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Originally Posted by Dr Zaius Originally Posted by Dave68124 I would hate for US troops to be involved, but I think its time for the international community to get involved to not only help balance the strategic equation but also help the people of Syria. Perhaps, but I certainly won't be volunteering to lead the charge on that one. Let's let Germany, France, and Canada supply the troops for Syria. They're always saying that the US sucks at peacekeeping, so here's a golden opportunity for them to show everyone how it's done.

Just kidding.

In truth I hope no one has to get involved in this. It's too crappy. Didn't Nancy Pelosi go there awhile ago wearing a stupid burka? Maybe she could go back and straighten it all out. Hopefully, she converts to Islam and doesn't come back.

Bob

I made a startling realization today: E3, the world's greatest gaming confab, starts tomorrow...and I just don't care. And it is not just me, but seemingly a lot of other people don't care as well because the pre-convention chatter is almost non-existent this time around. Usually by now, the interwebs would be thick with expectation, anticipation, and countless E3 leaks about one hot game or another. This definitely is not the case case this year. In fact, the only reason I was reminded that E3 was just around the corner was due to PR damage control by two gaming big shots: DICE trying to undue the damage of their decidedly unimpressive debut of Battlefield 4, and Microsoft trying to undue the damage of their decidedly unimpressive debut of the poorly named Xbox One. So, somewhere along the line, E3 has become little more than a gaming mea culpa.

Unfortunately, I cannot think of a more fitting purpose for E3 seeing the state of modern video games.

Charles Dickens is correct: "it was the best of times, it was the worst of times." The best of times because we live in an era where technology can really deliver on the promise of gaming: high speed internet, powerful CPUs and GPUs, digital distribution (with deep sales!), crowd sourced gaming where players get to help design the game, and even free-2-play games (something that has saved me a banana boatload of cash these last few years while also delivering some excellent entertainment value - I am looking at you, Hawken, MechWarrior Online, Blacklight Retribution, Team Fortress 2, Lord of the Rings Online, Star Trek Online...and who knows what next? :)). But it is also the worst of times: increasingly invasive DRM for both software and hardware, incomplete indie games that take years to mature, AI that seems to grow stupider with each passing game, and the "iteration not innovation" industry design philosophy that leads to endless sequels from the big studios. Truly, the best of times and the worst of times.

Even though both lists are roughly equal, lately I have begun to feel that the "worst of times" is beginning to eclipse their better angels. In fact, this was brought home to me somewhat powerfully the other day when I decided to take a quality inventory of my games from the last few years (six years of gaming, to be precise). In other words, I set about making a list of my favorite games, games that weren't just fun to play at launch, or even for a month or two post release, but remained fun over the very long haul. You know, those games that you always return to, with each return being accompanied by the same sense of joy and wonder that you encountered the first time you played the game.

It turns out to be a depressingly short list in my case:

1. Crusader Kings 2: Ironic to think that a low graphics, old school grand strategy game would take the top spot on my list, but it is true! CK2 is what I imagined every game in the 21st Century would eventually be like: a game that doesn't force the player to participate in a scripted story that only creates the illusion of choice, but rather works with the player to tell his story with real and meaningful decision points. In other words, in a gaming world overrun with faux CRPGs, CK2 is, in my opinion, the only true role playing game where the player can weave marvelous, and often completely unexpected, stories of his own creation. Every time I sit down to play this game I never know what I am going to get, but I always love the unpredictable experience in the end.
2. Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion: In some ways the sci-fi equivalent of CK2. Sure, it doesn't have the personality-driven aspects of that game (we can dream), but it does have absolutely fantastic sandbox gameplay. And those battles - finally, a game that delivers the epic fleet battles we always wanted in a "pew pew" space game! Best of all, it is easy to play, making this a title that always sweeps me along for a thrilling ride!
3. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 / Battlefield 3: A completely immersive war simulator has always been the fantasy of every gamer everywhere, and DICE's Battlefield series has come the closest to meeting that desire. Sure, we all get tired of EA's shenanigans, and DICE's sometimes quixotic design logic, but, by and large, the Battlefield series is a masterpiece of thrilling combined arms combat that never fails to deliver the "Fixed Price War" virtual combat experience we've all been seeking since the day Doom first arrived.

Honorable Mentions (these came close to making the cut, but I felt obligated to leave off the list for the stated reasons):

• Stalker: Shadow of Chernobyl: As I've stated elsewhere, Stalker is one of the few games that comes close to true "art". Even though it doesn't live up to the existential horror of Roadside Picnic, its novella genesis, it comes darn close. Plus, the recreation of the environs around Chernobyl is simply stunning. Combined with the in-game weather, something that adds tremendous atmosphere to an already atmospheric game, you get one heck of a game that exudes palpable sadness at every turn. The only reason Stalker didn't make the cut is due to its nature: being such an emotionally heavy game, I don't find myself returning to it as often as I otherwise would, making it a less than burning addiction.
• Scourge of War: Gettysburg Here we are, with the 150th Anniversary of the American Civil War in full swing, and all we are getting is endless World War II titles. For shame, game devs. For shame. :( Regardless, SoW is a fantastic wargame made with an old school mentality: lots of sandbox content that allows you to decide the whos, whats, and wheres of the coming fight. And the AI doesn't disappoint, either! In an era where we even see grogs adopting the worst habits of the big publishers (scripted AI, invasive DRM, and restricted content designed to get you to buy high-priced DLC / modules), Scourge of War is old school, open-ended wargaming at its finest - complete with sprites. :laugh: The only reason this fantastic title didn't make the cut (and it was close!) was because of my relatively recent return to the series. I expect this title to remain on my drive for a very long time, but I can't make that claim...just yet. ;)

