Card Hunter (40h) - Browser game that looks and feels like 1st Ed D&D, but plays with a rather interesting card mechanic.
League of legends (20h) - LAN stalwart & nightly ARAMs with Sam & Co.
Tales of Maj Eyal (15h) - Getting back into ToME to prep for Notorious
Crusader Kings II (5h) - Still a struggle with Seniority succession. England has broken away and will be a long war to get them back in the fold.
Tower of Saviours (2h) - Still entertaining, but the gaps between being able to do something different is getting longer and longer.
F1 2012 (2h) - pre-race racing before the real F1
Terraria (2h) -More multiplayer with Cam.
Hurl (1h) - Ooooh Yeah!
Monday, September 30, 2013
Affluenza
Lets play a game. Try to guess what country I’m thinking of.
I’ll give you a couple of hints, but it can be any country, so feel free to change your choice to another country if you think it will fit better.
This country is in peace.
This country has been in peace for a while, actually, and a whole generation hasn't experienced a full scale war.
This country has lots of natural resources.
This country has become prosperous by trading natural resources to other countries. Very prosperous.
This country is prosperous enough that almost everybody is well off. They have somewhere to live, as much food as they want and enough money to buy something luxurious every now and then. Some are so rich that they can buy almost anything they want, especially those trading off natural resources.
There are some in this country that aren't so rich, but there are so many opportunities that it’s really their own fault for not being able to carve out their share of this wonderful land. I guess you might say that they are bums, hangers on, dole bludgers.
This country is a wonderful place to live. There’s parties on all the time and those with money really know how to spend it.
Others wouldn’t mind living here too, but you don’t know what they might do when they get here. They might be dole bludgers too? It’s probably for the best to keep this country strong and make it hard for others to get in.
In this country religion probably isn't as strong as it used to be. There doesn't seem to be as many people worshiping as there used to be, but nobody seems to really mind what with all the money and expensive things to get.
There are obviously many religions in this country. What with all the people coming and going it’s a bit much to tell them who they should worship. They might stop trading with us?
Ok, Hands up those who are guessing Israel?
We didn’t read the Old Testament reading today, but if we did it might have been a bit more of a giveaway. Israel is in a period of great prosperity and wealth under the rule of King Jeroboam II. Israelites are highly affluent and the envy of close nations.
Into this mix, the prophet Amos comes in with a message from God, but it isn’t a good one for the Israelites: Here’s the Old Testament read from “The Message”
Come on Amos, surely it’s not that bad?
Unfortunately it was that bad. In a few short years, Israel is attacked and they are all marched off into exile. All that money and wealth stripped bare. Nothing.
We, too, could have played the guessing game with Australia in mind. How would we react if Amos appeared in our midst? Woe to us who live in luxury. All your building up of wealth. Where will it be when you die?
Both the Israelites, and likely us too, are suffering from a deadly disease that is running rampant:
Affluenza, an influenza of affluence. The relentless pursuit of collecting stuff.
Once you have some stuff, rather than being happy, you desire even more stuff. Like a classic addiction, pursuing allfuence leads only more pursuit of affluence.
It spreads easily too. All you have to do is boast about your level of affluence to pass the disease on.
Most people are infected with this insidious disease and are completely unaware that it threatens to destroy their eternal future. And saddest of all, most people do not even care. Whilst many are aware of the problem, they think that it is not going to hurt them or their families.
Here today God is warning us of this danger and pleading for us to be alert, so that this problem does not destroy us. Through each of the readings today, God is seeking to make us aware of the dangers that are ever associated with this affluence - serious dangers.
“Watch out!” he says, “these are distractions!”. “What good is there if you gain these riches, but lose out on the the gift of salvation and eternal life I am offering? What if you gained the whole world? It’s still nothing compared to this wonderful free gift placed before you.” I came down and died for you, and you’re playing with these baubles in the sand??”
How are we to fight off this penchant for collecting stuff? It’s natural for us to do, and our bodies crave earthly desires too.
