21 Jump Street; A Review
Posted by Landerpurex on March 19th, 2012, 3:05 am. Category: Scribery Entry
9/10
I consider myself a comedy connoisseur. Whether it's the fine wine comedy of Monty Python, the outrageous antics of Will Ferrell in Step Brothers or Old School, or the recently over-the-top Wanderlust, and even further back to classics such as Caddyshack, National Lampoon, Animal House, and even further to the Stooges and Charlie Chaplin. I've seen it all. I have not, however, always enjoyed it all.
21 Jump Street was, simply put, a fantastic comedy. I wouldn't consider myself a huge Jonah Hill fan, but he does well in this movie. The star who really excels is Channing Tatum, however. As some other reviewers mention, seeing the actor exit his (boring, in my opinion) romantic role and enter into a comedic one is fantastic. His simple, yet sincere character is one we've seen time and again, but it's incredibly funny and somehow fresh in this film. Jonah Hill's character is similar to those in the past, the outcast bookworm, but again, it fits the movie.
The premise of the movie is that Tatum and Hill are newly graduated policemen, and aren't at all good at their job. After losing some perpetrators doing drugs in the park, they are reassigned to the run-down undercover unit at 21 Jump Street. Here, their captain (A hilarious Ice Cube) assigns them to pose as students to try and take down the supplier of a new hallucinogenic drug called HFS (Holy F'ing
). Simple enough premise. A large part of the comedy of this movie is currently edgy, and will hit home with our generation for years to come. Tatum and Hill return to school to find that studying, caring for the environment, and being tolerant is now 'cool'. This, of course, is openly satirizing the abrupt shift that is taking place with youth today, for good or ill and remains a very potent comedic strand throughout the movie. In a memorable scene, when the two first return to high school, they are bombarded by new cliques, such as asians dressed in cosplay and the now infamous hipsters. Again, it's humor that has a target audience and works incredibly well for us who are mired in these new cultural phenomena.
Interestingly enough, there are a few good action scenes to be had in this movie as well. It's no Jackie Chan movie, but the director manages some good action, explosions (and satirizing the convention of explosions), car chases and shootouts to change the pace when a change is warranted.
This isn't an art film, and will not wow you with presentation, cinematography, sound, or any other technical aspect. It is driven by its humor, strong acting, and script, which is always enough with a successful comedy. We are meant to pay attention to the jokes, not what the camera angles suggest. It is sufficient enough technically that we aren't distracted by *bad* decisions, there is just not anything that will wow you in that respect.
There are many laughs to be had in this movie, for people of all ages and backgrounds. The guys are forced to try the new drug right away to prove they're not police, and the insanity ensues. Tatum bursts into the band room and destroys and disrupts. Hill returns to drama class and somehow nails himself the lead part in the school's production of Peter Pan. In an attempt to get in with one of the dealers, the guys throw a party of wicked proportions, and kids from a rival school show up. This ends in Tatum punching almost anyone who steps in front of him and Hill getting stabbed with some kind of artifact. Then, their parents return and break up the party.
This movie toes the line between ridiculous and incredibly funny exactly the way a great comedy should. It's witty, edgy, and simply funny nearly all the time, with very strong acting and writing throughout all the while remaining grounded in a decent enough story. There are even a few great surprises to be had, including a fantastic cameo. The ONLY reasons this film garners a 9 instead of a 10 from me is because it falters in the final scenes, going too far with a shock device that seems totally unnecessary given the merit of the rest of the film. There are also some cliches to be had, but they serve their purpose in the plot.
In short, go and see this film as soon as possible.
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Guild Wars 2 (Pre-Purchase) April 10th
Posted by killa kiaba on March 15th, 2012, 6:52 pm. Category: Scribery Entry
https://buy.guildwars2.com/
All pre-purchase editions include these exclusive bonuses:
Access to all Guild Wars 2 Beta Weekend Events
Three days of headstart access
Hero’s Band (+2 to all stats)
DIGITAL EDITION $59.99
Guild Wars 2 game
DIGITAL DELUXE $79.99
Guild Wars 2 game
Summon Mistfire Wolf Elite Skill
Rytlock Miniature
Golem Banker
Chalice of Glory
Tome of Influence
COLLECTOR'S EDITION $149.99
Guild Wars 2 game
Summon Mistfire Wolf Elite Skill
Rytlock Miniature
Golem Banker
Chalice of Glory
Tome of Influence
10-inch figurine of Rytlock
112 page Making of Guild Wars 2 book
Custom Art Frame
Art Portfolio and Five Art Prints
Best of Guild Wars 2 Soundtrack CD
Minimum System Requirements*
* Due to potential changes, system requirements may change over time, and you may be required to upgrade your current system (or obtain a new system) to continue to play the game.
Windows® XP Service Pack 2 or better · 2 GB RAM
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo 2.0 GHz, Core i3, AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 or better
NVIDIA® GeForce® 7800, ATI Radeon™ X1800, Intel HD 3000 or better (256MB of video RAM and shader model 3.0 or better)
25 GB available HDD space
Broadband Internet connection
Keyboard and mouse
All pre-purchase editions include these exclusive bonuses:
Access to all Guild Wars 2 Beta Weekend Events
Three days of headstart access
Hero’s Band (+2 to all stats)
DIGITAL EDITION $59.99
Guild Wars 2 game
DIGITAL DELUXE $79.99
Guild Wars 2 game
Summon Mistfire Wolf Elite Skill
Rytlock Miniature
Golem Banker
Chalice of Glory
Tome of Influence
COLLECTOR'S EDITION $149.99
Guild Wars 2 game
Summon Mistfire Wolf Elite Skill
Rytlock Miniature
Golem Banker
Chalice of Glory
Tome of Influence
10-inch figurine of Rytlock
112 page Making of Guild Wars 2 book
Custom Art Frame
Art Portfolio and Five Art Prints
Best of Guild Wars 2 Soundtrack CD
Minimum System Requirements*
* Due to potential changes, system requirements may change over time, and you may be required to upgrade your current system (or obtain a new system) to continue to play the game.