And that is it! :eek:

Now, this does not mean that I don't have other games on my PC - a list of fun games would be quite a bit longer, I assure you - but when it comes to games that I must have on my PC at all times....that is it. :cry:

Staggering. Despite spending hundreds - thousands? - of dollars on gaming over the last near decade, only three titles makes the cut for delivering the gaming experience I expected would be the immersive norm for the 21st Century. THREE GAMES!

Now, I am sure that I will see other titles get added to this exclusive list in coming years (I suspect Kerbal Space Program to be one of those, along with Elite: Dangerous and/or Star Citizen), but can we expect very many more? If it took five years to amass a paltry five titles, I am starting to suspect that the future for gaming might not be all that bright after all. This is especially worrying in light of how the gaming console business might finally be breaking up on the rocks. Now, you could make the case that the reason why the gaming industry has been putting out so much rubbish the last few years is precisely because of the influence of the consoles - and that might be a valid point. But whether or not that is true, the failure of the $78 billion dollar console gaming industry would have a severe and deleterious effect on all of us.

Then we have the recent phenomenon of politics intruding itself into games. Now, to be fair, politics have always been in games, but they have been limited to common sense politics: i.e, economic simulators that follow the Laffer Curve in regards to taxation; real politik approaches to diplomacy, and so on. Generally non-controversial stuff. But now we are seeing more and more divisive politics being introduced in gaming - such topics as homosexual marriage, global warming, and even militant feminism. I don't know about you, but one of the reasons why I stopped caring about movies was precisely because every film had become a soapbox for such petty issues. And now I have to look forward to them appearing in my games as well? No thanks.

But I think the thing that has been most annoying me with gaming lately is the threadbare topics. I remember how during the 8-bit days you have devs making games on every topic under the sun. Heck, we even had a game on nuclear reactors! Today, it is the same game over and over again. Shooters dealing with war against Russians, despite the fact that the Cold War ended decades ago; endless World War II wargames despite thousands of years of armed conflict; space games all modeled after Star Wars, Star Trek, or now Battlestar Galactica; and so on. Where is the modern version of SCRAM? Where are the games about underwater exploration? The bridge simulators? Games about human virology? DNA Sequencing? Plumbing (yes, once upon a time all these topics were covered by gaming during the 8-bit days)? Heck, but for Kerbal Space Program, I could have added astronomy to the list as well! This, more than anything, is what is really getting me down on gaming. After having to suffer through all the annoyances of modern gaming, we still only wind up with a title that resembles a dozen other titles that had proceeded it, and a dozen before that! Worst of all: this applies to the indies, too! :angry:

Now, what is the point of this blog entry? Just a frustrated rant. :blab: Let me be clear: I am NOT saying that I am through with video games (my Finnish lord in CK2 would never speak to me again :D); I could never imagine giving up such a rewarding hobby. Nor am I saying that video games are doomed. People will always need to play, and as long as we have these entertainment powerhouses sitting on our desks, people will find a way to play with them. I fully expect there to be some great games in our future, especially now that the next gen consoles have made the 64-bit leap. Rather, I am just making the observation that I believe the technology of gaming has now outpaced the ability to make games. Originality has been replaced by the safe same ol' same ol', and innovation has been replaced by graphics. And now we are slathering left-wing politics on top in a desperate attempt to seem "edgy". In other words, we have adopted the worst habits of Hollywood. And like with Hollywood...this will not end well.

Again, gaming will saunter on, and we will see some innovative classics emerge, but I suspect that the truly great titles will continue to be few and far between. Make that: fewer and farther between.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times....

After looking at the word files for VotG and noting the disadvantages of them I thought it best to try and build on the base that I already had in one of the current versions of the book as an already computerised file. Weighing up the advantages of the two, clearer HTML file or more complex JavaScript but a more modern file, I decided to try and learn how the JavaScript version was put together.
To do this I opened the "js" files in notepad and looked at the syntax they used:

paragraph("23.2","LEVELS","All ground level hexes of building N25 are considered factory hexes and occupy the ground and first level locations of these hexes. Hexes N25, N26 and N27 also contain second level locations and contain an inherent stairwell in each hex that costs 2 MF to move from the ground level to the Level 2 there is no Level 1 Location in these hexes. The second level of these hexes may be Fortified without fortifying the lower level and may contain guns as per B23.93. Building N28 has a ground level Location only and neither building has Cellars. ")

Great, I thought, just do a search on line for the "paragraph" command in JavaScript and away I can go.

There is no paragraph command in JavaScript so what is going on here?

