Nintendo's E3 conference

Nintendo started with an orchestra going through tons of Zelda music. Quite a good beginning.

They announced some pretty good free stuff: 4 swords for the DSi, Excite Bike for the 3DS, and Pokedex (not exactly sure what it is) for the 3DS.

We got a quick look at a good amount of 3DS games, including a Mario game, Mario Kart, Luigi's Mansion 2, and Starfox, among others.  The best part, during the Starfox clip, "Do a barrel roll" was played.  My interest in the 3DS has recently very much increased.  Also, Cave Story 3D looks awesome. I hope it's more than just the same game with a graphical upgrade, and if it is, then I certainly want it.

Finally, Nintendo unveiled their new controller/console, the Wii U.  Yes, Wii U as in the sound a police car makes, or in horribly confusing sentences like: "Would you like to see my Mii on your Wii U?" (I'd recommend saying that out loud).  The reason why I wrote "controller/console" is because it was referred as both during the conference (mostly controller by Nintendo, though once Miyamoto said console, and console by other developers).

So, what is the Wii U?  It's basically another controller, with a screen in it.  It looks sort of like the Gamecube or Sega Dreamcast mods that put the entire system in a controller.  It has 2 joysticks, various buttons, a gyroscope sensor, and the screen is a touch screen.  It connects to the console, and they plan on having various types of games that you play on the tv and with the controller: it was shown that you could play on the tv, and then switch to the screen in the controller.  Also, it will allow for some multiplayer "asymmetrical gameplay."  Also, a new Super Smash Brothers game has been confirmed for the 3DS and the Wii U.

Basically, the Wii U seems a little gimmicky right now, but it has potential.  This is sort of how I felt about the 3DS last year, and I'm now wanting it a bit more, so it could work out.  Overall, Nintendo has a pretty good E3, especially if the Wii U turns out good.


Edit: I think the Wii U also comes with a new console, but it wasn't very clear during the conference, so I made my description somewhat ambiguous by saying 'console' and 'tv' instead of naming anything specific.

Portal 2 Levels

So, I've been making some Portal 2 levels - specifically 2 levels so far... one of which has both a coop and single player version.  They aren't very polished, and could use some tweaking of the textures, but I like them, and so far they have had good feedback (not sure how much of it was just being polite though).

So, reader(s) that have Portal 2, send me a message to test my levels if you haven't already, and if you have interest.

Also, for personal reference, the level files go into the folder:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\portal 2\portal2\maps
or C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\portal 2\portal2\maps for 32 bit systems.


Also, to anyone else with interest in making levels, I'd be glad to help with the very small amount of knowledge that I have gained in the subject.

Hacker Typer

As many of you have seen by now, this is hilarious and awesome: http://hackertyper.net/
I've been working on an AutoHotKey version of it so that it could work in any program (on windows).
I'm basically done, but it unfortunately does not have the ability to hit backspace, so some programs which auto-indent won't quite work with it.  Other than that, it's incredibly fun.
This was designed specifically for my computer and it would require some tweaking to work on other machines, but if you're interested feel free to take a look at it: HackerType.ahk

A freaky dream

So, I took a nap in csug lounge.  I had a dream while I was sleeping.  I dreamed about taking a nap in csug lounge.

In the dream, I was in the exact same place, though I was lying in a different position (on my back instead of curled up in a ball).  Anyways, in the dream there were people in the room - around 4 or 5 of them.  I was listening in on the conversations they were having, as in the dream I wasn't completely asleep - more like dozing off.  Then I realized my watch alarm was going to go off soon, and I didn't really want to bother everyone there, but I was too tired to really do anything about it, so I just let it go off.  Then the alarm went off and I opened my eyes, and no one was there.

As I awoke into reality, because of the similarity to the dream and reality, it didn't feel like waking up, it felt as if everyone just disappeared and nothing else changed, since in real life the room was empty.  It was freaky, and kind of cool.  At the very least, it was an interesting and entertaining experience.

Minecraft Captain Falcon is Almost Done

I will be finishing it either tonight or tomorrow night (probably tonight).  Come watch the completion of an epic creation.  I plan on eventually stitching together multiple screenshots to get a picture of the whole thing.

A Story of Me Being Tired

So, I had an interview day today.  The company, being a part of the world not located solely on the internet, starts the day early - specifically 8:00 am.  I was kind of tired, as you might suspect.

So, at the beginning of the day, before any of the interview stuff, I was walking down a hallway.  At the end of the hallway, I noticed there were some umbrellas on the ceiling - I saw like 5 of them of 2 different sizes.  The umbrella is the logo of the company, so it's no surprise there.  I made note of it, seeing those umbrellas.

Later in the day, so I was more awake by then, I walked through the same hallway again, this time going the other way.  I looked at the ceiling, and there I noticed it.  The whole entire ceiling had the umbrellas - hundreds of them.  I was so tired that I only noticed about 5 out of hundreds of umbrellas.  Being tired does weird things to people.

Downloading

I'll try to post to this blog a tad more frequently, if possible.
This happens to me too much:
I'm on my laptop, searching for something, and I think it would be a good idea to download it, having never thought of it before.  Then I check the search results only to find that I'm the one uploading it.
One of the pitfalls of having over 3 TB of space.

While Awake

After finishing a day's work, this starts to happen (exceptions are friday and saturday).

if (time > midnight)
    while(awake)
    {
        tiredness++;
        if (tiredness > 100)
        {
            awake = false;
            sleep(); // will eventually reset tiredness and thinking skills
            return;
        }
        if (tiredness > 50)
            thinking_skills--;
    }

Something like that.  The problem is, I'm tired, so my thinking skills are steadily decreasing at the point of writing this.  So I can't be sure if what I'm saying is sensible.  Oh, and cats are cute.