Windows® XP Service Pack 2 or better · 2 GB RAM
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo 2.0 GHz, Core i3, AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 or better
NVIDIA® GeForce® 7800, ATI Radeon™ X1800, Intel HD 3000 or better (256MB of video RAM and shader model 3.0 or better)
25 GB available HDD space
Broadband Internet connection
Keyboard and mouse
The Mars Volta - Noctourniquet (3/27/2012): A Review
Posted by defeat on March 12th, 2012, 8:14 pm. Category: Scribery Entry
Rating: 9/10
There are few bands I expect to blow me away with every release, and The Mars Volta is one of them. In any form of art there is an indefinite number of artists trying to take their chosen medium to the next level of originality. This is especially true in music, but most tend to get hung up on the concept of genres. It’s an easy thing to do, as genres are the best reference points art has to describe it. A genre is sometimes necessary for description, but at other times putting a label on a work of art can hinder the art itself. Trying to describe The Mars Volta’s music is hard enough, but putting one specific genre or label on it is simply impossible. One thing that they have stuck by, however, is the pop format. Granted, their songs aren’t the verse/chorus/verse all-in-under-four-minutes that Top 40 radio stations have come to embrace (it’s more like intro/verse/chorus/verse/bridge/chorus/outro, all-in-sometimes-10-minutes-or more), but they do have choruses that fans of intensely poetic, non-linear lyrics can try and sing along with. I say try, because, come on…Who can sing that hauntingly beautiful falsetto like Cedric Bixler-Zavala?
Throughout their career The Mars Volta have incorporated everything from jazz to Latin into their music, but their latest release, entitled Noctourniquet, comes closer to being a pop/rock album than any of the others. There. I said it. It’s a pop album. This shouldn’t have come as such a surprise to me, as the last release, 2009’s Octahedron, only had a single song over eight minutes (a huge departure from the band’s early days that spawned songs like the 35+ minute epic “Cassandra Gemini”). It was a surprise, though. Maybe it’s surprising because this is the first album they’ve released that I’ve heard parts in songs that could have come from other bands. “Aegis” has a feel reminiscent of Muse in the verses. “Zed and Two Naughts”’ drums instantly brought A Perfect Circle’s song "Weak and Powerless" to mind. Even the lead single has a guitar riff that could have come from any of the songs on Queens of the Stone Age’s album, Era Vulgaris, or any of Jack White’s past and present projects. I’m not saying that they were trying for any similarities, but when you make a pop album, it’s impossible to completely avoid them, even for The Mars Volta…
…And a The Mars Volta album it is! Even with these few similarities, the above mentioned songs are undoubtedly and uniquely straight from TMV’s songwriter and producer, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez. His guitar playing is as riff-tastic and sometimes nothing but effects per-usual. He’s always been an experimental little guy, and even with Noctourniquet’s pop sensibilities, he's still pushing the boundaries of music. Their usual use of keyboards has changed from jazzy piano and organ to synth (possibly due to the departure of keyboardist "Ikey" Owens), although their trademark sound manipulation can be heard throughout the album’s entirety. Fans of The Volta’s past efforts won’t be disappointed, especially with the songs “Dyslexicon”, “Molochwalker”, and “Trinkets Pale of Moon”, which range from in-your-face to soft and sweet, respectively. One thing some fans tend to complain about is the revolving door of drummers since Jon Theodore stopped playing with the band in 2006. I never jumped on that band wagon, and really enjoyed Thomas Pridgen’s drumming on the last two albums. However, the only complaint I have about Noctourniquet is just that, the drumming. New drummer, Deantoni Parks, just doesn’t do it for me. He seems to be trying way too hard to live up to the sonic pummeling that the previous albums have featured, and sometimes fails miserably (evident in “Lapochka”).
If you haven’t heard The Mars Volta before, disliked their previous efforts for being too artsy, or are one of the many who haven’t liked an album of theirs since the full length debut (2003’s De-Loused in the Comatorium), Noctourniquet is a great album to get acquainted with, as it’s their most accessible and listener friendly album to date. Fans of the entire discography beware…
It’s a pop album. There. I said it again...
Recommended if you enjoy: Radiohead, Muse, Queens of the Stone Age's Era Vulgaris and/or Jack White
The official lead single can be listened to here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yh0stkLanx4&ob=av3e
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning; A Review
Posted by Landerpurex on February 15th, 2012, 12:33 am. Category: Scribery Entry
Overall rating: 8/10.
I've done my homework on this game, both before and after buying it. Everyone seems to be looking at it completely the wrong way. Other reviewers and consumers are comparing this game to Skyrim, Mass Effect, and many other juggernaut RPGs. This is a mistake. Reviews range from a 9/10 from IGN to a 5/10 from Adam Sessler at G4TV.
Kingdoms of Amalur is similar to other RPGs in some respects, and in others it is radically different. If we analyze and enjoy this by itself, it's a great game. If we stand it next to Skyrim, it falters badly in some respects, and excels in others.
The things this game does well are apparent from the moment you start playing. Environments are very vibrant, and are sufficiently unique. They're somewhat linear, but also allow for quite a bit of exploration and free roam. There are enough hidden treasures, places, and quests to keep you busy for many hours. Often I would venture off the path in search of a treasure that showed up on my map thanks to my 'detect hidden' skill, and would instead spend a few hours saving a town from some kind of spider woman. This had nothing to do with the main quest or any of the 'factions'.