I started by fiddling with the text and discovered that you can break the ting easily by removing one of the end-brackets or a set of inverted commas. This told me that the syntax was set for this and to change paragraphs in the book, I needed to alter the first set for numbers, the second was the title and the third was the text. Great, geting somewhere!

Next I started on the scanning and OCRing of Suicide Creek and having got that done, decided it would be my first "expansion".

Make folder? Check!
Make JS files named Z1.js, Z2.js etc? Check!
Make the book find this new file? Nope...

With the help of a forum member here I was pointed to the Script/Globals.js file which controlled the "look" of the RB and indexed all the information. This is not a book I was writing but a database with the sections being cross-indexed entries! Once this occurred to me it made so much more sense.

Next up, cracking then single letter problem.

As many of you know I'm working on this for my own satisfaction and thought it might be a good idea to set out how it's being done and how I'm getting on.

The first eRB I got hold of was an HTML copy if the first edition rules. Well presented and clear.

The second edition rules I got hold of were in a JavaScript format that I knew nothing about. Since ths set had chapters a-O already, it was this I decided to expand upon.

Enforce attempting this, the one piece of equipment you need is a decent scanner. Luckily this is not expensive and every printer is now a scanner or so it seems. I spent a little extra to get an hp desk jet printer that also had a document feeder on it. Thus I was able to scan the entire RB fairly easily. Decent 300dpi scans were taken.

The software suit that came with it had a OCR program so I started off using that one.

VotG was the first attempt to recreate a rules section and this was done into word format. Not too successfully but then it was my first attempt and I learned a lot by simply trying things out and placing columns and pictures where I wished.
The first thought was why was I trying to maintain the two column layout which, while good on a letter size page, was neither necessary nor good when looked at one screen. This is particularly true when you could increase or decrease the font size.
Then there was the question of links and search ability. These had to be dealt with and given i had a searchable and linked htm file, why not build upon that?

"Sound out the trumpet noise, the cannons bark and jump for joy
Someone's dread and darlin' boy has fallen on his saber"
- Hey Ho, by Tracy Grammer



Nothing says summer like a carriage ride down a wooded path...with an artillery piece in tow. :D Maybe that is why I like the ACW so much: so many of the battles took place in some wonderfully bucolic venues. Anyhoo...

So here goes another Scourge of War AAR. This time, for a change of pace, I decided to play with the big guns of an artillery captain, specifically Capt. William A. Tanner, Courtney Light Artillery of Early's Division. Doing a little research, I discovered that this artillery unit was:

...recruited in Henrico County, was organized during June, 1861. After participating in Jackson's Valley Campaign it was assigned to A.R. Courtney's, H.P. Jones', and W.E. Cutshaw's Battalion of Artillery, Army of Northern Virginia. It disbanded early in 1865. The company served in Courtney's, Jones', and Cutshaw's Battalions Reserve Artillery. Its captains were Alfred R. Courtney, Joseph W. Latimer, and William A. Tanner. Tanner himself seemed to be in the thick of a number of battles, including Chancellorsville, Gettysburg and South Mountain. His brief bio has a number of interesting incidents:

TANNER WILLIAM A.: Capt. Born AL Res. Pow Co Enl. as Sgt. July 8,1861 at Deep Run Ch. for 1 year,. Reduced to Cpl by Aug 1861. "Elected 2nd Lt. Apr 28, 1862 at reorganization of Comp." Absent sick June 23 - July 1862. Wounded at Fredericksburg Dec 13, 1862 1" Lt. by Feb 12, 1863. Capt. By Mar. 2, 1863. "Wounded at Bristow Station on 14th Oct 1863." absent from that time. POW, captured Oct. 24, 1863 at Warrenton. Sent to Old Capital Prison, Washington D.C. Nov. 7, 1863. trans. to Ft. Del. Oct. 23, 1864. Sent to Cav. Corp Hospital Nov. 4, 1863. Sent to Hammond Gen Hospital Feb. - Apr. 1864 with "Partial Fract of Condyl External of L. Femur. G.S. wound L. thigh Lower 3d out aspect as out 3 inches above joint, ball striking bone (schrapnel ball) not producing fracture subsequent inflamation and extensive suppuration & still discharging." Trans. to Pt. Lookout from Hammond Gen. Hospital. May 30, 1864. Trans to Wash. D.C. Sept 23, 1864 Exchanged Dec 27, 1864 at City Pt, age 23. Jan 31, 1865 in Staunton Va. Invalid Corp Feb 27, 1865 at private quarters in Rich. NFR, "Entered OSH, Richmond from St. Louis, Mo." Died Dec. 21, 1912, age 73, bur. Hollywood Cem. Lived to 73! Not bad for a man who clearly had seen his fair share of war.

[As an aside, I have to say that it is refreshing to be able to research the people and places featured in a game. I've spent so much time in the world of fictitious gaming that I have forgotten the subtle pleasures of historical gaming.]

This time, the avatar of the good Captain Tanner was ordered by General Early to take his battery and support the division as it repelled a division-sized attack that was expected to come from the west. With that in mind, I limbered up the unit and headed down the turnpike:




The march went without incident and my men had plenty of time to deploy their cannons:




Facing west like everybody else....

