gdp's Comments

Arcadian Rhythms : Tap Titans & incremental games: is it enough to simply exist?

Sat, 21 Mar 2015 19:06:20 +0000

I'd say if someone is willing to 'play' Tap Titans, they should go for Progress Quest instead. You have no idea how glad I am to see it being on Android! I am tempted to get it, but I am curious to see if I can import my already-existing profile first. No use playing that awesome 'gem' if you can't import your level 80+ character that you've already had for YEARS on an old PII 266Mhz laptop!

Arcadian Rhythms : Applicant Wanted (tolerance of crunch & job insecurity required)

Wed, 11 Mar 2015 20:19:19 +0000

Working as an intern anywhere seems to be the ''trial'' to go through to get experience to be able to tackle the field you're going for... but it shouldn't be requiring you to slave yourself because ''that's what you want, and we know it''. Which, as a parallel to the video-game industry, as you stated is an entertainment industry, seems like is the expected norm. Sure, compared to being an intern at the White House, the requirements for jumping in QA for example aren't the highest, but the industry appears to have a nasty tendency to treat the entry-level employees the same way: ''this is your dream come true, playing games for a living, so you'll bend the way we want when we want it or else you can say goodbye to your dream''. And yeah, EVENTUALLY you might get good money at the White House, once you pass the intern stage which, hint, involves a lot of working for free. So in that respect, it's different from the gaming industry but, again, as you mentioned (and I agree with that fully) it IS quite the edge case. P.S.: sorry for the spilling of coffee about that. P.P.S.: Here's a link on White House ''fun'' times I stumbled on while doing a swift search on the matter which might cover a bit of the parts discussed (and some other issues on the matter) that I think you might like (when you are in a position to not blast coffee everywhere, that is): http://www.salon.com/2014/01/19/how_the_young_eli...

Arcadian Rhythms : Applicant Wanted (tolerance of crunch & job insecurity required)

Sat, 7 Mar 2015 04:22:14 +0000

Good stuff, mate. Hard to forget those times. Which is weird in a way because my experience in QA was ''here's a permanent contract after 3 months'', then I stayed for 8 years. But the thing is, while this was fine and dandy for the first 6 months, then you start noticing people going left and right, from a month to a year in between, you get your hands on good testers, then the next thing you know they aren't called back... because now it's ''well, time to have a steady amount of n testers for this time of year which is 50 less than the week before!'' only to end up, in a month or two, seeing HR in a rush shouting left and right ''ANYONE KNOW PPL WHO WANT TO TEST GAME? WE NEED 80 TESTERS BY MONDAY''. And you can bet you wish some of the ''returning ones'' will include the couple of good testers you had the chance to work with in the past. ''(...) and the attitude of many employers has historically been that it doesn’t matter because a new crop of graduating young coders, designers and artists will be served up next summer.'' Sad thing: it's not only in the gaming industry that this mentality is being observed. It's baffling since I wouldn't have known had I not witnessed it first hand but, in education, it seems the underlying mentality of many school boards, or even the ''reality'' that you'll have to face for 8-10 years before you get something else than substitute position, or ''maybe'' 1-year contracts. Because ya know, there's an overwhelming amount of graduates flooding out of teacher's college every year. I'm not saying it's as bad as ''the zero hours contracts'' but given that since you'll likely be between 10 000 to 20 000CAN$ in debts (which is sooo low, compared to other fields still) after you get out of teaching college, it's a bit stressful to say the least. Hell, the only reason my better half has a job this year is because she was willing to go far north in a remote location, in another province, to get a borderline-sketchy offer (and moving there was quite expensive). While we're on the topic in other professions, if you want to REALLY get depressed at how ''offer and demand'' in positions can blow things out of proportions, I suggest you look up at what is ''basically the norm'' for being a United States of America White House intern. I suggest you have a seat first, and aren't drinking while you scroll through.