I’ll give you a couple of hints, but it can be any country, so feel free to change your choice to another country if you think it will fit better.
This country is in peace.
This country has been in peace for a while, actually, and a whole generation hasn't experienced a full scale war.
This country has lots of natural resources.
This country has become prosperous by trading natural resources to other countries. Very prosperous.
This country is prosperous enough that almost everybody is well off. They have somewhere to live, as much food as they want and enough money to buy something luxurious every now and then. Some are so rich that they can buy almost anything they want, especially those trading off natural resources.
There are some in this country that aren't so rich, but there are so many opportunities that it’s really their own fault for not being able to carve out their share of this wonderful land. I guess you might say that they are bums, hangers on, dole bludgers.
This country is a wonderful place to live. There’s parties on all the time and those with money really know how to spend it.
Others wouldn’t mind living here too, but you don’t know what they might do when they get here. They might be dole bludgers too? It’s probably for the best to keep this country strong and make it hard for others to get in.
In this country religion probably isn't as strong as it used to be. There doesn't seem to be as many people worshiping as there used to be, but nobody seems to really mind what with all the money and expensive things to get.
There are obviously many religions in this country. What with all the people coming and going it’s a bit much to tell them who they should worship. They might stop trading with us?
Ok, Hands up those who are guessing Israel?
We didn’t read the Old Testament reading today, but if we did it might have been a bit more of a giveaway. Israel is in a period of great prosperity and wealth under the rule of King Jeroboam II. Israelites are highly affluent and the envy of close nations.
Into this mix, the prophet Amos comes in with a message from God, but it isn’t a good one for the Israelites: Here’s the Old Testament read from “The Message”
1-2 Woe to you who think you live on easy street in Zion, who think Mount Samaria is the good life.
You assume you’re at the top of the heap, voted the number-one best place to live.
Woe to those who live in luxury and expect everyone else to serve them!
Woe to those who live only for today, indifferent to the fate of others!
Woe to the playboys, the playgirls, who think life is a party held just for them!
Woe to those addicted to feeling good—life without pain!
those obsessed with looking good—life without wrinkles!
They could not care less about their country going to ruin.
7 But here’s what’s really coming: a forced march into exile.
They’ll leave the country whining, a rag-tag bunch of good-for-nothings.
Come on Amos, surely it’s not that bad?
Unfortunately it was that bad. In a few short years, Israel is attacked and they are all marched off into exile. All that money and wealth stripped bare. Nothing.
We, too, could have played the guessing game with Australia in mind. How would we react if Amos appeared in our midst? Woe to us who live in luxury. All your building up of wealth. Where will it be when you die?
Both the Israelites, and likely us too, are suffering from a deadly disease that is running rampant:
Affluenza, an influenza of affluence. The relentless pursuit of collecting stuff.
Once you have some stuff, rather than being happy, you desire even more stuff. Like a classic addiction, pursuing allfuence leads only more pursuit of affluence.
It spreads easily too. All you have to do is boast about your level of affluence to pass the disease on.
Most people are infected with this insidious disease and are completely unaware that it threatens to destroy their eternal future. And saddest of all, most people do not even care. Whilst many are aware of the problem, they think that it is not going to hurt them or their families.
Here today God is warning us of this danger and pleading for us to be alert, so that this problem does not destroy us. Through each of the readings today, God is seeking to make us aware of the dangers that are ever associated with this affluence - serious dangers.
“Watch out!” he says, “these are distractions!”. “What good is there if you gain these riches, but lose out on the the gift of salvation and eternal life I am offering? What if you gained the whole world? It’s still nothing compared to this wonderful free gift placed before you.” I came down and died for you, and you’re playing with these baubles in the sand??”
How are we to fight off this penchant for collecting stuff? It’s natural for us to do, and our bodies crave earthly desires too.