Of course, no plan survives first contact with the enemy. As my men were enjoying the shade of the trees, we heard a bit of commotion behind us as another artillery battalion suddenly began shifting its pieces from the west to the east. As I sat atop my horse scratching my head over this, one of the shifted artillery pieces boomed with a shot at something down the road. I spurred my horse to go take a look and see...a mess of blues coming down the pike! We were flanked!

I immediately ordered my men change direction with all haste! They did me proud and were in action within minutes:



Turns our we caught 17th Connecticut in the van of the entire Union division. "Give 'em shrapnel, boys!"

The poor 17th was shredded under the weight of my guns, and those of Early's other artillerymen. The feds retreated, giving Early just enough time to redeploy his brigades and engage. "We've got your backs, boys!"




What followed was a looong battle where Early succeeded in pushing the Union division back east up the Turnpike, which forced me to move my battery from it's nicely wooded high ground into the more exposed turnpike:


Those fallen blues in front of my cannon mark the high-water mark of the 17th Connecticut

We really pushed those fellas, driving their infantry in front of us, and scattering their forward artillery as well (thank you very much! :D). It was all going so well....

Then the feds brought up reinforcements. :OHNO: The formerly distant sounds of gunfire suddenly got louder and louder and, before too long, our distant greys...weren't so distant anymore. I knew I had to prepare for trouble when I saw a panicked unit break from the woods and run right past us:


Panic on our left flank!


First thing I did was tell my men to resupply immediately as I knew half of them were under 20 rounds. Somebody flag down that wagon!




Time flew quickly, the enemy's guns growing louder all the while. Things got hot for us when enemy shells started bursting overhead, and bullets hit a few of my men:




I could see that a real firefight raged just a few hundred yards to my front. Time to pull out! I immediately dispatched riders to tell my men to start falling back by recoil:


My courier making his rounds with bad news (I'm off to the right watching the carnage)


I confess to getting a bit panicky at this point. If the feds broke through the ever-crumbling line of confederate troops that screened our position...well, things would NOT look good for us. However, I spied something behind me that gave me heart:


There stands Early....

It appeared that General Early kept an entire brigade (or more?) in reserve just behind a treeline. I found it interesting how the AI was just biding its time, waiting for the right moment to commit them. Well, I couldn't afford to wait anymore as the blue coats had inched closer with each passing minute. "Limber up and retreat behind the infantry!"


You can see how close the Union boys were just behind us!

Unfortunately, I waited a bit too long as one of my guns dallied a bit after resupplying and was caught by an advancing Union regiment! They didn't get the gun, but my unit did rout off the field. :(

It was only a few minutes after we reached our new firing position that AI Early decided to counter-attack. There they go, forming up for the attack! And we provided the covering fire, of course!




The feds must have been at the end of their rope - I know my men were exhausted by this point! - because when the reserve brigade hit them, they broke and Early chased them clear across the road and back into the Wilderness. Before long, my battery was back on the Turnpike providing covering fire:




And that is where the battle is paused for the moment. I think we have this one in the bag as I could hear the firing dying off in the distance once again (I love how SoW doesn't make you fight to the last man). Unless the blue backs have another surprise for us, I think we successfully stopped this (three hour) attack.

And again I have to say what a fantastic wargame Scourge of War truly is. To be able to have so much unpredictable fun in an unscripted sandbox environment is truly remarkable. And the graphics aren't half bad if you help them out a bit. ;) Well done, Norbsoft, well done. :salute:

Originally Posted by 'Ol Fezziwig beetlejuice, beetlejuice, beetlejuise!!!


:smoke: Attached Thumbnails

Okay I updated my GitHub site with the new DTO maps, a few missing extensions and maps, and a new set of empty folders and all the current maps in both the "vasl" format (no extension) and as a image file for reference (look under the boards directory for a folder called images). Also, included are all the overlays.

So in short these are all the version 5 maps, overlays, and HASL maps as well as all the TPP stuff and extensions. If you follow this link in the center of the screen are two links (ZIP and TGZ) which you can then download to your machine and use for VASL.

Best regards (I'll keep my GitHub site up-to-date as I find new maps or Tumo posts updates).

http://dlazov.github.io/vasl-boards-extensions/

I got tired of using 2-3 different web sites to download all the VASL maps and extensions. I am really into Version Control and I just love GitHub, it's totally awesome, makes CSV/SVN feel like the difference between say MS Word and Notpad. So I created a GitHub repo for all the maps and extensions. For ease of use I also created a nice GitHub Page and you can download it as a zip or tgz file (contains all the files up-to-date).

You can find the link here:

http://dlazov.github.io/vasl-boards-extensions/

I hope this helps those out using VASL to play ASL.

Best regards~
Don

Still having fun with NorbSoft's Scourge of War: Gettysburg. I participated in one pre-made scenario and two sandbox scenarios, and each time I had quite the fun time! Here's some screenies of my last sandbox fight, what I like to call The Battle of Ol' McDonald's Farm. This fight took place on a fictional map ('Alpine') - hence, the name. :) Other details: it was a division vs division fight, with me taking the command of Edmund L.Dana's Second Brigade for the Federals. Here's what happened....

