, well, character. At first, this might seem like a recipe for disaster, but the author is very clever in how he introduces characters. They are introduced in clumps, with each person being clearly defined both with a name, a family, and identifying characteristics. Many also have descriptive epithets (the Imp, Littlefinger, Kingslayer, the Spider, etc.) which give further flesh on their figurative bones. Thus, the cast is not just a long list of names; each person has enough identifying information that relationships and identities remain fairly clear (if one is paying at least modest attention). It's actually quite an accomplishment, being able to get across such a large and well-developed cast of characters.
In any case, I recommend the series, although with a word of caution, as it's not for young eyes. I read it for the story, honestly.
Peace,
JT
The Song of Ice and Fire series is set on a parallel earth in a parallel medieval setting and involves epic battles, knights, evil sorcerers, conquerors from across the sea, fallen civilizations, and dragons. However, The Lord of the Rings it is not (although both authors are British and have middle initials R. R.).
Despite the superficial similarity, A Game of Thrones and its subsequent novels are not high fantasy, all noble lords and quests. The books are dirty. They involve incest, rape, illegitimate children, eunuchs, treachery, tragedy, and above all graphic and senseless loss of life of not only "good" characters but leading protagonists (one of whom will be portrayed, interestingly enough, by Sean Bean, who also portrayed one of the few important and "good" Tolkien characters to be killed permanently). Good does not always triumph, and in fact it's not always easy to tell who exactly is good.
Each chapter is named after one of the characters, and the narrative is told via his or her perspective, though still in the third person. While this doesn't always give multiple views of the same action, it does bring about some troubling moments for the reader (troubling in the best way, that is). At the start, the reader is fairly sure who are the "good guys" and who are the "bad guys." It's the Starks, noble and honest, versus the Lannisters, devious and heartless. Yet early on an ambiguous character is introduced in the small form of the dwarf Tyrion Lannister, who, while no paragon of moral behaviour, is portrayed (when the author's perspective is behind him) as thoughtful, loyal, and almost kind, especially to the downtrodden and rejected. It is quite jarring when the suspicion of murder falls upon his shoulders, especially because the reader has actually no reason to doubt its truth. Later, when Tyrion is captured and tried for his alleged crime, however, the author has had a whole chapter from Tyrion's perspective to re-sympathize him to the reader, making it difficult to know for whom to cheer when his sellsword friend must duel to prove Tyrion's innocence.
I think the strangest point came later in the book, when the Starks and Lannisters were at open war. Treachery of the worst sort has led to the death of the king by the queen (a Lannister) and the imprisonment of the head of the Stark family. Tyrion's capture by Lady Stark has furthermore prompted the Lannister household to move against them. From the chapters before, which describe how cruelly and maliciously the Lannister's act, one watches as the young Robb Stark leads his troops into battle to defend his house and rescue his father eager for them to win. Then the chapter turns, and the reader is once again behind Tyrion, seeing him thrust into battle by his stern and unloving father. When the Stark battle horns sound and the armies clash, it's nothing short of jarring to realize that you are now hoping desperately for a Lannister victory. Then several more chapters down, you're on the opposite side of the battlefield, once more cheering on the Starks.
All the while, the exiled princess is sold into a marriage by her wicked brother, to a foreign people whose culture she must adopt and whose heir she must bear at a young age. You want her to succeed, and to be able to return home, but you know that if she succeeds, all the characters you care about will be in danger.
Essentially, this creates a great ambiguity on all sides. All sides have reasons to win, and while there are a few characters who seem always to act as "villains," it's never truly clear with whom the reader is supposed to sympathize. Essentially, then, you care about all of the plotlines and most of the characters, which does a lot for entrenching you in the story.
Long-winded there, I know, but that's just the first point. Secondly, the world of A Song of Ice and Fire is rich in detail and history. There's enough backstory to this fictional world to fill whole other novel series (the author has actually produced just such a series, it seems, unconnected, at least directly, to the other series). The history of the continent of Westeros goes back thousands of years, and the populations and demographics that make up the inhabitants therein is shown to have changed as one group conquered the group before it. Each culture has its own customs, religion, and history, such that the whole kingdom (known as the Seven Kingdoms for a reason) is not homogenous. Furthermore, the world of the series is vast and diverse; more diverse, even, than Tolkien's Middle Earth. True story. Fortunately, several appendices and maps help aid the reader. This depth makes the world at once fantastic and believable.
What helps also is that, while there is no connection to Earth history, several familiar motifs give the reader a grounding. Where a new term is introduced, it is given in context, so that the reader develops a working vocabulary, so to speak. In this way, there is more depth in the world, and the growing familiarity with it makes it much easier to relate to characters and become invested in the plot.
Thirdly (and probably lastly, since this post is already incredibly long), there is an immense cast in this series, and even marginal characters are given names, relationships, brief descriptions/backstories, and, well, character. At first, this might seem like a recipe for disaster, but the author is very clever in how he introduces characters. They are introduced in clumps, with each person being clearly defined both with a name, a family, and identifying characteristics. Many also have descriptive epithets (the Imp, Littlefinger, Kingslayer, the Spider, etc.) which give further flesh on their figurative bones. Thus, the cast is not just a long list of names; each person has enough identifying information that relationships and identities remain fairly clear (if one is paying at least modest attention). It's actually quite an accomplishment, being able to get across such a large and well-developed cast of characters.