The story for this game is very good, and has RA Salvatore's flair. Sometimes, however, this is its undoing. Every little quest has five minutes of backstory or lore, when you might simply be trying to complete a quest for a quick buck or exp gain. I sometimes found myself skipping dialog for meaningless side quests. On the other side of this issue, the main storyline and faction quests are well-done. I especially loved the storyline of the House of Ballads, a group of elf-like people who endlessly reenact battles and adventures long past. In short, the overarching story isn't anything unconventional, but there are many originalities and nuances to be enjoyed. It's easy to see the care that went into the story, and that a good novelist was the one who oversaw it.
I can't write a review about this game without mentioning it's greatest strength: the battle system. It's fast-paced and more than simple button mashing. I like the emphasis on combos and certain attacks, such as those that 'pop up' your enemy, making them vulnerable for further hits. The amount of attacks is satisfying, but the key is exploring which ones work best together.
The game's skill system is pretty basic but fulfilling at the same time. There are plenty of skills and styles to be explored, without there being *too* much. The destiny system is great, you can unlock bonuses for your character as you dump points into any of the three skill trees. You can also unlock destinies for hybrid classes, even ones for supporting all three trees. This allows for a fantastic amount of customization with ample reward for whichever tree/s you choose to support.
That being said, this game's mechanics allow for one of the best roleplaying opportunities I've seen. The destiny system and hybrid classes make for an experience that really hasn't been amply explored in other titles. If you couple this with the strong story and hundreds of quests, then you have a very enjoyable recipe.
The game, of course; is not without faults. Some consumers have complained about the voice acting, but I actually enjoyed it. I found it more inspiring than some, and dialog seemed to fit the character saying it. I will be the first to admit that character models and facial expressions are lacking. Though the voice acting is good, it is not paired with good facial modeling. The characters are expressionless and half the time, their mouths don't even follow what they're saying.
Other cons involve slight dips in framerate, but nothing that was at all gamebreaking. I also often found the shops lacking, I finished the game with over 5 million gold. Granted, I was a money-making machine with max mercantile and detect hidden skills, but there was literally nowhere for me to spend my money after about 2/3 of the way through the game.
I spent about 50 hours on this game, and I was thoroughly satisfied with my experience. There seems to be dozens more hours of content, as I finished with over 50 side quests unfinished, and who knows how many more I left not taken. The replayability of the game is high as well, with trophies/achievements awarded for each playstyle. Though it would be just as easy to totally re-allot your skill points than to start over, but what's the fun in that?
The game is pretty standard fantasy fare on almost every front, while excelling in a few respects; namely the battle system and the major storylines. As other reviewers have pointed out, this game seems to borrow the best features of a lot of other titles and implement them in game to the point where they work together to near perfection. Loot, story, battling, skills, environment, and more. Overall, this game was a great experience and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a new, solid RPG to play from a new studio, but with some very hard-hitting names behind it.
The Woman in Black; A Movie Review
Posted by Landerpurex on February 6th, 2012, 1:05 am. Category: Scribery Entry
Rating: 7/10
This was a good movie, not a great one. It did its job, it scared me (badly) at times, and there were very great technical things happening with this movie. However, it was inconsistent and Radcliffe's acting was just awful.
This movie is pretty typical as far as horror stories go, it's set in early 1900s England. The main character Arthur Kipps (Radcliffe) plays a lawyer or paralegal, hard up for a break. He is sent by his firm to a sinister house near a small town, where the spirit of a woman terrorizes the town and the house. His son and their nanny are supposed to join him at the house after some time. Don't be fooled by the PG-13 rating, I learned with Insidious that underrated movies can be terrifying.
The opening scene of this movie was literally the most technically sound, and perhaps the best scene in the movie. While any opening scene should be great, it shouldn't be the best scene in the film. We're shown three young girls playing in an upstairs room, and nothing seems to be wrong. After a few moments, one of them drops their little teacup. It shatters. They then get up and advance towards the three windows, one of the trampling the teapot on the way. Here we have many good things in the cinematography and editing. Short takes. Shades of montage. Short jump cuts. This serves to confuse us, and it works very well. The three girls step up to the sill simultaneously, and jump out the windows. Then we're taken to Arthur's house, shocked by the previous scene and left with many questions.
The worst thing about this film, I felt, were its inconsistencies. It's easy to see that the aforementioned scene was meticulously cared for during production, whereas the rest of the film only shows glimmers of that care. As I said previously, Radcliffe's acting is terrible. He never shows any emotion, both when he realizes his wife has died in childbirth, nor at the end of the film when he is reunited with his son. This movie didn't call for him to strive for any awards, most of the time Arthur runs through the house chasing various noises. I was disappointed that when the script called for a little acting, he didn't deliver. And this took me away from the movie.
The movie delivers through jump-scares that we've come accustomed to with modern horror cinema. The cinematography is sound, with several first person shots that round corners, raising suspense. Of course, the scares don't come when we expect them. Moreover, there are several scenes in this film with these creepy, awkward, grimy toys that often act on their own. This was perhaps the most unsettling thing about the film. Picture a porcelain clown toy from that era, that contorts itself and ends with a close-up shot of his grinning face. Don't see this (or do) if you're afraid of clowns. *shudder*
Along those same lines, there is a scene where Arthur is (you guessed it) checking a noise he heard in the house. He's using a candle, and upon entering the room, there are closeups of the aforementioned toys, and the light of the candle is reflected in their eyes. It's moving with Arthur, and subsequently, moving in the eyes of the toys, making it seem as if they are following his movement. There are similar scenes to this, such as one where Arthur sees the reflection of the ghost in a mirror, but when he turns to check, she is gone. Subtle tricks like these make this movie a positive experience.
The house is a major star in the film, as it should be. It is sinister, old, foreboding, dusty, cobwebby, and simply everything a haunted house should be. There is a cemetery on the grounds that adds to the feeling. In addition to that, there is a lone wooden cross in the front yard where a little boy died when he sank into the swamp.