[NOTICE: because the sprite-based graphics of this game aren't all that spectacular to look at, I decided to put all my screenshots through an "ink sketch" filter to give them that 1860's hand drawn look. I think it makes for an interesting presentation. In fact, I have to ask whether such an artistic approach might serve SoW better since it cannot match the slick, HD graphics of mainstream games anyway.]

Upon arriving on the battlefield, I am ordered to march about a mile or so north and take position on Ol' McDonald's Farm (I just made that up. As I was using a non-historic map for this skirmish, I needed to invent a name). Upon arriving, I see that the rest of my parent unit, Third Division, has already entered the fight against the CSA:




I immediately deploy my three regiments into the plowed field to the west of the road so as to engage a regiment of CSA troops that have formed up there:




Let'em have it, boys!

Eventually, and with few casualties, we drove that original enemy unit off the field. But the CSA command took note of our performance and sent in reinforcements. The battle got even harder, with one of my units, the 150th Pennsylvania, being forced slightly out of position (the rightmost unit):




The CSA even called in some artillery. Here, you can see two shells air bursting overhead - they did more than a little damage to my men:




Nonetheless, my brigade held...and left more than a few CSA bodies on the field (and our own, too :angry:):




No breaks for us, though. The enemy reformed and counter-attacked. It got so bad that I had to pull the 143rd Pennsylvania out of line on the right flank and rush them to the left to repel a fresh attack:




While my left flank was strengthened, my right weakened. Ultimately, the 150th Pennsylvania broke and retreated from the front line, back to Ol' McDonald's farmhouse. While annoying, it didn't prove fatal:




The battle raged on and on. By the time it was 2/3's over, my brigade had sidestepped to the left quite a bit from its original position:




But those rebs...they kept on pushing. Another unit, 149th Pennsylvania, broke next:




Fortunately, the 14th Tennessee of Fry's Brigade, our primary foe during this stage of the battle, finally threw in the towel. Here you can see the 149th returning to its position...conveniently after the enemy had begun to run away (that's them streaming off into the green field on the left):




It was over. My men, exhausted, bloodied, and battered, pulled off the field and resupplied at a nearby ordinance wagon near McDonald's farmhouse:




Refreshed, we prepared for the next action. But there wouldn't be another action this day as neither side had the strength left to seize control of area. With the exception of an occasional artillery shell, the remaining units on both sides just held their positions and glowered at each other.

Final view:




My Second Brigade suffered 174 casualties. But we held Ol' McDonald's farm.

Here are some basic links/instructions to setup VASL.

Originally Posted by dlazov One set of instructions:
http://wargamecenter.wordpress.com/2010/05/10/vasl/

Another:

Download java (1.6 or 1.7 works fine)
http://www.java.com/en/

Download VASASL 3.1.20 for your platfom
http://www.vassalengine.org/releases/

Download the VASL mod file (the main ASL engine)
http://advancedsquadleader.net/index...itle=VASL_mods

Download all the maps and overlays:
v5 (don't worry about the dead LOS engine itls defunct and no longer working/supported, etc)
https://sites.google.com/site/vaslmapbazaar/

Go to this site and download the indivdual DTO boards (until tumo creates them)
http://advancedsquadleader.net/index...ategory:Boards

Alternatively go here for the HASL maps you want
http://advancedsquadleader.net/index...ry:HASL_Boards
Or here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=7kzb699hvtsvk

Don't forget the extensions
http://advancedsquadleader.net/index...ASL_Extensions I am currently setting up a Ubuntu VM (for use with Oracle VM which is free) that has the default OS pre-configured and VASSAL 3.1.20 and VASL 5.9.3, plus all the boards, overlays and extensions installed and ready to use. Not sure where I can store this exported appliance yet but will make it available.

I know we all like to idolize teachers, but in my experience the truly good teachers were few and far between in the government-run school system. In fact, out of my 12 year experience, I can only claim to actually having four good teachers (the rest were little different than the surly bureaucrats you meet at the DMV). Not surprisingly, two of the four had doctorates, with a third working on his doctorate at the time I was in his class. The fourth...well, I don't know much about him because he was my sixth grade(?) music teacher and I didn't take note of such things. Nonetheless, this man makes my list because he, too, managed to impart some wisdom that has stayed with me throughout the years.

One day, this guy comes in and plays a record (remember those? Lord, I feel old writing that! :D) of some Led Zeppelin hit that was all the rage at the time (Stairway to Heaven, maybe?). When the song was over, he asked us how we liked it. Naturally, we all said we enjoyed it and listened to it on the radio ourselves. He shook his head in understanding and loaded up a second record...this time of a Frank Sinatra tune. When it was over, the same question: what did we think of it? Well, being kids, we all squirmed during the song and said we hated it. Again, he shook it head in understanding. And then he said something that has stuck with me my whole life. He said:


"You can't listen to Frank Sinatra with Led Zeppelin ears."

Simple, but profound.

His point was that different types of music have different rules; that is what makes them stylistically different. To listen to Frank Sinatra and expect his music to follow the same rules as those of Led Zeppelin is folly. To do so perpetrates an injustice against the music and the listener: the music, because it isn't given a fair hearing on its own terms, and the listener because he will forever be trapped in one style of music due to his narrow rulebook.

