First, The 1UP Rejects is on hold at the moment. Short version - we started out too big and too aggressive. It'll be back, at some point.
For now, I'm back doing my own thing, starting this Friday!
So, I'm starting small, and I'll be streaming two nights a week, Thursday and Friday.
Thursday, I'll be streaming the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic series from 2000-2300 (central US time). I'm already a few episodes in, and you can watch those below. The intent is that I'll play through KotOR 1 & 2, and if people want, a campaign in SWTOR afterward. The KotOR games are using a fair number of mods to update the visuals.
Friday, I'll be streaming The Witcher series from 2000-2200 (central) and various Elder Scrolls games from 2200 to whenever. I'm a few episodes into this one, too, and the intent is to play through all of The Witcher trilogy. These will also use several visual mods.
Aside from that, I'll pop in when I feel like it with some Final Fantasy or whatever I feel like.
Of note - the KotOR series will be moving from the 1UP Rejects channel to my own channel.
I'll be starting up this Friday, and I'm pretty stoked. I'd been having a blast playing through The Witcher before my spinal surgery, and I loved the game when I played it years ago.
But first, you need to get caught up!
And also, you should get caught up on my KotOR series!
And the Elder Scrolls bit will be fun, as well. I'll be bouncing between various entries in the series, maybe even in the same stream. We'll see.
And the random streams ... I don't stream much of games I've not played through before, but the 'random streams' will be either new games or MMOs. Not sure yet.
I think I'll also post in here sometimes, as well.
For the moment, I'm focused on work, family, and getting this side hustle going again. And let me know if you have stuff you want me to write or stream.
Also, as a reminder, I'm starting all of this back up on Friday (I'm going to the Cardinals home opener on Thursday.)
*HUGS*
-Blaine
Showing posts with label streaming. Show all posts
Showing posts with label streaming. Show all posts
20180404
20171206
The 1UP Rejects + Me
Greetings, Earth Clan.
Nearly all of my energy has been going into getting the 1UP Rejects project off the ground. We've got a great group of folks contributing with written words, streams, a podcast, and some video work. It's actually coming together. It's still very early in the process, but it's actually clicking, and I'm in love with it. We're still figuring some things out. We're definitely still in a 'beta' state. Give it a look, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitch, follow us on Twitter, subscribe to us on YouTube, and just generally let us take over your life. Please.
Most of my contribution has been getting the systems up and running, and a little streaming and a little writing. And a lot of coordinating people. It's exhausting, and I'm looking forward to checking out mentally for a few hours tonight, but I love it.
I've always wanted a modern games media outlet that skewed toward us old timers. The people that came of age during the magazine era, into the early days of 1UP.com. I kept waiting for it to happen, and then, during these last few months, I realized I could just get off (or actually, on) my ass and make it happen, with a lot of help from fellow 1UP Rejects.
So, yeah, give it a look, understand it's still early, but enjoy the content, and let us know what else you want.
So, here's some of my streaming series I've got going. Dragon Age is every Tuesday on the 1UP Rejects Twitch channel, and Witcher is whenever I feel like it on my Twitch channel.
And that's it for now. This blog is my personal stuff, while the Rejects is my big project, hopefully for a long time.
Thanks for reading!
-Blaine
Nearly all of my energy has been going into getting the 1UP Rejects project off the ground. We've got a great group of folks contributing with written words, streams, a podcast, and some video work. It's actually coming together. It's still very early in the process, but it's actually clicking, and I'm in love with it. We're still figuring some things out. We're definitely still in a 'beta' state. Give it a look, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitch, follow us on Twitter, subscribe to us on YouTube, and just generally let us take over your life. Please.
Most of my contribution has been getting the systems up and running, and a little streaming and a little writing. And a lot of coordinating people. It's exhausting, and I'm looking forward to checking out mentally for a few hours tonight, but I love it.
I've always wanted a modern games media outlet that skewed toward us old timers. The people that came of age during the magazine era, into the early days of 1UP.com. I kept waiting for it to happen, and then, during these last few months, I realized I could just get off (or actually, on) my ass and make it happen, with a lot of help from fellow 1UP Rejects.
So, yeah, give it a look, understand it's still early, but enjoy the content, and let us know what else you want.
So, here's some of my streaming series I've got going. Dragon Age is every Tuesday on the 1UP Rejects Twitch channel, and Witcher is whenever I feel like it on my Twitch channel.
And that's it for now. This blog is my personal stuff, while the Rejects is my big project, hopefully for a long time.
Thanks for reading!
-Blaine
20171129
Some Updating
So, October, with the Puerto Rico fundraiser, wiped my ass out, but it was a great success.
I took most of November to rest, as I went from summer code crunch time to neck surgery to recovery to a month-long intense fundraiser, and I needed to breathe.
So, here's some random shit for you.
The 1UP Rejects
First, some of my fellow 1UP.com community alumni and I have got this thing going called The 1UP Rejects. It's a ... thing. Videos and writing and streaming and shit. Check it out. It's actually very, very early, and doesn't really launch until next year, but take a gander and feel free to go ahead and start enjoying it.
I'm streaming there every Tuesday evening, at 8PM central. Last night was the first stream from the new channel, and it was ... an adventure, but ended up being very successful.
So watch me there, and/or follow this playlist (warning: some NSFW mods in there):
We have a show we're doing every Thursday on the channel, too. 8PM central, also.
Really, there should be stuff going most evenings over there, with a great variety of streamers, and we're starting to get some lunch slots filled, too.
Check us out:
Blog
Twitch
Twitter
YouTube
Facebook
Moving on ...
2017 Games
I've played a few games this year, and the two that left the biggest impact were Divinity: Original Sin 2 and Horizon Zero Dawn. Each of them are easily my favorite games of the year. They are wildly different games, and fed different parts of my soul, but I loved them both. DOS2 tickled my intellect deeply and let me stop and think. HZD was a really cool world and equally cool story with very rewarding combat and exploration.
Go play them both.
Also, any 'best game of 2017' nominee list that doesn't include them both is wrong and should be ignored.
This year, I've also enjoyed Torment: Tides of Numenera, Elex, Mass Effect Andromeda, Dishonored: Death of the Outsider, Uncharted: Lost Legacy, ESO: Morrowind, and Guild Wars 2: Path of Fire. Go play all of those, too. Especially Torment.
What did I miss? What are your favorites from this year? Have you played HZD and DOS2? What'd you think?
I'm still playing through Elex, and I'm really looking forward to Seven: The Days Long Gone, which releases Friday. It's coming from some ex-CDPR devs, and it's isometric stealth parkour steampunk awesomeness.
Shit looks dope.
Follow me on Twitter for more stuff, probably streaming and random thoughts and shit. See ya.
-Blaine
I took most of November to rest, as I went from summer code crunch time to neck surgery to recovery to a month-long intense fundraiser, and I needed to breathe.
So, here's some random shit for you.
The 1UP Rejects
First, some of my fellow 1UP.com community alumni and I have got this thing going called The 1UP Rejects. It's a ... thing. Videos and writing and streaming and shit. Check it out. It's actually very, very early, and doesn't really launch until next year, but take a gander and feel free to go ahead and start enjoying it.
I'm streaming there every Tuesday evening, at 8PM central. Last night was the first stream from the new channel, and it was ... an adventure, but ended up being very successful.
So watch me there, and/or follow this playlist (warning: some NSFW mods in there):
We have a show we're doing every Thursday on the channel, too. 8PM central, also.
Really, there should be stuff going most evenings over there, with a great variety of streamers, and we're starting to get some lunch slots filled, too.
Check us out:
Blog
Twitch
YouTube
Moving on ...
2017 Games
I've played a few games this year, and the two that left the biggest impact were Divinity: Original Sin 2 and Horizon Zero Dawn. Each of them are easily my favorite games of the year. They are wildly different games, and fed different parts of my soul, but I loved them both. DOS2 tickled my intellect deeply and let me stop and think. HZD was a really cool world and equally cool story with very rewarding combat and exploration.
Go play them both.
Also, any 'best game of 2017' nominee list that doesn't include them both is wrong and should be ignored.
This year, I've also enjoyed Torment: Tides of Numenera, Elex, Mass Effect Andromeda, Dishonored: Death of the Outsider, Uncharted: Lost Legacy, ESO: Morrowind, and Guild Wars 2: Path of Fire. Go play all of those, too. Especially Torment.
What did I miss? What are your favorites from this year? Have you played HZD and DOS2? What'd you think?
I'm still playing through Elex, and I'm really looking forward to Seven: The Days Long Gone, which releases Friday. It's coming from some ex-CDPR devs, and it's isometric stealth parkour steampunk awesomeness.
Shit looks dope.
Follow me on Twitter for more stuff, probably streaming and random thoughts and shit. See ya.
-Blaine
20170930
Halloween Scream Team Team Stream
So, some fellow 1UP Rejects and I are doing a big-ass Extra Life fundraiser for a children's hospital in Puerto Rico. Hit that link and donate what you can.
I'm kicking off the first stream tonight at 8PM central (2000 for those that think of time correctly) with the Scorn demo!
Watch live video from taranwalker on www.twitch.tv
I'd love it if you joined me as we check out this amazing-looking game tonight!
I'm kicking off the first stream tonight at 8PM central (2000 for those that think of time correctly) with the Scorn demo!
Watch live video from taranwalker on www.twitch.tv
I'd love it if you joined me as we check out this amazing-looking game tonight!
20170414
Star Wars Celebration Day 2! Almost there!
Day 1 Thoughts
So, yesterday was an absolute blast. The '40 Years of Star Wars' panel was almost overwhelming in how emotional it got. It was an incredible experience, and one I will always remember. I think that's something that will never, ever be topped. I was a heaping mess by the end.
What's interesting about yesterday is that it seemed very much focused on the Lucas Era. The 40 Years panel, Ian McDiarmid, Ray Park, the surviving original cast, and more. It was all A New Hope through The Clone Wars.
I really liked that they did that, that they seemed to carve out a day just for those that are no longer with us in corporeal form, and those that do not have any more work with the franchise in the future. It wasn't something that they came out and said, but towards the end of the day, I began to pick up on the theme.
Yes, for those of you that are utterly pedantic, there were references and glimpses of post-Lucas stuff, but the focus was utterly on Lucas Era.
My previous post has the video of the 40 Years panel. Watch it, seriously.
Day 2 HYPE
Today, though, we're talking about THE FUTURE! MOSTLY!
First up! The Last Jedi panel! Watch below (and then it'll go totally dead after the live stream)!