When we are first introduced to the house, Arthur goes downstairs, exploring. His job in the place is to make sure there are no more official papers in the home and to try and find the owner's last will and testament. When he enters the room, there is a newborn baby crow on the floor. He picks the baby up and puts it in the nest nearby. As soon as he does so, he is attacked by mama bird. I enjoyed this scene, it seemed an homage to the horror of yore, movies like The Omen and Hitchcock's The Birds, where birds figure heavily in the horror.
Additionally, this scene bears a stark parallel with the final moments of the movie. Clever foreshadowing, or heavy-handed symbolism? Go see the movie and find out!
In short, I really enjoyed this movie, both at the surface level of modern horror and as an amateur film student. Its inconsistencies are many, but the great scenes it offers do redeem it. It is scary in the same way that other modern horror films are, and is easily enjoyable by anyone that loves the horror genre. I recommend this film.
The Devil Inside: A Movie Review
Posted by Landerpurex on January 25th, 2012, 3:43 am. Category: Scribery Entry
Before we get started, let me state that there will be plot points discussed in the following text, but I will do my best to keep crucial points a secret. Let me also state that I am not a professional critic, but have more critical film expertise than most people; having taken several film courses in college.
Rating: 3/10
The premise that a woman named Maria Rossi kills three people in 1989. Her daughter, Isabella, goes to the hospital in Italy where her mother has since been committed. Isabelle then attends a class full of priests about exorcism. She befriends two of them, and sets out to find what has actually happened to her mother and document it on camera.
Let me first say that this movie was completely horrible. Awful. Terrible. The plotline was as jagged as a piece of broken glass, and not nearly as sharp. I don't even know where to begin with this one. The movie opens with a short black-screened scene that lets us listen in on the 911 call after Maria has killed three priests. This is, without a doubt, one of the scariest scenes in the movie, which isn't saying much. Then we are treated to some convoluted storyline and some basic 'travel' footage of Isabella and her cameraman in Italy. There's nothing of significance in the first portion of the film.
After a bit, we see Isabella visit her mother in the hospital. I was intrigued by the fact that the staff seemed to trust the woman, even though she had a violent past. I was surprised that her daughter was even allowed to see her. This was one of the numerous gaping plotholes in the movie, but I was willing to forgive if it could deliver in the scary department.
Maria Rossi's character is sufficiently creepy, especially on the first meeting. She's clearly insane, and looks the part. Her hair is frazzled, she looks completely gaunt and malnourished, and she has been cutting crosses into herself, into painful areas like the inside of her lip. She asks her daughter if she knows how to "connect the cuts..." which was creepy. But it wasn't nearly enough. Maria screams a scream that is certainly not human, and Isabella leaves the hospital.
Between 'exorcisms' we're treated to mundane storyline, and the ever present battle between the two priests. One wants to exorcise Maria and others like her to help them, the other is afraid of losing his priesthood as the two are doing these exorcisms without the church's consent. While the idea is nice, and shows another side to the politics of the catholic church, it is the same conflict between characters we've seen in thousands of other movies. It fails to deliver, and the bad acting doesn't help.
The film's only redeeming scene comes when the priests decide that Isabella should accompany them on a separate exorcism to learn more about the practice. In this scene, the victim does numerous disturbing things, such as popping her shoulder out of place and generally contorting her body. It's nothing more than what we've come to expect from this genre, but it is effective still.
After this, the film loses all its merit. The group returns to the hospital to exorcise Maria, only to have her multiple demons jump into one of the priests, the cameraman, and Isabella. There are generic scenes such as one when the lights go out with the possessed priest upstairs.
Lastly, I must comment on the ending of this movie. I warn you, I am about to spoil it. But then, a movie as poorly made as this doesn't deserve the decency of secrecy.
In the final moments of the film, with the possessed priest dead, the cameraman is rushing Isabella to an exorcism expert in Rome. He becomes 'possessed', takes off his seatbelt, and veers into oncoming traffic, causing a wreck and the presumed death of the people in the car. The movie then ends. Abruptly. We are told the case is unresolved, and that we can visit http://www.therossifiles.com/ to find out more. Is this a clever blending of modern technology to enhance your moviegoing experience, or is this cheap, pathetic advertisement? A good film shouldn't need some website to further explain itself, and the site doesn't even do that from what I could gather.
The way endings like this work in a positive way is if we have been on a satisfying journey throughout the movie. In this one, we have not. We don't care about the characters. We can barely process what's going on as we see multiple exorcisms and the demons jump into the characters. There are no technically sound aspects to speak of, this movie is low-budget and it shows. It takes from a really great genre, the 'documentary', 'found-film' horror. Such titles like the Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity work because they utilize the cheap camerawork to make it look real. There are clear plot arcs. There are foundations in classic horror, and there are innovations as well that make up for unknown (but not always bad) actors. The Devil Inside has none of these, as I've mentioned.
The Exorcism horror sub genre never stood a chance. In it's premier, the original Exorcist movie got it right the first goddamn time. And no good exorcism movies have been made since, only cheap, floundering copies cashing in on the same idea.
There were some decent things about this film, but not enough to make it any good and certainly not enough to redeem the ridiculous ending. It was as if the movie itself were saying "Ha-ha for watching this garbage, now go yourself" and the ending was the exclamation point on that statement. Don't waste your money on this movie, hopefully it'll soon be out of theaters and we can move on.
Rating: 3/10
The premise that a woman named Maria Rossi kills three people in 1989. Her daughter, Isabella, goes to the hospital in Italy where her mother has since been committed. Isabelle then attends a class full of priests about exorcism. She befriends two of them, and sets out to find what has actually happened to her mother and document it on camera.