Arcadian Rhythms : Cast 23: 2014 Pop Quiz Hotshots (Pt. 2)

Wed, 18 Feb 2015 13:52:39 +0000

eight equals equals FarCry2

Arcadian Rhythms : Cast 23: 2014 Pop Quiz Hotshots (Pt. 2)

Wed, 11 Feb 2015 20:02:50 +0000

I tried finding AJ's SEGA shirt on google based on the detailed description (and back story), fell on this: http://abload.de/img/245f32f0f1f59764e320bdjrwd.j... About buying games cheap, I feel bad for having paid only £2 for Vanquish. That game should never be this cheap. I know this is more or like 5 CAN$ (which is still cheap) but I couldn't help but think of that one time I went to a local game store back in the summer of 1998, and saw a used copy of MYST on Sega Saturn for 2 CAN$ which, in contrast, I thought at the time was WAY too pricy for such a piece of... wasted CD-ROM.

Arcadian Rhythms : Cast 23: 2014 Pop Quiz Hotshots (Pt.1)

Wed, 11 Feb 2015 18:34:21 +0000

Animal Crossing the Trenches? I'd buy that. Imagine the awesome stuff you could level up as the conflicts escalate (and/or move to other eras of warfare)! 'DOGE' GETS TO LEVEL UP TO 'MINE DOGE'! QUICK! CROSS THE TRENCHES AND RUN UNDER THAT TANK! YAY! GOOD MINE DOGE! *mine doge detonates self and tank* MISSION ACCOMPLISH! WOOHOO!

Arcadian Rhythms : The Palm of My Hand Pt. 2

Sun, 1 Feb 2015 02:35:17 +0000

aaand it took about 2 hours and a half. BUT NOW, I have enough cat food to acquire the NINJA CAT! mmyesss

Arcadian Rhythms : The Palm of My Hand Pt. 2

Sat, 31 Jan 2015 23:11:10 +0000

I can't get enough of The Battle Cats; considering waking up at night to use all my energy. I wonder how long it'll last. I also wonder how long before I cave and do all those stupid things which grant me 1 cat food per action.

Arcadian Rhythms : Home Shit Home

Tue, 2 Dec 2014 15:10:01 +0000

O man, I thought I was the only one with the largest collection of ''Notes'' and ''Letter'' in Skyrim! I actually had to delete a few because they started to bug out at one point (the game doesn't like it when more than one of your friends die at the same time, and the courier seem to be utterly confused about that). Speaking of Skyrim (yeah I might stick with that one for a bit), there is this mod, Frostfall, which include hypothermia and survival camping: http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/11163/? Pretty awesome, and gives a new meaning to ''home away from home'' or, if you fancy it, a permanent home in the land of permafrost! Mostly you try to make it fast, get a fireplace going so you don't freeze to death as you settle for the night, and try to leave when you have some time for traveling as soon as you had a good night of rest... but I can see this being more than just utilitarian, but then that's just playing a hermit. Which can still be a thing I guess. And in Hearthfire DLC, you could build your own home! It was heavily scripted, but you still had more customization capabilities than when buying a home. Building all 3 available ''mansions'' fully (because they can become quite the imposing properties) takes an awful lot of time and dedication (and gold). This may just be the last ''achievement'' I get to stumble upon in my Skyrim life! I really liked the idea of a futuristic ''cozy space station Japanese apartment of the future'' in Phantasy Star Universe. Your room had a place to set up a shop to sell your items. You could decorate everything in there and even throw parties if you felt like it (and/or were sick of farming). It served purposes both in the multilayer and single player mode. In Warframe, they recently added a player-ship. It's very compact, but it's basically the ship that sends you in and takes you out of every mission. The possibilities for customization are rather limited to say the least, but you have a little spot to stare at the sun and surrounding celestial bodies (usually where you last had a mission. I'm quite found of the Jupiter environment). You can craft weapons and access your arsenal there in a manner that is less ''sterile'' than simply clicking on a button in a menu. It isn't much, but it definitely adds to the immersion.

Arcadian Rhythms : 24 Hour Le Mans challenge pt.2

Fri, 19 Sep 2014 01:33:45 +0000

Middle-of-the-wilderness, Manitoba, waaaayy north! Gonna enjoy the dry cold and auroras for a year at least! Maybe more, depends on if my gf and I are still working there. I do intend on going back to Montreal maybe for some time in the summer days, or the UK! We'll see how things go and then think of travel plans. Meeting up and gaming with fellow AR people would be awesome though! Feels like it's been forever!

