stuffs, nonsenses and volley gunnage

So been a good while since I have written one of these and the last one was not exactly a journal entry.







Hmm how to star this one.. well lets go with something impersonal

So I am a random Irish muppet and Im also a large warhammer and 40k fan and when I saw mark of chaos coming up I just had to leap. I bought the collectors edition of yon game when it came out, and I have to say its fairly nicely packaged, the book is fairly dire fair but okay for a wasted Sunday afternoon, the soundtrack cd is just not up to the epic warhammery feel and has been relegated to the point of never ending up on my HD.

Um as a strategy game mark of chaos is not all that entertaining with actual game play consisting of something far less fun than pulling weeds and deeply familiar in that it differs little from any of the total war games. What it does do is replicate in many ways the overall basic play of a real warhammer game (though gods I have felt the need to hurl dice at people) while removing all the things that make that entertaining happy happy fun time. It also removes the things that made total war entertaining while still retaining a certain epic scale.

Youve probably played this before, maybe not as very shiny, (and it really is fairly shiny) maybe not with the deep dark warhammery goodness and details which blizzard bless there black hearts may do there best to homage but just can never match) or with the collectors edition the wee metal figurine and the soundtrack and the book (I might add the figurine/marker is now making a fine addition to our local gaming table and is fairy nice).

Take a melee battalion, place on hill, take projectile battalion place behind them, dump cav on the sides and artillery in the middle, charge down hill, win. While the tortured terrain in many of the maps makes this a task to arrange and the single player is fairly detailed it just doesn't do it with little with health markers and the like really not making for all that varied or challenging an experience.

For all its "im so pretty look at my tudor / imperial buildings and detailed characters with there many moustaches" (and this is impressive) its just not been fun to play and my mates and I have tried the multilayer on lan a fair bit. It has all the grating entertainment value of playing the exceedingly nasty level jeep rushing AT gun spamming COH AI except these are your friends or at least humans your meant to be enjoying competing with, but ..you dont.

Now the army builder is nice and I wouldn't mind if games workshop would release such a level of shiny things for the actual game of but as for the rest of it? It just wasn't worth the money it really wasn't and the disappointment was quite annoying after all the shinyness in the screenies seen about the place. It could be just the over hyped experience but I feel put out by this .

I did however enjoy the volley guns.


I then bought Supreme Commander. Ehem I may loose a great deal of my life now.

Um yeah anyway hello from Letterkenny. Now doing two jobs to make one bad wage, still playing nation states and all the related stuffs, though the bar work has pretty much dried up for some reason. Life has been fairly steady lately with not a whole heap of activity over the winter months though freethinker did visit though that had less to do with DA and more to do with NS. He fell of the plane rather ill I am afraid and the trip was a bit of a flop as he spent a fair bit of it in our spare bedroom asleep. Um what else, on NS Ive pretty much frozen up over the past few weeks with my post count bottoming out completely. I don't know why, its not writers block I just cant seem to post sometimes ..I would blame teh ennui but honestly I am fairly okay at the moment.

In further news got a paid commission (YAY!) on devart a rare thing for me indeed so yah must get that done.

Oh and I got a shiny new rock lappy, it is most pleasant to once more be mobile when drawing. Apart from that the flight of the earls commemoration is coming up and I was considering (after the urgings of several people) to do some sort of work on the event.

Absinthe Talking

Donards birthday, some time after 4 in the morning.

Ham And Cheese days

Precious broadband at last. Well it took long enough, now with a glorious (at least relative to what I have experienced before) meg up meg down from http://www.nwewn.com/ . Its been smooth and pleasant and allowed me to start playing BF2 again as attested by my ranking ..miserable as it is. In any case Pre ordered the collectors edition of oblivion from amazon. Taxi fares in Ireland are about to take a horrible hike thanks to some marvellous legislation from the revenue which has pleased exactly no one. Luckily I don’t use taxis that often as I get car time more and more but still this is somewhat bothersome to find a 3 to 4 Euro hike in short trips. Ive been drawing a bit more lately as you should be able to see displayed to your top right. Did a nice little concept which I dubbed a nuclear pulse gun, uses a tactical nuclear warhead in the 150/ 250 tnt ton equivalent to volatise a silicone wadding and fire a damn big fractional orbital projectile.

Got battle for middle Earth II. Quite shiny indeed as much as I now feel the deep need to upgrade my machine, however (A) there was no need what so ever to make it XP dependent, and (B) it seemed somewhat for all its flash ..a touch unpolished. Lord help me I may get lynched for that but there was just something missing. In any case its been a nice enough experience when playing the delightful dwarves and when one had nearly fully upgraded ones fortress one noticed that the dwarves upon the battlements were partaking in some manner of ritual. Strengthening there mighty dwarven stone work perhaps or keeping the eye of your holdings you may think.