“Change my heart oh God Make it ever true,With your eyes I can see the needs in others. With your hands I can be extravagantly generous With your voice I can spread the good news
Change my heart oh God, may I be like you”
Mould me and make me, this is what I pray.
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
GameLog 305 - 309
Crusader Kings II (240h) - Was a little ambivalent about Europa Universalis IV until I saw it had a CKII exporter. That led to another big playthrough as Scotland with a couple of artificial brakes put in place so I don't have the entire european world under rule by the time the expansion came out. Those locks fell off one by one with the need to keep going, so hopefully I'll play as a minor nation alongside the massive Scotland juggernaut in EU4. Been a while since I played and although I knew general strategies, I'd found myself rediscovering little tricks along the way. Will need to write them up or document them in some way before I finish this playthrough.
The Bo'ness clan has now expanded from a humble county ruler to the recent establishment of the Brittanic Empire. Circa 1240, so a couple of big power plays to go. Seniority succession should be good for the final score, but is getting to be a pain with no long term leaders.
Shadowrun Returns (20h) - Finally finished another game! Found out later that the designer was the original Shadowrun guy, so no wonder it had captured the atmosphere of the original. Highly recommended, but you need to read all the flavour text to get the most out of it..
League of legends (15h) - LAN stalwart & Nightly FWOTD.
Tower of Saviours (10h) - Falling back to the hourly challenges and weekend gold runs, but still the best match-3 game out there.
Eador:masters of a broken world (5h) - On hold from the CKII juggernaut coming through again.
F1 2012 (5h) - pre-race racing before the real F1
Space Hulk (2h) - Plays like the board game, but a little lethargic. Will dig it out a again sometime.
Terraria (2h) -More multiplayer with Cam.
The Bo'ness clan has now expanded from a humble county ruler to the recent establishment of the Brittanic Empire. Circa 1240, so a couple of big power plays to go. Seniority succession should be good for the final score, but is getting to be a pain with no long term leaders.
Shadowrun Returns (20h) - Finally finished another game! Found out later that the designer was the original Shadowrun guy, so no wonder it had captured the atmosphere of the original. Highly recommended, but you need to read all the flavour text to get the most out of it..
League of legends (15h) - LAN stalwart & Nightly FWOTD.
Tower of Saviours (10h) - Falling back to the hourly challenges and weekend gold runs, but still the best match-3 game out there.
Eador:masters of a broken world (5h) - On hold from the CKII juggernaut coming through again.
F1 2012 (5h) - pre-race racing before the real F1
Space Hulk (2h) - Plays like the board game, but a little lethargic. Will dig it out a again sometime.
Terraria (2h) -More multiplayer with Cam.
Friday, August 09, 2013
GameLog 299-304
Eador:masters of a broken world (70h) - Still plays well, and finally getting up in levels where it's starting to require level II units. The requirement for knowing your capabilities and the opponent's capabilities is still pretty high, unfortunately finding out whether you'll live is a savegame away. Contemplating replaying with autocombat turned on.
Tower of Saviours (50h) -Much better match 3 replacement for Candy Crush. In fact going back to candy crush is laughably random compared to the deep skill and strategy in each move of ToS. Monster choice (especially ally choice) makes a real difference too.
FTL (20h) - Another couple of runs. Still fun but I like the strategy I've built around Engi ships. Others aren't much chop, but would like to open up all of them for completeness.
Shadowrun Returns (13h) - Interesting story, and the writing fits right into the feel of the book / world. Pretty linear, but the story is keeping it going.
League of legends (12h) - LAN stalwart & Cam's goto multiplayer game.
Civ 5 (7h) - Couple of scenarios in ancient aztec lands. Quite interesting take on history, but didn't stay for the endgame.
Terraria (5h) -More multiplayer with Cam.
Rogue Legacy (5h) - Interesting take on the rogue permadeath where keeping the gold for permanent increases after each run, but losing any unspent gold upon entrance to the dungeon again, splits up the pain into more meaningful chunks. Bit contrived though. Would return to it if in the platformer mood though.