In any case, I recommend the series, although with a word of caution, as it's not for young eyes. I read it for the story, honestly.
Peace,
JT
04 April 2011
The Arcade Experience...[]
So on Saturday I posted about my experiences playing Tekken 4 at an arcade. Specifically, it was a Dave & Buster's, where the only fighting game (apart from one of those machines with 20 or so arcade classics including Street Fighter II Championship Edition) was Tekken 4.
For those who don't know, my main character in the Tekken series (and the Soul Calibur series) is Yoshimitsu. I don't play him because I love to win. Since Tekken 4, he has been consistently low-mid or mid-low tier (and accurately so, even if you don't believe in tiers). He's always fun to play, though, even if I almost never win.
There are several arguments for my saying that his low point of effectiveness was Tekken 4. First, he wasn't Jin. Enough said there. Second, many of his moves became much less safe/less damaging from the previous installment, Tekken Tag Tournament. He did gain several new moves, most notably the new moves from Indian Sit Stance, but their effectiveness goes down drastically if an opponent has seen them at all. Even the tactic of going into Indian Sit during the pre-fight and quickly teleporting as "Fight!" is called will only work once or twice. Also, he isn't Jin Kazama (or Steve Fox, although that's more an issue in Tekken 5).
Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised that each time I faced an opponent at that arcade machine with Yoshimitsu, I came out victorious. Two reasons: (1) they mostly picked either Steve Fox or Hwoarang (alias How Wrong), two characters with the speed combo-ability to destroy Yoshimitsu quite easily, and (2) it was an arcade machine, and I haven't played Tekken with an arcade stick in quite some time (hence my eagerness to order one and get back into practice).
I must, however, temper my self-congratulation with the knowledge that all of my opponents were, by their own admission, "not serious Tekken players." It was obvious that none of them had played in quite some time. Therefore, I can't truly claim some great achievement in this.
A small achievement, however, will suffice.
In any case, my experience gave me cause to consider the arcade fighter scene in my hometown, or, rather, the lack thereof. I have a number of friends with whom I will occasionally engage in some console play, but apart from that I must rely on online matches through PSN. The only arcade in my area that comes to mind with a significant number of fighting games has nothing newer than SvC Chaos or Soul Calibur II (although it boasts two Marvel vs. Capcom 2 machines), and I almost never, as many times as I visit the mall where it's located, see either a great number of patrons at that arcade or any players on its fighting games.
It's truly sad, especially because I know there are places in this world, and even in this country, where the arcade fighting scene is still alive and well. The problem is that no arcades will invest in the latest games, and so no player bases can form, thus making it seem unprofitable for any arcade to invest in the latest fighting games. It's the story that transcends history and the world, a tale of souls and...
...never mind. []
For those who don't know, my main character in the Tekken series (and the Soul Calibur series) is Yoshimitsu. I don't play him because I love to win. Since Tekken 4, he has been consistently low-mid or mid-low tier (and accurately so, even if you don't believe in tiers). He's always fun to play, though, even if I almost never win.
There are several arguments for my saying that his low point of effectiveness was Tekken 4. First, he wasn't Jin. Enough said there. Second, many of his moves became much less safe/less damaging from the previous installment, Tekken Tag Tournament. He did gain several new moves, most notably the new moves from Indian Sit Stance, but their effectiveness goes down drastically if an opponent has seen them at all. Even the tactic of going into Indian Sit during the pre-fight and quickly teleporting as "Fight!" is called will only work once or twice. Also, he isn't Jin Kazama (or Steve Fox, although that's more an issue in Tekken 5).
Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised that each time I faced an opponent at that arcade machine with Yoshimitsu, I came out victorious. Two reasons: (1) they mostly picked either Steve Fox or Hwoarang (alias How Wrong), two characters with the speed combo-ability to destroy Yoshimitsu quite easily, and (2) it was an arcade machine, and I haven't played Tekken with an arcade stick in quite some time (hence my eagerness to order one and get back into practice).
I must, however, temper my self-congratulation with the knowledge that all of my opponents were, by their own admission, "not serious Tekken players." It was obvious that none of them had played in quite some time. Therefore, I can't truly claim some great achievement in this.
A small achievement, however, will suffice.
In any case, my experience gave me cause to consider the arcade fighter scene in my hometown, or, rather, the lack thereof. I have a number of friends with whom I will occasionally engage in some console play, but apart from that I must rely on online matches through PSN. The only arcade in my area that comes to mind with a significant number of fighting games has nothing newer than SvC Chaos or Soul Calibur II (although it boasts two Marvel vs. Capcom 2 machines), and I almost never, as many times as I visit the mall where it's located, see either a great number of patrons at that arcade or any players on its fighting games.