Then, as soon as that's done, the day rolls on, with The Star Wars Show Live!
I cannot frakkin' wait. I REALLY HOPE The Last Jedi stream doesn't totally shit the bed, like the 40 Years stream did toward the end.
Either way, enjoy it, and I'll be back a little later with a wrap-up and to pimp tonight's KotOR stream, which will happen at 9PMe/8PMc, in which I'll be talking Star Wars and even more Star Wars.
See ya'll later! Enjoy the show!
-Blaine
So, yesterday was an absolute blast. The '40 Years of Star Wars' panel was almost overwhelming in how emotional it got. It was an incredible experience, and one I will always remember. I think that's something that will never, ever be topped. I was a heaping mess by the end.
What's interesting about yesterday is that it seemed very much focused on the Lucas Era. The 40 Years panel, Ian McDiarmid, Ray Park, the surviving original cast, and more. It was all A New Hope through The Clone Wars.
I really liked that they did that, that they seemed to carve out a day just for those that are no longer with us in corporeal form, and those that do not have any more work with the franchise in the future. It wasn't something that they came out and said, but towards the end of the day, I began to pick up on the theme.
Yes, for those of you that are utterly pedantic, there were references and glimpses of post-Lucas stuff, but the focus was utterly on Lucas Era.
My previous post has the video of the 40 Years panel. Watch it, seriously.
Day 2 HYPE
Today, though, we're talking about THE FUTURE! MOSTLY!
First up! The Last Jedi panel! Watch below (and then it'll go totally dead after the live stream)!
Then, as soon as that's done, the day rolls on, with The Star Wars Show Live!
I cannot frakkin' wait. I REALLY HOPE The Last Jedi stream doesn't totally shit the bed, like the 40 Years stream did toward the end.
Either way, enjoy it, and I'll be back a little later with a wrap-up and to pimp tonight's KotOR stream, which will happen at 9PMe/8PMc, in which I'll be talking Star Wars and even more Star Wars.
See ya'll later! Enjoy the show!
-Blaine
20170413
Star Wars Celebration Day One & KotOR!!!
Wow. What an incredibly emotional day. That opening 40th anniversary panel was just mind-blowing. If you don't know what I'm talking about, check it out below.
I'm man enough to admit that I was in tears for parts of it, that I was doubled-over in laughter for parts of it, and in awe for parts of it. It was beautiful.
Otherwise, the rest of the stream was just pure joy. Ian McDiarmid, Warwick Davis, Ray Park, and more were amazing to hear from, and Andi Gutierrez and Anthony Carboni are great hosts.
I'll be talking more tonight as I continue my KotOR stream/video series. Check out the current progress here or below.
I'm really having a great time replaying these games, and I love sharing my love for them, as well as a decent amount of knowledge. And I know a lot of you also love these games, so come hang out, talk KotOR, talk Celebration, talk whatever. It's a blast. We have some fun Dantooine stuff lined up for the weekend.
I'll be going live at 9PMe/8PMc. I hope to see you there!
-Blaine
I'm man enough to admit that I was in tears for parts of it, that I was doubled-over in laughter for parts of it, and in awe for parts of it. It was beautiful.
Otherwise, the rest of the stream was just pure joy. Ian McDiarmid, Warwick Davis, Ray Park, and more were amazing to hear from, and Andi Gutierrez and Anthony Carboni are great hosts.
I'll be talking more tonight as I continue my KotOR stream/video series. Check out the current progress here or below.
I'm really having a great time replaying these games, and I love sharing my love for them, as well as a decent amount of knowledge. And I know a lot of you also love these games, so come hang out, talk KotOR, talk Celebration, talk whatever. It's a blast. We have some fun Dantooine stuff lined up for the weekend.
I'll be going live at 9PMe/8PMc. I hope to see you there!
-Blaine
20170410
Happy Monday!
Welcome to Monday. I didn't get a lotta time here last week, which is too bad, because I like typing at you. It helps me organize my thoughts.
It was a decent weekend, if too busy (again.) This will get remedied soon. I had some great family time, took in a game at Busch, and got some quality time with Mass Effect: Andromeda, and had a couple really good episodes in my ongoing KotOR Twitch/YouTube series.
Mass Lemming Effect
I'm now 35 hours into Mass Effect: Andromeda and still don't hate it. In fact, I quite like it, actually. I've, on occasion, had a flickering scene. It's happened, I think, three times. Once, it was so bad, it lasted about ten seconds.
I know, I know, I shouldn't be snide. but the groupthink and lemming-like followers desperately wanting to pile on with hate for this game just really disturbed me. People were enjoying being dicks. I don't understand that.
Regardless, this is not a perfect game. A few lines have made me wince in how cliché they are, I started to feel a little side quest fatigue on Voeld, and I can see why most humans wouldn't be wowed by the story.
This is a mass-market game that isn't a mass-market game. It's a quiet, introspective experience, at least relative to the melodrama and bombast of the original trilogy (which I adored), and I think a lot of people have brought, and will continue to bring, the wrong expectation to the game. I listened to their marketing, and the message I got was 'you're not pew-pew military guy, you're now explorer guy.' That had me super-hyped, and that expectation has actually been exceeded. I deeply roleplay my games, at least the first time through (one of the reasons I won't stream games my first time through), and this has been feeding a deep fantasy of mine, which is to be a space explorer. I love it.
What's upsetting is that the me-too pile-on gangbang of negativity is gonna harm this series, and make development even more directed by loudmouth forum trolls. I don't believe that art should be made that way. I like this direction, and I like how bold it is. I'm enjoying the quieter, more chill atmosphere, and I like the mysteries in the game.
I love that when I hear a character talk about a sibling back home, they and I both know that sibling has lived and died long ago, and that's so hard to process. Everyone I ever knew and loved back home is long dead. I just can't even reconcile that, and it is such a powerful feeling when I roleplay my character.
And I've loved playing him super-logical. That's my ideal version of me, and it's farther from the real me than I'd like, but it's a great fantasy.
I wish more people had given this game a chance.
STAR WARS EVEN MORE STAR WARS
Star Wars Celebration is happening this Thursday through Sunday! I'm so excited!
There will be a live stream for those of us that have to work for a living. It'll be on the Star Wars YouTube channel!
I'm expecting a look at Episode VIII, Battlefront 2, a memorial to Carrie Fisher, a SWTOR announcement, possibly some new films announced, some new comics and books announced, and really, just a fun time. I can't wait to start watching! The last two I've watched have been an absolute blast!
Otherwise ...
Life has been INSANE since I got back from my annual Spring Training pilgrimage two and a half weeks ago. Work and family have both needed a lot from me, which is great, honestly. It really is great to be needed, but fuck, I am ready to chill out soon.
I can always tell if I'm totally overwhelmed by how long it takes me to get through books. If I take more than a few days on a 500-page novel, I am absolutely not having enough time. I've been reading the latest Witcher translation for the last two weeks, and it's 474 pages. There ya go.
And E3 is now just two months away ... YYYEEESSS ...
-Blaine
It was a decent weekend, if too busy (again.) This will get remedied soon. I had some great family time, took in a game at Busch, and got some quality time with Mass Effect: Andromeda, and had a couple really good episodes in my ongoing KotOR Twitch/YouTube series.
Mass Lemming Effect
I'm now 35 hours into Mass Effect: Andromeda and still don't hate it. In fact, I quite like it, actually. I've, on occasion, had a flickering scene. It's happened, I think, three times. Once, it was so bad, it lasted about ten seconds.
I know, I know, I shouldn't be snide. but the groupthink and lemming-like followers desperately wanting to pile on with hate for this game just really disturbed me. People were enjoying being dicks. I don't understand that.
Regardless, this is not a perfect game. A few lines have made me wince in how cliché they are, I started to feel a little side quest fatigue on Voeld, and I can see why most humans wouldn't be wowed by the story.
This is a mass-market game that isn't a mass-market game. It's a quiet, introspective experience, at least relative to the melodrama and bombast of the original trilogy (which I adored), and I think a lot of people have brought, and will continue to bring, the wrong expectation to the game. I listened to their marketing, and the message I got was 'you're not pew-pew military guy, you're now explorer guy.' That had me super-hyped, and that expectation has actually been exceeded. I deeply roleplay my games, at least the first time through (one of the reasons I won't stream games my first time through), and this has been feeding a deep fantasy of mine, which is to be a space explorer. I love it.
What's upsetting is that the me-too pile-on gangbang of negativity is gonna harm this series, and make development even more directed by loudmouth forum trolls. I don't believe that art should be made that way. I like this direction, and I like how bold it is. I'm enjoying the quieter, more chill atmosphere, and I like the mysteries in the game.
I love that when I hear a character talk about a sibling back home, they and I both know that sibling has lived and died long ago, and that's so hard to process. Everyone I ever knew and loved back home is long dead. I just can't even reconcile that, and it is such a powerful feeling when I roleplay my character.
And I've loved playing him super-logical. That's my ideal version of me, and it's farther from the real me than I'd like, but it's a great fantasy.
I wish more people had given this game a chance.
STAR WARS EVEN MORE STAR WARS
Star Wars Celebration is happening this Thursday through Sunday! I'm so excited!
There will be a live stream for those of us that have to work for a living. It'll be on the Star Wars YouTube channel!
I'm expecting a look at Episode VIII, Battlefront 2, a memorial to Carrie Fisher, a SWTOR announcement, possibly some new films announced, some new comics and books announced, and really, just a fun time. I can't wait to start watching! The last two I've watched have been an absolute blast!
Otherwise ...
Life has been INSANE since I got back from my annual Spring Training pilgrimage two and a half weeks ago. Work and family have both needed a lot from me, which is great, honestly. It really is great to be needed, but fuck, I am ready to chill out soon.
I can always tell if I'm totally overwhelmed by how long it takes me to get through books. If I take more than a few days on a 500-page novel, I am absolutely not having enough time. I've been reading the latest Witcher translation for the last two weeks, and it's 474 pages. There ya go.
And E3 is now just two months away ... YYYEEESSS ...
-Blaine
20170406
Happy Almost-Weekend
I've been a bad bloggist this week, I know. Shit got real busy at work, and I've had to work through lunch every day, or I've had to go watch Vikings with the team. Either way, I gotta figure out a way to be more consistent here, as I really do love writing at you.
Anyway, I'm back with KotOR in high-res tonight, so I'd love to see you come hang out with at 8PM central tonight AND tomorrow night on my Twitch channel!
