The "What's up?" Thread

[Torque]

I feel like being social today. Nothing really happening, shit just be chillin'. So what's up? What's going on in your lives? I'm eating lasagna(e) in my PJ pants, and listening to 3 days grace for some reason. I'll prolly roll on some SC2 later, if I don't choose to do anything more productive.

[phil_]

Day thirteen of my month of sobriety. Also, my copy of "Metroid: Other the entire internet is telling me this game sucks" seems to have sunk into a section of warped space over the weekend, as it hasn't been seen since Saturday.

[POS Industries]

Another day at work, another insignificant step toward having enough money to comfortably make this move out of Ohio. I picked up Tatsunoko vs Capcom a few days ago since it's been marked down, and I enjoy it despite 1) not having much to it and 2) online play being totally borked by the option to play with the wiimote alone, which uses a control scheme that allows for apparently limitless one button combos, which is naturally what everyone on there does.

But it's fun enough to pass the time with friends, anyway.

[bluestarultor]

I've been messing around with yet another game that came to me. It's just another side-scrolling platformer, but the whole "grizzled space marine" thing finally irked me enough that I decided to devote a game to aping it.

For something I came up with two days ago, it's got a lot of graphics and writing done. I have four characters with developed stories and personalities so far, along with a standard weapon and 4 sub-weapons, a few level themes, several enemies, sprites for the MC both in and out of his power suit, another guy both in and out of a power suit, Codec-style face sprites for all forms of the character sprites for when people are talking, an empty face screen, a static face screen, and a face screen with a little heart monitor thing just to keep the place when the HP bars go back up.

I'm actually pretty proud of how I explained the controls. Rather than do the whole "arrow keys move you" bit, I just named everything according to the keys involved, so your jump is your "Space Jump" and your normal weapon is your "Plasma Control" and such.

I mean I can't really claim it's clever, but I happen to know things like how people will go for the arrow keys first to move and such. People will probably catch on pretty quickly.


Edit: Honestly, though, it's far from perfect. I'm still used to working in DOS (mode 13h) dimensions, so I have a lot of sprites that look really great, but are only 16 pixels tall. It's done in NES style, though, so I have no idea how that will translate to whatever resolution the NES uses.

Edit again: Just checked. Actually not too bad.

[Torque]

Another day at work, another insignificant step toward having enough money to comfortably make this move out of Ohio. I picked up Tatsunoko vs Capcom a few days ago since it's been marked down, and I enjoy it despite 1) not having much to it and 2) online play being totally borked by the option to play with the wiimote alone, which uses a control scheme that allows for apparently limitless one button combos, which is naturally what everyone on there does.

But it's fun enough to pass the time with friends, anyway.

what is it with all you Ohians(Ohioans? Ohiians?) wanting to leave Ohio? Seriously I know like three people from there who all say they want to GTFO... I went through there a couple times... seemed alright, state-wise... Cleveland looked like a rotten shithole, but Cincinnati seemed nice.

edit: Lucky Number 7! Who here think's I can nail off 77 attacks of 7777 damage before the first enemy strike?

[Flarecobra]

From what my roommate told me... it's a hole. Nothing there. It's the RL American equivelent to Onroc.

[POS Industries]

what is it with all you Ohians(Ohioans? Ohiians?) wanting to leave Ohio?
First of all, I'll have you know I'm a North Carolinian. I just happened to find myself trapped in Ohio for the past few years for financial reasons.

Second, yeah, basically what Flare said. It's pretty and all, but it's one of the most unstimulating places I've ever seen. There's really not much to do but drink, get fat, have kids, and die. I'm slowly gearing up for a move to NYC simply because at the very least there's a wide array of auditions available for any number of gigs in the entertainment field. Even if I'm never really able to make a career out of it, at the very least I can say that I'm getting out and doing something.

[Torque]

Never got to go to NYC. Then again, I'm still alive, and not laying in a gutter with no wallet, or pants.
I attribute 100% of my being alive this very second to having never ever stepped foot in New York City. Seriously, New York City, prove me wrong!

[Wigmund]

Making my way through the first semester of my junior year of college.

I've returned to being an 'Undecided' major after fucking up last semester and coming to the realization that I despise higher math. So I'm currently taking Biology, Geology and Chemistry - thinking about a major in either Bio or Geo with the other one and Chem as a minor.

Other than that, I'm waiting for my car to get its AC repaired and playing Red Dead Redemption.

I've beaten the game, now I'm replaying so I can be John and rampage over everything. Sitting on top of the trains lobbing infinite amounts of Molotov Cocktails at passersby using Dead Eye to turn 'em into guided missiles is absolutely great. Little flaming comets of death.

[Specterbane]

From what my roommate told me... it's a hole. Nothing there. It's the RL American equivelent to Onroc.

That's the general rap it gets, not without being well earned, but it is a bit exaggerated. It used to be a good place to find work as an engineer, but there aren't many places for that these days.

