Farewell Blogger. 0 comments

It was bound to happen some day. Nick went first, and I have decided to follow.

http://snowflakesandsemiquavers.wordpress.com

Go there. Be enthralled.

Farewell.
xxx

Future Rust, Future Dust. 0 comments

Hello all, so, after much waiting, I've finally decided to post something. Expect general ranting/shouting/discussing/droning/long windedness over everything. You have been warned.

Yeah, so I don't have any excuse for not posting in two months, it's not even laziness. It's like a form below laziness. I'll call it ultra-laziness - and it's description would probably be something like "the feeling of being lazy enough to actually feel no laziness". Oxymoron? Most possibly. Anyway, there've been a few reasons for not posting other than the ultra-laziness, mainly due to a huge hole in the 'Inspiration Depot' of my brain - I haven't really had much in the way of ideas recently, but, seeing as I've just watched possibly the best episode of House in my life, I'm feeling rather saucy, That's probably the wrong description. Anyway, let's take a trip down the past two months, where we will most probably find pain, suffering, anguish - destruction, mutilation, death - and worse. What's worse than death? I do not know. That's a philosophical argument best saved for another time. And now that that list of false adjectives is over, let's get to it.

First things first - do any of you people who read my blog that don't live in Falkirk/know me (probably a 0.1% of the total page views) know that I had my hair cut?! I can't actually remember when I had it done or if I mentioned it two months ago, or even if it was that long ago - anyway, here's what it looks like now -

That's me with one of the singers from Naturally 7, who was supporting the leg-endary MICHAEL BUBLE (I can't be bothered getting the weird e), but more on that later. So aye. There's not much to say about a haircut really. It's shorter. I feel the wind on my cheeks. I can see again. It feels light when I shake it. It dries quicker. It's easier to wash in the shower. I look like less of a dirty mosher. Ya know, the usual things you realise after getting your hair cut. It's quite a good business, you should get into it. Yeaah. Moving on.

So, two months on and I still do not own a PS3, which is both gutting and immensely sad, mainly due to the fact that everyone I know has probably completed FF13 about six times now, along with Heavy Rain, Just Cause 2, God Of War 3 and all the other games I want to play. Hmph. One day I'll get one. I'll just be replaying every Final Fantasy game again 'till that day comes. Incidentally, on the topic of games, is there anyone out there who knows where I can find a slightly cheaper PAL Legend Of Dragoon? eBay isn't exactly looking promising for anything under £75, and I really want to play that game again. I don't even know what happened to it when I had it, it just disappeared off the face of the Earth. I miss Dart and Lloyd, and the dawning feeling of annoyance hearing Dart shout out 'BLAZING DYNAMO!' for the millionth time. If anyone knows where I can get one, that's what the comment box is for.

Seeing as we're on the subject of games, I may as well bring up that the Black Sky Project (that sounds so cool) is currently on hiatus, mainly due to the fact that it felt like it was slowly destroying my soul. And when I say 'project' I mean the game and the story. I feel like writing something different over the summer, something that isn't of a fantasy genre. I've never really detached myself from that subject, so writing something 'mindfucky, confusing and fun' might be a good step for me. There's also the flipside that it could crash and fall around me, but I'll try focusing on the positive, eh? Also, seeing as the Black Sky game was also slowly making me wanting to throw myself off of a bridge, I decided (after taking a spin on the very first RMVX game I ever made, the Touch of David) that it was time to start a new project, so at least if I get bored of that one I can go back to Black Sky and vice versa. Anyway, this new one's sounding pretty awesome already - let's just say there aren't many mimics skillset/equipment/monster-wise from any other Final Fantasy games, it's using the absolutely amazing Battle Engine Melody by Yanfly - AND, I've got Kim working out a killer story with me, chances are it might turn out pretty good. Also, because I'm doing it in segments, you can expect a demo from it quite soon. I'll keep you posted on the updates.

