blackheartwolf Blog

Nintendo... sigh

2013-05-16T21:20:00Z

I don't blog on here often, but when I do, you better believe it's because I have something to say.

So Nintendo has claimed ownership of the LPs of various Youtubers. I know that a lot of people will see this and think "why should I care?" I mean after all it is technically their game and their property, so it should be making them money. More importantly, I guess that people will also ask "why do you care?" I'll get to the latter in a bit, but for now let me explain why this is really bad.

The issue here isn't the fact that they are claiming ownership of the games. The issue here is that they are claiming ownership of the way the people played the games, and the experience they had with them. This is a very dangerous precedent to set right now, with more and more people doing LPs and streaming games online.

I'd like to direct your attention to a site called twitch.tv for a moment. This is a site that a large number of streamers use to showcase their playthroughs of games past and present. A number of the streamers on there play Nintendo games and a few of them have gotten pretty famous for streaming their speedruns of Nintendo games. This ruling and decision by Nintendo will also no doubtedly affect these players as well, since they do the same thing as the LPers except they do it live.

Now again, I haven't really given you a reason to care about this, all I've done is show you the little guys who will be impacted by this decision.

I'd like you now to take a look at this, this, and this. I think we're all pretty familiar with GI and what these series are. Now then let's think for a moment how this decision affects them and other sites that cover games for a living.

Well for one thing now they no longer make any profit off of the videos because they are using content of a publisher. This means they no longer have any reason to make these videos as they are getting nothing out of them, which means less content for you to enjoy. This means that for these to work there has to be agreements made between Nintendo and the sites, which as with most things will be dictated by the larger sites like GI and IGN. Smaller sites will more than likely not be able to compete with such things, and as such if they are doing things like this they will be losing content/revenue from this.

Now obviously the above is speculation. It could be that this is not as bad as it seems. I will fully admit that could be the case.

However the fact of the matter is that this sets a precedent for more to come. This step is bad enough IMO. The last thing I want to see is developers/publishers who think that they have ownership of the experience of a player. I think that this move by Nintendo is the first step for them to say that.

I hope that we can nip this in the bud, before it becomes a real issue later on down the road.

Now I promised I'd say why I care about this so much, and here it is. Twitch.tv/loupinconnu That is my personal streaming channel. I love to stream games and I am doing a lot of casting/playing of Dota 2. I would like to eventually be able to make money from this as I do put a lot of work into it. I also eventually want to be able to put my videos up on youtube. In order to do that though I have to know that a developer will not come in and take my money from me for what is my work. They may have provided the canvas, but the art that is on it is from me.

I know that it's a lot of speculation, but please understand that this is really bad for a lot of people including yourselves. You don't want to see anything more come of this, you can trust me on that.

Thank you for reading,
Dave the "BHW"

An Update on Myself, and a Friendly Hello Again

2013-03-14T20:25:00Z

Well now, been a while hasn't it?

I'm not coming back, sorry I don't have the time for blogging really, but I figured I would drop by, say hello and let you all know that I have been around. Though lurking like I do on occasion.

I know I tend to leave suddenly, it's a bad habit. But I figured the less "goodbye" blogs I have the better. Besides, never saying goodbye means that I can come back anytime I want. Something that I may or may not do every now and again (especially if I see some more blogs I like).

I have to say, really the thing that made me take a look back here was Noobtubin8er's Xcom blogs. I sincerely hope that anyone and everyone reading this has at least checked them out, because they are wonderful.

In case you haven't,
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

I have to give a lot of credit to him. I haven't played Xcom (I'll get into that later) but I have enjoyed reading the stories, and giving the characters in the game GIO member names is just an awesome little touch to it. Really adds to it all.

Also a second shoutout to Kinsey. His blog "My Daughter is Reminding me Why I Play Video Games" is a great reminder to why we play. I hope to read more of his stuff in the future.

Finally congrats to everyone that participated in a 30/30 or 31/31. I'm still speechless in seeing this continue and it's simply amazing to me that people continue to do it. I can't believe that it's still happening, but here it is, almost 2 full years after I initially did it and still has a huge number of people that are doing it. So congrats to everyone that does it.

I do follow a large number of the members of the GIO community on twitter, and though I don't tweet much I enjoy secretly stalking your lives on occasion. It's great to see you all still around and doing this, and hope the best for each and every one of you.

Now then, onto me I suppose.

Is it the Man, Or is it Perhaps the Idea Itself?

2012-09-12T23:12:00Z

Today got me thinking. Thinking about the things that I have done. Specifically the things that I created.

I'm not going to lie, I'm rather proud of the things that I have done for GIO. It's pretty awesome to see 30/30s popping up from a lot of users who just need a jumping off point to get going. It's also breathtaking to see the support that there still is for the WGWC.

I'm not going to lie, it made me go back and look at things again. And boy did it ever sober me up.

I at one point had 20+ people participating in the WGWC. I had over 1,000 views for every one of those blogs I posted. I introduced a lot of new people that were just lurkers into blogging.

And I threw it away, twice even.

It makes me wonder. Makes me think about it. What was it about those two projects that created it all the buzz around them.