Arcadian Rhythms : 24 Hour Le Mans challenge pt.2

Wed, 17 Sep 2014 17:52:11 +0000

*10 weeks later* I have recovered, yes! Took me about a week though. I'm not as young as I used to be! But yes, been busy planning a move across the country as well as MANY OTHER DISTRACTIONS (mostly, WARFRAME).

Arcadian Rhythms : Assuming Control: my past, our present & the possible futures of game interaction

Sat, 31 May 2014 15:39:08 +0000

Actually, I'll do more than just leave that here. I'll add more on the matter. One day, somewhere in the Spring of year 2006, I have been graced with the possibility to enjoy FREE freedom-to-do-as-I-please-away-from-work (read: took semi-forced unpaid vacations because of REASONS. Those were harsh times for the video-game industry. Or maybe just the company I worked with. I don't know, POINT IS I was perfectly fine with the idea of having 2 surprise weeks of R&R). And so, I went to E3 in Los Angeles. There I saw bunch of hot titles and rooms full of props and boot-babes and... a particularly unattractive section that looked like a weird dealer's room from an anime convention. At first it gave the impression of being the backstage of the main event floor's, or worse, the ''we couldn't afford being on the main floor, but YAY! we may have ruined ourselves just to have a spot somewhere in E3, BUT WE ARE IN. God-I-hope-we-can-find-a-buyer'' room. That room turned out to be the most interesting of them all. I saw a PS2 controller made of buttons that you lock into your joints to create combinations of moves that allow you to FIGHT LIKE A DUDE FROM TEKKEN, as you play Tekken, a mouse that moved on the x y and z axis, and a thing you put on your head to play a game. That game was more primitive than Pong itself. If I had to give that demo a name, I'd call it ''mind wrestling''. Because it kinda was just that. You'd put a helmet on your head, and then someone else would do the same. Now without trying to look too constipated, you'd try to figure out what way to think or ''be at ease'' (I don't remember really) to push your bar as far as possible, more than the other person. Kind of like arm wrestling and tug-of-war, FOR YOUR MIND. I didn't think much of it, but thought it had potential, given I figured works of fiction had already been made with the idea of controlling a machine with the mind. Back then, I only knew of Macross Plus the anime, but apparently in 1982 this questionably poor movie with Clint Eastwood called FireFox (written in SEGA font) came out and it was all about flying a plane WITH YOUR MIND (in Russian). I kind of only got to know that last bit today from replies on the site of the article I just posted here though. But yeah, awesome stuff. BUT IT GETS BETTER. A mere TWO YEARS later, I stumble on this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PH9N2-mLXzg It's insane, it's got so ahead. And now, today, we just learned (well, I just learned at least) that they are planning on making that tech be used to flying freakin' planes. Now I tell you, if we're ''getting close to fly with our minds'', I'm pretty sure we have a safe mastery of the tech to map ''a mere handful'' of controller inputs.

Arcadian Rhythms : Assuming Control: my past, our present & the possible futures of game interaction

Sat, 31 May 2014 15:11:03 +0000

From a site we all know and love: http://www.iflscience.com/technology/aircrafts-ca... I'll just leave this here.

Arcadian Rhythms : Review: Earth Defense Force 2025

Wed, 16 Apr 2014 13:43:49 +0000

I am really wanting to see a PC-console multiplayer kicking in for an EDF (either in this generation or the next) so we can get some good old PC-console multiplayer like in the Dreamcast days. The last one got a PC port, this one hopefully will as well, and the next one should be a PC-XBOXONE-PS4 online experience! Or maybe it will be PC-XBOXTWO-PS5. I can't believe there has to be such barriers in this day and age... but I won't rant about that, nay, I'll rant about the fact I HAVE YET TO PLAY EDF 2025. Still, I really want to keep playing EDF:IA, but alone will feel like such a drag and I already feel that, despite not having unlocked all the weapons ever, I have seen the end of it, ya know, from having beaten the game on the hardest difficulty already. Given the life of my Xbox 360, I'm hesitant to bring such a beast-of-a-game I know I'll be pouring lot's of hours into on my console. I fear it's a matter of time before it dies on me. I'll cross my fingers for a PC port for now.

