Archive | August 2015

Landmark vs Sword Coast Legends

I have always been a fan of games that allow users more freedom, and the ability to create content. Most definitely this is because I come from a background of pen and paper roleplaying games. The number of computer games that could simulate that experience, that feeling of having complete creativity, are few at best. Landmark (a Minecraft-style building game from Daybreak Game Company) and Sword Coast Legends (a solo-adventure, co-op, and dungeon building title soon to be released from n-Space) are the two games recently that I’ve been looking at to fulfill that need for creativity and storytelling.

Here I give a run-down of the pros and cons of these two games, specifically how they rate against each other for content creation. When I was making these lists I was focusing on ease of creating content for others, graphics, user experience, and breadth of creativity possible. Continue reading

Project Gorgon

A kickstarter campaign is ending today (8/23/2015) for an indie MMO called Project Gorgon. I decided to check it out, as the podcast I’m a part of would be discussing it. I wanted some first-hand experience with the game so that I would have informed opinions, so I went ahead and downloaded it (as they allowed anyone to try the game for free before the Kickstarter ended).

(HINT: Read all the way to the bottom for a sweet screenshot of why “Calligraphy” shouldn’t be a skill ;D )

Before I launch into my opinions, here’s Continue reading

Sword Coast Legends

There’s a game coming out in September (if the release date doesn’t get pushed back again!) called Sword Coast Legends (SCL). It’s an RPG in the same sort of style as Baldur’s Gate or Icewind Dale, and uses the Dungeons & Dragons 5e ruleset. I won’t bore you all by going over every detail. This post isn’t going to be a review of the entire game for a couple reasons: 1.) All my knowledge comes from watching the YouTube videos and Twitch streams by the developers that you could watch yourself, and 2.) there are plenty of people (bloggers, columnists, insiders, etc) who have had a chance to play through demos, and could offer a better review of gameplay than I could. In fact, here’s a link to the SCL news page, with all the aforementioned data, videos and opinions so far.

(TL;DR version: solo play, party-building RPG. Co-op play available with friends. Dungeon Master mode that allows you to use campaign/adventure/map/quest/NPC/monster creation tools).

What I do want to talk about is the amazingly versatile and powerful Dungeon Master tools, and what SCL could mean for old-school pen and paper gamers around the world Continue reading

Old Gods

(NSFW)

Brooke looked to her mother as they were finishing up their chores for the afternoon. Her mother was taking the washing down from the line, the sun at her back. The girl sighed.

“Tell me what’s wrong, love,” her mother paused in her work.

“I’m worried about the land,” she admitted, folding the linen blanket in her hands and placing it in the basket. “The last few harvests have been meager, and it has been so dry this summer,” she trailed off, looking out towards the winding, pockmarked dirt road that led to their farm. A lone knight sat upon his horse, clanking nearer.

“We’ll manage, Brooke, like we always do. The rains will come.” She cupped her daughter’s cheek, brushing away her wild, raven locks. The crashing of the knight falling off his horse made both women jump. They gathered up their skirts and ran to the road. Continue reading

Quantic Foundry Personality Test

So, for fun I took the Quantic Foundry Big Five Personality test.

I think that my current situation in life, and the recent experiences I’ve had played a big part in the results (naturally), and it’s a bit obvious that I’ve withdrawn into myself a bit. At least, to me it’s obvious.

But, it’s a cool little test that makes you think about yourself in different situations, and can create some interesting “what would I do if…?” scenarios in your head.

Here’s a link to my results.

Or, if you prefer to stay on this page, keep scrolling:

 

TL;DR:

QF1

Continue reading

Bacon-Wrapped Pork

 

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Delicious caramelized bacon on the outside, juicy pork inside, all topped with a sweet sauce. Perfect served over rice!

I concocted this recipe out of the blue one day. It evolved out of a “I wonder what would happen if…” sort of night. I’m sure that there are other recipes out there that are very similar, as we have been finding ways to incorporate bacon into our meals since the invention of bacon. However, this one is mine, and I hope you enjoy!  Continue reading