Company of Heroes 2 (5h) - Was really looking forward to it, but dropping right out of the radar now. I'm pretty sure I'll go back and at least finish the campaign at some point.
Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 : Platinum (2h) - I had a feeling that the 3D had taken the mystery off Sawyer's classic, but the amount of variety is refreshing. Economic fun.
Star Conflict (2h) - Free2play space dogfighter. Useful, but not noteworthy.
Skyward collapse (2h) - Pushed into the middle ages during the steam sales, but got distracted by the new shinies.
Monaco (1h) - Tried 4 player at LAN and it still was mayhem. Very interested in trying 2 player though as I think that's be the sweet spot. Possibly worth another copy since Sandy has shown interest.
Gnomoria (1h) - poor man's isometric Dwarf Fortress. Without any updates from DF though, any mirage is still worth chasing.
Surgeon Simulator 2013 (1h) - Party games for LAN.
Tower of Saviours (50h) -Much better match 3 replacement for Candy Crush. In fact going back to candy crush is laughably random compared to the deep skill and strategy in each move of ToS. Monster choice (especially ally choice) makes a real difference too.
FTL (20h) - Another couple of runs. Still fun but I like the strategy I've built around Engi ships. Others aren't much chop, but would like to open up all of them for completeness.
Shadowrun Returns (13h) - Interesting story, and the writing fits right into the feel of the book / world. Pretty linear, but the story is keeping it going.
League of legends (12h) - LAN stalwart & Cam's goto multiplayer game.
Civ 5 (7h) - Couple of scenarios in ancient aztec lands. Quite interesting take on history, but didn't stay for the endgame.
Terraria (5h) -More multiplayer with Cam.
Rogue Legacy (5h) - Interesting take on the rogue permadeath where keeping the gold for permanent increases after each run, but losing any unspent gold upon entrance to the dungeon again, splits up the pain into more meaningful chunks. Bit contrived though. Would return to it if in the platformer mood though.
Company of Heroes 2 (5h) - Was really looking forward to it, but dropping right out of the radar now. I'm pretty sure I'll go back and at least finish the campaign at some point.
Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 : Platinum (2h) - I had a feeling that the 3D had taken the mystery off Sawyer's classic, but the amount of variety is refreshing. Economic fun.
Star Conflict (2h) - Free2play space dogfighter. Useful, but not noteworthy.
Skyward collapse (2h) - Pushed into the middle ages during the steam sales, but got distracted by the new shinies.
Monaco (1h) - Tried 4 player at LAN and it still was mayhem. Very interested in trying 2 player though as I think that's be the sweet spot. Possibly worth another copy since Sandy has shown interest.
Gnomoria (1h) - poor man's isometric Dwarf Fortress. Without any updates from DF though, any mirage is still worth chasing.
Surgeon Simulator 2013 (1h) - Party games for LAN.
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Won’t you come home?
Won’t you come home?
Luke 9:51-62
Camping
- Looking
forward to adventure
- Some
things don’t make it in
o No TV
o No Computers
o No air conditioning
o
No warm showers
o
No comfortable & familiar beds
- Turning
for home
o
Good to be home
In the gospel reading today, Jesus turns resolutely for
home, For Jerusalem
- Up
to this point his journey has been rather exciting. He’s been baptised, he’s
called his disciples, he’s healed the sick, cured the blind, had a mountain-top
experience with his Father, Moses and Elijah, fed the 5000, told lots of
parables, and, as we heard last week, driving out demons. But now it’s time to
turn home.
- This
isn’t going to be an easy road home. Jesus knows what is to come and Jerusalem
is going to be a different place. There won’t be comfortable sofa to flop into,
but a hard wooden cross. There won’t be friends and family to welcome you back,
but a crowd full of hate, wanting him dead. Still, Jesus turns resolutely and
heads back.