Arcadian Rhythms : Hushtag

Fri, 22 Nov 2013 19:55:14 +0000

And I forgot to mention, while we can give sick paint jobs on cars and whatnot... we can't tag on them! I saw a truck the other day that looked like it came out of Jet Grind Radio. It would be nice to be able to do that, and then randomly see that ''decorated'' piece of work of yours go around the city. I don't expect someone in a lambo being too keen on doing that, but ya know some no-name delivery trucks sometime just go with it. Or OR, even see some workers (in a GTA-like game) scrub the graffiti you did in some area... and maybe, if you get busted, one of the potential consequences for petty crimes could be some manual labor sentence, and one of them being scrubbing off graffiti... graffiti that YOU did! O HOW IRONIC.

Arcadian Rhythms : One reason to not buy an Xbox One

Wed, 20 Nov 2013 21:32:16 +0000

Haha, don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to convince you to get a PS4; I'm trying to convince you to check how Warframe runs on your PC (if you have any) and get to convince yourself you are playing an Xbox version of it with an Xbox360 controller... alongside PS4 players.

Arcadian Rhythms : AR Podcast #9b: Sloppy Arcadian Cults

Tue, 19 Nov 2013 22:15:12 +0000

(just got around reaching this podcast, talk about laggin' behind!) I've made it a point to get Vanquish before the end of this year, but I'm so concerned about how more awesome it might be compared to Warframe, I'm afraid I wouldn't want to get back to Warframe once I'd be done with Vanquish! Not to mention that, given it's been so long since release, I'm also a BIT concerned about whether I'd be able to find a copy anywhere. ... On a Spartan note, the day I showed up all dressed up as one for work, was still warmer than the day I did the same in Saint-Zénon (where I had another costume party... which is 140km North of Montreal. oh and the party was in November): http://www.cosplay.com/photo/1865145/ Would you believe that -10ºC feels considerably colder than -4ºC? Crazy stuff! Might have had something to do with me having wet feet from stepping in the snow in sandals... or maybe also me being half naked. Yeah, must have been that.

Arcadian Rhythms : Saturday Spotlight: Out There

Tue, 19 Nov 2013 20:48:33 +0000

The thumbnail for this article made me think of NASEghasts. Well, more accurately, of this image in particular: http://beanjamish.deviantart.com/art/Nasaghast-20... Must have been the color palette, and that guy's expression... looking like he's about to turn into a NASAghast. If you have a chance, and if you haven't already (and have a lot of spare time [and kinda are into that stuff, the comic isn't for everyone, really]), sink into The Adventures of Dr. McNinja! It's like Deadpool and Batman as one more-or-less super hero. http://drmcninja.com/issues/ About Out There though, it seems to be an interesting ''ISS Commander'' simulator! From the few interviews I've seen of Col. Chris Hadfield, and the couple anecdotes about how things ''tended to be on the verge of going horribly wrong on a daily basis'' up there, it sounds like Out There could be the closest thing to what it might be to command an International Space Station... of the future!* *ya know, one going around planets and whatnot.

Arcadian Rhythms : Saturday Spotlight: gooDDoog

Sat, 16 Nov 2013 19:54:59 +0000

WHAT HAVE I DONE EDIT: found it, the badger comic: http://horribleville.com/d/20080203.html ... also, my favorite comic: http://horribleville.com/d/20060326.html His ''irrational fears'' are pretty wacked too.

Arcadian Rhythms : One reason to not buy an Xbox One

Fri, 15 Nov 2013 21:12:52 +0000

Does this mean you'll still come play Warframe with me on PC instead of PS4? We can troll PS4 players together! Tell them ''how great the game feels when played with a USB Xbox360 controller''? ... I wouldn't be surprised though that the PS4 allow you to use a USB Xbox360 controller if you want to. So I guess that ruins it for my trolling days.