It's truly sad, especially because I know there are places in this world, and even in this country, where the arcade fighting scene is still alive and well. The problem is that no arcades will invest in the latest games, and so no player bases can form, thus making it seem unprofitable for any arcade to invest in the latest fighting games. It's the story that transcends history and the world, a tale of souls and...
...never mind. []
31 March 2011
The Exchange...[]
Just had the rather awkward experience of purchasing an item at the vending machine directly from the vendor...it was being re-stocked at the time. Curious how the typical method of purchase (at a store, e.g.) became unusual and clumsy...one becomes so used to making the exchange with a machine that human contact is unexpected and foreign. Modern society...
Peace,
JT
29 March 2011
From Ideas to Words...[]
My primary major as an undergraduate was Creative Writing; it stands to reason that I know a thing or two about writing. People often ask me if I'm going to write novels, etc., and I reply, "eventually." My primary focus in Creative Writing was poetry, however, although I do love novels and do actually plan to write a few (when I get around to it).
I have a lot of ideas in my head. I've formed a lot of characters in my mind, forged backstories and personalities and settings...and then I try to commit it to paper/computer text. Problems arise at this point.
My training in poetry (which has also informed my prose writing) has impressed upon me the importance of condensing concepts and images into as few words as possible, so to concentrate the effect. My writing tends, therefore, to be rather short, and one of my greatest challenges is in expanding my ideas such that they can fill the space required of a novel. Not with filler, but simply with more to read. A powerfully-worded poem can effect great emotional impact, but it cannot as easily convey the more mundane parts of a plot that tie all the great events together.
So that my writing skills do not atrophy, however, I do make every attempt to keep writing, whether it be blogging or freeform roleplaying or even writing process documentation.
In keeping with that idea, here's a small snippet I wrote and then expanded over my lunch break today:
Silly, I know, but nothing that keeps my creative muscles exercised is a bad thing.
Peace,
JT
I have a lot of ideas in my head. I've formed a lot of characters in my mind, forged backstories and personalities and settings...and then I try to commit it to paper/computer text. Problems arise at this point.
My training in poetry (which has also informed my prose writing) has impressed upon me the importance of condensing concepts and images into as few words as possible, so to concentrate the effect. My writing tends, therefore, to be rather short, and one of my greatest challenges is in expanding my ideas such that they can fill the space required of a novel. Not with filler, but simply with more to read. A powerfully-worded poem can effect great emotional impact, but it cannot as easily convey the more mundane parts of a plot that tie all the great events together.
So that my writing skills do not atrophy, however, I do make every attempt to keep writing, whether it be blogging or freeform roleplaying or even writing process documentation.
In keeping with that idea, here's a small snippet I wrote and then expanded over my lunch break today:
The sky was a torrid slate, a torment in full fury, and the ground cried as each swollen raindrop fell like a blow upon its surface. JT the Ninja looked up, wiping the blinding precipitation from his eyes, so that he might see his opponent more clearly.
The looming figure seemed to rise as it walked toward him, a grim and menacing creature. It stank of death, the smell persisting even through the rain, and about its feet an opaque black fog hung, disturbed only by the creature's motion, for no wind would perturb it. Three glistening golden eyes burned from its forehead, and two wicked, curved horns erupted from its skull, curling backwards from its brow. Of its form besides little could be discerned, both due to the darkness of the storm and its charcoal flesh, which seemed to draw in what little light was around it into a gaping chasm in the shape of a hideous giant. "You shall not escape with your life this day," it shrieked at him, its voice otherworldly and terrible.
Adamant resolve coursing through his veins, the fearless ninja strengthened his stance and clenched his fists. Steam began to rise from his hands as the falling raindrops began to feel the heat of his growing ninja rage. "It is you who shall not escape today, demon," JT called out, his voice clear and cutting. A coursing bolt of lightning punctuated his reply. He unsheathed his ninja sword, the steel emanating a bright blue aura, and pointed it at his foe. "I have slain greater foes than you, spawn of evil," he declared. "You will be no different."
The demon laughed, and were his audience any other it would have caused chills of terror by it sound. "You are but one ninja," it sneered, baring its yellowed fangs and extending its cruel claws. "This fight shall be over far too quickly for me to enjoy."
No more words needed to be said. The two adversaries threw themselves into battle, steel clashing against demonclaw, their blows louder than the crashing thunder. At each pass, JT's blade turned aside his enemy's attack, but neither did his strikes find their target. As the battle waged on, however, the strength of both began to fail. The ninja's blade sliced deep into the monster's side as he passed under a heavy swipe, but the demon's claws dug into his back as he passed beneath them. As JT rolled to safety, the demon looked down at the shreds of bloodstained cloth now caught in his talons and smiled, letting the inky blood run freely from his wound.
The combatants stood apart for a moment, both now injured. JT dropped to one knee, wiping the rain from his ninja spectacles and holding his sword out in front of him in a defensive posture. It was all the encouragement the demon needed. His fell laughter cut through the night air. "It is no use, ninja," he spat. "I have slain more of your kind than I can remember." He had no warning that they would be his last words.