Tired, too many characters for twitter

Sometimes when I'm quite tired, like now, I feel like posting something to somewhere.  This is that something in this case.  My tired self is sometimes nonsensical, but this hopefully will make some sense.
When you're doing work and getting tired while doing it, if you get to the state that you begin to forget what the question is while you're reading it, and you start to make up parts of it, that's when you know you're quite tired.  This happened to me recently.  The worst part is, I think it was more accurate than what I thought my more awake self thought the problem was.  If that didn't make any sense, please disregard it.

AutoHotKey and Synergy can act strangely together

So, I have my desktop and laptop connected with Synergy, with my desktop as the server.

If you don't know what synergy is, and you have multiple computers, visit http://synergy-foss.org/.  Synergy is basically a way to move 1 mouse and keyboard onto other computers connected through a network.  Very handy tool.
On my desktop, I have it set so that when I press the Scroll Lock key, it plays my music folder, since I never use that key otherwise.
When I press scroll lock while the mouse is on the other screen, music starts playing, which is fine.  The problem, is that the mouse gets stuck on the other screen - it gets walled it on my laptop.  It is easily fixable by stopping Synergy, but other than that, it seems impossible.  It is a very unique situation, of having the mouse unable to access the computer it's connected to.  It's not a major problem, but I found it to be a humorous glitch worth sharing.

Lightning reviews

A new season of anime is starting. Based only on the first episodes (or maybe also the second for one or two), here are some quick reviews for if you feel like you need to pick up a new anime. This list is in no particular order.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica

The fights are pretty good, with crazy weird animation (which a certain fansub group compared to the SZS opening). The non-fight portions... are a bit lacking.

Yumekui Merry

Intriguing plot. So far worth watching, just for that. Dream entities trying to take over people and get into reality.

Gosick

Could be good, first episode seemed a bit lacking, but it has potential. Will probably be some sort of mystery anime.

Rio - Rainbow Gate

Everything is wrong with this anime. It uses games of chance as battles, which is stupid. It has some fanservice, but that's about it. Could be worth watching just for the moments that are so stupid that they are somewhat humorous.

Beelzebub

A delinquent finds a baby and has to take care of it. The baby also happens to have demon powers. Could be good, but too much of the baby is seen. I guess maybe nsfw.

Kore wa Zombie desu ka

First, this is not a zombie anime, which is surprising. It's sort of a comedy, but I don't know what direction it's headed in.

Level E

Alien anime. Nothing too spectacular, and nothing too horrible.  A decent anime.

Dragon Crisis!

Probably will end up being some sort of romance comedy, but so far it's actually pretty good.

Kimi ni Todoke Season 2

First episode is basically a recap from another perspective, but after that, the second season should be as promising as the first.

Fractal

Feels a little like a Miyazaki film. It has a general good feeling to it, and so far I like it. Oh, and the intro animation is awesome to watch.

Wandering Son

Why does something with this peaceful beautiful art style have a plot like this? It's about a boy in middle school who cross dresses. Also, the first episode was very confusing keeping track of who was who.

Dropped.  Watched 1 episode.

Cardfight!! Vanguard
This doesn't deserve a picture. I dropped this after about 5 seconds of looking through it and basically seeing a yu-gi-oh anime.

Gun X Sword partial review

I'm not sure if the title is Gun X Sword, or just Gun Sword, but in either case, this is a somewhat unknown excellent anime.  This is a 'partial review' because I have only seen the first half of the series.

It starts out somewhat formulaic.  Powerful guy, obscure past, he saves defenseless girl, she follows him.  Oh, and he has a mecha which falls from the sky when he calls it.
What really stands out about this series is the humor.  It's somewhat satirical, and somewhat situational.  It is not the standard extremely shallow humor found in so much of today's anime.  Still, this is not strictly a comedy anime like Azumanga Daioh.  It's more of a good mix of action and comedy.
The fights are good, but the main genius is in the situations.  There are subtle moments of situations that are just a little odd, and others that are less subtle:
"Mustache Soldiers, Go!"
Yes, they were really mustache soldiers.  That episode in and of itself makes this anime worth watching.
One caveat though, some of the episodes are slower than others.  While watching it, you might get a little bogged down in the middle due to a few episodes just being slower than others without much happening.
Oh, and on a random note, I feel like the intro is 2 songs patched together, but it still somehow works.

26 episodes long.  If you want to see an anime that has mechas, and everything from mustache soldiers to fake paradises, look no further than Gun Sword.

Fate Stay Night

Feels older than it is (maybe low budget), but still excellent.

Good setting.  7 teams of 2 that have to fight.  It's simple, and it works well.
Great characters.  Saber (character in picture) is done perfectly with both attitude and story.  The main character's power seems a bit odd, ranging from really weak at the beginning to seemingly godlike at times.  His power is a bit ambiguous, but if you don't question it, it will be enjoyable.
The action and animation is decent, though sometimes feels a bit simple.  It's not worth watching solely for the fights, but they are entertaining.
The music is good, though not overly noticeable.
One of my favorite aspects of Fate Stay Night is the romance.  It feels good.  It's not tacked on, and it doesn't take up all of the focus: the romance fits perfectly with the rest of the plot and action without usurping the plot, and that aspect strikes me as very appealing.

This isn't a world shattering anime like Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, but it is worth seeing.  It's worth putting on your to-watch list, but not necessarily at the very top.