I have never forgotten this lesson. Not only has it guided me through my own musical odyssey - one that started with pop music and has traveled a winding path through rock, hard rock, classical, jazz, alternative and, most recently, downtempo electronica (and who knows where next!) - but it has also guided me through literature, cinema and, yes, gaming (you knew I was going there sooner or later :)).

This recently came to me when reading Dr. Zaius' comment on my recent excursion into the weird gaming world of The Saints: The Third. The Dear Leader said:

"Your journey to the dark side is now complete."

:laugh:

This is something of a running joke between Don and me. You see, when Don plucked me out of obscurity, I was something of a...a....grog! Don't snicker, it's true! I was into all those old wargames: titles like TOAW, Harpoon (1 & 2), Combat Missionx1, East Front, West Front, TACOPS, Dangerous Waters...you get the idea. That was all I played; I knew little else.

Now, of course, it is quite a different story. If you take a look through my 170 blog posts (here alone :smoke:), not to mention the many reviews, previews, and interviews I have done, you will discover a...what do the politicians call it? Oh yeah: an "evolving position" on gaming. Now, if it is pixelated, I will give it a try.

What changed? Well, following the advice of my music teacher of so long ago, I learned how to play Starcraft 2 without using a Combat Mission mentality. In other words, I learned that each genre of gaming, like music, has its own rulebook. Once that clicked in my mind, a vast new world of gaming opened up. Titles that I never, ever would have tried just six or so years ago (Saints Row ? :)) are now on my hard drive, sitting comfortably next to titles my older self would have been more comfortable with, such as Panzer Korps. I like to think I am a better gamer for it. I know I certainly have had more fun because of this expanded rulebook.

Take, for example, my most recent passionate love affair: Team Fortress 2. This is a most instructive case of EGS: Evolving Gamer Syndrome. While I played the original so long ago - and loved it - I had no interest in TF2 when it was released back in 2009. Why? Because at the time I was reacquainting myself with the world of shooters - a genre I had lost contact with for a good many years. So I was playing Battlefield 2, Arma 2, and then Bad Company 2...you know, shooters that had more of a realistic approach to them. So when TF2 arrived with its Looney Tunes art direction, I was not interested in the least. I eventually did download the Free-2-Play version in 2010 - entirely due to the incredible hype surrounding it - but I didn't have a favorable reaction to it (according to Steam, it lasted a bare 45 minutes on my drive :laugh:). I mean, between the cartoony graphics, the weird weaponry, and the simplistic shooting mechanics, it never stood a chance. Gone! :skull:

Now, though...I love it! In fact, I am starting to fear a serious addiction. The very things I hated about it in 2010 - the cartoony graphics, the weird weaponry, and the simplistic shooting mechanics - are precisely what I have come to embrace.

What has changed?

Me. Or, rather, my gaming rulebook. In 2010, I was guilty of playing Team Fortress 2 with Battlefield expectations.

Since 2010, however, I have continued to evolve as a gamer. So while around 2009 - 2010 I was still wedded to strategy games and shooters on the more realistic end of the spectrum, I have since moved on to much more imaginative, free-form gaming: artistically wild shooters like Borderlands, crazy third person action games like Prototype, and outright comedic titles like Saints Row: The Third. In other words, my rulebook has grown considerably. What was once rejected as undesirable is now embraced as a welcome friend. Imagine that.

I guess you can say that I have learned to apply the lesson of my music teacher to gaming. That is, I no longer expect every game to operate on the same level, according to the same rules. In fact, I would even go so far as stating that I am finding it increasingly difficult to embrace the very titles I once loved. While there will always be room in my rulebook for well-done titles that never deviate from the straight and narrow, I am finding that I am increasingly drawn to those games that break all the rules, that leave the strictures of reality behind. Perhaps my rulebook has burst its binding?

I hope so. I shudder to think how limited my gaming would have been but for my exposure to the wider, wackier world of mainstream gaming. While I guess I could have contentedly played the same types of games I had been playing circa 2006, I know that it would not have been anywhere as rewarding, enjoyable and, most importantly, as mind-expanding an experience as what this long march to the "darkside" has shown me over the years.

And it was all due to some words of wisdom from a music teacher so many years ago....

And Don. Don, too. :D:salute:

There was a time when I played virtually every game I could get my greedy little paws on. Sims, shooters, RTS, RPG, action, and even the occasional flight sim -- I played them all! But somewhere along the line I starting spending less time gaming and more time doing other things. Burn the heretic.

I could use the old "real life got in the way" excuse, but in truth that would be a lie because I could be gaming more if I want. The truth is that I simply find today's game less compelling than those from previous years for a variety of reasons. Oh sure, there are still a few titles that fall into the category of must-play-at-any-cost, but far fewer than there used to be. And somehow that makes me a little sad.

On the flip side, I find that I'm choosier about what titles I spend my gaming time with. These days a game has to do more than simply look like it might have potential in order to lure me in. It has to actually look well made AND interesting. There are only so many hours in a day and I don't want to waste my gaming time being someone else's unpaid beta tester. Call me hard to please.