So, more amazing-ness, I went to see the awesome Michael Buble! He was playing at the SECC (I won't get started on how much I hate that venue - alright, I give in, £6 for a cup of beer? £20 for an LP? you are having a laugh), and was supported by an awesome a capella (not sure if that's how that second word is spelt, my spellchecker is going mental over every variation) band called Naturally 7 (who's set I sadly missed the start of). But mygaaaawd Buble was fantastic. He was out in the audience and everything (followed by about six massive bodyguards - which he more than definitely needed, there were crazed women clawing at him and bald men trying to maul him, and probably millions of rape threats to go along with all that) and also done crazy dancing and that 'Michael Buble being able to sing with microphone three miles away from him' thing, AND ended the show without using a microphone at all, managing to fill the majoirty of the SECC Hall 4(that massive one) with his voice and millions of people going 'SHHH!'. It was an awesome gig though, he opened with Cry Me A River, done a cover of Beat It, has Feeling Good in is encore AND magically made a guy playing a trumpet appear from the audience. I was very impressed.

Getting even better now - Foals finally released their second album the other week. It's called Total Life Forever, and it's pretty damn good. There's a fair mix of tracks on it, Spanish Sahara (which is also my ultimate favourite from the album) definitely stands out the most. If you listen to their previous album Antidotes, then go straight to that song, you'll be somewhat surprised. The only one I can think of off the top of my head that it could relate to from their other album is possibly Red Socks Pugie. Even at that, it's still a push. Spanish Sahara is definitely different from their previous tracks. I've seen Nick say it, and a few other reviews say it, there's a bit of Sigur Ros coming through in the vocals/general atmosphere. It's a much bolder, more emotional song than many, if not all of their earlier songs - with lines like 'forget the horror here' repeated over and over high pitched guitar loops and 'I'm the ghost in the back of your head' - it's definitely a more mature sounding Foals song. Then again, I could have it all wrong. Other standout songs are 'This Orient', the title track and After Glow. It may require a few listens to get your head around their new, somewhat polished style - but you can definitely hear the old Foals pushing through. As much as I hate seeing bands I love instantly getting adored by millions of people who've only heard their newest song (call me a music snob, I know), this album'll probably propel them into the limelight a bit more. I saw a review of their album in a Times magazine, so things are looking good already. In all honesty though, I'd recommend this album to you if you feel like something new, or you're a bit hesitant. It's well worth it.

Also, on the music front, I've re-discovered a few bands as of late, namely The Cribs and Bloc Party - and made a few new discoveries - them being Nada Surf, Crazy Lixx and Vampire Weekend (yeeeah, shoot me, I didn't listen to them before!). I'm intending on making a big Summer playlist soon, which should be fun...

On the FF Perfect Save side of things, I've started 9 after getting 7, 10 and 12 into a state of almost-perfection. I'll go back and do them all after I've done the same with 9, 8, 6 and 10/2. Who knows, I might even branch out to 5 if I'm feeling saucy (just thought I'd try that adjective again, still not really working for me). It's all just a way of biding my time until I get a PS3, if that day ever comes.

So, there you go, you've found out all about my last two months. Other news - me and Kim have been with each other six months and more now, love her to bits!; Naomi vacated her Tryst Road abode and games of truth or dare/bagel nights will never be the same, all the best though; I'll be away back down to Warrington soonish; Uni is more or less over bar a philosophy exam (should really study for that); I've had Spanish Sahara on the repeat for the last two hours; Shaw is still alive in Chuck; House and Cuddy are together; you all just lost the game; goodnight, and farewell.

I like that outro.

Music Makes the World Go Round 0 comments

I had an epiphany last night. Granted, last night I was in Sportsters/Spoons/Firkins/almost City (granted, we only walked through the back entrance of Spoons, and then through the front because it was so bloody busy), and I had had a few drinks and was liable to be talking a load of shit, but I'm almost sure this happened.

So me and Nick were happily sitting there, listening to that weird/random curly haired man singing/dancing for the 40th time, and he stops. Then, suddenly Cheryl Cole comes on in the background. And this brings me to my epiphany. Simultaneously, we both suddenly realised (well, maybe not suddenly, I kinda thought so since forever) that the Cole-meister is crap. Like, seriously, how did she go from slapping random toilet attendants to, as now dubbed by the media, 'the nations sweetheart?' It just seems wrong, primarily because her solo songs pretty much suck. Granted, they do have a pretty good beat to dance around to, but said beat was probably created from the memories of Sophie Amogbokpa being punched in the face over and over in her head. That may have been a bit harsh.