Was it the man behind them, or was it the idea.

Thinking about it, there was a lot of buzz about the WGWC before I even started it. I mean I even had Saint asking what I was working on next after the inaugural 30/30 was completed. I don't think I even had any idea what I was considering.

Before I even knew it the blogs were going up, and it was certainly impressive. More people took part in that than pretty much anything else I have probably ever tried to do. Honestly for someone not featured, not really a 'known' member of the community, and a rather reclusive one at that it really felt strange.

Again though the question comes up, was it the idea or was it the man?

It's something I am struggling with now. I see three incredibly talented users taking up the torch of the WGWC. Three people who I think could do it. Could not just make it last, but could make it their own wonderful creation.

But that's the thing, it should be their own creation. Not tied down by my personal constraints. Not needing my approval on what they should do. If they want it, they need to own it. So this is directly to the three of them. Own it.

Because during all this thinking I realized something. I loved the WGWC, but I don't have the ability to keep up with it like I used to. I can't dedicate 2+ hours each week on a single blog anymore. I'm sorry, but I can't even begin to describe the amount of work that went into it. It showed, and I commend anyone that would even consider it, but life has a lot of balls for me to juggle right now and this is one that I have to drop even if I don't really want to. That means that it's yours if you want it. But you can't rely on me to tell you where to go with it. You have to do it on your own.

However what I can do is something else. Something new. Something that is a bit different and that I can hopefully manage to do in my little spare time. Something that will hopefully expand the blogging community as much as the WGWC ever did.

Something I'm not going to talk about right now. (Sorry)

I hope that you not only support this upcoming idea, but also Jolt, DJH, and Sora3Ben and their revival of the WGWC. I wish them nothing but luck and look forward to seeing what they can come up with.

Me now, I've got a bit of planning to do,
BHW

Flying Solo

2012-09-12T03:44:00Z

In one week one of the biggest co-op series for this generation will come out and there will be millions of people grabbing their buddies and jumping in to live, die, and kill together.

I will not be one of them.

I will be playing, that much is true, but I unlike most of this generation don't particularly care for the co-op experience.

Really it's just something I am not a fan of. Maybe that's because to me the typical co-op experience only goes one of two ways.

My feelings on co-op exactly....

The first way, and probably the most annoying way to me personally, is the rush. You jump in a game, have no idea what is going on only to have one person not just run, but sprint from one objective to the next, cleaning up everything he/she can leaving you wondering why you're even doing anything at all. Typically this person is over leveled and is doing this to 'help' but of course fails to take into account if you actually want their help. This also makes you miss pretty much everything in the story.

Not pictured: Mufasa's teammates clinging to him, begging to be saved.

The second way that these go is what I affectionately call the rock. Everyone knows the kind of person that just can't seem to keep up no matter what. If they aren't dying they're just stopping to do one more thing... and then one more thing after that... and then there was this thing they had to do that they forgot about. Sorry, but I don't have 4 hours to play every night, and even though I do like to enjoy my games I also like to move at some kind of pace.

To be fair there is the occasional person that comes along and doesn't mind doing the occasional side quest or checking out something out of the way, but seriously how often have you found these in random rooms? Especially when you get 4 people or more together?

So, sorry but no. I don't think so. I'll stick with enjoying my gameplay and actually having my experience. I'll take my time but not worry about being slowed down and waiting for everyone. Because I don't like playing with others. I like immersion, I like storytelling, and most of all I like playing.

And that is exactly what I'll be doing 9/18/12.

Just me and my turret(s)...

Please note that these rules do not typically apply to groups of friends... they do however also apply to other competitive team games as well.

Hope you enjoyed,
BHW

31/31 Day #31 - A Little Late, but Better than Never

2012-09-03T16:23:00Z

So the GF surprised me this weekend and unfortunately I never got a chance to post up the final blog of the 31/31. I didn't forget, just ended up with a lot to do this weekend. Anyways, I suppose you'll want me to be getting on with it all. Well how about we do just that.

Welcome to the final day, 31/31 Day #31, what it all means.

Well this is it. Then end of the second month long series I've done and I have to say that it's been a pleasure. I started this with one thing in mind, and only one thing. I wanted to let you all know who I was.

I've been here a long time. I have seen more people come and go than I would care to have in most other places. I was here for the start of Saint, the original blog spam, the rush of newbies who honestly couldn't blog. I've seen just about everything that people can talk about for the history here.

If there is one thing that I've learned though, no matter what the community here will thrive. Its because of the people who do the work here, being as helpful as they can be and bringing in the new people and showing them the ropes before throwing them in the deep end. I could never be one of those people, so more power to those that are.

I can however do what I have done all this time, and that is create blogs that maybe aren't the most PC things ever, but get people thinking. That's sort of my niche here. I make blogs that get people to think (or at least try to).

In life that's sort of who I am as well. I tend to talk to people and get them to expand the way that they think and to see more than just the things that have been laid out in front of them. It's tough sometimes as there will always be people who are stubborn, but you take the victories when you can.