Let me first say that this movie was completely horrible. Awful. Terrible. The plotline was as jagged as a piece of broken glass, and not nearly as sharp. I don't even know where to begin with this one. The movie opens with a short black-screened scene that lets us listen in on the 911 call after Maria has killed three priests. This is, without a doubt, one of the scariest scenes in the movie, which isn't saying much. Then we are treated to some convoluted storyline and some basic 'travel' footage of Isabella and her cameraman in Italy. There's nothing of significance in the first portion of the film.
After a bit, we see Isabella visit her mother in the hospital. I was intrigued by the fact that the staff seemed to trust the woman, even though she had a violent past. I was surprised that her daughter was even allowed to see her. This was one of the numerous gaping plotholes in the movie, but I was willing to forgive if it could deliver in the scary department.
Maria Rossi's character is sufficiently creepy, especially on the first meeting. She's clearly insane, and looks the part. Her hair is frazzled, she looks completely gaunt and malnourished, and she has been cutting crosses into herself, into painful areas like the inside of her lip. She asks her daughter if she knows how to "connect the cuts..." which was creepy. But it wasn't nearly enough. Maria screams a scream that is certainly not human, and Isabella leaves the hospital.
Between 'exorcisms' we're treated to mundane storyline, and the ever present battle between the two priests. One wants to exorcise Maria and others like her to help them, the other is afraid of losing his priesthood as the two are doing these exorcisms without the church's consent. While the idea is nice, and shows another side to the politics of the catholic church, it is the same conflict between characters we've seen in thousands of other movies. It fails to deliver, and the bad acting doesn't help.
The film's only redeeming scene comes when the priests decide that Isabella should accompany them on a separate exorcism to learn more about the practice. In this scene, the victim does numerous disturbing things, such as popping her shoulder out of place and generally contorting her body. It's nothing more than what we've come to expect from this genre, but it is effective still.
After this, the film loses all its merit. The group returns to the hospital to exorcise Maria, only to have her multiple demons jump into one of the priests, the cameraman, and Isabella. There are generic scenes such as one when the lights go out with the possessed priest upstairs.
Lastly, I must comment on the ending of this movie. I warn you, I am about to spoil it. But then, a movie as poorly made as this doesn't deserve the decency of secrecy.
In the final moments of the film, with the possessed priest dead, the cameraman is rushing Isabella to an exorcism expert in Rome. He becomes 'possessed', takes off his seatbelt, and veers into oncoming traffic, causing a wreck and the presumed death of the people in the car. The movie then ends. Abruptly. We are told the case is unresolved, and that we can visit http://www.therossifiles.com/ to find out more. Is this a clever blending of modern technology to enhance your moviegoing experience, or is this cheap, pathetic advertisement? A good film shouldn't need some website to further explain itself, and the site doesn't even do that from what I could gather.
The way endings like this work in a positive way is if we have been on a satisfying journey throughout the movie. In this one, we have not. We don't care about the characters. We can barely process what's going on as we see multiple exorcisms and the demons jump into the characters. There are no technically sound aspects to speak of, this movie is low-budget and it shows. It takes from a really great genre, the 'documentary', 'found-film' horror. Such titles like the Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity work because they utilize the cheap camerawork to make it look real. There are clear plot arcs. There are foundations in classic horror, and there are innovations as well that make up for unknown (but not always bad) actors. The Devil Inside has none of these, as I've mentioned.
The Exorcism horror sub genre never stood a chance. In it's premier, the original Exorcist movie got it right the first goddamn time. And no good exorcism movies have been made since, only cheap, floundering copies cashing in on the same idea.
There were some decent things about this film, but not enough to make it any good and certainly not enough to redeem the ridiculous ending. It was as if the movie itself were saying "Ha-ha for watching this garbage, now go
yourself" and the ending was the exclamation point on that statement. Don't waste your money on this movie, hopefully it'll soon be out of theaters and we can move on.
Lamb Of God - Resolution (01/24/12): A Review
Posted by defeat on January 23rd, 2012, 5:49 pm. Category: Scribery Entry
Rating: 7/10
I almost didn’t review this album after listening to the first half of it. I was thinking, “Oh….It’s (2009's) Wrath…again, and I’ll have nothing to say…” After giving it another chance, the second half of the album was indeed Lamb Of God’s saving grace.
Every member of Lamb Of God have seemingly evolved over the years, except for the second most talented member, drummer, Chris Adler. Don’t get it wrong. He’s a favorite drummer of many, as he’s a consistent, speed drumming machine with great fills and feet faster than light. Come with the dynamics already, though, Chris! Maybe, it’s the production that’s held you back with your sound. Maybe, it’s the way you tune your drums (Let them resonate a bit next time, eh? Every, single, solitary drum shouldn’t have the short thump of a bass drum…). Maybe, you just don’t care. Some don’t. Oh, well...so it goes. (I've been reading a lot of Vonnegut as of late.)
Resolution, contradictorily to the drumming, is LOG’s most dynamic release yet. Some thought the band had been lost to “The Graveyard of Previously Great Bands” with the bore that was their previous release, Wrath. It just seemed like a filler album without any originality. Resolution is an adventurous turn of events in LOG’s discography. Guitarists’ Mark Morton and Willie Adler have given us a new take on The New Wave of American Heavy Metal with some softer, more progressive, off-time riffs in the songs “Barbarosa”, “King Me”, and lead single “Ghost Walking”. In most metal, the bass guitar is just a copy of the lead riff, just lower. In this release, though, bassist John Campbell is pleasantly noticeable in parts throughout Resolution’s entirety.
It would be fantastic to have Machine back at the production helm instead of Josh Wilbur, as some minor kinks in the production are what took away some audio enjoyment points. The drums have been mentioned as a major issue. Other kinks were really just post-production snafus. “Barbarosa” and “Invictus” is clearly one song. With fourteen tracks, it’s not like LOG were scraping the barrel for material. Some of the songs on the second half of the album should have been mingled with the first half to break up the turn off of early monotony. This takes away from the listening experience the most. God, is that second half great, though…
In other news, vocalist, Randy Blythe is still alive.