But, my point is, how come the so called 'music idols' that have emerged in 'noughties' are all pretty poor? I mean, there have been so many emegerences (is that a word?) of new bands that have well outdone people like Subo or the Cole-meister - granted, these opinions are nothing but personal to me, though I'm sure they're shared by tons of others. And plus, stuff like the X-Factor (I'll admit it myself, even I get hooked on it) just promotes really, really manufactured and crap music, year in and year out. I mean, think about it. Burke-meister aside, has any other X-Factor winner really gotten anywhere? Joe may have an album coming out or whatever, but what's he done? Granted, I don't really follow all of that so he might've done a lot that's not to my knowledge, but I don't see him sparking the hearts of thousands and becoming some idol. I really wish, for music, that I was alive aaages ago, when INXS or Van Halen, or The Cult were all the rage - now that would be good.

But the point is, if I was live back then, would those bands be open o the exact same interpretation? D'you reckon bands like The Beatles acted the exact same way idols do today? D'you think there was a small time band trying to get recognised constantly, but was always blocked by the fame of all these other massive bands? Or, do you think people just thought the exact same as I'm thinking now? They probably did. And don;t get me wrong here, I'm not attacking all the music that came from the noughties, nor am I being one of them 'mainstream music is shit' arseholes, all I'm saying is that, truthfully, the days of amazing 'pop idols' must be well and truly gone, especially when some of ours are just so poor.

But, as is the case with all music, it's completely open to personal interpretation. This rant is coming from a guy who has INXS, The Beatles, Black Eyed Peas, Flo Rida and Kanye West in the same library. And there's tons of people like that. And I'm not saying I hate every song that's ever came out of the noughties, I just don't see how so many of them are loved so much that they become the songs that define these years. Because, personally, the music that made those ten years so great for me wasn't produced by Simon Cowell (though saying that, it probably was considering he owns half the fucking planet), nor was it given to someone for winning a competition in front of an ecstasy-enduced audience. And I'm trying so, so hard not to sound like a music snob here, because I bloody hate music snobs, but that's just my opinion.

Anyway, I'm off. I fancy listening to some will.i.am.

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Now playing: Rogue Wave - Cheaper Than Therapy
via FoxyTunes

Back In The Swing 1 comments

As the title suggests, I really need to/am going to get back in the swing of posting stuff this year, seeing as I really haven't since 2010 rolled in. I don't really have much of an excuse other than general laziness, but the Easter holidays are coming up soon, so maybe I'll get some more stuff done then. And some Easter eggs.

Well, I got absolutely no sleep last night. Not a wink. I hate it when that happens. You jump into bed at a semi-reasonable hour, and you know you're tired, your mind knows you're tired...but as soon as those lights go out and your head hits that pillow, suddenly, your brain begins to speak to itself. And who knows what you're talking about. And also, the last two episodes of OTH S04 drew me back towards my laptop...so that may have something to do with it.

Anyway, updates-wise, Black Sky the game is chugging along extremely slowly, though I've finished a couple more maps and areas since the last screenies were up, namely Silenz, Koriezia and the Rish'haad Catacombs. They're all looking pretty good actually, my mapping seems to have gotten a lot better recently, and the RPGVX RTP isn't exactly the best to map with. Saying that, their are some Mack tiles mixed in their, but who cares. All in all, actually, I'd say the mapping (without events) is about 35% (?) done, I still have the mammoth mapping that will be the mountains, the many mountain caverns, underground cities and a holy city atop said mountain. They'll probably take the most time, after that it's just another few palette locations (a few more deserts/forests/highways etc), one or two big cities then the final 'continent' to map. And that should be the mapping done.