That's not the only person I am though. I am much more than that. I am competitive, almost to a fault "occasionally. I was worse, I used to be one of those that would throw controllers (not across the room, but not exactly placing them down either). I get frustrated easily when things go wrong, but the one thing I am good about is I take the blame for it when it is even a little bit my fault.

I can't stand those who pass the blame on others all the time, and another part of me is always looking to improve. I don't think you can honestly try to improve constantly if you can't take a look at what you did objectively.

It's like with writing. I know I'm okay. You probably wouldn't be reading this if I wasn't. Maybe I'm not the best, maybe I'm not the most well-known, but there is something that keeps people reading. As such I feel a need to be at a certain level of quality, because I know it is what you guys have come to expect from me, and when a blog of mine is not there I can tell. As such the blog doesn't do as well typically and therefore I take a look at what I can do better.

This is what I see when I write. I see me in every word that is typed out on this screen here. Maybe I'm not always happy with them, maybe I think I can do better, but everything that you read from me is 100% my own head.

31/31 Day #30 - Those Around Me

2012-08-30T21:34:00Z

Family? Not always. The fact of the matter though is a lot of who we are are the people that we associate ourselves with. The people we interact with on a daily basis and see day in day out. Those people make us in part who we are.

For me it's even a bit deeper. For reasons I still can't quite put my finger on I have a tendency to copy or mimic the people I'm around a lot. That I'll get into later though. For now let's go.

Day #30, people who don't annoy me enough to leave them.

Hey, at least it's honest. No honestly I love my friends and my family and really couldn't be more blessed when it comes to these people. I've had the privilege to know a lot of excellent people and made a lot of good friends. It's partially why I've become the person I am, despite that bit of social anxiety that keeps everyone at a distance from me.

Then again that's part of the definition for being a gamer right? (kidding)

No, but honestly it's been tough for me to allow people in. I'm not social, I have a hard time adjusting to new people, and worst of all I really don't maintain friendships all that well. It was so bad that at one point every six months I would be looking for something new to do on Friday nights just because I was not hanging out with the same people anymore.

That's no way to live. It's impossible to say that you have really lived when you forget where you came from so easily.

Until you hear that train coming that is....

It's a difficult thing to change though. It takes work and it takes a lot of effort. And it takes a few friends who are willing to kick your backside any time you start to lose that focus.

It's a trait that has thankfully worn off on me.

I said earlier that I tend to copy traits about my friends that I like. Typically these are mannerisms, but the one exception to that is in one of my closest friends I have taken on her forthright attitude.

It's a bit hard to explain, but try to stay with me. Of all the people I have ever known she is probably the only one that has ever had the guts to call me out on my crap and then make me back it up when I went to change it. She has held me more accountable for things than anyone else around me. It's been really good for me.

It's also rubbed off on me where now I tend to do that to the people around me, including back to her.

This means that I'm more decisive, more friendly, and more open to communicating with people. It's especially helped in soccer where I'm typically stuck with a bunch of random people I don't know, and I need to step up.

It's also meant that I'm more involved with my family life and that honestly is invaluable. I never talked about it, but my family life is interesting. My home was never really a home and as such I kind of had a tendency to shut down when there. Now I'm out of that place and living with other family and now I get to see them a lot more. I also got a job with one of my many aunts and as such I feel closer to her and my cousin than I have in a long time.

It's interesting how relationships like that change. I used to think it was just ones online that were that dynamic. That could flux from day to day. It's the reason why here I am so up and down, my mood about the place changes constantly depending on who is active and what is written.

I now see that in a different light, I see it for what it really is. The fact of the matter is that people may take a while to change on occasion, but they do change. And a lot of the time it isn't for the worse.

One final thought before I end this blog, and tomorrow the series. The people around you may not always dictate who you are, but they are telling about you. This community is about as good of an example of that, and with the people that keep others around and keep others coming back I have to applaud you. It's truly your effort that makes this place the way it is.

There's too many to count, really there is, but you know who you are, and what you've done already.

Till the finale tomorrow,
BHW

31/31 Day #29 - Location, Location, Location

2012-08-29T20:14:00Z

I wonder how many people reading this are below college age. Never having gone out and been on their own in the world. I suppose that also applies to people like myself that have never gone away to college either, but we'll ignore the technicalities for now. I ask this because the world is different when you step away from home. How much of it do we know about that though when we're still where we started?

This is day #29, and all about home.

Home is a funny thing. To put it simply for me I lacked a home for a while. Not in the physical sense mind you. I had a house that I could go to, relax, and do nothing in for a time. That house though, just never had a sense of home about it. I can't quite explain it, but it just was lacking.

No, instead home for me had a different meaning. Home was where I was fulfilled. Home was where I was happy.

Home to me was outside.

Whether it was on the soccer field, out in the park, down by the lake, home for me was always wherever I could get away from it all. Just leave people behind and be with just myself. It was where no one could reach me, no one could bother me.

Honestly it was where I was alone.

Maybe it's because I'm a bit socially awkward, but I've always found it difficult being around people for long periods of time. After so long around people I have to reset and disappear. Before in my house I could to my room, although that only ever lasted so long. Eventually I had to find another place to go and relax.