Lead single: "Ghost Walking" Official Video
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows; a review
Posted by Landerpurex on January 7th, 2012, 7:28 am. Category: Scribery Entry
Before we get started, let me state that there will be plot points discussed in the following text, but I will do my best to keep crucial points a secret. Let me also state that I am not a professional critic, but have more critical film expertise than most people; having taken several film courses in college.
Rating: 8/10
Everyone knows the story of Sherlock Holmes, renowned detective. This movie is no different, with Holmes needing to solve a difficult case involving a sinister man named Professor Moriarty. The movie is deliciously mysterious, with Moriarty's motives in question until the final moments. Holmes of course enlists in the help of Dr. Watson, who is newly married; and the two go on an adventure that spans the European Continent to uncover Moriarty's plans and to try to save his intended victims that include Dr. Watson, his wife, a gypsy, and eventually all of Europe.
This movie was fantastic. Robert Downey Jr, Jude Law, and Jared Harris can do no wrong. The acting is superb, though sometimes over the top. I have, however, come to expect this of Downey Jr in general as well as within this franchise, so it works. He and Law make a fantastic pair, and the charisma and camaraderie come across well. Jared Harris makes a great villain as well, it's that simple.
The film lives up to its predecessor. It leaves a trail of clues that you are expected to notice, but not expected to piece together as Holmes does in the end. Certain important items are centered in the shot from Holmes' point of view, labeling them as imperative. The cinematography is sound, using multiple angles and distances when necessary. Sound is coupled with this approach as well. For example, there is one scene where one of Moriarty's lackeys is shown smoking a hand rolled cigarette. The cherry burns extra bright, and the sound of it burning can be heard over the other things going on in the frame. I wondered to myself, 'how is this important?' And I had a great time racking my brain trying to figure it out. I felt accomplished when it was revealed that the cigarette was important to the plot. This movie's greatest quality is that it makes you think and guess along with Holmes.
The film's comedy is fantastic, though sometimes ridiculous, as with the killing and revival of the poor bulldog (again). Though, once again, Downey Jr has made Holmes his own and put a modern spin on the man. That is not to say that the movie doesn't take certain liberties with the classics, because it does. Which is one of the reasons it remains an 8 out of 10 instead of a 9 or perfect score.
The great fighting scenes narrated strategically by Holmes return, though they go awry by variants not considered by Holmes. In the final scenes, Moriarty himself interjects in Holmes monologue and engages in a match of wits with the detective that is both exciting and original.
Speaking of which, editing must be mentioned. The film uses jump-cuts when necessary, and very effectively as well. Just before the scene mentioned prior, parallelism is used to near perfection as Holmes and Moriarty are having a game of chess. The movie cuts between chess moves and the exploits of Watson and the gypsy as they attempt to reveal an assassin and ultimately, Moriarty's plot.
My biggest problem with this movie was the extreme slow-motion. It was only in one scene, but that makes it stand out and it went on for far too long. Ever since 300, movies have been abusing slow motion. It was over the top in that title as well, but at least it was consistent. In an otherwise great, sound, smart movie I felt this was the only thing that seemed uninspired and frankly, too stereotypical Hollywood.
In closing, this move was very enjoyable. It was a bit on the long side, but I was sad it was over. In some ways, it is very typical action, in others, it is original, fun, and smart in a lot of ways modern movies are not. It is technically sound, but not ambitious. The cast delivers and I hope they continue to do so. The plot keeps you guessing right until the final moments, and there are many twists and turns to be had.
Go and see this movie while it's still in theaters.
Rating: 8/10
Everyone knows the story of Sherlock Holmes, renowned detective. This movie is no different, with Holmes needing to solve a difficult case involving a sinister man named Professor Moriarty. The movie is deliciously mysterious, with Moriarty's motives in question until the final moments. Holmes of course enlists in the help of Dr. Watson, who is newly married; and the two go on an adventure that spans the European Continent to uncover Moriarty's plans and to try to save his intended victims that include Dr. Watson, his wife, a gypsy, and eventually all of Europe.
This movie was fantastic. Robert Downey Jr, Jude Law, and Jared Harris can do no wrong. The acting is superb, though sometimes over the top. I have, however, come to expect this of Downey Jr in general as well as within this franchise, so it works. He and Law make a fantastic pair, and the charisma and camaraderie come across well. Jared Harris makes a great villain as well, it's that simple.
The film lives up to its predecessor. It leaves a trail of clues that you are expected to notice, but not expected to piece together as Holmes does in the end. Certain important items are centered in the shot from Holmes' point of view, labeling them as imperative. The cinematography is sound, using multiple angles and distances when necessary. Sound is coupled with this approach as well. For example, there is one scene where one of Moriarty's lackeys is shown smoking a hand rolled cigarette. The cherry burns extra bright, and the sound of it burning can be heard over the other things going on in the frame. I wondered to myself, 'how is this important?' And I had a great time racking my brain trying to figure it out. I felt accomplished when it was revealed that the cigarette was important to the plot. This movie's greatest quality is that it makes you think and guess along with Holmes.
The film's comedy is fantastic, though sometimes ridiculous, as with the killing and revival of the poor bulldog (again). Though, once again, Downey Jr has made Holmes his own and put a modern spin on the man. That is not to say that the movie doesn't take certain liberties with the classics, because it does. Which is one of the reasons it remains an 8 out of 10 instead of a 9 or perfect score.
The great fighting scenes narrated strategically by Holmes return, though they go awry by variants not considered by Holmes. In the final scenes, Moriarty himself interjects in Holmes monologue and engages in a match of wits with the detective that is both exciting and original.