It was over almost as the demon finished his statement. Another blinding flash of lightning scarred the heavens, and in the next instant, the demon fell to the ground in quarters, the ninja blade having cut through its midsection from the front and cleaved it from bottom to top as its bearer turned to face it once more. Not even a death cry escaped from the demon as its essence evaporated into the night, its body disintegrating rapidly as the evil spirit was banished once again to the netherplane.
"As have I," JT whispered, standing over the vanishing corpse, the evil blood he had drawn burning along the length of his blade. The winds grew calm, and the night returned to tranquility. JT turned his gaze starward and leaped into the air, the night winds carrying him away, back to the hidden village that had lived so long in terror of the evil he had now vanquished.
Silly, I know, but nothing that keeps my creative muscles exercised is a bad thing.
Peace,
JT
28 March 2011
Where there's a will, there's a way...[]
Well, upon playing the Mortal Kombat demo, it became obvious that I would have to purchase a PS3 arcade stick. I decided this for a three reasons:
(1) I'd been meaning to for quite a while, as I do enjoy playing fighting games with the arcade stick; just a good feel to it;
(2) My PS2/Xbox/NGC arcade stick is not compatible with my PS3 for some reason, even with my USB adapter...no clue.
(3) The new MK game has a distinct use for all of the PS3 controller's buttons: the face buttons are front and back punch and kick, and the shoulder buttons all have unique and important functions. This wouldn't be so bad, except that some characters do have combos that require the simultaneous pressing of two face buttons, such as square+triangle, which is difficult (if not impossible) to do while holding the controller in the under-under position, as mentioned in my post about differences between game controllers. Therefore, it will be to my advantage to have an arcade stick layout, where all the buttons are more easily accessible.
All this is fine, except that – as those who have looked recently will know – it is incredibly hard to find a PS3 arcade stick in stores or online. There are generic arcade sticks out there, but I'm hesitant to trust something that looks too cheap. I'm also looking for one that has fighting game graphic decals, like the special edition controllers shipped with special editions of Tekken 6, Street Fighter IV, etc.
I managed to find a Tekken 6 arcade stick on eBay, for a decent price, and put a maximum bid of $50 on it...I was outbid too late for me to counter...happens far too often. Other ones I found on eBay were upwards of $100 or even $200, so I was a bit disheartened, until I saw that Amazon.com has the Tekken 6 arcade stick bundle (game + special edition arcade stick + some special pictures, or something), which I had passed on initially due to price ($150 as I recall), for a mere $72 ($80 with shipping). Problem solved, and I can sell back the extra game at The Exchange to make it even better of a deal.
There's always a way...it's the Internet.
Peace,
JT
(1) I'd been meaning to for quite a while, as I do enjoy playing fighting games with the arcade stick; just a good feel to it;
(2) My PS2/Xbox/NGC arcade stick is not compatible with my PS3 for some reason, even with my USB adapter...no clue.
(3) The new MK game has a distinct use for all of the PS3 controller's buttons: the face buttons are front and back punch and kick, and the shoulder buttons all have unique and important functions. This wouldn't be so bad, except that some characters do have combos that require the simultaneous pressing of two face buttons, such as square+triangle, which is difficult (if not impossible) to do while holding the controller in the under-under position, as mentioned in my post about differences between game controllers. Therefore, it will be to my advantage to have an arcade stick layout, where all the buttons are more easily accessible.
All this is fine, except that – as those who have looked recently will know – it is incredibly hard to find a PS3 arcade stick in stores or online. There are generic arcade sticks out there, but I'm hesitant to trust something that looks too cheap. I'm also looking for one that has fighting game graphic decals, like the special edition controllers shipped with special editions of Tekken 6, Street Fighter IV, etc.
I managed to find a Tekken 6 arcade stick on eBay, for a decent price, and put a maximum bid of $50 on it...I was outbid too late for me to counter...happens far too often. Other ones I found on eBay were upwards of $100 or even $200, so I was a bit disheartened, until I saw that Amazon.com has the Tekken 6 arcade stick bundle (game + special edition arcade stick + some special pictures, or something), which I had passed on initially due to price ($150 as I recall), for a mere $72 ($80 with shipping). Problem solved, and I can sell back the extra game at The Exchange to make it even better of a deal.
There's always a way...it's the Internet.
Peace,
JT
26 March 2011
Saturday Morning Gaming...[]
Had the urge to play Super Street Fighter IV again this morning. I always feel bad about abandoning a game, so I like to revisit old favourites every so often. Still a lot of fun to play.
Also, the Dreamcast arcade stick I won on eBay arrived yesterday, so I played some Project Justice this morning as well. Wish they'd make a third game in that series. Still hoping...
Peace,
JT
21 March 2011
Not the Best of Times...[]
You've got to love the change of seasons. The weather's getting warmer, the sun's out more often, and the allergies leap to life. Haven't had a decent night's sleep in a couple days now due to a nasty cough...I'm a ninja, though, so I survive.