That place for me was just outside the neighborhood at a small church overlooking the road outside of my development. It had a nice little covered porch that could be used to keep dry in the rain, it was always empty at night and didn't face the road so no one could see that I was there. And I think best of all there was a hill on the side where you could sit and watch the cars go by in the night.

It was peaceful. It was where I could go any time I needed a break. I honestly wish I still had that to a point, but I think I'll live.

It makes me think about other things though, and how I am always seeking a home now. After all, for a while I would have called this place home before.

Now though while not quite the home it once was, this place is still special. It has that nostalgia for me almost where I can't seem to bring myself to leave it. The writing I've done here is just far too important for me to drop again.

It's honestly why I keep coming back time and time again.

Then again with such awesome people I suppose I can't help it. Seriously those of you who take the time to comment and look at the silly things I write I can't thank enough. Even though this 31/31 hasn't been quite up to par I appreciate those that have taken a look at what I've written.

Then again I'm a perfectionist on what I write so take that last sentence with a grain of salt.

Regardless I hope you enjoyed day #29, and take care,
BHW

31/31 Day #28 - Soccer

2012-08-28T22:27:00Z

Well try #2 at this. Last time I went and accidentally clicked a link to youtube when I was putting in pictures and navigated away from my draft. I suppose that is the issue with being on a fast computer though...

Anyways here's what you need to know. It's football, not soccer. I know, I'm a snob for saying it, but it's true.

Here we go again, day #28, my team philosophy and soccer.

I'm just going to come out and say it. I'm not really a team person. There are a lot of reasons behind this, but let's go with the short answer for now. I can't stand the fact that everyone on a team has to be the center of attention all the time.

Now I know it's an ugly generalization, but hear me out.

I play indoor soccer Tuesday nights, coincidentally tonight is Tuesday. On these evenings I play with a couple of groups of people that have come together to form a team. Well at least something that resembles a team.

On this 'team' we have 3 people who play defense, 2 goalies, and everyone else (6?7? people) plays forward.

You can see how this is frustrating.

I'm not typically one to complain. I honestly want to just enjoy myself. But when you have that many people who have their sole focus on playing up that no one gets back to do the things that actually help you win I can't help but just be disappointed.

It sucks, it really sucks being left alone to have to do some of the most important roles on any team by yourself. And I'm honestly sick of it, because it's not just in soccer that this happens, but all across gaming for me.

In Tribes, I'm one of like 2 people that ever actually guard the flag, and not the generator. In Killzone I learned to play tactician well enough to carry a 75% winning percentage. In Battlefield I spend most of my time killing enemy vehicles.

And then when I look at my team I see a bunch of people who are tripping over themselves to be the hero.

Only one can become a statue, or that's what you'd think at least....

What happened to needing different personalities to win? What happened to doing what is best for the team? I seriously wonder about that because it seems to have disappeared somewhere with no one realizing it.

I mean honestly we've moved so far away from true team games even battlefield only lets you talk to your squad.

So I guess I shouldn't be surprised when I'm playing goalie for my soccer team and I notice no one on defense. I should almost expect it.

I mean why be the guy who actually helps you win when you can be the big hero?

It's so frustrating...

Can't believe that this only has 3 days left, hope you're looking forward to the last 3,
BHW

31/31 Day #27 - Hockey

2012-08-27T23:41:00Z

Wow so that was a lot of spam yesterday. I don't know who all saw it but wow, I haven't seen that much since last year. Thankfully it all got cleaned up and the blogging was back in business. Good thing we have the updated security and mod tools.

Funny thing is I'm not being sarcastic, I actually do appreciate all the work done on the site and the job of the mods to keep it running smooth. Good work, keep it up.

Now then, welcome to day #27 and my experience with hockey.

I will say it flat out. I love the NHL. Despite the lockout, despite the era where it was so painful to watch it made your eyes bleed and looked like everyone was skating on molasses, despite having to hear about the second coming of Jesus in Sidney Crosby I love the game. It's one of those loves that can only come from it being integrated into your soul as a young kid.

And boy was I ever young when it got me. Literally within months of being born I was witness to my very first NHL game. I guess that is what happens when you grow up in a hockey family. Even a number of my aunts and my mom were into the game, and on top of it my grandmother had season tickets.

Not the best seats, top row upper section but the point was that I was there. I was getting to watch it first hand. I got to see it all, and got to love it for every second I could.

The memories of those games have faded over time, but the feeling lingers. I can't turn on hockey without getting excited. Watching how the game has changed into the chaotic but elegant game it is today is honestly beyond words if you've never taken the time to appreciate it. I wish I could tell you just how awesome it is through my eyes, but I can't. I can't do it the justice it deserves with words alone.

That poetry though is what I try to emulate every time I strap on my skates.

Now grated due to availability and my friends I don't play ice hockey. Instead I play roller hockey (in probably one of the worst rinks ever... seriously need a new place to play). Regardless though hockey is hockey, and other than terrible reffing (oh wait... that is actually the same) and it being 4 on 4 it's close enough.

Granted I'm nowhere near as good as I would like to be. You see I've been skating since I was around 5 or 6, but really wasn't any good at the basics of it till almost high school. As such I still have issues turning hard and stopping. That is exacerbated by the floor which feels like it is waxed on a nightly basis.