Speaking of which, editing must be mentioned. The film uses jump-cuts when necessary, and very effectively as well. Just before the scene mentioned prior, parallelism is used to near perfection as Holmes and Moriarty are having a game of chess. The movie cuts between chess moves and the exploits of Watson and the gypsy as they attempt to reveal an assassin and ultimately, Moriarty's plot.
My biggest problem with this movie was the extreme slow-motion. It was only in one scene, but that makes it stand out and it went on for far too long. Ever since 300, movies have been abusing slow motion. It was over the top in that title as well, but at least it was consistent. In an otherwise great, sound, smart movie I felt this was the only thing that seemed uninspired and frankly, too stereotypical Hollywood.
In closing, this move was very enjoyable. It was a bit on the long side, but I was sad it was over. In some ways, it is very typical action, in others, it is original, fun, and smart in a lot of ways modern movies are not. It is technically sound, but not ambitious. The cast delivers and I hope they continue to do so. The plot keeps you guessing right until the final moments, and there are many twists and turns to be had.
Go and see this movie while it's still in theaters.
The Darkest Hour: A Movie Review
Posted by Landerpurex on January 7th, 2012, 6:49 am. Category: Scribery Entry
Before we get started, let me state that there will be plot points discussed in the following text, but I will do my best to keep crucial points a secret. Let me also state that I am not a professional critic, but have more critical film expertise than most people; having taken several film courses in college.
Overall rating: 5/10
This movie was nothing that the previews didn't show. In short, it's about a pair of software designers either fresh out of college or in the twilight of their college careers. They are in Moscow to pitch an idea for a user-based online comprehensive travel guide to some executives. They meet with a Swedish exec who has basically stolen their idea and screwed them out of a major (multi-million dollar?) deal. After this, the guys go to a club and meet a couple girls vacationing as well, and know of one of them due to her use of their program. Then come the invisible aliens. The creatures are made of electromagnetic energy and are somehow able to vaporize people. But their weakness is that they give themselves away and set off any and all lights and electronics when they approach. The rest of the movie is spent showing the characters trying to escape these creatures and get 'home', though they soon find similar landings and destruction have happened all across the world. Near the end, the group find out that there is a nuclear submarine waiting to help transport survivors back to their homes and/or to a safer facility.
First, it takes some time for the creatures to land. This is notwithstanding the fact the the premise of the guys' reason to be in Moscow is convoluted, not paramount to the plot, and completely forgettable. Though there were a few comic moments, there was nothing to be had in the first quarter of the film. Once the creatures land, I was intrigued. This movie's lone strength is the originality of the aliens and the plausibility of their form and powers. But the scripting failed to deliver more on the subject, with only a few lines from a Russian militant describing the nature of the aliens in no terms understandable by most people; myself included.
Speaking of the Russian militants, their characters are amusing, but completely stereotypical and over the top. They spout catch phrases like 'welcome to Russia' when fighting the creatures, they speak stereotypical nationalist dialog such as stuff about protecting their home, as well as typical, completely uninspired dialog about war and tactics. Couple this with forgettable characters all around and it makes for an equally forgettable experience.
The technical side of the movie was unimpressive as well. Nothing incredible in terms of cinematography, sound, or anything else.
The star of this film is the city of Moscow. It's exotic, beautiful, and foreboding. The architecture is fantastic, and there are some shots that are worth looking at.
In short, this was a movie that offered very little in terms of excitement, technical inventiveness, writing, and basically everything else that makes a film good. It had a tiny bit of originality with the creatures but this was not appropriately handled by anyone. The city was fantastic, but left one wanting. I did not see this movie in 3D, but I'm positive it would have been a debacle.
This movie was far from the worst I've seen, but falls very short. If you've seen the preview, you've seen everything cool there is about the movie.
Overall rating: 5/10
This movie was nothing that the previews didn't show. In short, it's about a pair of software designers either fresh out of college or in the twilight of their college careers. They are in Moscow to pitch an idea for a user-based online comprehensive travel guide to some executives. They meet with a Swedish exec who has basically stolen their idea and screwed them out of a major (multi-million dollar?) deal. After this, the guys go to a club and meet a couple girls vacationing as well, and know of one of them due to her use of their program. Then come the invisible aliens. The creatures are made of electromagnetic energy and are somehow able to vaporize people. But their weakness is that they give themselves away and set off any and all lights and electronics when they approach. The rest of the movie is spent showing the characters trying to escape these creatures and get 'home', though they soon find similar landings and destruction have happened all across the world. Near the end, the group find out that there is a nuclear submarine waiting to help transport survivors back to their homes and/or to a safer facility.
First, it takes some time for the creatures to land. This is notwithstanding the fact the the premise of the guys' reason to be in Moscow is convoluted, not paramount to the plot, and completely forgettable. Though there were a few comic moments, there was nothing to be had in the first quarter of the film. Once the creatures land, I was intrigued. This movie's lone strength is the originality of the aliens and the plausibility of their form and powers. But the scripting failed to deliver more on the subject, with only a few lines from a Russian militant describing the nature of the aliens in no terms understandable by most people; myself included.
Speaking of the Russian militants, their characters are amusing, but completely stereotypical and over the top. They spout catch phrases like 'welcome to Russia' when fighting the creatures, they speak stereotypical nationalist dialog such as stuff about protecting their home, as well as typical, completely uninspired dialog about war and tactics. Couple this with forgettable characters all around and it makes for an equally forgettable experience.
The technical side of the movie was unimpressive as well. Nothing incredible in terms of cinematography, sound, or anything else.
The star of this film is the city of Moscow. It's exotic, beautiful, and foreboding. The architecture is fantastic, and there are some shots that are worth looking at.
In short, this was a movie that offered very little in terms of excitement, technical inventiveness, writing, and basically everything else that makes a film good. It had a tiny bit of originality with the creatures but this was not appropriately handled by anyone. The city was fantastic, but left one wanting. I did not see this movie in 3D, but I'm positive it would have been a debacle.