Ah yes ..



Dwarven group chickendance. Well I’m sure there was a reason for it, just not one we mortals can fathom.

Still not enjoying the course at all, dreadful dire and dry insurance followed by cobol followed by insurance followed by lotus notes followed by bus com. ..gah . Course is really a bit of a disaster area, felt like its been a waste of my time.

In NS I owe some posts on mars and in forum to several peeps.

Lets see anything else of real interest happening, well my random head aches are not dental at all, there just horrible migraines, joy joy. Ur there were rumours of a local LAN party floating about but the sources are not the best, going to see Tony Robinson in the An Grianan on the 10th and I’m going to a birthday party on the Saturday. Oh and some utter git inflicted Nana on me. May you burn in jello Dan Kim for creating such a thing. or at least have burnt toast in the mornings. Lets see what else what else ah yes Pruno, this this right here. I want to try this. On someone.

Reading Empire of Dragons by Valerio Massimo Manfredi which so far has kept me occupied a bit today.

Listening to: The Beatles - Let It Be

Dental Landing Pad

So I sit here all alone (parents are in spain for the week) and in well to be honest not all that much pain now but earlier I was head first under pillows willing my jaws to cease to exist. The problem here is ah yes dental. To be precise this is the result of 8 years of orthodontic treatment. When I was but a lad I had buckteeth. And not small ones either they were what dentists class as an “E” which is about as extreme as they get before they can be used as a heliport at the weekends. To remedy this I was given a series of ever more bizzare dental apliacnes. Don’t you just love that word, appliance, it should apply to nice solid devices that clean things or heat them and tend to brake down once a decade, however in this case it applies to a lump of metal glued to your teeth and used to yank them into position with an incredible amount of pain. How this barbaric little method is considered anything other than an art I shan’t know none the less it does appear to work. It won’t give you Hollywood teeth because as far as I can tell they appear to be made out of compressed scrapings from white bathroom tiles it does however give you teeth that don’t impale your aunt when she hugs you. This is a good thing. The bad thing is there are now side effects. Namely wisdom teeth, now in times of yore yon things were supposedly useful as by the time they emerged the rough food you had been chewing on had reduced your gnashers to thin white lines of pain. Given the horror stories I have heard about the things coming up already needing four fillings each I don’t particularly follow this line of thinking. My wisdom teeth on emergence on the other hand found things not as my genetics intended and my jaw radicly compacted back. They awarded me for my years of pain so I fail to look like cleetus with ah yes more pain. Randomly. Whenever they decide today is a good day to emerge a few more tenths of a millimetre. The resulting pain is quite intense enough to floor me and I usually end up buried in a pillow sucking on something and dosing myself with any small available pain killer.

Today my wisdom teeth decided to do this just in time to make me miss my single day at work per week.

On to non dental topics, NS has lately been as reliable as a baboon pumped full of heroin and then deprived of sleep for six weeks would be operated the space shuttle. I’m sure that we NS players are as a group responsible for this and while I feel that we should probably as a group apologise to jolt gaming for making them live in interesting times the add revenue we must be generating surely kicks this in the teeth.

My art has come of public interest of late, with some group making an independent game of some sort requesting I do some manner of diagram for them. I may actually consider commissions in the future. But then I realise what I do, all my technical diagrams are just that. They may be to me art, a way to express myself but in fact they are more like basket weaving than truly creating something. There more “there goes jack to fish” than “there goes jack to douse himself in orange paint and somehow create something that orange telecoms ends up sponsoring on general principal”. This thought always depresses me but I find it ever more true as I compare how I work with how people who actually create concept ideas for things that are in any way aesthetically pleasing do. I assemble things with the care of a model maker and I think because of that they lack a little soul.

In further news my course in LYIT continues to attempt to render my mind a pile of unrecognisable mush and I still await my download of the empire at war demo. In two weeks however hopefully I will never again dial up as I will be on glorious always on wireless broad band. Given I can see the mast I don’t think I will be having connection issues.

Excuse me while I get an image I prepared some time earlier before my hopes were dashed before. Oh yes and in the tone of Evil Emperor Zurg “CURSE YOU EIRCOM”.

Gradumication.