Get caught up here or below!
Otherwise, I got a lot to talk about with ya'll. Soon. I promise.
I'll tell ya this, though. I hate being busy more than I do pretty much anything else. I despise it. So much. SO FUCKING MUCH.
Anyway, I gotta go eat dinner and drive my kids around, so I'll see ya'll tonight.
*HUGGLES*
-Blaine
Anyway, I'm back with KotOR in high-res tonight, so I'd love to see you come hang out with at 8PM central tonight AND tomorrow night on my Twitch channel!
Get caught up here or below!
Otherwise, I got a lot to talk about with ya'll. Soon. I promise.
I'll tell ya this, though. I hate being busy more than I do pretty much anything else. I despise it. So much. SO FUCKING MUCH.
Anyway, I gotta go eat dinner and drive my kids around, so I'll see ya'll tonight.
*HUGGLES*
-Blaine
20170308
AppDev + Next Stream + Vacation
That GameCon Application ...
Yeah, so I kinda went crazy with the Game Con app I talked about yesterday. I wanted to just sketch out some SQL tables and basic design, and decided to just start rapidly prototyping, and ... well, I was amazed at how quickly I pulled together a working application.
I now have it so that it'll present one or more live streams on a page dynamically, based on the schedule you enter into it. Also, I built out a system that lets me just enter some basic info, and it builds the schedule out for me. I just give it a basic panel/demo name, the date/time for start and stop, and what instance of a convention with which it's associated, and the application handles the rest, so it'll cut between streams on a single page, or show them side-by-side if they overlap a bit (which I'm going to refine).
It also lets me input an upcoming instance of a con via a web interface. I seeded the repeating cons via a SQL script, and then built an interface that lets me then create instances of those cons at will.
Then, within those cons, I can enter some basic info for panels or demos that I want to see, and associate them with a stream provider, and I stored the iframe info for each of those streams in data, and blammo, we have what we need to just fire it up and kick back. It's pretty sweet.
I'm almost disappointed that I'll be so busy with travel and vacation during most of PAX East.
I'm also looking at creating Xbox One and iPhone versions of this for myself. I may even stand it up on Azure (where the DB already is), so that I can hit it from the web whenever I want.
I also built out some very rudimentary calendar and con-specific pages. The calendar is very simple right now, and will need a lot of refinement. The con-specific pages ... I'm still thinking over what to do, but they're intended as a 'stream firehose' (no pun intended), so that you can get a look at what's live from everywhere right now at the con. The PAX one has five streams on it, and I've been tinkering with the embed code that Twitch provides to really make it cool. We'll see.
Anyway, more on this to come. Still no plans to provide it to the public, but if there's interest ... eh, we'll see.
Also, if anyone cares, I built it entirely with the new Visual Studio 2017, which is slick as hell.
My Next Stream
I'm leaning toward KotOR 1 & 2. I really adore those games, and I know a hell of a lot about the Star Wars universe. Also, it's been a looong time since I really played through the games, so that'll be fun.
Any thoughts? Objections?
I'd also play them heavily modded, so that they're in 1920x1080, plus any other neat mods I can find. KotOR2 will also have a shitload of restored content mods.
I'm gonna target that to start toward the end of the month. That'll give me ample time to do some research and a little bit of scripting.
I think I'll do what I did for the latter part of my Mass Effect series, and live stream via Twitch, and then shoot it to YouTube. We'll see. I may live stream on YouTube Gaming, but I worry about limiting my audience. Of course, there's less competition over on YTG ... we'll see. It'll probably be Twitch, but I'm gonna research and think on it.
VACATION!!!
As I've been blabbing out, I'm heading to Spring Training soon, and then to Key West. I'm very excited, as it's always the most relaxing couple of weeks of my life. And I'll wrap it all up with a few days of Mass Effect Andromeda. AAAHHH ... cannot wait.
Sunshine, baseball, family, Torment, creative freedom, and Mass Effect ... awesome.
I'll still be posting almost daily while I'm there.
Anyway, that's all for now. *HUGS*
-Blaine
Yeah, so I kinda went crazy with the Game Con app I talked about yesterday. I wanted to just sketch out some SQL tables and basic design, and decided to just start rapidly prototyping, and ... well, I was amazed at how quickly I pulled together a working application.
I now have it so that it'll present one or more live streams on a page dynamically, based on the schedule you enter into it. Also, I built out a system that lets me just enter some basic info, and it builds the schedule out for me. I just give it a basic panel/demo name, the date/time for start and stop, and what instance of a convention with which it's associated, and the application handles the rest, so it'll cut between streams on a single page, or show them side-by-side if they overlap a bit (which I'm going to refine).
It also lets me input an upcoming instance of a con via a web interface. I seeded the repeating cons via a SQL script, and then built an interface that lets me then create instances of those cons at will.
Then, within those cons, I can enter some basic info for panels or demos that I want to see, and associate them with a stream provider, and I stored the iframe info for each of those streams in data, and blammo, we have what we need to just fire it up and kick back. It's pretty sweet.
I'm almost disappointed that I'll be so busy with travel and vacation during most of PAX East.
I'm also looking at creating Xbox One and iPhone versions of this for myself. I may even stand it up on Azure (where the DB already is), so that I can hit it from the web whenever I want.
I also built out some very rudimentary calendar and con-specific pages. The calendar is very simple right now, and will need a lot of refinement. The con-specific pages ... I'm still thinking over what to do, but they're intended as a 'stream firehose' (no pun intended), so that you can get a look at what's live from everywhere right now at the con. The PAX one has five streams on it, and I've been tinkering with the embed code that Twitch provides to really make it cool. We'll see.
Anyway, more on this to come. Still no plans to provide it to the public, but if there's interest ... eh, we'll see.
Also, if anyone cares, I built it entirely with the new Visual Studio 2017, which is slick as hell.
My Next Stream
I'm leaning toward KotOR 1 & 2. I really adore those games, and I know a hell of a lot about the Star Wars universe. Also, it's been a looong time since I really played through the games, so that'll be fun.
Any thoughts? Objections?
I'd also play them heavily modded, so that they're in 1920x1080, plus any other neat mods I can find. KotOR2 will also have a shitload of restored content mods.
I'm gonna target that to start toward the end of the month. That'll give me ample time to do some research and a little bit of scripting.
I think I'll do what I did for the latter part of my Mass Effect series, and live stream via Twitch, and then shoot it to YouTube. We'll see. I may live stream on YouTube Gaming, but I worry about limiting my audience. Of course, there's less competition over on YTG ... we'll see. It'll probably be Twitch, but I'm gonna research and think on it.
VACATION!!!
As I've been blabbing out, I'm heading to Spring Training soon, and then to Key West. I'm very excited, as it's always the most relaxing couple of weeks of my life. And I'll wrap it all up with a few days of Mass Effect Andromeda. AAAHHH ... cannot wait.
Sunshine, baseball, family, Torment, creative freedom, and Mass Effect ... awesome.
I'll still be posting almost daily while I'm there.
Anyway, that's all for now. *HUGS*
-Blaine
20170307
Vacation Dev Thoughts
As I've mentioned, I'm on the verge of my annual Spring Training pilgrimage, and I like to fantasize about the things that are going to happen. I'm going to fake baseball games, which I love, I'm going to enjoy fresh fish and shrimp, I'm going to get away from the daily grind (though I do love my job), I'm going to get to spend time with family, I'm going to get to hang out in Key West after Spring Training, I'm going to get some gaming time, and on and on ...
... something else I like to do when I'm on vacation is ponder my next creative project. I'm eager to write something new, and I have a pretty solid idea for my next novel. That'll probably start to happen on the plane.
Otherwise, I'm considering finally building a web application that'll let me organize online attendance to conventions, and even handle the streams for me.
I used to go to a lot of cons, but I got tired of the hassle, and really like the online coverage, anyway. I've dabbled with a few ideas over the years, but I actually have a cool idea for an application that'll let me enter some basic info about dates, times, and streams, and it'll handle the rest. This won't be something that I'll make available to the public, but it'll save me a lotta hassle, especially with E3, where there's a bunch of disparate streams.
I also wanna add a feature that lets the user add games, and have it spit out news about those games during the con.
Side note - if you're never been to E3, and love video games, go at least once.
I started sketching out some SQL tables, and have a pretty good idea of what the code should look like. Maybe I could even have it up and running before I leave, and use it for PAX East. We'll see.
I'm also going to ponder my next stream series. I'm honestly really not sure what I want to do next. I think it'll be something smaller. Maybe something that will lead up to E3, and then depending on what's announced there, I'll launch a longer series, more like the Mass Effect series I just finished.
It needs to be something about which I'm very passionate, since I'll want to research it, and present a more professional experience. I'll probably script some sequences, too. We'll see. I'm also open to suggestions.
I've also been talking about another musical project with some old collaborators, but we'll see. I think that's a ways off, if it happens at all. To get all the right people, and give the right level of commitment, we'd need a few of us to become far less busy for an extended period. Ha.
I also think I'm not going to do much more with this blog than what I'm doing now. Just kinda thinking out loud. I occasionally consider doing more with it than what I'm doing, but I've got enough on my plate. This needs to be kept light and easy.
I need to pick one or two things, and then focus on that.
The 'Virtual Con Attendance' application should be straightforward, and fun. I make even make a mobile solution for myself, as well. Like I said, I have no interest in publishing it for public consumption ... probably. So, I think that one is definitely gonna happen.
The next novel ... I have a pretty solid start to it in my head that I want to start writing on the plane. I'd like to have that done this year. A page a day should get me to a complete first draft easily before the year's over.
I think this will be another part of what happens on my vacation. The 'creation meditation,' as well as some light execution on those projects.
01) design work on the virtual con app
02) a first chapter in the new novel (I don't write using outlines)
03) thinking about my next stream series
And that's plenty.
-Blaine
... something else I like to do when I'm on vacation is ponder my next creative project. I'm eager to write something new, and I have a pretty solid idea for my next novel. That'll probably start to happen on the plane.
Otherwise, I'm considering finally building a web application that'll let me organize online attendance to conventions, and even handle the streams for me.
I used to go to a lot of cons, but I got tired of the hassle, and really like the online coverage, anyway. I've dabbled with a few ideas over the years, but I actually have a cool idea for an application that'll let me enter some basic info about dates, times, and streams, and it'll handle the rest. This won't be something that I'll make available to the public, but it'll save me a lotta hassle, especially with E3, where there's a bunch of disparate streams.