Really need to work more on MvC3 combos. I have a friend who's a tournament-level player who nonetheless spars with me on occasion, and I enjoy it, even though I almost never win. For me, it's about the fun of playing more than winning (although winning always feels good!).
I'm going to force myself to keep posting at least once a day (except Sundays); maybe I'll even get more readers...
Peace,
JT
Really need to work more on MvC3 combos. I have a friend who's a tournament-level player who nonetheless spars with me on occasion, and I enjoy it, even though I almost never win. For me, it's about the fun of playing more than winning (although winning always feels good!).
I'm going to force myself to keep posting at least once a day (except Sundays); maybe I'll even get more readers...
Peace,
JT
16 March 2011
Impressive 2D Graphics...[]
In an earlier blog post, I mentioned an upcoming 2D fighting game, Skull Girls, on which I'm definitely keeping an eye. You can find the official website here. Three new exhibition videos were recently posted, and the webmaster of The Fighters Generation has compiled them into a handy one-page gallery. If you're at all interested in fighting games, you should check out these videos. I can honestly say I've never seen a 2D fighter with graphics that look quite as good as this, not just in terms of fluid animation but in terms of style. The character sprites are based on the artwork of Alex Ahad, who apparently worked on the Scott Pilgrim comics (guest comics, it seems, from the Wikipedia page), and it shows. The style is brilliant and unique (at least in fighting games); the characters really come "alive" on the screen and the movesets of each character are quite varied and creative.
This goes back a bit to my discussion of 2D vs. 3D fighting games, but I really do feel that one of the strengths of true 2D fighters (not the grey area of 3D models fighting on a flat plane) is the amount of care and character that can be put into each character's motion. I'm not saying that 3D models can't be expressive – certainly the outstanding 3D fighting games have memorable moves and characters with their own idiosyncrasies – but because 2D fighting game sprites are hand-drawn, frame by frame (despite the claims of my friend who favors 3D fighters that they "only animate the key poses and use the computer to do the in-betweens"), there is just so much more opportunity for artists to put in personal touches that bring the characters to life. I'm not saying that all 2D games do this (or do it well), but the outstanding 2D fighters are known and loved for it.
I think what impresses me most about Skull Girls is that it just flat-out doesn't look like every other fighting game out there. For one, it's North American-born, which is always refreshing to see. For another, even though it's possible to see a definite anime/manga influence on the character design, it is very decidedly not another manga fighter (cf. Arcana Heart, BlazBlue, Guilty Gear, etc.). For a third, it is clear that the designers are heavily leveraging the computing power of current-gen systems to make the multi-pane 2D worlds fit together and look smooth (I didn't notice any jagged edges, although that could just be the video quality), without relying on 3D-model backdrops (e.g. BlazBlue, Capcom vs. SNK 2). The whole composition is really attractive, and the only thing that currently disappoints is the background music, which I really do hope they improve. Really looking forward to this game.
In other news, I plan to claim my Jill/Shuma-Gorath DLC for Marvel vs. Capcom 3 soon, as well as picking up the demo of the upcoming Mortal Kombat game...all while working my way through Atlas Shrugged again and considering other books for filling my Kindle. Oh yeah...and the job thing...being a ninja is tough work.
EDIT: Renamed the blog slightly today...keeping it simple.
Peace,
JT
This goes back a bit to my discussion of 2D vs. 3D fighting games, but I really do feel that one of the strengths of true 2D fighters (not the grey area of 3D models fighting on a flat plane) is the amount of care and character that can be put into each character's motion. I'm not saying that 3D models can't be expressive – certainly the outstanding 3D fighting games have memorable moves and characters with their own idiosyncrasies – but because 2D fighting game sprites are hand-drawn, frame by frame (despite the claims of my friend who favors 3D fighters that they "only animate the key poses and use the computer to do the in-betweens"), there is just so much more opportunity for artists to put in personal touches that bring the characters to life. I'm not saying that all 2D games do this (or do it well), but the outstanding 2D fighters are known and loved for it.
I think what impresses me most about Skull Girls is that it just flat-out doesn't look like every other fighting game out there. For one, it's North American-born, which is always refreshing to see. For another, even though it's possible to see a definite anime/manga influence on the character design, it is very decidedly not another manga fighter (cf. Arcana Heart, BlazBlue, Guilty Gear, etc.). For a third, it is clear that the designers are heavily leveraging the computing power of current-gen systems to make the multi-pane 2D worlds fit together and look smooth (I didn't notice any jagged edges, although that could just be the video quality), without relying on 3D-model backdrops (e.g. BlazBlue, Capcom vs. SNK 2). The whole composition is really attractive, and the only thing that currently disappoints is the background music, which I really do hope they improve. Really looking forward to this game.
In other news, I plan to claim my Jill/Shuma-Gorath DLC for Marvel vs. Capcom 3 soon, as well as picking up the demo of the upcoming Mortal Kombat game...all while working my way through Atlas Shrugged again and considering other books for filling my Kindle. Oh yeah...and the job thing...being a ninja is tough work.
EDIT: Renamed the blog slightly today...keeping it simple.