I don't really want to turn this into a dev blog for Black Sky, but while I'm on the subject I may as well ramble on. The main issues right now are enemies - so, if you're still here, some opinions would be lovely. RPG wise, how do you like your enemies to grow? Do you prefer them FF7/9 style, each with set levels and stats so your party can encounter them at a reasonable stage? Or, do you prefer FF8, when then enemies actually levelled up with you? I'm kinda stuck between them the now, 'cause I like the idea of levelling monsters, though the only problem is if you create a really strong random encounter that's designed for later on in the game, by the time you actually get there, that random encounter will be waaay stronger. Of course there are ways around this, but still...lets hear your opinions.

Another point I'd quite like to share is that, following numerous database changes and arguments and mishaps, I'm going to make MY OWN bestiary. Well, it is my story (Auron moment much?), so I reckon rather than trying to recycle other FF bestiaries I should try my own. I'm already using the FF12 equipments and states, and skills seem to be all recycled from a multitude of FF games. Saying that, that'll change when the actual pen on paper story gets further along and the language of the Mrist is further developed and I actually have names for spells and such, rather than the oh so cliche Fire, Fira, Firaga...etc. On the topic of Skills actually, they're all completely finished (names aside), minus a lot of damage testing and tinkering. Items are all done too, so all that's left is the bestiary, mapping, and writing the damn story at some point. I may finish Chapter Two today, come to think of it...

As for scripts, many of the YERD ones that were being used have been replaced or gotten rid of completely, and I'm using the new ported YEZ ones. I got rid of the cacophony of incompatibility that was Tankentai and switched to Reedo's simple SBS, at least until Yanfly's Battle Engine Melodies is out...it looks delicious.

Anyway, if you're still here then I congratulate you, I just needed to vent my ideas. Sorry about the horrendousness that is this post, but I can feel my eyes closing, so I think I may have a snooze before attempting to write anything.

Next week, raccoons! A large, inordinate and altogether useless number of raccoons!
xxx

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Now playing: Stereophonics - Maybe Tomorrow
via FoxyTunes

Such A Perfect Save 0 comments

Hello all, sorry for another large delay in posting - if it makes you feel any better I have tried writing something at random points throughout the weeks, but I've hit several thousand invisible walls and, inevitably, drowned in a metaphorical word bank. Now there's an image.

Anyway, I reckoned it'd be better to do this post now to sway me from doing it over the weekend, as there are essays to be a'doin (well, only the one), and I actually haven't fully read The Crucible (what I'm doing the essay on) or really decided on a question yet. There's a creative writing option for it that I might do, but it might fall into a thousand pieces due to the fact that I can't really mimic the style of a play I haven't actually read properly yet. Wish me luck.

Another reason why I haven't posted anything of late is because of another surge of ideas for the Black Sky game (and the story itself, but I'm gonna refrain from saying anything because every time I say 'I got my writing mojo back!', it packs its bags and buggers off), and I've had to replace a certain few scripts (Sorry, I have to interrupt this paragraph 'cause my dad just walked in steaming - here's a wee sample of conversation we've just had - Dad: "I've got a burger Mark!" Me: "How did you get a burger?" Dad: "Ah dunno!" - nuff said), namely the battle system. This was primarily due to the sucky compatibility with every other script on the planet, but I'm waiting for the YEZ Battle System Melodies to come out, considering they might be more compatible with all the other scripts I'm using. I've replaced Tankentai with a simpler side view system for the time being, and I finished another couple of maps/decided on some new plot twists with the aid of my fantastic Kim Bulmer. Also, I've replaced the RO sprites I was using with FFI & FFII ones, after playing said games, and wanting mine to have a classic battle feel to it. Though it's a given when Melodies is released with all its animated battler capabilities, that 'classic feel' may be extinguished rather quickly...