Overall it's really unfortunate that I have to play there and can't step out onto the ice instead. I couldn't imagine anything better than getting my skates sharpened and then jumping the boards in a real game. After all I just can't get motivated to play the watered down roller game anymore. Event though I do take it seriously I can't go all-out.

Maybe it's a bit of snootiness on my part, calling it not real hockey. Maybe it's just that it isn't. Honestly I'm not sure myself. Regardless no matter what there is always a mental block that keeps me in check whenever I'm on wheels rather than blades.

Maybe it isn't the worst thing though considering how brittle I'm becoming.

Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed day #27.

See you tomorrow,
BHW

31/31 Day #26 - Music we Like

2012-08-26T17:30:00Z

I am not like most. I don't really have a favorite type of music. I know I'm so strange, or something like that. I have certain bands I like, others I love, and some music I can't stand, but overall I have to say my taste is surprisingly varied.

Also I'm dating a girl who is a vocal performance major and has an even wider taste in music.

This is my life with music, welcome to it in day #26.

Music for me has been a somewhat acquired taste. I never used to listen to anything, not really at least, and then around the time I got into playing on my PC and relaxing in my room more than watching TV, it exploded. I couldn't be upstairs without my radio on and even then I had to keep going through the stations trying to find something I wanted to listen to.

I suppose it's a bit because of my obsessive nature that I did it, but I'm actually glad I did. I didn't just leave the radio on, I constantly changed and found new stuff to listen to, new stuff to appreciate.

Though when I have found something I tend to play it to death.

The best example right now has to be this.

(Please visit the site to view this media)

Now I love Mumford and Sons and thanks to the local indie/alternative rock station out here I get to hear them a lot. It's part of the reason why I have my radio tuned there 95% of the time. Unless it's commercials or something older I don't really change it.

But back to my obsessive nature for a bit. When I hear something I like, I have to learn everything I can about it. I have the ability to match pitch pretty well, and so I will usually play it over and over again until I can get myself about as close as I can. With one of my all time favorite songs I have actually gotten it pretty well (no you will not get a video of me singing, only a few people ever get to hear that, and no it's not really all that good).

(Please visit the site to view this media)

This nature though tends to change genres very quickly though, and I can go from a dubstep/house stretch all the way to something like Country without any real warning or motivation. It tends to make peoples' heads spin when I do as what is playing in my car will be completely different from week to week.

And I can only be more afraid as my girlfriend is getting me back into classical and orchestral pieces. That kind of music will always hold a special place for me, because in school I played the cello for a while. It's sort of like the first music I ever really loved. Now granted I was a kid back in the early pop days so I did listen to that, but I didn't love it. Classical I love. The best part of that is that it allows me to appreciate wonderful pieces like below that you find in games or movies. Not really the typical mediums for music.

(Please visit the site to view this media)

Music makes the difference to me, and just how it goes hand in hand with scenes in movies and games is what separates the good games and movies from the truly amazing ones. Take the first example above. The way they incorporate the entire orchestra into the music and have it peak and settle all at the right times just sends shivers down my spine. Still not even close to my favorite part of that but then again that entire soundtrack is just excellent.

It's funny to think on how much of an influence it's had on my life, but it really has. Music sets people apart makes them different. It's something though that brings us all together, because almost everyone can appreciate quality music.

Even if we all have different loves, the important thing is that we love it,
BHW

31/31 Day #25 - The Divine Comedy

2012-08-25T17:30:00Z

There are three books in The Divine Comedy. You have the first book, Inferno, which is about hell. The second book, Purgatorio, which is purgatory. And finally the last book, Paradiso which is through heaven. It's a wonderful allegory and I hope you enjoy it because it is the subject of today's blog.

Welcome to Day #25, and Dante's Divine Comedy.

I loved the first two books of the Divine Comedy. I honestly found them to be two of the most enjoyable reads that I have ever taken up. They're interesting thinking about the different sins of man and seeing how Dante views the punishments for each sin. Also seeing some of the people in history and where he placed them provides a wonderful insight into what he valued.

However when it came to Paradiso I just found I couldn't finish it. I can't really explain it, but the pacing just suddenly stopped and I ended up losing interest in it very quickly.

This isn't about that book though, this is about the greatness that is the first two.

The Inferno is probably the one you all know. Whether through gaming (though I'll touch on that later) or just because it's the one people are most familiar with. Dante's journey through the circles of hell is fairly well known and if you haven't already read it, check it out. It's interesting to say the least.

However the second book, Purgatorio, is probably my favorite. Now let me explain this, I like all three (I just burned out on the last one and never picked it up again) and the Inferno deserves all the praise that it gets, but I still like Purgatorio.

I have to say that it is the most interesting of the three books.

It's a strange feeling the way he writes about it. It's not sad, but there is a certain misery about the place. It's like a feeling of remorse runs through his words and the entire mood of the book is based around that. If nothing else it is unique where Paradiso is very happy and filled with joy and Inferno is much about retribution it's almost as though he didn't want to write this particular book and even more so didn't want to put people in there.