I also wanna add a feature that lets the user add games, and have it spit out news about those games during the con.
Side note - if you're never been to E3, and love video games, go at least once.
I started sketching out some SQL tables, and have a pretty good idea of what the code should look like. Maybe I could even have it up and running before I leave, and use it for PAX East. We'll see.
I'm also going to ponder my next stream series. I'm honestly really not sure what I want to do next. I think it'll be something smaller. Maybe something that will lead up to E3, and then depending on what's announced there, I'll launch a longer series, more like the Mass Effect series I just finished.
It needs to be something about which I'm very passionate, since I'll want to research it, and present a more professional experience. I'll probably script some sequences, too. We'll see. I'm also open to suggestions.
I've also been talking about another musical project with some old collaborators, but we'll see. I think that's a ways off, if it happens at all. To get all the right people, and give the right level of commitment, we'd need a few of us to become far less busy for an extended period. Ha.
I also think I'm not going to do much more with this blog than what I'm doing now. Just kinda thinking out loud. I occasionally consider doing more with it than what I'm doing, but I've got enough on my plate. This needs to be kept light and easy.
I need to pick one or two things, and then focus on that.
The 'Virtual Con Attendance' application should be straightforward, and fun. I make even make a mobile solution for myself, as well. Like I said, I have no interest in publishing it for public consumption ... probably. So, I think that one is definitely gonna happen.
The next novel ... I have a pretty solid start to it in my head that I want to start writing on the plane. I'd like to have that done this year. A page a day should get me to a complete first draft easily before the year's over.
I think this will be another part of what happens on my vacation. The 'creation meditation,' as well as some light execution on those projects.
01) design work on the virtual con app
02) a first chapter in the new novel (I don't write using outlines)
03) thinking about my next stream series
And that's plenty.
-Blaine
20170303
And in the end ...
... so I had another post almost ready to go yesterday, but work and life get really busy occasionally, and my blogging tends to be one of the first things to go ... for now.
Anyway, I had a pretty neat pre-travel blog in the works yesterday that'll now be some time next week. Basically, it talks about my travel gaming as I prepare for my annual Spring Training travels. Basically, I go spend a couple weeks with my beloved Cardinals, soak up some Florida sun, get away from the Midwest winter hell, and it's all pretty great. I sometimes also shoot down to Key West for a few days, as I love that place.
During all that, I do find some gaming time. I'll talk about that more next week.
The Road to Andromeda
I finished it. I started the Mass Effect trilogy playthrough stream on 8/28 last year, and completed it last night, 3/2. WOW.
You can see the whole damn thing here.
It was a really interesting process, and honestly, it's kinda stupid, but I'm proud of it. It wasn't perfect, it wasn't quite what I wanted it to be, but I finished it, and I learned a LOT. And I had a good time!
The best moments were when chat would get really animated, and we'd have some fun discussions.
I'm still kinda reeling from it, and honestly, from a few personal and professional shocks (all good) that have happened over the last 24 hours, but it was really cool, and I'm going to do it again.
I'm not sure what series or game I want to stream/record next, but I have a few things I'm going to do differently.
1) have more set start and stop points, and more consistent lengths of time that I play
2) bring more fun 'behind the scenes' info to the table; research the section that I'm about to play a little bit more in advance, and have some fun factoids to throw out
3) bring more personal stories and humor; either stories from pervious playthroughs, or personal stories that I'm reminded of while playing; I have a pretty wild history from which to pull, and I need to leverage that more
4) a little more professionalism; I had too many instances of screaming child and/or background noise; I also want to get a green screen; I'll probably also run some cabling to my basement and set up a pro streaming thing down there; we'll see
5) get better with the graphics for my thumbnails and shit; I'm a goddam fucking professional developer; I should be able to handle shit like that (though my dear friend Marc makes them sooo well)
And I welcome any feedback ya'll have. I really wanna make this more fun for all involved, and I wanna grow my audience. What I need to do next time is make a fucking great first episode that can get circulated and really give people a chance to see that I'm not just another falsetto-screaming jackass that's trying to appeal to the millennials. I'm an older dude trying to hook older, more mature, more seasoned gaming enthusiasts, or just chill people that want a fun time.
I think with the above Mass Effect series, I had long stretches where I wasn't injecting enough of my personality into it, or where I was just REALLY tired. Both of those things will be addressed in the next series.
I also need to figure out how the hell to market this. I think that's where I'm really shooting myself in the foot.
I also wanna figure out if I should be streaming on YouTube Gaming or Twitch. I've gone back and forth. I think YTG might be good because there's so much less competition and I like the interface better (as a viewer), but Twitch has sooo many more eyeballs. I dunno.
Also games and game series I'm contemplating: KotOR 1&2, Dragon Age trilogy, Pillars of Eternity, The Witcher trilogy, a Telltale series, Jade Empire, and ... what else? What do you wanna see? I tend to shun games that I've never played before, for a couple reasons, but I won't say never. Again, what do you wanna see?
So, lots to think about and research. Please, let me know what you think, and what you wanna see.
Thanks, and happy weekend!
-Blaine
Anyway, I had a pretty neat pre-travel blog in the works yesterday that'll now be some time next week. Basically, it talks about my travel gaming as I prepare for my annual Spring Training travels. Basically, I go spend a couple weeks with my beloved Cardinals, soak up some Florida sun, get away from the Midwest winter hell, and it's all pretty great. I sometimes also shoot down to Key West for a few days, as I love that place.
During all that, I do find some gaming time. I'll talk about that more next week.
The Road to Andromeda
I finished it. I started the Mass Effect trilogy playthrough stream on 8/28 last year, and completed it last night, 3/2. WOW.
You can see the whole damn thing here.
It was a really interesting process, and honestly, it's kinda stupid, but I'm proud of it. It wasn't perfect, it wasn't quite what I wanted it to be, but I finished it, and I learned a LOT. And I had a good time!
The best moments were when chat would get really animated, and we'd have some fun discussions.
I'm still kinda reeling from it, and honestly, from a few personal and professional shocks (all good) that have happened over the last 24 hours, but it was really cool, and I'm going to do it again.
I'm not sure what series or game I want to stream/record next, but I have a few things I'm going to do differently.
1) have more set start and stop points, and more consistent lengths of time that I play
2) bring more fun 'behind the scenes' info to the table; research the section that I'm about to play a little bit more in advance, and have some fun factoids to throw out
3) bring more personal stories and humor; either stories from pervious playthroughs, or personal stories that I'm reminded of while playing; I have a pretty wild history from which to pull, and I need to leverage that more
4) a little more professionalism; I had too many instances of screaming child and/or background noise; I also want to get a green screen; I'll probably also run some cabling to my basement and set up a pro streaming thing down there; we'll see
5) get better with the graphics for my thumbnails and shit; I'm a goddam fucking professional developer; I should be able to handle shit like that (though my dear friend Marc makes them sooo well)
And I welcome any feedback ya'll have. I really wanna make this more fun for all involved, and I wanna grow my audience. What I need to do next time is make a fucking great first episode that can get circulated and really give people a chance to see that I'm not just another falsetto-screaming jackass that's trying to appeal to the millennials. I'm an older dude trying to hook older, more mature, more seasoned gaming enthusiasts, or just chill people that want a fun time.
I think with the above Mass Effect series, I had long stretches where I wasn't injecting enough of my personality into it, or where I was just REALLY tired. Both of those things will be addressed in the next series.
I also need to figure out how the hell to market this. I think that's where I'm really shooting myself in the foot.
I also wanna figure out if I should be streaming on YouTube Gaming or Twitch. I've gone back and forth. I think YTG might be good because there's so much less competition and I like the interface better (as a viewer), but Twitch has sooo many more eyeballs. I dunno.
Also games and game series I'm contemplating: KotOR 1&2, Dragon Age trilogy, Pillars of Eternity, The Witcher trilogy, a Telltale series, Jade Empire, and ... what else? What do you wanna see? I tend to shun games that I've never played before, for a couple reasons, but I won't say never. Again, what do you wanna see?
So, lots to think about and research. Please, let me know what you think, and what you wanna see.
Thanks, and happy weekend!
-Blaine
20170131
Final Fantasy, Elder Scrolls, Pillars of Eternity, and Streaming
There was a flurry of Final Fantasy announcements early this morning. You can get the full breakdown here.
Here's what caught my eye the most:
01. FFXIV: Stormblood is still on-target for 6/20. I had no doubt, but they're bringing back my favorite Final Fantasy class ever, the Red Mage, in this expansion. I played the first Final Fantasy back on the NES when it first came out, and I loved the Red Mage in that game. I've been hot and cold on Final Fantasy XIV, but the folks that love it FUCKING LOVE IT, so I keep trying it.
02. Final Fantasy XII HD is hitting PlayStation 4 on 7/11. I adore this game, but I'm not sure I'll ever replay it, especially if it's only on a console. I have a PS4, use it occasionally, but console gaming in my house is very difficult, whereas I can play my PC games anywhere, any time, with any mods, and they look gorgeous. I hope this hits Steam.
03. That Final Fantasy VII remake. By the maker, that's a clusterfuck. Today's announcement was just a reminder that this project exists. I already think Nomura is all flash and no substance, and the gutting of the battle system in this thing just reinforces that to me. Materia + turn-based + strategy made for some amazing battles, whereas this dumbed-down action system completely turns me off. I just don't understand this need to make everything flashy and stupid. Strategy is fun. Thinking is fun. And it's episodic because Nomura can't get projects out the door anymore. At least there's a chance he'll be kicked off this project, too (as happened on FFXV), when it takes too long. I hate this. Final Fantasy VI and VII were amazing games, and don't need to be 'fixed.' Make something new and great. Don't take something old and great and make it new and bad. Give me a true Final Fantasy VII sequel. Make it turn-based, strategic, and deep. Bah.
In happier news, Elder Scrolls Online is getting a major announcement today, at 1300 central time. As I said yesterday, I'm expecting it's going to be Vvardenfell (the island in Morrowind.) I'm a big fan of this game and series, so I'm excited to check it out. You can watch it here or below:
Watch live video from Bethesda on www.twitch.tv
I'm also thrilled with how well the Fig campaign is going for Pillars II. I'm loving the stretch goals, especially the one at $2m, which allows for more advanced user-controlled AI programming. I love that kinda shit, like in the original Dragon Age.
Anyway, I'll be streaming today @ 1630, and it'll probably be some ESO, so we can talk about the recent announcement. Check me out here or below!