(eee I need to loose about 2 stone)

Graduation. The Culmination of three years of effort, sleepless nights, and a great great great deal of vodka. Got the suit out, admittedly I like my suit but none the less got all fancied up and so forth. Had to get up at 6 for the damn thing for the drive to Colraine. Stupid charger that came with the PSP failed me for the LAST TIME and suffered binnage on this discovery. Luckily I have a back up battery so my day was not without its constant and necessary musical back drop. Got to Colraine, flounced around the growing crowd for a while. Sat down for the rehearsal.. and this guy sits down beside me with what can only be described as if the legions of all hell were trying to assault my nasal passages. THE SMELL. THE UNGODLY SATANIC REEK. I almost wretched. I ask little in life but for your GRADUATION could you have at least cleansed yourself? with flaming sulphur? Then three hours ..THREE HOURS of inane babble about the staff gossip in a damn Tesco’s in Derry. I wanted a rivet gun.

Got Battlefront II ..its okay, not great and the graphics were a bit of a disappointment, just something wholly lacking in the game, no bite. Maybe all the ultra violence has made "soft" star wars shooters look and play too tame to me. Fed my 2000 AD addiction. Um what else oh in NS my Europa Class NERVA powered orbiter seems to have been a good thing.. Just entered into the Indigo wars thread and the Neptune theatre for the first time. Started in on this little ditty with James, and ah yes ..still owe Ainu, Monhim, Rezo, Komo and Movodor posts. Eeek.

Was utterly amazed at the quantity of shear idiocy in the US no fly list.

In other news what the hell is it with the island of Nippon and its rather odd inhabitants and dogs bottoms?Similar in fact to this little story of horror which is best not thought about at all.

At some point I intend to do a take on "reasons to be cheerful" by Ian Durry and the block heads, with "reasons to hate the internet". Reason to hate the internet? this is has probably already been done.

...

Listening too: Die Toten Hosen - Die Roten Rosen - Auld Lang Syne

40 pounds of turkey and a roast blanket

One should probably post more often, and by often I mean more than once. I do now intend to make a go of this blog thing, at least at once a week intervals, however things, life and stuff namely a Hdip in financial services technology which translated means “LEARN COBOL YOU LOWLY POST GRAD WORM!” have got in the way. That and my insurmountable laziness. Now my laziness as the many people who await a post from me in NS will tell you is a horrible thing that resists being pinned down much like a bar of soap in a prison shower room, it twists and turns and proposes to use very real issues in my life to get away with forever hovering in indecision. It has on occasion saved me from horrible physical labour but on the other hand has probably over the years cost me serious percentage points in every exam I have ever taken. Its not that I don't study, oh I do its just when I get to the exam and sit there in that semi terror induced fog of adrenaline something in me goes "ping" and I end up calmly turning my brain into reverse gear. Which well ..sucks really but there you go. Learning cobol or rather failing to has been an experience, I could lambast its nigh on forty year old basic design as the work of Beelzebub himself but others have over the many many years of its existence done this with far more eloquence. I will however say that I find that a language who has restrictions based upon the make up of a non existent punch card to be somewhat irritating.


As a side note I’m doing the hdip in LYIT (the local technical place) not the UU where I did my degree which means its nearer to home and offers less shopping opportunities ..to my various collections detriments. Speaking of my degree I will be attending the official graduation on this Monday (expect photos).

A few days ago I once again tried manual art and failed miserably this is not the first time, indeed I have always been sketching for as far back as I remember its just that unlike others who seem to get slowly better I still have the ability of a packet of instant potatoes. CG art well I have my 2d technical diagrams of horribly beweaponed war machines, I’m good at horribly beweaponed war machines, though judging from the comments or lack thereof on the nationstates daft room you would never know. Hmm what else, went to Dublin a while back and bought some rather nice boots while visiting Paulee who somehow talked me into going to going to dominion a rather well small and clique filled goth club in Dublin. Everyone in it knows everyone else which makes braking into the conversation even with the paulees myriad influences somewhat a challenge. Speaking of Paulee good luck with the operation ( if you think you have problems remember soviet bloc just lost a leg and Paulee is having electrodes implanted in her spine to stop pain from damaged nerves and delightfully had her msnm avvy as a scan of self same things). Given the small numbers ( and the disturbing smell of sewage mixed with the incense burned to cover it) the fact that there was no air con ( my god it must have been 40 down there) I did not have an overly marvellous night though the music is good and to listened too and I did fail to really enter into the spirit of the thing as it were. That and the day after I forgot a newly acquired warhammer army carry case. Which sucked.