That being said I hope they never make a game based on it. Especially if that game is anything like the travesty that was Dante's Inferno.

Honestly I don't know what there is to say. That game is just so offensive to me personally as a fan of the "source" material that for the entire time leading up to that I don't think I ever once did anything but criticize it. I guess thankfully the developers of that game didn't disappoint. It turned out to be just as horrible as I had imagined and completely destroyed a lot of my faith in humanity.

It is a shame though, because there could have been a lot done with the game. It could have been anything else. I will never understand why they went with an action game in the style of God of War, but then again I don't really want to. How they managed to get where they did from the book is a path I don't ever want to think about.

You see they started there, and then it all went that way.

Especially with adventure games coming back they way they have been I think it would be set up nicely as something like that, or even a bit of a twist and have it like Amnesia: Dark Descent. Unfortunately I don't have the programming skill or else maybe I'd try it, but it doesn't change the fact that it really should have been done differently.

Well it doesn't matter now, it's already out. And you know if it makes more people read the books then more power to it.

I however will not go anywhere near that game and hope there is never a sequel for it,
BHW

31/31 Day #24 - The Stranger

2012-08-25T03:57:00Z

A little late, but you guys understand. After all not every day you get to play Borderlands with some awesome people of the community (Seriously had an awesome time Jeremy and Blake. We'll do it again soon).

Anyways I hope that the lateness doesn't deter you from enjoying 31/31 day #24, and my introduction to Albert Camus.

In high school I hated reading. I thought it was probably one of the most boring things that you could do. In 10th and 11th grade there was maybe 2 books that we read that I actually enjoyed at all, and even then I can't tell you what they were. Honestly it was probably Shakespear or something like that.

However in 12th grade that changed for me completely. And it all started with a little book called The Stranger

The Stranger for those that don't know is probably what is considered to be Albert Camus' greatest work. It's the story of a man named Mersault and is about his life following the death of his mother. However as much as it is about him, it's more about the absurdity that is life.

Mersault doesn't act in the typical way expected of a person who just lost his mother. He is very cold and calm about the entire ordeal, not even crying at her viewing. To a lot of people it seems like there is something wrong, but to him he doesn't see the point of grieving.

Eventually as things go on he continues to live his life as though nothing has changed and eventually everything starts going wrong for him.

How Wrong? This Wrong...

It's a wonderfully crafted tale that honestly even though it was written in 1942 still has a lot to do with today. It's also the first book I ever probably thought that for.

It took me till 12th grade to find a book like that and after reading The Stranger it changed how I saw reading entirely. I grew to love books, almost as much as I enjoy games and now when I look over at my book collection I can smile about having read a good portion of that.

In fact The Stranger not only opened me up to reading in general, but to Camus specifically as well. It helped a lot because 11th grade was kinda bad for me and so I was going through a bit of a depression spell prior to that. However the book and it's view on life and everything else changed my perspective on it all and really helped me.

You see Camus was an existentialist, which means that he believed that people should do what makes them happy for nothing but the sake of being happy. It's the simplest way of saying it at least, but it was something I had never really thought about. So much of life after all is just going from one thing you have to do to the next that I think we all forget to stop and smell the roses so to speak.

See, they're pretty and stuff.

It's been the one thing that I have fortunately never forgotten.

It's why I'm late on this blog, it's why I occasionally will disappear for months at a time, and most importantly is why I will keep coming back here and posting even if it is just sporadic. Because it's something I enjoy doing, and want to keep doing for years to come. Though I do have to avoid the burn outs that happen to me.

In all honesty The Stranger is my favorite book for a number of reasons, and I would urge anyone who likes to read to check it out.

Thank you and my apologies for being late.... though you can blame Jeremy for that >.>,
BHW

31/31 Day #23 - Romance of the Three Kingdoms

2012-08-23T22:17:00Z

I love reading. I'm kinda a book worm I suppose. If I get into a book I am rarely ever able to put it down, to the point where I have had a number of sleepless nights reading stories. It's a weird thing for me though. I don't pick up books as often as games or the like, however when I do buy them I tend to read them very quickly.

This is one such book that once I started I just powered through.

Welcome to day # 23 and the Romance of the Three Kingdoms novels.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms volumes 1 and 2 are the books the Dynasty Warriors games are based off of. It's the source material so to speak, though they are fairly loose with it of course. However it is almost unfortunate that the games have made the books seem so simple, because really the books are about as wonderful novels as I have ever personally read.

It's more than just a story of the warriors at the time. It's a lot of stories about right and wrong, good versus evil, intelligence, greed and lust. It's a series of stories that remind you about values.

It's honestly my favorite piece of historical fiction ever.

It is a very long book. The two books together are something around 1300 pages and they aren't the easiest reads ever. There is a lot of confusion about what happens because of the number of characters in the stories, though they do a good job on focusing on a few at a time. Considering how many people shape these stories throughout the books I have to give the author credit. He did an amazing job giving each character their due and explaining just how important they were in the grand scheme of things.

The books themselves are incredible. I honestly lose myself in it every time I open it up. The stories of bravery, loyalty, justice and honor that they tell make me wish for some of those values here today.