When he started toward Jerusalem, people had mixed reactions
to his journey. Some were eager to join in, others refusing to listen, others
happy to tag along on their own terms.
Jesus has no time for any of them and cuts to the bone.
Some people were all too eager to follow him. There had been
wild sensation about this new teacher who drew large crowds and performed
miracles? Could he be the messiah? We hear of one man stating that he would
follow Jesus wherever he went, but Jesus isn't interested in his promises
because he knew his heart. Jesus responds with a somewhat puzzling
“Foxes have dens and birds have
nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head”
Herod, the regional leader at the time, was also known as
the fox, and Rome’s insignia is the eagle. Foxes and eagles have a place here
that they call their own, but not the Son of Man, not Jesus. The man thought
that Jesus was coming to kick out the Romans and establish his own kingdom
here, but Jesus’ journey was to the cross and victory over sin, death and the
devil.
Focus and listen, really listen.
We hear of 2 others that hear Jesus’ call to follow him, but
ask for a little time first. One wants to bury his father. A reasonable request
even in today’s society. Jesus replies
“let the dead bury their own
dead, but you go and proclaim the Kingdom of God”
The Kingdom Jesus is establishing is not of this world. You
think you need to spend time doing earthly chores, when a far more important a
long-reaching task is being asked of you.
Another wants to say goodbye to his family first. Jesus once
again cuts to the core:
“No-one
puts a hand to the plough and looks back is fit for service in the Kingdom of
God”
The call to follow is NOW, not sometime later. There is work
to be done NOW, not sometime later. You might love your family, they might
really love you, but they can’t save you.
Jesus says “Focus and work. Really
work”
Our journey through life is short and fleeting. We’re on a
camping trip. Sure it’s exciting sometimes, but there comes a turning point
where we need to head for home. Our real home. Jesus' journey didn't end in
Jerusalem, his real journey conquered the grave. He went home to heaven and is
preparing a place for us. He’s there calling us. You can be comfortable here.
Focus and listen, the turning point is now.
Won’t you come home?
Monday, June 24, 2013
GameLog 297-298
Eador:masters of a broken world (22h) - Knife-edge balance between romping a map and being rolled. Everything's just got to go right or you could seriously lose the map or make it take 4 times longer to win. Begs to be save/loaded, but I'm resisting the urge unless there's monsters I haven't seen yet.
Candy Crush Saga (14h) - Brain candy.
7 grand steps (10h) - Intriguing end of ages have kept this from getting a little predicctable. Got Sandy hooked too.
Kerbal space program (6h) - Attempting lunar orbits from the demo.
League of legends (5h) - LAN stalwart.
Terraria (5h) - I have a feeling that Cam's mates at school are now getting into this one, which has lead to more multiplayer requests. I'm finally out of my harcore character phase and have built a softcore to explore the current changes.
Warhammer Quest (1h) - iPhone game that I thought I'd get a little more mileage out of.
VR Demos (1h) - although the use of the Rift hasn't been as much as expected, it's certainly sparked an interesting array of questions.
Candy Crush Saga (14h) - Brain candy.
7 grand steps (10h) - Intriguing end of ages have kept this from getting a little predicctable. Got Sandy hooked too.
Kerbal space program (6h) - Attempting lunar orbits from the demo.
League of legends (5h) - LAN stalwart.
Terraria (5h) - I have a feeling that Cam's mates at school are now getting into this one, which has lead to more multiplayer requests. I'm finally out of my harcore character phase and have built a softcore to explore the current changes.
Warhammer Quest (1h) - iPhone game that I thought I'd get a little more mileage out of.
VR Demos (1h) - although the use of the Rift hasn't been as much as expected, it's certainly sparked an interesting array of questions.
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
GameLog 293-296
Eador:masters of a broken world (40h) - Plays like dominions 3 mixed with Heroes of Might and Magic. Some really interesting overland map decisions with simultaneous turn resolution, coupled with tactical hex based combat. Lots of weighty decisions and a difficulty scale that puts most 4x builders to shame. Lots of 3am's seen due to this one.