I'm mostly killing time before heading to bed, making sure I get enough sleep before a job interview tomorrow. Aside from that I got to enjoy finishing the Worms: Reloaded campaign. My very future may still be up in the air, but at least I can enjoy the simple things.

[krogothwolf]

what is it with all you Ohians(Ohioans? Ohiians?) wanting to leave Ohio?

I know eh! Even the hero to all clevelanders wanted to get the heck outta there!

[Kim]

I am currently playing Other M. I will probably try to marathon as much of it as possible so I can get started on the review. It's not a bad game necessarily, but it is a bad Metroid game. The writing start eye-stabbingly awful, but has since worked its way up to slow, uninteresting, and mediocre.

[Nique]

The writing start eye-stabbingly awful, but has since worked its way up to slow, uninteresting, and mediocre.

My wife surprised me with 'Kingdom Hearts : Birth By Sleep' today. Nice to have a normal-ish Kingdom Hearts title again but whoo boy that writing is getting pretty bad in this series. I mean, even for Kingdom Hearts.

[Krylo]

I am currently playing Other M. I will probably try to marathon as much of it as possible so I can get started on the review. It's not a bad game necessarily, but it is a bad Metroid game. The writing start eye-stabbingly awful, but has since worked its way up to slow, uninteresting, and mediocre.

Why would you play a Metroid game for its story?

That is like watching a romance movie for the fight scenes.

[Melfice]

What's up?
Tomorrow I'll be off to the office of Playstation Netherlands (or is it Benelux? I dunno. Probably Netherlands) to get a hands-on preview of several games that will be releasing in the coming months.

That's pretty sweet, I think.

EDIT: Nope. It's actually SCE Benelux (aka Playstation Benelux)

[Satan's Onion]

About a week ago I got a used copy of Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin, and it has devoured most of my free time because it is so awesome. You know what's the funnest thing ever? Running around with Charlotte and hurling Chain Lightning and/or Explosion at practically everything that moves, is what.

That said, I haven't beaten it yet, partly because of the aforementioned Chain Lightning sprees, and those missions you get from Wind.

[Archbio]

Was it (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vU0JpyH1gC8) all a lie?

[Fifthfiend]

I am sincerely glad that finally someone besides me is willing to make these threads.

I am currently playing Other M. I will probably try to marathon as much of it as possible so I can get started on the review. It's not a bad game necessarily, but it is a bad Metroid game. The writing start eye-stabbingly awful, but has since worked its way up to slow, uninteresting, and mediocre.

It's the game designed to break the hearts of everyone who never realized that Metroid was secretly an anime.

It's like, everyone who ever read those totally awesome nintendo power metroid comics? Fuck you.

[Professor Smarmiarty]

I'm writing up manuscripts today which is the most boring shit known to man so imma be floating around here a lot. Like seriously, the only way to do it is to kill every bit of creativity and flair you have. And then you draw a million graphs only to ont use any of them because the publisher won't give you the space.

[Specterbane]

My wife surprised me with 'Kingdom Hearts : Birth By Sleep' today. Nice to have a normal-ish Kingdom Hearts title again but whoo boy that writing is getting pretty bad in this series. I mean, even for Kingdom Hearts.

But friendship and trust and love and heart are such rich topics for dialog, how could they possibly have seen everything they could've been?

Why would you play a Metroid game for its story?

That is like watching a romance movie for the fight scenes.

Like watching The Vision of Escaflowne?

[CABAL49]

I'll have you know I'm a North Carolinian.

I thought I was the only one :)!

But right now I am trying to find the motivation to get up because I stayed up late like a jackass and I'm really tired. I got a big test in an hour.

Edit: I missed 3 out of 40. Meh.

[Kim]

Why would you play a Metroid game for its story?

That is like watching a romance movie for the fight scenes.

How can I not bitch about the story when they decided a series that was previously short on cutscenes needed two hours of Samus narrating? I can get behind story being there just as an excuse for the gameplay. I can't get behind making me watch numerous, overly long cutscenes where Samus talks about how she really hated it when the other soldiers called her a lady but when Adam did it it was okay cuz it made her feel pretty oh and she really likes it when Adam tells her what to do.

[Professor Smarmiarty]

Also cranking out my new ps2- trying out some FFX at the moment.
Battle system is great, story is a bit all over the place, lots of busywork, sphere grid is a good idea but poorly implemented (well the expert grid anyway, don't know how the other one is different) and blitzball has to be the easiest minigame of all time- haven't won by less than 3-0 despite being well outstatted by the other teams in basically every dept.
I'm about 20+ hours in and just interrupted the wedding and apparentely I'm not even halfway through. this game is too long :(

[krogothwolf]

Other M's story seems to be getting mixed reviews, though everything I've read about it, even the ones that praise it make me think it's trying to follow in MGS 4's footsteps, but with a more childish story.