Watch live video from taranwalker on www.twitch.tv
So, what do you think of the Final Fantasy announcements? Anything you're excited about? Anything really got your panties in a twist? What about ESO? Do you play? What do you wanna see?
-Blaine
Here's what caught my eye the most:
01. FFXIV: Stormblood is still on-target for 6/20. I had no doubt, but they're bringing back my favorite Final Fantasy class ever, the Red Mage, in this expansion. I played the first Final Fantasy back on the NES when it first came out, and I loved the Red Mage in that game. I've been hot and cold on Final Fantasy XIV, but the folks that love it FUCKING LOVE IT, so I keep trying it.
02. Final Fantasy XII HD is hitting PlayStation 4 on 7/11. I adore this game, but I'm not sure I'll ever replay it, especially if it's only on a console. I have a PS4, use it occasionally, but console gaming in my house is very difficult, whereas I can play my PC games anywhere, any time, with any mods, and they look gorgeous. I hope this hits Steam.
03. That Final Fantasy VII remake. By the maker, that's a clusterfuck. Today's announcement was just a reminder that this project exists. I already think Nomura is all flash and no substance, and the gutting of the battle system in this thing just reinforces that to me. Materia + turn-based + strategy made for some amazing battles, whereas this dumbed-down action system completely turns me off. I just don't understand this need to make everything flashy and stupid. Strategy is fun. Thinking is fun. And it's episodic because Nomura can't get projects out the door anymore. At least there's a chance he'll be kicked off this project, too (as happened on FFXV), when it takes too long. I hate this. Final Fantasy VI and VII were amazing games, and don't need to be 'fixed.' Make something new and great. Don't take something old and great and make it new and bad. Give me a true Final Fantasy VII sequel. Make it turn-based, strategic, and deep. Bah.
In happier news, Elder Scrolls Online is getting a major announcement today, at 1300 central time. As I said yesterday, I'm expecting it's going to be Vvardenfell (the island in Morrowind.) I'm a big fan of this game and series, so I'm excited to check it out. You can watch it here or below:
Watch live video from Bethesda on www.twitch.tv
I'm also thrilled with how well the Fig campaign is going for Pillars II. I'm loving the stretch goals, especially the one at $2m, which allows for more advanced user-controlled AI programming. I love that kinda shit, like in the original Dragon Age.
Anyway, I'll be streaming today @ 1630, and it'll probably be some ESO, so we can talk about the recent announcement. Check me out here or below!
Watch live video from taranwalker on www.twitch.tv
So, what do you think of the Final Fantasy announcements? Anything you're excited about? Anything really got your panties in a twist? What about ESO? Do you play? What do you wanna see?
-Blaine
20170130
Morrowind + Me
I think I finally clicked with the Elder Scrolls this weekend. I also played a shitload of Mass Effect 3, which you can get caught up on via my Road to Andromeda series below.
For someone that's never finished an Elder Scrolls game, I have an absurd number of hours sunk into Morrowind, according to Steam. Maybe 80 or so.
I think I've written about it here before, but on paper, the Elder Scrolls and I look a match made in heaven. Deep stats, deep lore, freedom of choice, loads of exploration, and on and on.
Yet, we've never quite clicked. I'll start a game in Morrowind, Oblivion, or Skyrim, and I just never quite feel comfortable. I got really deep into Morrowind once, but even then, it was never something in which I felt terribly at-home or like I was really loving it.
I felt that way about (Bethesda) Fallout for a long time. Up until maybe early 2015, at which point, I burned through Fallout 3 + all DLC, Fallout: New Vegas + all DLC (holy shit, I loved that game), and then Fallout 4, once it hit.
In the case of Fallout, I believe I had to dial back my need to have constant and rapid progression through the story. Both Bethesda Fallout and Elder Scrolls are very loose in their story structure, and I was really off-put by that for a long time, despite really enjoying the Wasteland setting in the Fallout games.
I wonder if part of my issue with Elder Scrolls is that I'm just not a big fantasy guy, at least high fantasy, but I dunno. I'm nuts about Dragon Age and The Witcher, both of which are more low fantasy. Hmm.
Part of it, I know, is my need to play things in order (though I did talk myself out of Arena + Daggerfall), and the journal system in Morrowind is utter shit. It's an active inhibition to my enjoyment of the game.
So, yesterday, I finally caved and decided to finally push forward on a new character that I'd been writing in my head for a while, AND I decided I'd use Microsoft OneNote on my iPhone to act as a journal and note-taker for my high-level objectives. This changed everything for me.
I know about the Nerevarine and all that in the game, so I decided my guy would be a Dunmer, raised in the Empire, who was coming to his true home, Vvardenfell, for the first time, with which he would fall madly in love. He'd throw himself head-first into being a Dunmer, joining the Temple, the Morag Tong, and despite not being a magic user, House Telvanni, which he regards as the most truly Dunmer of the great houses. He'd turn on his Imperial masters at just the right moment.
He'd also use the filthy Khajiit to make himself rich, making money hand over first off of their moon sugar and skooma addictions.
I got through Seyda Neen recently, and started rounding out all the quest-gathering in and around Balmora. It sucks that there's no way to join the Camonna Tong, but oh well ... I wasn't going to join the Thieves Guild or Fighers Guild, but changed my mind. It's a good chance to earn XP and some of the quests are fun.
My goal is to ascend to become ruler of Morrowind and to drive the Imperial dogs out of my lands. We'll do that via leveraging groups like the Temple, the Great Houses (though Hlaalu might be a problem), the Ashlanders, the Morag Tong, and the Dunmer themselves.
I'm using OneNote to jot down anything I uncover that will help me in that process, and I'm finding that's been a relief in terms of keeping myself organized.
Also, of note - I'm using all the official add-ons from Bethesda, as well as the Morrowind Overhaul mod, which is amazeballs.
Last thing about this. Part of what's helped is that I am NOT streaming any part of this. I'm keeping it all for myself, and taking it at my pace, which has been really nice. I'll go 20-25 minutes without really moving the plot forward, just by talking to folks and taking notes on my phone. It's pretty fucking great, honestly.
And a side note - I've enjoyed ESO for a long time, though that's a fairly different beast from the main Elder Scrolls games.
And, as a side side note, I'm pretty sure Bethesda and ZOS are announcing a Morrowind expansion for ESO tomorrow at 1300 central time. Can't wait!
So, any chance any of you have a game or series with which you should've clicked, but haven't yet? Or maybe you had to make an adjustment to your normal approach, and then it clicked? Is there a game or series that you really wish you liked? Tell me about it!
Also, if you wanna watch me stream, I'll be on tomorrow at 1630 central. Not sure what game yet. Maybe ME3. Lemme know if you have any requests. Maybe ESO?
-Blaine
For someone that's never finished an Elder Scrolls game, I have an absurd number of hours sunk into Morrowind, according to Steam. Maybe 80 or so.
I think I've written about it here before, but on paper, the Elder Scrolls and I look a match made in heaven. Deep stats, deep lore, freedom of choice, loads of exploration, and on and on.
Yet, we've never quite clicked. I'll start a game in Morrowind, Oblivion, or Skyrim, and I just never quite feel comfortable. I got really deep into Morrowind once, but even then, it was never something in which I felt terribly at-home or like I was really loving it.
I felt that way about (Bethesda) Fallout for a long time. Up until maybe early 2015, at which point, I burned through Fallout 3 + all DLC, Fallout: New Vegas + all DLC (holy shit, I loved that game), and then Fallout 4, once it hit.
In the case of Fallout, I believe I had to dial back my need to have constant and rapid progression through the story. Both Bethesda Fallout and Elder Scrolls are very loose in their story structure, and I was really off-put by that for a long time, despite really enjoying the Wasteland setting in the Fallout games.
I wonder if part of my issue with Elder Scrolls is that I'm just not a big fantasy guy, at least high fantasy, but I dunno. I'm nuts about Dragon Age and The Witcher, both of which are more low fantasy. Hmm.
Part of it, I know, is my need to play things in order (though I did talk myself out of Arena + Daggerfall), and the journal system in Morrowind is utter shit. It's an active inhibition to my enjoyment of the game.
So, yesterday, I finally caved and decided to finally push forward on a new character that I'd been writing in my head for a while, AND I decided I'd use Microsoft OneNote on my iPhone to act as a journal and note-taker for my high-level objectives. This changed everything for me.
I know about the Nerevarine and all that in the game, so I decided my guy would be a Dunmer, raised in the Empire, who was coming to his true home, Vvardenfell, for the first time, with which he would fall madly in love. He'd throw himself head-first into being a Dunmer, joining the Temple, the Morag Tong, and despite not being a magic user, House Telvanni, which he regards as the most truly Dunmer of the great houses. He'd turn on his Imperial masters at just the right moment.
He'd also use the filthy Khajiit to make himself rich, making money hand over first off of their moon sugar and skooma addictions.
I got through Seyda Neen recently, and started rounding out all the quest-gathering in and around Balmora. It sucks that there's no way to join the Camonna Tong, but oh well ... I wasn't going to join the Thieves Guild or Fighers Guild, but changed my mind. It's a good chance to earn XP and some of the quests are fun.
My goal is to ascend to become ruler of Morrowind and to drive the Imperial dogs out of my lands. We'll do that via leveraging groups like the Temple, the Great Houses (though Hlaalu might be a problem), the Ashlanders, the Morag Tong, and the Dunmer themselves.
I'm using OneNote to jot down anything I uncover that will help me in that process, and I'm finding that's been a relief in terms of keeping myself organized.
Also, of note - I'm using all the official add-ons from Bethesda, as well as the Morrowind Overhaul mod, which is amazeballs.
Last thing about this. Part of what's helped is that I am NOT streaming any part of this. I'm keeping it all for myself, and taking it at my pace, which has been really nice. I'll go 20-25 minutes without really moving the plot forward, just by talking to folks and taking notes on my phone. It's pretty fucking great, honestly.
And a side note - I've enjoyed ESO for a long time, though that's a fairly different beast from the main Elder Scrolls games.
And, as a side side note, I'm pretty sure Bethesda and ZOS are announcing a Morrowind expansion for ESO tomorrow at 1300 central time. Can't wait!
So, any chance any of you have a game or series with which you should've clicked, but haven't yet? Or maybe you had to make an adjustment to your normal approach, and then it clicked? Is there a game or series that you really wish you liked? Tell me about it!
Also, if you wanna watch me stream, I'll be on tomorrow at 1630 central. Not sure what game yet. Maybe ME3. Lemme know if you have any requests. Maybe ESO?