Candy Crush Saga (20h) - Light enough the get a couple of games in before work or on the way to bed. I'm not sure what it is, but F2P games like this don't really make me want to spend money. I see the ability to win levels without resorting to paying up for advantages a challenge, and one that makes me dig deeper to accomplish rather than relinquish cash to remove.
7 grand steps (7h) - interesting indie game with solid mechanics and a mechanical arcade machine feel. Works well and engaging enough for me to see the sun rise.
League of legends (5h) - consistent games with cam and still the LAN stalwart.
Skyward collapse (3h) - interesting concept and $5. Just what's needed from an indie title. I think I've glommed onto a winning strategy though, so it mightn't have the legs that I thought it might.
TF2 (2h) - oculus rift testing as well as Steam's trading card beta.
More from the missing 2 weeks?
Candy Crush Saga (20h) - Light enough the get a couple of games in before work or on the way to bed. I'm not sure what it is, but F2P games like this don't really make me want to spend money. I see the ability to win levels without resorting to paying up for advantages a challenge, and one that makes me dig deeper to accomplish rather than relinquish cash to remove.
7 grand steps (7h) - interesting indie game with solid mechanics and a mechanical arcade machine feel. Works well and engaging enough for me to see the sun rise.
League of legends (5h) - consistent games with cam and still the LAN stalwart.
Skyward collapse (3h) - interesting concept and $5. Just what's needed from an indie title. I think I've glommed onto a winning strategy though, so it mightn't have the legs that I thought it might.
TF2 (2h) - oculus rift testing as well as Steam's trading card beta.
More from the missing 2 weeks?
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
GameLog 285-292
Hmm, 2 months last time, 2 & 1/2 months this time. Oh well, stretch the memory muscle.
Fallen Enchantress (35h) - New patch changed the way settlers are produced (locking them back to population again) and it's made a big impact on the way I play mainly due to freeing up the build queue for something other than settlers. Getting to a very nice place now.
Fallen Enchantress: Legendary Heroes (27h) - Beta version is on steam. Big changes to the way you attract heroes, but still feeling like a Beta. Fallen Enchantress came together in leaps and bounds in the last incarnation of the betas, but I'm a little suprised how much they have attempted to rebuild things to give it that 'unfinished' feel again. Still, Steam achievements are a wonderful thing.
ToME (15h) - Couple more Characters into the ToME grinder. Still liking a dwarven alchemist and I'm sure it'd take me a fair way into the game if I cut out the stupid deaths. Due to the scripted outside world I'm finding there's more and more time between interesting choices at the start of the game, yet always a click away from getting in too deep and wiping.
SimCity (10h) - Seems more in-depth of a simulation than before, but still even easier to make massive amounts of cash. Lack of difficulty made this an early shelf.
Candy Crush Saga (10h) - Match-3 with varying maps for difficulty. The facebookiness has been toned down, but still present to get up levels every now & then. Starting to get to the point where you need to be lucky to progress.
League of Legends (8h) - LAN standard, plus a FWOTD every now & then.
Warframe (6h) - Free to play FPS focusing on 3rd person viewpoint and parkour / ninja wall running and blade fighting. LAN group staple at the moment, but I'm still struggling to see how the whole upgrade path works.
Firefall (5h) - Bought into the beta on Greig's recommendation. An interesting over-the-shoulder FPS with dynamic quests. Probably still not as dynamic as I'd like, but better than nothing.
Stardrive (5h) - Indie 4x space game with real time elements. Feels like the interface need s little work to manage exactly what's going on at any point in time. Actually what it needs is an autopause once events occur like a scouted planet etc. Probably an EU3 / CK2 format would work. Also needs more ways to look after planet selection to see if they are taken or in a dangerous position.
Need for speed: Most Wanted (5h) - Present for EA's bungling of SimCity launch. Drives Ok for a racer, and might be worth a spot on the HDD for blowing-off-steam driving. Pity it isn't on steam though.