Sim City 5 was high on my list, but EA's abominable handling of that classic series has led to many a negative review and generally put me in a foul mood. I came to Diablo III late, but that title did little to lift my spirits. And now I'm hearing the latest Starcraft expansion is mediocre. Guess I'll have to keep waiting for Rome Total War 2.

So what am I currently playing? Sins of a Solar Empire, mostly. And the original Supreme Commander. I know, my slip is showing.

Here I am again, in another gaming lull. I really have come to hate these post-Christmas gaming doldrums over the past few years. Not only are they so boring, but they get me to make rash purchasing decisions out of desperation. A few years back, for example, I found myself spending good money on the awful GTA4. Three hours on my HDD and it was gone...along with my money. I know...it was a stupid decision from the get-go, but I was desperate!

And now I have done it again. :o

But don't be too quick to do a face-palm as this time I did try to fight off the doldrums by returning to some long abandoned games, and I did make some good progress as a result (finishing three campaigns, with a fourth underway!). But I am a gamer: like a vampire, I need a steady supply of fresh game blood to keep me going! So I suppose it was inevitable that I would jump on the first new game experience Steam would jingle in front of my eyes with one of their sales. And, once again, it happened to be a vulgarity-laden gang-fest that I sneered at upon release. This time, it was Volition's Saint's Row: The Third.

But here's the kicker: unlike Rockstar's sloppy console port that takes itself far too seriously, I am finding Saint's Row: The Third to be quite the enjoyable trip! Well, I did once I made a crucial change....

SR3 has a strong Sims element to it in that you are given a fantastically diverse selection of customization elements - from facial features, to clothing and tattoos - with which to craft your character. Now, this being a game that tried extra hard to market itself to the 18 through 20-something crowd resulted in some predictable results: community characters that ranged from buck-naked buxom chicks :D, to your Hollywood/gaming archetype that involves some latter-day Achilles complete with 2% body fat and abs of steel. Truth is: even I started to design such a character as this. I mean, this is a game that is ostensibly about urban street warfare, so going with a "Fitty Cent" type of design (ugh, I just cringed as I wrote that :kotz:) seemed to make sense.

Blame it on my contrarian nature, or blame it on my sense of real life, but I just couldn't complete my young action hero. So, instead, I designed one more reflective of modern day America. You know, a mid-forties looking character who is overweight and dresses in variations on corporate casual (see the top screenshot) :). Let me tell you something: this instantly made SR3 a heck of a lot more fun, and here's why:

Saints Row: The Third has some truly fantastic action set-pieces. I mean, really fantastic. Call of Duty fantastic! But unlike CoD which takes itself too seriously at times, SR3 has a wonderful sense of whimsy that gets you to swallow the over-the-top antics that might otherwise just get you to roll your eyes. Now, replace your standard Hollywood-esque young hipster action hero with a paunchy 40-something, and those action sequences become even more epic. :D This effect is especially pronounced seeing how SR3 renders whatever character you design directly into its set piece mini-movies (like a BioWare game).

[Some minor mission spoilers ahead]

Take, for example, my new favorite action sequence of all time (yeah, that is quite the thing to say!). After being taken hostage by a rival gang, you manage to escape and find yourself parachuting to earth after jumping out of a massive cargo plane. On the way down, you snag Shaundi, your hot female cohort, in your arms. It is all going swimmingly until that big cargo plane starts looming in the distance and you realize the pilot intends to ram you! "What's the plan?" asks Shaundi? The plan is awesome sauce: you drop Shaundi into free fall (with her crying out "you #&@#! ass&#%!" :)) and shoot out the windscreen of the incoming plane moments before it hits you. You then proceed to fly through the plane, from cockpit to tail - all the while popping off rounds at stunned gang members as you zip past like a bat right out of hell. :laugh: Once again you find yourself falling out the open cargo ramp and sailing on down to snatch Shaundi, popping open another 'chute right in the nick of time. If that sounds awesome, just imagine that cut-scene being rendered not with a trite 20-something Hollywood action hero, but with someone who in all likelihood is suffering from a mid-life crisis (hmm...maybe that explains it :D). Wicked cool! :cool:

There are all sorts of these really cool actions sequences throughout the game. Another favorite: you have to provide covering fire from a helicopter as one of your gang members runs a mission. At one point in the task, you lose sight of the car you need to protect and order your helo to land on a nearby apartment building roof. Without so much as a pause to think things over, your character - MY character - runs from the helo, ties a rope around his waist and hitches it to the roof, and throws himself over the side so as to get a better vantage on the action below! Now, if you don't think seeing a Tony Soprano stand-in hanging from an apartment building roof, sniper rifle in hand, is not awesome, there is something wrong with you!

I just couldn't help but to cheer on my character during these wonderful action sequences. Seeing us older guys get the glory made for a wonderful change of pace from the youth-centric action heroes Hollywood and gaming has been shoving down our throats for years.