-Blaine
20161026
Streaming, Streaming, Streaming
What's your favorite part of gaming live streams? Of recorded gaming videos on YouTube? Do you want different things from them? What annoys you in each of them and makes you click away?
I'm considering going back to Twitch. I'd prefer not to use hyperbole, but the scene over at YouTube Gaming feels stagnant. I'd hazard a guess that YouTube is used mostly for playback, while Twitch is used more for streaming. And, really, those are two different kinds of videos. I've been treating them as one and the same, but they're not. Hey, check me out!
I'm contemplating a few things in regards to my streaming.
One, what is my identity as a streamer? What's my brand? I feel like this should be defined by a couple things. First, where is my passion, and second, is there a niche I can fill? I feel like my passion is storytelling in games, and my niche could be ... RPGs ... eh ... maybe the indie PC RPG stuff, and games that are tangentially related?
Actually, my niche could be gaming enthusiasts in their late 30s and older? I look at a lot of what's out there, and it skews waaay young. Some of the streamers look like maybe they're approaching my age, sorta, but their production style and on-screen persona definitely skew toward the more obnoxious. I don't mean all streamers, just a lot of the popular ones I see.
Two, my venue. Twitch or YouTube Gaming? Or Beam? I went with Twitch at first, while I was still learning the ropes, but then switched over to YTG because I'm lazy, and wanted my shit to auto-upload. It saved me a few clicks. It also seemed like a chance to get in early on something. Now ... it just doesn't seem like it's taken off.
Microsoft today announced a partnership with Beam that'll integrate Beam into Windows and Xbox for broadcast and consumption. I need to investigate it more. If things like video export to YT aren't there, forget it.
Three, my level of commitment. Like a lot of things that aren't my job or marriage, my level of commitment wavers. I just got real shit to do and worry about. And I think I need a bit more of a plan. I also need to be willing to stick to that plan and forego some things to stay on a regular streaming schedule, if I'm going to actually commit. Honestly, I wouldn't mind this being a solid income-supplementing side gig. Right now, we're nowhere near that.
I also get waaay too busy, which annoys and depresses me. I think being busy makes me unhappier than anything else in my life, but it's also part of being a grownup, and it never lasts longer than a few weeks at a time. I just need to pay more attention to what I'm committing to, so as to avoid it as much as possible.
Regardless, I'm actually pretty happy with my ongoing Mass Effect trilogy effort. Check it out below.
I heard an episode a day will enhance your sex life. Seriously. :P
Anyway, let me know what you think. I'm always looking for helpful feedback.
Thanks!
-Blaine
I'm considering going back to Twitch. I'd prefer not to use hyperbole, but the scene over at YouTube Gaming feels stagnant. I'd hazard a guess that YouTube is used mostly for playback, while Twitch is used more for streaming. And, really, those are two different kinds of videos. I've been treating them as one and the same, but they're not. Hey, check me out!
I'm contemplating a few things in regards to my streaming.
One, what is my identity as a streamer? What's my brand? I feel like this should be defined by a couple things. First, where is my passion, and second, is there a niche I can fill? I feel like my passion is storytelling in games, and my niche could be ... RPGs ... eh ... maybe the indie PC RPG stuff, and games that are tangentially related?
Actually, my niche could be gaming enthusiasts in their late 30s and older? I look at a lot of what's out there, and it skews waaay young. Some of the streamers look like maybe they're approaching my age, sorta, but their production style and on-screen persona definitely skew toward the more obnoxious. I don't mean all streamers, just a lot of the popular ones I see.
Two, my venue. Twitch or YouTube Gaming? Or Beam? I went with Twitch at first, while I was still learning the ropes, but then switched over to YTG because I'm lazy, and wanted my shit to auto-upload. It saved me a few clicks. It also seemed like a chance to get in early on something. Now ... it just doesn't seem like it's taken off.
Microsoft today announced a partnership with Beam that'll integrate Beam into Windows and Xbox for broadcast and consumption. I need to investigate it more. If things like video export to YT aren't there, forget it.
Three, my level of commitment. Like a lot of things that aren't my job or marriage, my level of commitment wavers. I just got real shit to do and worry about. And I think I need a bit more of a plan. I also need to be willing to stick to that plan and forego some things to stay on a regular streaming schedule, if I'm going to actually commit. Honestly, I wouldn't mind this being a solid income-supplementing side gig. Right now, we're nowhere near that.
I also get waaay too busy, which annoys and depresses me. I think being busy makes me unhappier than anything else in my life, but it's also part of being a grownup, and it never lasts longer than a few weeks at a time. I just need to pay more attention to what I'm committing to, so as to avoid it as much as possible.
Regardless, I'm actually pretty happy with my ongoing Mass Effect trilogy effort. Check it out below.
I heard an episode a day will enhance your sex life. Seriously. :P
Anyway, let me know what you think. I'm always looking for helpful feedback.
Thanks!
-Blaine
20160829
That Mass Effect Series I'm Doing
So, I'm really excited about the Mass Effect YouTube series that I kicked off yesterday. Mass Effect is a series that is very close to my heart, and I'm really pumped that I get to share it with the world.
To that end, even though I've played through the trilogy multiple times, and ready/seen everything that expands the universe, I'm doing a fair amount of research into both the development history, and the in-game lore. And I'm having a fucking blast doing that. I love this series so much, and I'm really enjoying putting the work in to make it great for you.
In fact, if you wanna check out the first episode, here ya go:
And if you wanna keep up with the series, and/or be notified when I go live with a new episode, PLEASE subscribe!
Now, if you REALLY wanna do it right, do a little homework before watching my stream! Check it out!
First, read the Mass Effect: Evolution comic! It provides some background on a key character that comes later, as well as gives you some familiarity with the conflict between humans and Turians.
Second, read the novel Mass Effect: Revelation! It's a fun read, and really gives the reader some insight into a couple key characters from the series. And for real, it really gave me a deeper appreciation of a particularly nasty character in the first game.
Third, read Mass Effect: He Who Laughs Best. It provides a neat little bit of background for one of the main characters of the series, and is a fun read.
After that, you're basically ready for the first Mass Effect.
I'm now actually contemplating doing an 'intro' video that explains some of the history prior to the first game. What do you think? Maybe a PowerPoint? I dunno. Opinions are welcome here.
Anyway, if you wanna join me and help guide some of the choices of my current Shepard, then join me during the next stream, comment below, whatever. And if you subscribe to my channel, you can get notifications for whenever I'm going live or publish a new video.
Other than that, I am thoroughly enjoying Deus Ex: Mankind Divided. I'm not streaming that one. I decided that I don't really like sharing my first playthroughs of game. I like the solitude and privacy my first time through.
Anyway, I played through the Dubai intro, which was stupid and frustrating, but I've really liked everything after that. I'm still in the main hub area after Dubai, doing side missions and learning the new Praxis system.
I also really want to, soon, set aside some time to really focus on playing Wasteland 2. That's such a great game that I've just never made the time for.
Oh, I'm also reading the latest Deus Ex novel, Black Light, by James Swallow. It bridges the two games. Give it a look. It's solid.
And that's it! Thanks!
-Blaine
To that end, even though I've played through the trilogy multiple times, and ready/seen everything that expands the universe, I'm doing a fair amount of research into both the development history, and the in-game lore. And I'm having a fucking blast doing that. I love this series so much, and I'm really enjoying putting the work in to make it great for you.
In fact, if you wanna check out the first episode, here ya go:
And if you wanna keep up with the series, and/or be notified when I go live with a new episode, PLEASE subscribe!
Now, if you REALLY wanna do it right, do a little homework before watching my stream! Check it out!
First, read the Mass Effect: Evolution comic! It provides some background on a key character that comes later, as well as gives you some familiarity with the conflict between humans and Turians.
Second, read the novel Mass Effect: Revelation! It's a fun read, and really gives the reader some insight into a couple key characters from the series. And for real, it really gave me a deeper appreciation of a particularly nasty character in the first game.
Third, read Mass Effect: He Who Laughs Best. It provides a neat little bit of background for one of the main characters of the series, and is a fun read.
After that, you're basically ready for the first Mass Effect.
I'm now actually contemplating doing an 'intro' video that explains some of the history prior to the first game. What do you think? Maybe a PowerPoint? I dunno. Opinions are welcome here.
Anyway, if you wanna join me and help guide some of the choices of my current Shepard, then join me during the next stream, comment below, whatever. And if you subscribe to my channel, you can get notifications for whenever I'm going live or publish a new video.
Other than that, I am thoroughly enjoying Deus Ex: Mankind Divided. I'm not streaming that one. I decided that I don't really like sharing my first playthroughs of game. I like the solitude and privacy my first time through.
Anyway, I played through the Dubai intro, which was stupid and frustrating, but I've really liked everything after that. I'm still in the main hub area after Dubai, doing side missions and learning the new Praxis system.
I also really want to, soon, set aside some time to really focus on playing Wasteland 2. That's such a great game that I've just never made the time for.
Oh, I'm also reading the latest Deus Ex novel, Black Light, by James Swallow. It bridges the two games. Give it a look. It's solid.
And that's it! Thanks!
-Blaine
20160828
YouTube and Me
I've been pondering the next 'move' for my YouTube Gaming Channel after my fairly successful DXHR run.
The marathon part was a bit much, but it was actually pretty fun to have folks come and hang out for a while and talk Deus Ex.
The long-form continuous playthrough, though, has actually gained some traction, which surprised me. I can understand why it would be interesting to watch, theoretically, but I can't fathom someone actually setting aside the required 30 hours to do so. But, some folks are. Cool!
I like doing it, and I seem to slowly be finding a niche audience. Where do I go from here?