TrackMania Stadium (4h) - new version of TrackMania. Plays well, but probably much of the same to draw in any new crowd.
Civ4: Colonization (3h) - Found a mod to make it more like the original. Plays well so far.
Minecraft (3h) - Cam & Rachael's go-to game still. Set up a server so they can play with schoolmates.
Mechwarrior online (2h) - Enough time to kick it into gear for some LANs, but it looks like WarFrame has now wrestled the FPS mantle from it's grasp.
Mini Motor Racing EVO (2h) - Simple top-down racer for my birthday to bide me overuntil Company of Heroes 2 is released.
Monaco (1h) - Early Birthday prezzie. Almost bought a 4-pack. Looks like it can handle a couple of runs on the same levels to score-chase.
Neverwinter (1h) - Enough to clear the starting zone. Competing a fair bit for time in the F2P MMO space.
Fallen Enchantress (35h) - New patch changed the way settlers are produced (locking them back to population again) and it's made a big impact on the way I play mainly due to freeing up the build queue for something other than settlers. Getting to a very nice place now.
Fallen Enchantress: Legendary Heroes (27h) - Beta version is on steam. Big changes to the way you attract heroes, but still feeling like a Beta. Fallen Enchantress came together in leaps and bounds in the last incarnation of the betas, but I'm a little suprised how much they have attempted to rebuild things to give it that 'unfinished' feel again. Still, Steam achievements are a wonderful thing.
ToME (15h) - Couple more Characters into the ToME grinder. Still liking a dwarven alchemist and I'm sure it'd take me a fair way into the game if I cut out the stupid deaths. Due to the scripted outside world I'm finding there's more and more time between interesting choices at the start of the game, yet always a click away from getting in too deep and wiping.
SimCity (10h) - Seems more in-depth of a simulation than before, but still even easier to make massive amounts of cash. Lack of difficulty made this an early shelf.
Candy Crush Saga (10h) - Match-3 with varying maps for difficulty. The facebookiness has been toned down, but still present to get up levels every now & then. Starting to get to the point where you need to be lucky to progress.
League of Legends (8h) - LAN standard, plus a FWOTD every now & then.
Warframe (6h) - Free to play FPS focusing on 3rd person viewpoint and parkour / ninja wall running and blade fighting. LAN group staple at the moment, but I'm still struggling to see how the whole upgrade path works.
Firefall (5h) - Bought into the beta on Greig's recommendation. An interesting over-the-shoulder FPS with dynamic quests. Probably still not as dynamic as I'd like, but better than nothing.
Stardrive (5h) - Indie 4x space game with real time elements. Feels like the interface need s little work to manage exactly what's going on at any point in time. Actually what it needs is an autopause once events occur like a scouted planet etc. Probably an EU3 / CK2 format would work. Also needs more ways to look after planet selection to see if they are taken or in a dangerous position.
Need for speed: Most Wanted (5h) - Present for EA's bungling of SimCity launch. Drives Ok for a racer, and might be worth a spot on the HDD for blowing-off-steam driving. Pity it isn't on steam though.
TrackMania Stadium (4h) - new version of TrackMania. Plays well, but probably much of the same to draw in any new crowd.
Civ4: Colonization (3h) - Found a mod to make it more like the original. Plays well so far.
Minecraft (3h) - Cam & Rachael's go-to game still. Set up a server so they can play with schoolmates.
Mechwarrior online (2h) - Enough time to kick it into gear for some LANs, but it looks like WarFrame has now wrestled the FPS mantle from it's grasp.
Mini Motor Racing EVO (2h) - Simple top-down racer for my birthday to bide me overuntil Company of Heroes 2 is released.
Monaco (1h) - Early Birthday prezzie. Almost bought a 4-pack. Looks like it can handle a couple of runs on the same levels to score-chase.