Really though, one of the main reasons for not posting has been the beginning of another FF marathon, though this one more in depth than the last few I've had. I'm starting off with FFVII, and I'm already 43 odd hours into it. What I'm aiming to do though is create a 'perfect save' for each Final Fantasy, starting with VII, then going all the way up to XII, then back to I up to VI. Which, I do realise is gonna take me years, but I already have a headstart on X 'cause I started it a while back on the expert sphere grid, and I have absolutely no intention of starting the horrors of that all over again. Anyway, the 'perfect save' needs to have absolutely everything done on it, every item, every quest, every side quest, every boss, everything. It won't be too difficult on the earlier ones, though when it gets to X and the horrifying rare game and rare drops in XII, it's gonna be a nightmare. Progress on VII so far though - I've got Cloud, Cid and Barrett to Lvl99, 8 sets of Master Magic materias for every character, a copy of all the other materias and every colour of chocobo. All that's really left to do is get Master Summon/Master Command materias for the entire party, level up everyone else and get their final limit breaks (I've already got Omnislash/Highwind/Catastrophe learned, and all the other final limit breaks in the inventory), maximise everybody's stats to 255, and beat Ruby and Emerald. I've already got all the ultimate weapons for everyone and done every other side quest...so I've got all that left to do. Granted, this is just filling up the wait for FFXIII and a new PS3, but it's quite enjoyable...anyway, enough boasting/babbling. Speak to you all after the weekend!

Next week, see a human man eat an elephant...whole!
xxx

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Now playing: The 88 - How Good It Can Be
via FoxyTunes

Screenies! (01) 2 comments

Just cause I can't sleep, I figured I'd do something I keep meaning to do, which is upload some screenshots of Black Sky (the game I'm making based on the epic novel I've been writing for a millenium) for you all to peruse. Here's the first batch.




That's the main menu. Just a note, I'm using PHLiM2's Menu Status Mod to create that look. I'll show you the other sub menus and give some details on the Class Change/Skill Learning side of things at some point as well. Note that (if you can read it) there's support for KGC's Day and Night system, which I added in myself.



There's the (extremely overrated and overused, I know) battle system. I'm using the Tankentai SBS, without the ATB and a host of YERD battle scripts. Compatibility is one major issue here.




Those screenshots are three areas from the map 'Szeriah Praire', which is by far my most favourite map I've done so far. I'm not sure what makes it so good, it's just so atmospheric (as much as it can be, anyway) with the fog and tints. Plus, I have 'Promise (Reprise)' from Silent Hill as the BGM, which fits pretty well. In case you don't know or weren't aware, I'm using RPG Maker VX for all of this, not the best game maker in the planet, but it suits me fine. Hope you like the look of these and that they haven't crashed your browser!

Next week, Jesus rides a unicycle!
xxx

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Now playing: The Avett Brothers - I And Love And You
via FoxyTunes

Dreaming 0 comments

I just had one of the strangest dreams in the world (actually, I had two, I done that annoying 'waking up in the middle of one then failing asleep to a completely new one' thing), which prompted me to write this post that I've been dancing about for a while - dreaming.

The reason I've been dancing around it is that it's a pretty cliched topic, but the onset of the new philosophy module I've taken made me reconsider it a wee bit, and also the new writing project I'm thinking about doing (more on that in a bit) relies heavy on dreams and that pretty abstract part of our minds, so I thought it'd be a pretty good time to start it. This post will probably be a bit weird because one, I'm absolutely shattered (I just woke up!) and two, it will probably contain a load of philosophical, stupid and pointless questions within it, and not actually make any kind of solid argument/point. But hey, that's philosophy isn't it?