Well, I've been thinking about that, and here's kinda where I am:
01. In thinking about what I want to see more of on YouTube, I want to see:
a. someone that doesn't scream in falsetto (or at all, really)
b. someone that's committed to the roleplay of the character in-game, but not to their audience
c. in terms of a long 'canon' playthrough of a game, mods that enhance the original vision of the game
d. someone knowledgeable about the game's lore
e. someone knowledgeable about the game's development
f. someone that has well-founded opinions on the game, and that can communicate them in an intelligent, non-hyperbolic fashion
g. someone that's cool and funny
02. I enjoy sharing some of my gaming with the world; for example, I'm enjoying playing DXMD for the first time by myself, and wouldn't enjoy sharing that with YouTube; conversely, my new 'MMO & Chill' streams are there for hanging out and socializing; what I did with DXHR was my second playthrough after five years, and that really enhanced the experience; it was technically my first playthrough of the Director's Cut; streaming subsequent runs of games that I know and love is fun, especially when I can balance, commentary, comedy, and knowledge
03. I think my channel, for me to stick with it, needs to have more than one 'product;' that's where the 'MMO & Chill' thing came from; I don't want to just be that guy that makes 15-20 streams for one game, and it's this really long, involved, intense thing
04. I think I might get away from, altogether, playing brand new games on the channel; there's a ton of people already doing that, and that's really not the way I enjoy discovering games
05. I think I'd really enjoy devoting my channel to not-new games; not really 'retro' games, though some of those might come up; I'm not one of those dickheads that believes that everything good stopped being made after year X. I love all kinds of games from all kinds of years, and fully believe that every year, the best games ever made are being made
So, with that in mind, I think this where we're going from here.
01. I'm going to have an ongoing series in which I'm playing through a game (or series), at least an hour a week. Probably more. I may even have two in parallel. It'll usually be pointed at an upcoming release, but not always. The series that are will be titled 'The Road to [insert upcoming game].' They'll always be subtitled 'Blaine vs [insert title of game or series that's being played].'
a. in support of this, I will have done a lot of research on both the in-game lore, as well as the behind-the-scenes so that I can drop interesting knowledge bombs while playing.
b. I'll install mods to crank up the visuals to their max prettiest. I may install mods that bring cut content back. I won't install the 'Skyrim Needed Thomas the Tank Engine' mods, unless that somehow suits the theme I'm going for.
c. These will almost always be on a weekend night. I'm going to look into expanding my streaming schedule, but for now, this is what you get.
02. My other stream series will be Sunday mornings, and that will be my 'MMO & Chill' series. I'll rotate the following MMOs: Elder Scrolls Online (which was featured this morning), SWTOR, Guild Wars 2, Final Fantasy XIV, Star Trek Online, Guild Wars 1, and Neverwinter. I'll also try out others if enough people request them. The objective of this stream will be to just chill and do whatever in-game.
03. I don't have any other series planned yet.
I'm also part of a larger network of streamers called The 1UP Rejects, and we're slowly building a pretty decent catalog, with something for anyone. Give it a look. In particular, the Single-Player Multiplay is pretty cool. It's my buddy Marc and me each playing through DXHR, but totally differently. I dig the shit outta that.
So, here's what's coming next (for my channel):
Rest of 2016 + early 2017: The Road to Mass Effect Andromeda: Blaine vs the Mass Effect Trilogy
Later 2016: Blaine vs the KotORs
2017-2018: The Road to Dragon Age 4: Blaine vs the Dragon Age Trilogy
2017: add another weekly show (lemme know what you want)
2018: add another weekly show
The plan isn't super-aggressive, and that's intentional. I'm a husband, father, developer, writer, and too many other things right now to just set everything aside and do this, though I really enjoy this. The plan is to build up a bigger support structure for this over time, and we'll just see where it goes.
On that note, I could really use your help. Check out my channel. Watch my videos. Subscribe. Like. Donate. Comment. Share the videos. Please. And give feedback. Seriously. If it's constructive and/or praising, I really need both.
Here's a look at my first 'MMO & Chill' stream:
It wasn't as chill as I would've liked, but it still ended up being pretty fun.
I'm going to try and get started with my 'Road to Mass Effect' series today, but it may not happen. We'll see. I have a lot of modding to do with it first, and some of these mods are nearly the size of the base game install.
Anyway, give my stuff a look, lemme know what you think, and hit me with any requests.
Thanks!
-Blaine
The marathon part was a bit much, but it was actually pretty fun to have folks come and hang out for a while and talk Deus Ex.
The long-form continuous playthrough, though, has actually gained some traction, which surprised me. I can understand why it would be interesting to watch, theoretically, but I can't fathom someone actually setting aside the required 30 hours to do so. But, some folks are. Cool!
I like doing it, and I seem to slowly be finding a niche audience. Where do I go from here?
Well, I've been thinking about that, and here's kinda where I am:
01. In thinking about what I want to see more of on YouTube, I want to see:
a. someone that doesn't scream in falsetto (or at all, really)
b. someone that's committed to the roleplay of the character in-game, but not to their audience
c. in terms of a long 'canon' playthrough of a game, mods that enhance the original vision of the game
d. someone knowledgeable about the game's lore
e. someone knowledgeable about the game's development
f. someone that has well-founded opinions on the game, and that can communicate them in an intelligent, non-hyperbolic fashion
g. someone that's cool and funny
02. I enjoy sharing some of my gaming with the world; for example, I'm enjoying playing DXMD for the first time by myself, and wouldn't enjoy sharing that with YouTube; conversely, my new 'MMO & Chill' streams are there for hanging out and socializing; what I did with DXHR was my second playthrough after five years, and that really enhanced the experience; it was technically my first playthrough of the Director's Cut; streaming subsequent runs of games that I know and love is fun, especially when I can balance, commentary, comedy, and knowledge
03. I think my channel, for me to stick with it, needs to have more than one 'product;' that's where the 'MMO & Chill' thing came from; I don't want to just be that guy that makes 15-20 streams for one game, and it's this really long, involved, intense thing
04. I think I might get away from, altogether, playing brand new games on the channel; there's a ton of people already doing that, and that's really not the way I enjoy discovering games
05. I think I'd really enjoy devoting my channel to not-new games; not really 'retro' games, though some of those might come up; I'm not one of those dickheads that believes that everything good stopped being made after year X. I love all kinds of games from all kinds of years, and fully believe that every year, the best games ever made are being made
So, with that in mind, I think this where we're going from here.
01. I'm going to have an ongoing series in which I'm playing through a game (or series), at least an hour a week. Probably more. I may even have two in parallel. It'll usually be pointed at an upcoming release, but not always. The series that are will be titled 'The Road to [insert upcoming game].' They'll always be subtitled 'Blaine vs [insert title of game or series that's being played].'
a. in support of this, I will have done a lot of research on both the in-game lore, as well as the behind-the-scenes so that I can drop interesting knowledge bombs while playing.
b. I'll install mods to crank up the visuals to their max prettiest. I may install mods that bring cut content back. I won't install the 'Skyrim Needed Thomas the Tank Engine' mods, unless that somehow suits the theme I'm going for.
c. These will almost always be on a weekend night. I'm going to look into expanding my streaming schedule, but for now, this is what you get.
02. My other stream series will be Sunday mornings, and that will be my 'MMO & Chill' series. I'll rotate the following MMOs: Elder Scrolls Online (which was featured this morning), SWTOR, Guild Wars 2, Final Fantasy XIV, Star Trek Online, Guild Wars 1, and Neverwinter. I'll also try out others if enough people request them. The objective of this stream will be to just chill and do whatever in-game.
03. I don't have any other series planned yet.
I'm also part of a larger network of streamers called The 1UP Rejects, and we're slowly building a pretty decent catalog, with something for anyone. Give it a look. In particular, the Single-Player Multiplay is pretty cool. It's my buddy Marc and me each playing through DXHR, but totally differently. I dig the shit outta that.
So, here's what's coming next (for my channel):
Rest of 2016 + early 2017: The Road to Mass Effect Andromeda: Blaine vs the Mass Effect Trilogy
Later 2016: Blaine vs the KotORs
2017-2018: The Road to Dragon Age 4: Blaine vs the Dragon Age Trilogy
2017: add another weekly show (lemme know what you want)
2018: add another weekly show
The plan isn't super-aggressive, and that's intentional. I'm a husband, father, developer, writer, and too many other things right now to just set everything aside and do this, though I really enjoy this. The plan is to build up a bigger support structure for this over time, and we'll just see where it goes.
On that note, I could really use your help. Check out my channel. Watch my videos. Subscribe. Like. Donate. Comment. Share the videos. Please. And give feedback. Seriously. If it's constructive and/or praising, I really need both.
Here's a look at my first 'MMO & Chill' stream:
It wasn't as chill as I would've liked, but it still ended up being pretty fun.
I'm going to try and get started with my 'Road to Mass Effect' series today, but it may not happen. We'll see. I have a lot of modding to do with it first, and some of these mods are nearly the size of the base game install.
Anyway, give my stuff a look, lemme know what you think, and hit me with any requests.
Thanks!
-Blaine
20160825
FOOBA!!!
If you're wondering where I've been, it's fantasy football season, AND school for the wife and kids has started back up, so I'm fucking swamped every moment of every day.
However, if you really miss me, you can check out my recently-completed full play-through of Deus Ex: Human Revolution: Director's Cut on my YouTube channel.
I did pick up Mankind Divided, played about a half-hour, and then put it away until I really have time to play it. Maybe in about three weeks? We'll see.
I love and hate this time of year so much. I love that football is cranking up, that the MLB pennant races are heating up, that the fall video game release cadence has started, that the kids are back in school, but I despise the drain on my time. Ugh.
Anyway, this is all I got time for right now.
-Blaine
However, if you really miss me, you can check out my recently-completed full play-through of Deus Ex: Human Revolution: Director's Cut on my YouTube channel.
I did pick up Mankind Divided, played about a half-hour, and then put it away until I really have time to play it. Maybe in about three weeks? We'll see.
I love and hate this time of year so much. I love that football is cranking up, that the MLB pennant races are heating up, that the fall video game release cadence has started, that the kids are back in school, but I despise the drain on my time. Ugh.
Anyway, this is all I got time for right now.
-Blaine
20160819
Deus Ex Marathon Weekend
First things first, here's all of Deus Ex: Human Revolution: Director's Cut that I've already played through. Give it a look. It's quite accidentally entertaining:
The Deus Ex series is very near and dear to my heart. I got the idea last month to replay the previous game, since a) I'd never played the 'Director's Cut,' and b) it'd be fun to stream my entire playthrough of a game. I'd always wanted to do that, and this was a chance.
What I didn't consider was how busy I am. An hour or two a weekend didn't cut it.
Thus, I'm going to try and play through the rest of it late tonight, all day tomorrow, and all day Sunday.
PLEASE come hang out and watch. PLEASE. I'm going to have fun with this, and it would mean a lot if folks came out, showed some support, and had a good time with me.
Here's the link to my live page.
I'll shoot something out on my Twitter later when I'm going live tonight, tomorrow, and Sunday.
I hope to see you this weekend! Happy Friday!
-Blaine
The Deus Ex series is very near and dear to my heart. I got the idea last month to replay the previous game, since a) I'd never played the 'Director's Cut,' and b) it'd be fun to stream my entire playthrough of a game. I'd always wanted to do that, and this was a chance.