Peace,
JT
15 March 2011
CSS and Frustration...[]
So I'm an old-school website designer. I write my website in Notepad and often upload files through the command prompt FTP program. Simple. Easy. Works for me.
Doesn't mean I only do old-school HTML though. I love CSS. CSS (Cascading Style Sheets for those not in the know) is a method of designing which allows one to create a palette of styles to create a uniform look. It means that I don't have to specify style attributes for each element within the page, and it means that I can do fancy tricks like image positioning, fancy links, and other fine tuning to make the page look exactly as I want. I also maintain my CSS stylesheets as separate files, referenced within each page both to save file size and to avoid copying, pasting, and maintaining each page's styles separately. I highly recommend the W3Schools tutorials.
With great power comes great frustration, however. Today for example, I redesigned the navigation bar on my website, changing from a flat panel with links to buttons.
First, I created simple buttons in Photoshop using an inner glow to separate it from the background. I created two sizes – one for the header and one for the entries – and used these as background images for the various elements: <h1>, <h3>, <a>. Simple enough, right?
No, not really. Browsers automatically put white space after the end of headers and paragraphs, and the formatting can be slightly different in each browser. Furthermore, this trailing space can't be controlled via CSS. Solution? I made use of CSS classes applied to <span> tags, which don't have an automatic line break afterward and hence don't run into that same formatting issue.
Okay, that done...however, I still had to get them to display properly. First, I had to make sure I was using the proper font size, which took a few adjustments. Secondly, I had to find a way to make the "button" display completely. By default, text, links, and even spans only take up as much space as necessary to display their characters. Manually adding trailing spaces would be difficult, messy, and wouldn't completely work. Had to find another way.
Solution: the CSS "display" property. This property tells the browser how to display an object. The common options are "inline," which makes it display pretty much the way a <span> tag would display anyway, or "block," which makes it display somewhat like a <p>, or paragraph, tag, with space afterward, etc, and also forces it to fill up its line. This latter one would ensure that the whole "button" displayed, but I didn't want the white space afterward (I was going for a connected look). Classic trade-off, or so I thought.
Fortunately, it turns out (as you will see if you follow the link at the beginning of the previous paragraph) that there are other options, among which is "inline-block," which combines the lack of extra space of the "inline" version with the line filling of the "block" version. Took me quite a while to figure it out, but I was glad I did. I had tried everything I could think of, from fiddling with the line height to changing the dimensions, but nothing worked. This was but one of many times the W3Schools site has helped me out of a jam.
While I was working on getting the buttons to display properly, I ran up against some trouble with the links themselves. In CSS, you can define different properties for normal links, visited links, links when the mouse is placed over them, and links when they are clicked. I had initially set every property for each of these individually, since the old design was more text- than image-based, and had fewer settings to manage. As I added on more properties (height, width, background image, etc.), it became more and more cumbersome to change them individually, so I moved all of the properties that would remain the same for all of them to a style which would be applied to links overall.
At the same time, I realized that it was probably a mistake to use the <a> (hyperlink) tag as the button building block, since I now have an icon next to the "Blog" link which leads to the RSS feed, and I need them on the same line. So I took all the block-level formatting (background image, display style, etc.) and set them under a CSS class which I'd apply to <span> tags. Quick fix.
Since I wanted to retain the effect of links inverting colors when the cursor is placed over them, I created inverted buttons. In the old days, this would have to be done with a JavaScript onMouseOver() function, but CSS provides an alternative (thankfully, as I've forgotten more JavaScript than I think I ever learned): the pseudo-class that defines styles for hyperlinks on mouse hover can be applied to any element. Furthermore, classes and pseudo-classes can be nested (I'd done so already to make sure that these styles would only apply to elements within the navigation bar, which is a <div> tag with a special CSS class), so I set up the stylesheet such that elements in the "link" class in the navigation bar, when hovered over with the cursor, have the inverted button as the background image.
I still wasn't done yet, of course. since the mouseover change was conditioned on the cursor being over the <span>, not the hyperlink, it would display properly only when the cursor was directly over the link (the link text would disappear if the cursor was not directly over it, being black text on a black background...this caused double trouble for the Blog link and RSS feed icon). Adding a text-color property in addition to the inverted background image wouldn't solve it, as text color is separate from link color. I had to go a level deeper and create another sub-sub-sub class (I may have one too many subs in there) for links (<a> tag) under the hover pseudo-class, under the link span class, under the navigation bar class. A bit like Inception.
Anyway, it was a fun adventure which no doubt improved my skills, but there was constant testing and re-testing, which was an aggravation. I also probably should have tested on my local version of the files instead of uploading to the server each time, but due to my webfont installation, the fonts don't display properly when viewed as local files. I could also make up an excuse that I just like the whole world to see my creative process, but likely as not it went un-noticed by anybody but me.