It is after all why we read and play games. To lose ourselves in another world, to forget about the present and distract ourselves from it all for just a bit of time. These books do that for me. And considering that for a while I was reading them for less than an hour a day during the week on my breaks the fact that I have managed to get almost done two of them in just a handful of months speaks to how good they are.

Now I will say that they are certainly not the best. Honestly I think the Arthur stories are probably superior, but then again I'm a bit more western biased when it comes to such things anyway. Even then it's interesting to note the differences between the two and how they did battle.

One good example of this is that officers for the sides in china would typically duel each other before their armies fought each other. However there really weren't many rules during these engagements and it was more whoever lived was the winner, no matter how they did it.

When compared to chivalry where faking a retreat and then following that up with an arrow to your opponent would be considered treacherous and shameful it was certainly a more hostile time if nothing else. Enemies were meant to be killed or recruited. Not sent back alive. Mercy was rarely shown, and if you lost honor you might as well have been killed.

The lessons of the book and the stories are important though. Throughout the book the theme of loyalty and the good that comes of it remains strong, showing just how highly the Chinese value that trait in people. Maybe it's a bit simple for now, but I have always thought that is something we as a society have lost sight of.

No matter what though it remains a fun read and is well worth it if you have the time. If you enjoy tactics, strategy, or just stories at all it's a good book to look into.

Regardless, I will be getting back to it shortly,
BHW

31/31 Day #22 - Extra Life

2012-08-23T02:26:00Z

Alas yesterday ended my game blogs. I know it was rather uneventful series of blogs (I am kidding by the way) but now we're onto the more serious things. Things like why are we here, what are we all doing in life, did who really smelt it delt it?

These questions are not to be found here though, this is just me and what I am doing for GIO Extra Life 2012.

Welcome to day #22.

I loved participating in Extra Life last year. Seriously it was probably one of the best things I have ever decided to do. Waking up early and popping in Deus Ex and then speed running Shadow of the Colossus was just excellent in so many ways (And thanks to Jack for doing that with me. Need to give the credit where it is due).

And now here we are again. Less than two months away from the day and here I am with a brand new PC.

I think you can tell where I am going with this.

This year for Extra Life I will be streaming all 24 hours of my gaming. That's right I will be streaming and interacting with people the entire time that I am playing. Granted I still have to get my drivers working in order to stream my PS3 I will at least be showing something while playing the entire time.

Wait though, there's more.

In addition to that I am also letting anyone who donates to me decide what I play. Granted there will be a few differences based on how much you donate, and as such I've made it into a tiered system separating it into four different levels of donation.

The first level is the most basic level. For $5 or more you get to pick a game from my list that I have to play for an hour. I am limiting this to 8 spots for now but it may shrink/grow based on a number of things and as such I can't give an exact number yet.

The second level is similar but adds on a bit of a twist. For $10 or more you can pick a game from my list and give me a challenge that I have to complete for it. If you pick this level I ask that you be reasonable (no beat the game challenges as I would like to get to other games in my collection). Please contact me about it before donating though. This I am limiting to just 2 and I am setting a soft time limit on this to 2.5 hours for each.

For donations $20 or more you can pick a game off of my list to play multiplayer with me. In addition to that though, you are also invited to join me on skype to talk while playing the game. During this time you can ask me anything you like, though be warned I will probably be asking a lot of questions about you as well. I'm limiting this to 3 donations but anyone that donates will be allowed to join me for at least 2 hours.

Finally the last level is for one person who gives the single highest donation to me. That person will get to pick any game for PS3 or PC that I will go out and get and then play for no less than 3 hours. That person is also welcome to join me on Skype during that time and talk to me while I play the game (or we if it is co-op). Just to note I will be cutting this donation on the Saturday before so that I have time to get the game. So if you want to do this get your donation in before then.

Now then before you go off and donate anything there is just one rule. Please contact me in a conversation about what game you're choosing before donating. I appreciate the donations, but I would like to make sure that I can do what it is I have promised above. I will be contacting the winner of the highest donation challenge asking what game they want me to play, but I ask that all others message me with their choice before donating.

Now then, I suppose you're wondering what the games I have to play are. Well here they are, broken down by system.

Diablo III
Warcraft III (and The Frozen Throne)
Starcraft II
Civilization V
Amnesia: The Dark Descent
Bastion
Borderlands 2
Braid
Dark Souls
Deus Ex
Dota 2
LIMBO
Lone Survivor
Magic: The Gathering 2013
Medieval II: Total War
Portal
Psychonauts
Super Meat Boy
Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery
Team Fortress 2
Total War: SHOGUN 2
Tribes: Ascend (may not be able to stream this btw)