Changing my character to an older feller impacted more than the action sequences, too. Again, this being a youth-centric game, most of your in-game "homies" (ump...almost threw up typing that) are twenty-somethings themselves. Personally, I had a hard time believing that this criminal mastermind organization, one so powerful that the gang leaders are bona fide celebrities, was being run by kids who couldn't even put a coherent sentence together without lapsing into profanities. But with an older hand leading the show...now things change. Now it is kinda believable that the out of control youngsters are being directed by an older, more experienced stable master, so to speak.

Making my character older also changed the personal dynamics with my crew. Seeing how Shaundi et alia are half my age, suddenly the game isn't about a bunch of friends running amok for the heck of it, now the Third Street Saints have become more of a family, with me as the father figure. I actually find myself working extra hard to get my "kids" out of trouble, such as during combat situations. I sure hope no love interests are developed during the course of the game's central campaign...that could be awkward. :D

It really is interesting how a single change to a game's central character can alter the entire flow of a story.

Be that as it may, the actual gameplay of Saints Row: The Third is really packed with stuff to do. As I indicated above, the central campaign, while goofy (think of it as a crazy mix of The Godfather meets The Venture Brothers), certainly has some riveting set-pieces (and some wonderful tongue-in-cheek, if ribald, humor). But besides that, there are all sort of side quests and activities that really keeps things jumping. For example, last night while I was driving around Steelport, looking to score some money, I happened to stumble across a rival gang's hangout. Time to muscle in on their territory! I knew I was going to need backup, so I called in Shaundi for help.


Just park that anywhere, Shaundi

Let's go in guns blazing!



Things got hot and heavy, especially when one of the rival gang's cars exploded, sending the wreck flying and killing a bunch of them!


That'll learn ya!

Having accomplished what we set out to do, Shaundi and I stole one of the rival gang's sedans, and speed on out of there. The rival gang wasn't that happy about what we did, so they gave chase. But Shaundi was riding shotgun, so it was okay.

They shot out one of my right side tires! No problem, I cranked up the radio to hide the noise (nothing like listening to classical music while in a car chase! :laugh:)

I thought it was entirely appropriate that a thunderstorm came in while we were fleeing. :)

Having given the enemy gang the slip (and changing vehicles), I resumed cruising around looking for trouble. As I passed one corner a fan wanted a photo of me, so I obliged him:


Say 'gangsta!'

Later that afternoon, I found some real estate the Saints could invest in:


Smile, Shaundi

I really wish there was more of an economic element to SR3's gameplay. As you can see, you can buy real estate to generate money and exert control over parts of Steelport, but there isn't any real downside to it - no operating costs, or negative effects. For example, a few hours after I bought this shop, I get a call on my cell that the very same gang we just hit in that alleyway was attacking my new gun shop! So I sped on over there....



Kids: don't try this at home

When I arrive, I see that the other side came packing for trouble. I'm gonna need more than Shaundi this time! So I called in my most recent recruit, the Russian bruiser Oleg, along with some generic recruits from the gang:



Notice the cop running away? LOL! There's gonna be trouble!

And trouble we had! At one point, they even brought in a chopper...which I took care of with a grenade launcher:



The fight was going my way...until this guy showed up:



They brought in a bruiser of their own! :D Next thing I know, I am knocked out...only to awaken outside the local hospital. I was hoping that I would have lost the shop as a result of failing the mission, but no. It appears that you just lose out on the monetary reward and XP points. Shame. It would make for more interesting gameplay if you had to fight to keep what you own.

The next day I get another cellphone call (these are random events, btw) telling me that a rival biker gang wants to challenge us to some action. I didn't like the look of the seedy place, so I called Shaundi again (her mouth, while profane, can be hilarious at times, and she is a great help in a fight):




We eventually taught those uppity motorheads a lesson. Check this out:



During the fight, I managed to knock one of the female bikers on the chin and take her as a human shield! :D That's rubbing their face in it!

Then SR3 got into a bit dark territory. I learned that the local police force was putting too much pressure on my gang operations, so something needed to be done. I don't like the idea of shooting cops in a game....To console myself, let's make up a fiction that these were corrupt cops....

So I scoped the scene:



There are those corrupt cops standing on the corner, probably robbing granny of her social security check for protection....:whist:

***CENSORED***

Out of some degree of tastefulness, I didn't take any screenies of the actual violence against the cops. I did, however, take this screenie of a rival gang who just happened to drive by and decided to get in on the action!


I like how they are trying to sneak in!

Before I knew it, there was a three way fight going on! :D It didn't take long before the rival gang actually replaced the cops as the primary threat! At one point they even tried to run me over!




Bam! Headshot through the windowshield! Don't mess with me! :ar15:

This fight really got out of hand, with all sides bringing in more and more men and equipment (see all the purple jackets and cars in the above shot? I like how your gang will respond on its own to help you out). Eventually, things got too hot and I had to get out of there. Unfortunately, the cops were still in this fight and bringing in heavier and heavier equipment, including an armored vehicle! I was desperate and resorted to my UAV...what? You don't have one? :) One of the things I like about this game is that if you want to get all crazy, go right on ahead!




If you look closely, you'll see the wreckage of the armored vehicle blasted into the side of the building center bottom.

We hightailed it out of there and laid low in one of our "cribs" (urp...).

To be continued....