Peace,
JT
Doesn't mean I only do old-school HTML though. I love CSS. CSS (Cascading Style Sheets for those not in the know) is a method of designing which allows one to create a palette of styles to create a uniform look. It means that I don't have to specify style attributes for each element within the page, and it means that I can do fancy tricks like image positioning, fancy links, and other fine tuning to make the page look exactly as I want. I also maintain my CSS stylesheets as separate files, referenced within each page both to save file size and to avoid copying, pasting, and maintaining each page's styles separately. I highly recommend the W3Schools tutorials.
With great power comes great frustration, however. Today for example, I redesigned the navigation bar on my website, changing from a flat panel with links to buttons.
First, I created simple buttons in Photoshop using an inner glow to separate it from the background. I created two sizes – one for the header and one for the entries – and used these as background images for the various elements: <h1>, <h3>, <a>. Simple enough, right?
No, not really. Browsers automatically put white space after the end of headers and paragraphs, and the formatting can be slightly different in each browser. Furthermore, this trailing space can't be controlled via CSS. Solution? I made use of CSS classes applied to <span> tags, which don't have an automatic line break afterward and hence don't run into that same formatting issue.
Okay, that done...however, I still had to get them to display properly. First, I had to make sure I was using the proper font size, which took a few adjustments. Secondly, I had to find a way to make the "button" display completely. By default, text, links, and even spans only take up as much space as necessary to display their characters. Manually adding trailing spaces would be difficult, messy, and wouldn't completely work. Had to find another way.
Solution: the CSS "display" property. This property tells the browser how to display an object. The common options are "inline," which makes it display pretty much the way a <span> tag would display anyway, or "block," which makes it display somewhat like a <p>, or paragraph, tag, with space afterward, etc, and also forces it to fill up its line. This latter one would ensure that the whole "button" displayed, but I didn't want the white space afterward (I was going for a connected look). Classic trade-off, or so I thought.
Fortunately, it turns out (as you will see if you follow the link at the beginning of the previous paragraph) that there are other options, among which is "inline-block," which combines the lack of extra space of the "inline" version with the line filling of the "block" version. Took me quite a while to figure it out, but I was glad I did. I had tried everything I could think of, from fiddling with the line height to changing the dimensions, but nothing worked. This was but one of many times the W3Schools site has helped me out of a jam.
While I was working on getting the buttons to display properly, I ran up against some trouble with the links themselves. In CSS, you can define different properties for normal links, visited links, links when the mouse is placed over them, and links when they are clicked. I had initially set every property for each of these individually, since the old design was more text- than image-based, and had fewer settings to manage. As I added on more properties (height, width, background image, etc.), it became more and more cumbersome to change them individually, so I moved all of the properties that would remain the same for all of them to a style which would be applied to links overall.
At the same time, I realized that it was probably a mistake to use the <a> (hyperlink) tag as the button building block, since I now have an icon next to the "Blog" link which leads to the RSS feed, and I need them on the same line. So I took all the block-level formatting (background image, display style, etc.) and set them under a CSS class which I'd apply to <span> tags. Quick fix.
Since I wanted to retain the effect of links inverting colors when the cursor is placed over them, I created inverted buttons. In the old days, this would have to be done with a JavaScript onMouseOver() function, but CSS provides an alternative (thankfully, as I've forgotten more JavaScript than I think I ever learned): the pseudo-class that defines styles for hyperlinks on mouse hover can be applied to any element. Furthermore, classes and pseudo-classes can be nested (I'd done so already to make sure that these styles would only apply to elements within the navigation bar, which is a <div> tag with a special CSS class), so I set up the stylesheet such that elements in the "link" class in the navigation bar, when hovered over with the cursor, have the inverted button as the background image.
I still wasn't done yet, of course. since the mouseover change was conditioned on the cursor being over the <span>, not the hyperlink, it would display properly only when the cursor was directly over the link (the link text would disappear if the cursor was not directly over it, being black text on a black background...this caused double trouble for the Blog link and RSS feed icon). Adding a text-color property in addition to the inverted background image wouldn't solve it, as text color is separate from link color. I had to go a level deeper and create another sub-sub-sub class (I may have one too many subs in there) for links (<a> tag) under the hover pseudo-class, under the link span class, under the navigation bar class. A bit like Inception.
Anyway, it was a fun adventure which no doubt improved my skills, but there was constant testing and re-testing, which was an aggravation. I also probably should have tested on my local version of the files instead of uploading to the server each time, but due to my webfont installation, the fonts don't display properly when viewed as local files. I could also make up an excuse that I just like the whole world to see my creative process, but likely as not it went un-noticed by anybody but me.
Peace,
JT
11 March 2011
Thursdays, Tekken, and Coincidental Languages...[]
Well, I've just finished One of Our Thursdays Is Missing. I can say confidently that fans of the series will be thoroughly pleased all the way through, except possibly at the end, for two reasons: (1) it means that the book is over and a new waiting cycle has begun, and (2) there is a slight feeling of being rushed, although given some of the plot concepts it does sort of work in the book's favour. Don't want to spoil anything, so I'll leave it at that. Series highly recommended, but best to start at the beginning with The Eyre Affair, and to beware of misleading titles (Thursday Next: First Among Sequels is not the second book, but the fifth).