Anyway, I thought I'd start by actually telling you one of the dreams I had last night. It involved me and Dr. House. So it started off here - I was walking with him around the area near the Rosebank in Falkirk (I actually didn't realise that until now), and then he suddenly disappeared. I looked round and he was standing at the very top of a hill, that was way way way too steep to actually exist in real life. And he beckoned me to get up it. So I spent quite a while trying to climb the hill, during which several old men walked past me with ease. I eventually got to the top of the hill, where I meet House again, and we continue. We then walked past the church in which I used to go to BBs in (which is pretty impossible considering that's in Larbert) and all the old BB people are there, Mr. Speed, Gary? (I think that's his name) and all the other leaders and such. So I stop to say hello, and Mr. Speed looks up at me with both his eyes facing out in opposite directions and starts wailing at me that 'I left him'. He's also got a black eye. At this point, all the other BBs start shouting and going a bit crazy, till I eventually leave. Me and House keep walking around, when we end up at a house (this is going to get confusing, so I'm going to replace house with home), which apparently belongs to House's ex-wife. Now I'm pretty sure that his ex-wife was Stacey (can't actually remember if they were married), and this woman was nothing like Stacey. So we both badgered her on for ages to try and get back with House, and then she left her home. We started rummaging about in her home, until she suddenly came back in a helicopter, which landed in her garden. It smashed her back window on her home. We ran round the corner and hid behind a few bins, but her sister (?) came round and told us she knew where she was. House's ex-wife then came round and we pestered her to get back with him again for a while until she said no again and asked us to leave. House thanked me for the help and I exclaimed 'we should go pester Cuddy and Lucas now'. Whilst walking back we ended up walking across a motorway, then a roundabout. At the roundabout we met a black guy who was wearing a white glove (he wasn't MJ), who exclaimed to us in a very high pitch voice that someone had stolen his car as he was taking his driving test - then I woke up.

Now all that does seem pretty unbelievable, but I made sure to note it all down pretty much right when I woke up. The thing that's weird is that this only lasts for like, 5 - 10 minutes in real life, doesn't it? We could be off having crazy, epic journeys akin to Frodo or Aragorn (never used that 'akin' word before, if it's wrong tell me!) just in our sleep. So what are these dreams? Do they mean anything? There are literally hundreds of 'dream interpretation' websites, most of them relying on cliches and extremely drawn out reasons for certain things we dream about. But do they actually mean anything? Is it just our brain's way of showing us a film made up from (what seems like) fragmented memories and experiences? Not that I've ever met Hugh Laurie or have been married and tried to get an ex-wife back, but you know what I mean. I mean, the ex-wife and House not talking could relate to a load of things in my life - same with the BBs - but everything can be a bit too abstract to actually refer back to our lives at all. Like all the small things that dreams show you - for instance, the physical details of Mr. Speed, the black guy's story - and, come to think of it, the people that actually take part in your dreams. Cause now, thinking about it, that might not have been House. Sure, it looked like him, but I'm not even sure it was now. And when I was typing that out, several memories of that dream flashed back into my mind that I had left out, but they were way too difficult to actually pinpoint and explain. But the question I'm really pushing at is if they actually mean anything? What they are? What's the point? Are we all nothing but a huge machine, and our creator has a really bad habit of changing screen savers? Or are they just random thoughts, musings, fluctuations and remnants of memories coming back to us in our sleep and fusing together to create a sort of Frankenstein-memory that seems to make very little sense? I'm aware there is a scientific explanation for dreaming (the one that relates to REM and stuff, I can't be bothered getting into it here), but, I'm more interested in the abstract here. And, for fear of my head blowing up in confusion, I'm gonna stop there.

Now I hope you're all still with me after that tense changing/philosophically wrong/structurally unsound rant. I still have to mention about the new writing project which, I'm sure has got you all excited. Most people know I've been writing Black Sky for about one hundred and sixty years, but I'm actually thinking of taking a break from the writing aspect of it and focusing more on the game-making (for those of you who don't know, I'm making a game based on the story of Black Sky), and possibly starting something new. I actually mentioned it before, but the idea's changed somewhat, it'll be loosely based on a section of my life, but is now going to be far far far more abstract. Think Vanilla Sky mixed with Donnie Darko abstract. And, dreams are linked quite heavily to the supposed plot here, which prompted this slightly odd post. Which, also, brings this up. Now my memory is extremely bad, and remembering any sort of dream later in the day without first noting it down is pretty unrealistic, so I'm asking for all you guy's help as well (let's see if this can generate more replies than the not so successful '12 Days of Christmas). If any of you have a memorable dream that you wish to share, please comment this post/recurring posts with them! It would be extremely helpful for me. That being said, I'm not asking you to relive personal dreams/thoughts here, but if you have a kind of dream that was anything like the one I've just had, then let me know.

Next week, flying cats, astronauts dancing and forty carrots!
xxx

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Now playing: Simon & Garfunkel - The Sound Of Silence
via FoxyTunes