PS3

Armored Core V
Battlefield 3
Borderlands
Dynasty Warriors 7
Killzone 2
Mass Effect 2
Mass Effect 3
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning
Gran Turismo 5
ICO
Shadow of the Colossus
Valkyria Chronicles
Infamous
Infamous 2
Warhammer 40k Space Marine
Just Cause 2
Tomb Raider: Underworld
Saints Row 2
Warriors Orochi 3
Fat Princess
Dead Nation
Comet Crash
Sonic the Hedgehog (1, 2, 4-1, 4-2)
Tank Battles
Flow
Flower
Journey
Zen Pinball
Super Stardust HD
Soldner X: Himmelsturmer
Soldner X 2
Mortal Kombat 2
Critter Crunch
Mushroom Wars
Shatter
Magic The Gathering 2011
Bomberman
Crash Commando
Plants vs. Zombies
Stacking
Costume Quest
Burn Zombie Burn
Hydrophobia
Swords & Soldiers
Simpsons Arcade Game
BattleFantasia
Shank 2
Frogger Returns
Awesomenauts
Rock of Ages
Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars
Trine 2
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light
Hard Corps: Uprising
Zombie Apocalypse Never Die Alone
Final Fantasy V, VII, VIII
Front Mission 3
Ape Escape
NFL Blitz

So then, that's the list, those are the rules, and there you go. Now all you need are a few more important things.

My Twitch.TV channel I will be broadcasting all of this on is twitch.tv/loupinconnu

My Team GIO page is here

And my Twitter is @loupinconnu

That's it now, that's all I got for you. I'm honestly really looking forward to this year and can't wait to begin. Maybe if there is enough support I'll run an extra couple of hours of streaming sometime before it, just for you guys of course.

See you all then,
BHW

31/31 Day #21 - Fiasco

2012-08-21T19:55:00Z

Fiasco - a complete and ignominious failure.

I don't think there is any better way to introduce this so I'll just leave it at that for now. Welcome to day #21 of the 31/31, and the tabletop RPG Fiasco.

Fiasco in the most simplistic of terms is what would happen if Dungeons & Dragons had a love child with a plethora of Cohen Brothers movies. It's everything you love about both and more. Unlike Dungeons and Dragons, rather than taking months to complete, it takes about as much time as a Cohen Brothers movie.

It's the tabletop RPG to be played when perhaps you only get 4 or 5 of your friends for the evening.

The thing about it though is that the game aspect of Fiasco relies a lot less on rolling dice as it does actually playing a role. During the turns the players act out the scenes with each other and based on the actual conversations they are awarded either a good or bad resolution. This makes it much more RPG and less a game of luck.

However this is still a Fiasco, and as such there really are no winners. No everybody loses something, and as the game says, 'if you're lucky you might just end up back where you started.'

In all honesty it's right up my alley.

Unfortunately, not this cool...

Before I came here and started blogging I did another kind of writing for quite a while. I would do Forum based RPGs. I'll say this, doing that for as long as I did, which was probably something around 4 years in total helped me more than almost any other class I have ever taken in writing.

It also is the reason why I love RPGs that allow me to play the exact character I want to play, not some cookie-cutter character that already exists. It's what has caused me to fall in love with Mass Effect (which I'm just getting to play 3 now), Fallout, and Dark Souls (despite the lack of actual player involvement).

I have always loved that kind of thing though. Creating characters and designing personalities around them is something of a hobby I suppose. Back when I was doing the forum role playing I probably maintained no less than 10 separate and distinct characters. It was a bit tiring, but I always enjoyed thinking about how each one would act in each scenario presented to them.

That hobby is also why I would love to have people in my area I could do D&D with.

Just thinking about it (and honestly never having tried it) gets me excited. Thinking about all the stuff I could do with a character just based on alignment is exciting. Personally I don't particularly care for the good guys either so I know I might rub people the wrong way by playing neutral or even evil characters.

It's just how I am though. I like conflict in games, I like disaster, I like it when things blow up in people's faces. I find it incredibly boring if a story doesn't take risks or give huge twists. It's just not as fun.

That is what Fiasco does though.

Oh my god! It's all on FIRE!

In Fiasco there is always a twist. Something that changes up how everything is going for all the characters. Almost like a catalyst to the inevitable disaster that awaits them all. It's the thing that makes everyone a loser. It is simply the best part of any story.

I'm not going to lie, I'm not the biggest Cohen Brothers fan. However this game may get me into them that much more. I love the idea of the game though, and have to say that this is something I really would love to do.

I want to know though, has anyone here got a tabletop RPG group? If so do you mainly stick to D&D? Also how long do your campaigns usually last?

I'm actually really interested in looking into one, though I suppose I need the people to do it first. Well regardless if I don't get the people for that, there is always Fiasco.

That should at least hold me for a while,
BHW

blackheartwolf Blog

Nintendo... *sigh*

An Update on Myself, and a Friendly Hello Again

Is it the Man, Or is it Perhaps the Idea Itself?

Flying Solo

31/31 Day #31 - A Little Late, but Better than Never

31/31 Day #30 - Those Around Me

31/31 Day #29 - Location, Location, Location

31/31 Day #28 - Soccer

31/31 Day #27 - Hockey

31/31 Day #26 - Music we Like

31/31 Day #25 - The Divine Comedy

31/31 Day #24 - The Stranger

31/31 Day #23 - Romance of the Three Kingdoms

31/31 Day #22 - Extra Life

31/31 Day #21 - Fiasco

Nintendo... sigh