[Donomni]

My wife surprised me with 'Kingdom Hearts : Birth By Sleep' today. Nice to have a normal-ish Kingdom Hearts title again but whoo boy that writing is getting pretty bad in this series. I mean, even for Kingdom Hearts.

Eh, I'll believe it when I see it. Mostly since I'm not too frustrated at Nomura's writing beyond(Numbery Doo Boogaloo spoilers) Sora's head on Xion's body. Seriously, what the fuck?

That went entirely in the opposite direction of what I thought it would go to.

blitzball has to be the easiest minigame of all time- haven't won by less than 3-0 despite being well outstatted by the other teams in basically every dept.

You must've been lucky, since even with Tidus I've had trouble winning some games in Blitzball. Then again, they may have tweaked it in the International Version compared to the US version.

I'm about 20+ hours in and just interrupted the wedding and apparentely I'm not even halfway through. this game is too long :(

Welcome to the wonderful world of JRPGs. Like, seriously.

As for me, I'm trying to finish this one writing thing I'm doing, but very stressful days recently have kept me from doing much(Guess who's only means of transportation has no AC!). It doesn't help I'm still new at this, but I'll figure something out.

As for games, I've been playing Mercenaries 2 and Advance Wars: Days of Ruin. Both aren't too bad at all.

[Professor Smarmiarty]

You must've been lucky, since even with Tidus I've had trouble winning some games in Blitzball. Then again, they may have tweaked it in the International Version compared to the US version.



Pass the ball around in triangles between your center forward and 2 defenders until the opposing players are drifting to one side- pass it to other side, score. Or if you have Tidus, pass the ball to everyone but Tidus, pass the ball to Tidus, swim at goal- score.
Both of these work pretty infalliably. AI is pretty stupid. The only trouble I had was with the Al Bhed psyches whose keeper has CA 25 or something but just keep doing above and he'll let some in.

In other news characters continue to talk about stuff that was pretty obvious about 10 hours ago. I'm fairly sure Auron is dead but not sent but heal magic works normally on him so maybe I'm totally wrong.

[Nique]

That went entirely in the opposite direction of what I thought it would go to.

Yeah, I was a little freaked out. The series really needs some clarification about what these people are supposed to be exactly.

[Specterbane]

I'm about 20+ hours in and just interrupted the wedding and apparentely I'm not even halfway through. this game [FFX] is too long :(

Hah, I can remember the days when I thought if a JRPG was under 60 hours it was short. And I could still get them done in about 2 weeks.

[Kim]

Yeah, I was a little freaked out. The series really needs some clarification about what these people are supposed to be exactly.

We already have clarification. They're all Sora. ALL OF THEM.

[Torque]

Hah, I can remember the days when I thought if a JRPG was under 60 hours it was short. And I could still get them done in about 2 weeks.

agreed... this whole "complete the game in under 20 hours horseshit is bullshit."

..... hmm... horseshit is bullshit.
There must be a mathematical equation in there somewhere.

[rpgdemon]

agreed... this whole "complete the game in under 20 hours horseshit is bullshit."

..... hmm... horseshit is bullshit.
There must be a mathematical equation in there somewhere.

Let Y be a point on [0, 20)

Y hours(horse shit)=bull shit

To cancel out units of shit

Y hours / bull = horse^-1

Y hours = bull*horse (Note: Time needed to create a bullhorse hybrid?)

1 horse = bull/Y hours

If you have a bull over any given period of time Y (for Y <20), it is the same as one horse. Past the twenty hour point, more math will have to be done.

[Torque]

Thanks a lot asshole... now there's chocolate milk all over my brand new 24" LCD monitor.
Jerk.

[Torque]

Went to my girlfriends family reunion this weekend.
Left friday afternoon from work, and headed out into the country.
Her family is made of mostly farmers, and "roughnecks"
I don't drink pretty much.. Maybe a couple during new years. The occasional drunken roudiness at a social, or perhaps a party when I'm feeling energetic, So I brought no alcohol with me, since I was to be meeting most of the thirty plus people planning to come for the very first time. Most of them are also older with small children and families of their own. Grand kids even in some cases.
I woke up this morning with the grand poobah of all hangovers, and every piece of clothing I brought with me smelling of bonfires, whiskey, and some other indeterminate odours.
Man can those fuckers party!
edit:
I'm not 100% sure I know where exactly all of saturday went....

[h4x.m4g3]

Putting off working on the reports I have to do, by browsing an internet forum. Debating between whether I should go to a Grad School or go straight into the work force after I graduate in the spring, I've already got a pretty good job in my field that would switch from being part time to full, but I don't know if I want to detach from my college student lifestyle of procrastination, on the other hand I know I don't want to be a professor, and I'm hearing its hard to find a non-academic job immediately after getting a doctorate, and I don't have to write papers for work.

In the more immediate and less continual sense, I spent the day watching Seven Samurai, followed by the Magnificent Seven with one of my roommates, and started playing Arcanum:Of Steamworks Magick Obscura.