What I didn't consider was how busy I am. An hour or two a weekend didn't cut it.
Thus, I'm going to try and play through the rest of it late tonight, all day tomorrow, and all day Sunday.
PLEASE come hang out and watch. PLEASE. I'm going to have fun with this, and it would mean a lot if folks came out, showed some support, and had a good time with me.
Here's the link to my live page.
I'll shoot something out on my Twitter later when I'm going live tonight, tomorrow, and Sunday.
I hope to see you this weekend! Happy Friday!
-Blaine
20160813
Videos & Heroes
Hey All,
I wanted to share some super coolness that came out this week. Some of my favorite people and franchises popped up on YouTube and I just gotta share.
First, Sven Vincke and Chris Avellone were on the PC Gamer Show, talking about the latest news, as well as Prey and Divinity: Original Sin 2.
I'm a huge fan of both both guys, and I LOVE that they're working together. I totally fanboyed out when I saw that they were going to be appearing together on the show. And it doesn't disappoint.
Next, THAT TRAILER hit Thursday night ...
Then, last night, Josh Sawyer showed up on Fallout: Off the Record. Again, I totally fanboyed out. Give it a look.
Very cool stuff.
Also, I jumped back into my Deus Ex: Human Revolution: Director's Cut playthrough last night, and I had a fun stream. Here's the playlist.
And that's it for now. I'll try to get my Star Trek Convention Megapost up tomorrow.
Thanks, and lemme know if there's anything else you wanna see me stream. And is there anyone from the old-school RPG scene of whom you're a big fan?
-Blaine
I wanted to share some super coolness that came out this week. Some of my favorite people and franchises popped up on YouTube and I just gotta share.
First, Sven Vincke and Chris Avellone were on the PC Gamer Show, talking about the latest news, as well as Prey and Divinity: Original Sin 2.
I'm a huge fan of both both guys, and I LOVE that they're working together. I totally fanboyed out when I saw that they were going to be appearing together on the show. And it doesn't disappoint.
Next, THAT TRAILER hit Thursday night ...
Then, last night, Josh Sawyer showed up on Fallout: Off the Record. Again, I totally fanboyed out. Give it a look.
Very cool stuff.
Also, I jumped back into my Deus Ex: Human Revolution: Director's Cut playthrough last night, and I had a fun stream. Here's the playlist.
And that's it for now. I'll try to get my Star Trek Convention Megapost up tomorrow.
Thanks, and lemme know if there's anything else you wanna see me stream. And is there anyone from the old-school RPG scene of whom you're a big fan?
-Blaine
20160627
Goodbye, Witcher, Hello, Torment.
The summer time is often the dead zone for gaming. And, I guess, it kinda should be. It's usually the best time to be outside, walking, fighting bears, toiling in the yard, or whatever it is that people that like being outside pretend to enjoy doing out there.
The only time I like being 'out there' is if I'm at a ballgame (GO CARDS), or exploring something and/or learning something. I do enjoy summer evenings. Back when I used to smoke and drink, the back porch was where you could almost always find me in the evening. Now, it's my couch.
Holy cow, do I get off track like really crazy fast, or what?
ANYWAY, this is the time of year that I'm finishing games, clearing out the pile of shame, and trying new experiences (games, not weird sexual things (that's year-round)).
Right now, I have a rotation going made up of Dishonored, Doom, Witcher 3: Blood and Wine, and the Torment beta, as well as several MMOs. It's too much, but it is what it is right now.
I'm zooming in on the end of Dishonored right now, after which I'll play the two story DLCs. I like that game's compromise between a linear, mission-based structure, and free-roaming within each mission. I think that's a wonderful approach, especially relative to all the HUGE RPGs I play. The story and world are also really cool. Some LOVE the visual style, and I've slowly come to appreciate it, but I still think it's just kinda ugly. It's like BioShock, only not as ... effective? I dunno. Either way, overall, it's a fantastic game.
Doom is just fun. I play a mission every few days. I've stopped playing the multiplayer. This is not because I don't like it, but multiplayer shooters are just never a priority for me.
The Witcher ... I've been a big fan of this franchise for a long time. I've been a few of both the games and the books for years. It took me a couple years to really understand the first game, but once I did, I went nuts for it. The books, I fell in love with right away. It's been painful waiting for each translation, but I devour them quickly. They are each worth the wait.
It was interesting this past weekend, though, knowing that, in Blood and Wine, I'm concluding my video game time with Geralt, just as I was also really getting seduced by the Torment beta. It was this weird feeling that I was sunsetting one intense relationship, just as another was beckoning.
I saw an interesting quote during all this, and I wish I could remember where. I want to give proper credit. Basically, someone posited that 'The Witcher' franchise wasn't a fantasy RPG, it is a folklore RPG. I wholeheartedly agree with that. So much of it pulls from Polish folklore, which is a huge part of what gives it such distinct flavor.
It was really great juxtaposing The Witcher and Torment this weekend. I really didn't mean to, but I kept flipping back and forth between the Blood and Wine expac, and the Torment beta.
Where Blood and Wine is, itself, a great juxtaposition (dark, grim Geralt in a bright, whimsical setting), Torment is a fascinating blend of post-apocalyptic science fiction and high fantasy. And something else. I don't know enough about the Numenera setting yet to really say much, but every aspect of this world grabbed me by my imagination and intellect and YANKED.
For me, that's probably the highest compliment that I can give to a game. I play games to experience other worlds, and to live out stories in them. I feel the same way about The Witcher.
And while I'm slowly bringing my final adventure with Geralt to a close, it's been interesting getting settled into Numenera, and appreciating how these two games accomplish similar feats, albeit in utterly different ways. Where the Witcher is over-the-shoulder, action-based, and told from the point of view of a fixed character (though you influence that character's choices and overall demeanor), Torment is an old-style cRPG, very dialogue-driven, told from the perspective of a character that you create, and turn-based combat. These games are utterly dissimilar, aside from both being RPGs. This kinda highlights what I love about the genre, which is its versatility. I love how broad the experience can be.
Anyway, I just thought I'd share some of my musings from the weekend. It's about the only time I have to game anymore.
I tend to slow-jam certain games, so I'll be playing Blood and Wine for a while. Torment beta and Dishonored, I'll wrap up soon-ish, and then I'll probably start beating up another of my MMOs (Guild Wars 2, SWTOR, ESO, FFXIV). I should probably post my server info for anyone that wants to play together. Hmm.
Anyway, I'm heading back into Visual Studio. Keep it real.
-Blaine
BTW - in case you were curious, I post those Amazon links because I get a cut of the sale, and I wanna make money off these blogs, because I love doing them.
The only time I like being 'out there' is if I'm at a ballgame (GO CARDS), or exploring something and/or learning something. I do enjoy summer evenings. Back when I used to smoke and drink, the back porch was where you could almost always find me in the evening. Now, it's my couch.
Holy cow, do I get off track like really crazy fast, or what?
ANYWAY, this is the time of year that I'm finishing games, clearing out the pile of shame, and trying new experiences (games, not weird sexual things (that's year-round)).
Right now, I have a rotation going made up of Dishonored, Doom, Witcher 3: Blood and Wine, and the Torment beta, as well as several MMOs. It's too much, but it is what it is right now.
I'm zooming in on the end of Dishonored right now, after which I'll play the two story DLCs. I like that game's compromise between a linear, mission-based structure, and free-roaming within each mission. I think that's a wonderful approach, especially relative to all the HUGE RPGs I play. The story and world are also really cool. Some LOVE the visual style, and I've slowly come to appreciate it, but I still think it's just kinda ugly. It's like BioShock, only not as ... effective? I dunno. Either way, overall, it's a fantastic game.
Doom is just fun. I play a mission every few days. I've stopped playing the multiplayer. This is not because I don't like it, but multiplayer shooters are just never a priority for me.
The Witcher ... I've been a big fan of this franchise for a long time. I've been a few of both the games and the books for years. It took me a couple years to really understand the first game, but once I did, I went nuts for it. The books, I fell in love with right away. It's been painful waiting for each translation, but I devour them quickly. They are each worth the wait.
It was interesting this past weekend, though, knowing that, in Blood and Wine, I'm concluding my video game time with Geralt, just as I was also really getting seduced by the Torment beta. It was this weird feeling that I was sunsetting one intense relationship, just as another was beckoning.
I saw an interesting quote during all this, and I wish I could remember where. I want to give proper credit. Basically, someone posited that 'The Witcher' franchise wasn't a fantasy RPG, it is a folklore RPG. I wholeheartedly agree with that. So much of it pulls from Polish folklore, which is a huge part of what gives it such distinct flavor.
It was really great juxtaposing The Witcher and Torment this weekend. I really didn't mean to, but I kept flipping back and forth between the Blood and Wine expac, and the Torment beta.
Where Blood and Wine is, itself, a great juxtaposition (dark, grim Geralt in a bright, whimsical setting), Torment is a fascinating blend of post-apocalyptic science fiction and high fantasy. And something else. I don't know enough about the Numenera setting yet to really say much, but every aspect of this world grabbed me by my imagination and intellect and YANKED.
For me, that's probably the highest compliment that I can give to a game. I play games to experience other worlds, and to live out stories in them. I feel the same way about The Witcher.
And while I'm slowly bringing my final adventure with Geralt to a close, it's been interesting getting settled into Numenera, and appreciating how these two games accomplish similar feats, albeit in utterly different ways. Where the Witcher is over-the-shoulder, action-based, and told from the point of view of a fixed character (though you influence that character's choices and overall demeanor), Torment is an old-style cRPG, very dialogue-driven, told from the perspective of a character that you create, and turn-based combat. These games are utterly dissimilar, aside from both being RPGs. This kinda highlights what I love about the genre, which is its versatility. I love how broad the experience can be.
Anyway, I just thought I'd share some of my musings from the weekend. It's about the only time I have to game anymore.
I tend to slow-jam certain games, so I'll be playing Blood and Wine for a while. Torment beta and Dishonored, I'll wrap up soon-ish, and then I'll probably start beating up another of my MMOs (Guild Wars 2, SWTOR, ESO, FFXIV). I should probably post my server info for anyone that wants to play together. Hmm.
Anyway, I'm heading back into Visual Studio. Keep it real.
-Blaine
BTW - in case you were curious, I post those Amazon links because I get a cut of the sale, and I wanna make money off these blogs, because I love doing them.
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