Neverwinter (1h) - Enough to clear the starting zone. Competing a fair bit for time in the F2P MMO space.
Sunday, April 07, 2013
Google Earth data for QLD
One of the jobs this week was to let Google Earth download and operate through a rather restrictive firewall so that the company could make use of additional data provided by the QLD Government. It sounded like they got the link from some bulk email, so I thought it wouldn't be that hard to track down once I got home. 15 minutes later and I still didn't have the link. I found heaps of references to the data being available, but none had the actual link to the data itself (or any indication where it was). Luckily I knew it was in the mining and natural resources website, so a limited search in there for 'Google Earth' finally got what I was looking for (EDIT: Google is playing ball a little more now. Lots of salient links filtering to the top including the actual press release that had the link included).
This data is awesome. Truly awesome. To top it off there's flood levels and images from Bundaberg 2013 floods and other flooding events to dig into. There'd been a bit of debate as to the water flow over Bundy north, and the images included give a great amount of detail as to where the water was going and how fast it it was flowing. I'd heard from another colleague that there may even be maps with water depth & water velocity floating around somewhere, but I haven't found them yet.
Unfortunately the KML link that is given by the main website doesn't stay around when you reopen Google Earth, even when you're signed in. I tried a couple of ways to make it stick, but without swapping over to the enterprise version of Google Earth there doesn't seem to be a way to automatically point to multiple mapping engines.
While sifting through some documentation there was also an indication that there were other services on offer, including QTOPO and MINING. A topographic map of Queensland that's scaleable? YES PLEASE~! I found a kml file for the topographic map, but it takes ages for the topographic maps to load and they seem to be almost unreadable. What's worse is moving the zoom in or out to read the map more often than not forces a full reload of the image. The Mining data is even worse. Locked up by a password :/. I did find some tantalizing images of what might be in there though.
Another discovery was an old kml file that builds an information panel of all globe services rather than a direct link to load the QLD Govt engine. This panel can be saved to your "My Places" folder so it's available each time. Unfortunately there's no link to the main data, but it is manually fixable since the kml file is essentially XML / html. If you're game, look at the properties of the link once added to "My Places" and change this line:
This data is awesome. Truly awesome. To top it off there's flood levels and images from Bundaberg 2013 floods and other flooding events to dig into. There'd been a bit of debate as to the water flow over Bundy north, and the images included give a great amount of detail as to where the water was going and how fast it it was flowing. I'd heard from another colleague that there may even be maps with water depth & water velocity floating around somewhere, but I haven't found them yet.
Unfortunately the KML link that is given by the main website doesn't stay around when you reopen Google Earth, even when you're signed in. I tried a couple of ways to make it stick, but without swapping over to the enterprise version of Google Earth there doesn't seem to be a way to automatically point to multiple mapping engines.
While sifting through some documentation there was also an indication that there were other services on offer, including QTOPO and MINING. A topographic map of Queensland that's scaleable? YES PLEASE~! I found a kml file for the topographic map, but it takes ages for the topographic maps to load and they seem to be almost unreadable. What's worse is moving the zoom in or out to read the map more often than not forces a full reload of the image. The Mining data is even worse. Locked up by a password :/. I did find some tantalizing images of what might be in there though.
Another discovery was an old kml file that builds an information panel of all globe services rather than a direct link to load the QLD Govt engine. This panel can be saved to your "My Places" folder so it's available each time. Unfortunately there's no link to the main data, but it is manually fixable since the kml file is essentially XML / html. If you're game, look at the properties of the link once added to "My Places" and change this line:
<li>QLDGLOBE - http://globe.information.qld.gov.au/QLDGLOBE</li>To this line:
<li><a href="http://globe.information.qld.gov.au/GoogleInstall/QLDglobe.kml">QLDGLOBE</a> - http://globe.information.qld.gov.au/QLDGLOBE</li>All in all, a good afternoon poring over maps and layering more and more info onto them. Don't tell Sandy she also married a map nut ;).
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