So more on fighting games. I was speaking with a friend of mine who prefers 3D games and — to put it mildly — disprefers 2D games. Again, he makes some compelling arguments, and his personal preference is his own, but one of his points did strike me as interesting. I noted that while there are still more traditional 2D fighters with hand-drawn sprites being made, and as I mentioned in a recent post, Street Fighter 4 revitalized the subgenre of 2D fighting games with 3D models. His retort was that the same thing could be found in Tekken 2 and earlier (Tekken 3 was the iteration of the series that introduced the sidestep, and more realistic jumping height).
That's a good point. While Tekken 3 (1997)was not the first 3D fighter with a sidestep — Battle Arena Toshinden (1994), Soul Edge, Virtua Fighter 3, and even Tobal No. 1 (all 1996) preceded it — there was still a considerable span where the typical "3D" fighter still only allowed 2D movement. This, I think, makes one wonder what the definition of "3D" vs. "2D" is. It's not a trivial question; one can simply redefine "3D" as any game with the ability to sidestep or side-walk, but then you can no longer point to Virtua Fighter as the first 3D fighting game. Do we really want that honor to go to Battle Arena Toshinden? </sarcasm> The other option is to keep the definition the way it is, but then do we have to redefine the likes of Street Fighter IV and Marvel vs. Capcom 3?
I'm just going to leave it as a puzzle for now, as I'm still sorting it out in my own head.
Anyway, I put "Coincidental Languages" up there in the title because I had an interesting idea creep into my mind during lunch. The best place to start would be a confession: I'm a conlanger. I like creating languages, and I make no apologies for it. My second major in college was Linguistics, largely for that reason (but also because linguistics is fascinating). Several of my favourite linguistics classes (primarily 76-457 Historical Linguistics, taught by Dr. Paul Hopper) focused on the development of languages over time, which has always struck me as the most intriguing part of the study of linguistics. I like to get into the workings of things and see how they fit together, how they came about ("How It's Made" marathons make me lose whole days).
So anyway, back to "Coincidental Languages." I had the vague notion of creating two parallel language family trees, completely unrelated to each other, that nonetheless produced two great-great-granddaughter languages who would be close enough in morphology and syntax to be mutually intelligible. Yes, inspired by a Simpsons episode (which oddly enough, I've only read about and never seen...but that's another story), but still...would like to try or see done sometime in the near future.
So, in other news, I have a black belt recertification test tomorrow at 4:00pm. Not too pleased that they moved it from the typical morning time to the afternoon/evening, but I'll survive.
Peace,
JT
So more on fighting games. I was speaking with a friend of mine who prefers 3D games and — to put it mildly — disprefers 2D games. Again, he makes some compelling arguments, and his personal preference is his own, but one of his points did strike me as interesting. I noted that while there are still more traditional 2D fighters with hand-drawn sprites being made, and as I mentioned in a recent post, Street Fighter 4 revitalized the subgenre of 2D fighting games with 3D models. His retort was that the same thing could be found in Tekken 2 and earlier (Tekken 3 was the iteration of the series that introduced the sidestep, and more realistic jumping height).
That's a good point. While Tekken 3 (1997)was not the first 3D fighter with a sidestep — Battle Arena Toshinden (1994), Soul Edge, Virtua Fighter 3, and even Tobal No. 1 (all 1996) preceded it — there was still a considerable span where the typical "3D" fighter still only allowed 2D movement. This, I think, makes one wonder what the definition of "3D" vs. "2D" is. It's not a trivial question; one can simply redefine "3D" as any game with the ability to sidestep or side-walk, but then you can no longer point to Virtua Fighter as the first 3D fighting game. Do we really want that honor to go to Battle Arena Toshinden? </sarcasm> The other option is to keep the definition the way it is, but then do we have to redefine the likes of Street Fighter IV and Marvel vs. Capcom 3?
I'm just going to leave it as a puzzle for now, as I'm still sorting it out in my own head.
Anyway, I put "Coincidental Languages" up there in the title because I had an interesting idea creep into my mind during lunch. The best place to start would be a confession: I'm a conlanger. I like creating languages, and I make no apologies for it. My second major in college was Linguistics, largely for that reason (but also because linguistics is fascinating). Several of my favourite linguistics classes (primarily 76-457 Historical Linguistics, taught by Dr. Paul Hopper) focused on the development of languages over time, which has always struck me as the most intriguing part of the study of linguistics. I like to get into the workings of things and see how they fit together, how they came about ("How It's Made" marathons make me lose whole days).
So anyway, back to "Coincidental Languages." I had the vague notion of creating two parallel language family trees, completely unrelated to each other, that nonetheless produced two great-great-granddaughter languages who would be close enough in morphology and syntax to be mutually intelligible. Yes, inspired by a Simpsons episode (which oddly enough, I've only read about and never seen...but that's another story), but still...would like to try or see done sometime in the near future.
So, in other news, I have a black belt recertification test tomorrow at 4:00pm. Not too pleased that they moved it from the typical morning time to the afternoon/evening, but I'll survive.
Peace,
JT
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