Anyhoo on to NS things, first the little niggling things. I don't approve of the self agrandizement of II that occurred at yon end of thread in, what’s that delightful American colloquialism again ah yes ..circle jerk. Now Thrashia (bless his little black heart) and Macabees (...) do put forward the interesting point that II is successful. It is appealing to the same market as Tom "I am a Patriot" Clancy for all the elitism of NS (which does create great RP) II does seem to generate a terrible quantity of content. Which is not to say it is in any way "good" though it can indeed be. However II seems to have somesort of literary cap on its activities, a point that it never seems to cross, from "good" threads to "great" threads. Sure II pulls in the punters and successfully keeps them occupied but does it offer them the opportunity to grow as role-players? Or does it so glorify a few types of role-play to the point that it locks them forever out of NS. Now the culture of NS the so called elitism may also be to blame for this, simply put why would they want to role-play with someone who seems to have (and I am often guilty of this) the writing ability of a gibbon and six times more weapon specifications then actuall content? II does have great role-players and the odd great thread but they are of a genre that by its nature seems to restrict the role-play therein. Which isn’t to say it isn’t fun to read on occasion. However I tend even with the "Great" II rps that feeling that I should be in an airport at 3 in the morning trying to fall asleep on some godforsaken aluminium chair (DAMN YOU STANSTEAD though I do like your space 1999 look). I suppose in the end its the fact that NS has made "aspiring" to be seen as uncool as II as made seem popular simplicity.


Of course neither forum is as such clean of outright dross or the occasional leak from Gasp general.

Speak not of the beast lest ye stirr its dreadful minions.


Anyhoo back on track at present I have been reading Girl Genius Comics archive and I like greatly and suggest it to all of you. I ordered various things from thinkgeek for various people ( I heartily suggest that caffeine sampler as a pressie at any time) and ordered some more things from Megagear and found to my horror that their software writers forgot ..to include ..Ireland.

I mean they have Pakistan and India and Wales and new jersey every god awful piece of the planet but no Ireland. Were not an easy nation to forget for heavens sake. In any case an email to the services which turns out to be (do not look behind the curtain) Sarah Galagher explained this to me and that they do in fact still deliver to Ireland, they just have to change the addresses to the system by entering "Ireland" into the "state field". In any case I still have no idea why they don't accept non US credit cards. Sure their is a minor charge but its nothing spectacular.

To carry on with things, here in Letterkenny vast and terrible things are afoot as a huge new shopping mall takes appearance in the heart of the town like some looming temple to capitalism it reaches out to begin to block the view of the cathedral (agnostic lapsed Catholics don't have to approve of it even if its not there religion any more). Though to be honest Letterkenny is a services town now, filled with shops clubs and pubs. Where was I going with this? I have no idea but then I rarely do. Bought Quake 4 , played it, not overly impressed. Got the collectors edition of age of empires 3 ( you could kill a goat with it , my is it a large impressive and above all heavy box ) oh and for my PSP got GTA Liberty City stories, which I recommend as a hoot, also got BF2 Special forces because any game with grappling hooks is just that much fun. Watch house of the flying daggers. Just do it. Latest Alastair Reynolds book was a bit of a let down, um and thats about it really for this post I think.

So Aye, hello wide world and so forth and people therin.

Anyway finally got around to feeding my addiction to pulp SF again by ordering the last of Harry Turtledoves Balance and Colonisation series titled "Homeward Bound". Somewhat better than the usual Baen books pulp SF I read its still sooo baaad yet sooo goood. Moving on in matters I today started my assignment for yon American international relations module (for those who know not I am in the final year of an international politics and history degree). A joyous ..thing full of ...

Okay its the most boring damn thing in the universe.

Save accounting.

Or possibly collection studies... so ..many ...ceramics o_0


Ehem well anyway to carry on I tonight mostly plan to visit some people, write a murder mystery role-play for the game nationstates, finish doing this of to my satisfaction and maybe do some light sketching, some of which will be in all probability making its unfortunate apearance here and all of which can be found there.

Lord help you.

On that random note I’m agnostic, and while I can believe in a creator I cannot find justification for organised religion ..so aye. ... my father is a rabid atheist.

I do mean rabid the man has issues against religion, big flaming issues ..with pyres and the cleansing.

Aaaanyway I amongst other things play the game Nationstates, originally nothing more than a simple web based game to promote a book now a vast overburdened peer regulated free form role-playing game.

At which ..I well ..I’m not good per say but I would hope to be okay. I will when I get around to it be linking to the other players pages.

What else to say? Its probably going to snow on Friday this week, now when I was even 16 snow was still fun and all very well and good. The unfortunate thing is we all grow older, and in many ways find snow days not days of joy and dossing but of annoyance.

The lessons we learn. What we will actually probably get instead of the white stuff consists of:
(A) Freezing slush
(B) Sleet
(C) Freezing slush
(D) Rain
(E) Freezing slush
and just to make you feel right at home another dose of
(F) Rain


You may also find I am somewhat obsessed with weaponry, though I abhor violence in any form in real life my fantasies have always been filled with the brilliant white lights of energy cannon. When I sleep ..see nuclear detonations.
That or just plain old fashioned weird ass stuff.



...Welcome to Donegal, my life, my trials and tribulations or as I like to call it Mordor with Gaelic speakers.