This movie was far from the worst I've seen, but falls very short. If you've seen the preview, you've seen everything cool there is about the movie.
1-6-2012 Modern Warfare 3
Posted by Tanksandguns on January 6th, 2012, 4:43 pm. Category: Scribery Entry
As a man who has played every Call of Duty game since Call of Duty 3, and sporadically before that since Big Red 1 I like to consider myself one of Call of Duty's biggest fans. Call of Duty has taken it's place as THE First Person Shooter. It's the franchise that comes to mind first when one talks about FPS games, and until recently, has had little to no competition in the field.
Rating: 9/10
Campaign
Modern Warfare 3 builds itself off of the same story line that we saw in CoD4 and MW2. It follows multiple story lines as you play several different characters across each and also brings back the memorable duo of Captain Price and Soap MacTavish. Modern Warfare 3 starts right where Modern Warfare 2 left off. The world is in chaos, and Makarov is still at large. The game has the player visit several cities completely ransacked with war and destruction, including New York City and Paris, France.
The overall flow of the campaign is excellent. The transitions between missions and the pacing is wonderful. And the whole games had sitting on the edge of my seat, with a subtle anxious feeling the whole time. I was constantly wondering what would happen next, and where I was traveling to.
The game is also very challenging. Having completed the first two games on Veteran difficulty, this was my first choice on my first play through of the game. I quickly learned, that this game doesn't beat around the bush, and I couldn't even make it past the first checkpoint. I quickly dropped the difficulty to Hardened, and again to Normal. Even while playing Normal, I found myself dieing fairly frequently, and I loved it. I enjoy a real challenge while playing video games, and to get one in a FPS is no easy task. I also didn't find myself in the slow buildup of anger mode that usually comes with the frustrating deaths of FPS Campaigns. At one point, mid-combat, the game cycles between one the ground fighting, and in the sky fighting in an AC-130 gunship. This is one of the best moments that I can remember throughout all the games, second only to 'Ghillie in the Mist' from Call of Duty 4. The developers did a stunning job of transitioning immediately after an explosion from the AC-130 missile, to the ground troops in the smoke and debris of where the shell had just impacted.
The game itself is really beautiful (or as beautiful as a war-torn city can be). I played the entire campaign on a non-HD TV, and still found myself staring in amazement at the graphics. When I moved over to an HD TV for multiplayer, I found that they were spectacular.
The storyline does an excellent job of wrapping up the first two games. I had few questions left after I had finished, and even teared up at one point during the story. If you played the first two, I can assure you that you will not be disappointed in the final game.
Multiplayer
The multiplayer has been reworked again from Modern Warfare 2. They have new Kill Streaks, and introduced things called 'Strike Packages.' Strike Packages affect what kill streaks you are awarded, and how they are awarded. They offer three types you can choose from: Assault, Support, and Specialist. Assault focuses on killing enemies to gain enemy killing kill streak rewards. It includes, AC-130, Predator Missiles, and Attack Helicopters. Support focuses on objectives such as capturing a flag, planting a bomb, capturing a Domination point, etc. It doesn't require kills to advance through the rewards, but kills also help. Also, Support doesn't reset on death, so you can keep on dying and unlocking rewards. This was my personal favorite. This can give you UAV, Care Packages, Stealth Bomber, etc. The final Strike Package you can use is Specialist. Instead of giving you kill streak rewards, it unlocks perks every 2 kills the player makes. By 8 kills, the player then has all the perks in the game. These have really reworked how the multiplayer feels, and it feels a lot more balanced than the second game ever did.
My main problems with Modern Warfare 2, were that there were kill streaks in the air almost constantly, and there was little anyone could do about it. That feeling has really subsided with Modern Warfare 3. There doesn't seem to be helicopters, AC-130's, and Predator Missiles clogging up the sky nearly as much as it did in the second game, and there's more that can be done about it. More launchers, Sam Sites, and fewer overpowered kill streaks make for the multiplayer experience to be a lot more enjoyable.
Another complaint that I had with MW2, was the the Sniper Rifles seemed extremely underpowered. It took 2, sometimes 3 shots to kill someone in a Core match. In MW3, this has been fixed. One shot to the torso is more often than not, a kill shot. I find this to be my favorite change that was made. I'm finally not getting angry that my high velocity round isn't killing someone when it should.
With CoD: Black Ops came the addition that CoD had been missing for all of its games that Halo and the likes had picked up on. Split Screen multiplayer available online, either through multiple Xbox Live accounts or the use of Guest Accounts. Modern Warfare 3, thankfully, did not change this. You can now play with a buddy on the same TV, online.
Usually with First Person Shooters, I find myself hating a majority of the maps. For whatever reason, Modern Warfare 3 seems different. I only really dislike one or two maps. All the others I seem to have a blast on! They're all beautiful, fun and fairly small. The only complaint I have, is there's really no open area map that is good for Snipers.
All in all, I was extremely happy with the subtle tweaks they made to the multiplayer experience. Prestige Mode now goes to level 80 (ten times), and they added Prestige tokens which can unlock little bonuses such as Double XP, Double Weapon XP, and Emblems and Titles, among other things. Each player starts out with 3, and since I haven't prestiged yet, I'm unsure whether you get 1 ever prestige level or more than that.
Spec Ops
Modern Warfare 3 sees the return of the Spec Ops mode. This can be done either solo or with a friend. I tried doing several of these solo, and found that once I had a friend help me out, they became significantly easier.
Spec Ops mode is a series of missions and objectives, some from the campaign, some completely fresh that test your speed and accuracy. Also, they can be a major challenge. From capturing the Russian President aboard his airplane, to killing waves upon waves in a Firefight type game mode, Spec Ops is nothing short of fun. Infinity Ward added a new style that resembles Horde from Gears of War and Firefight from Halo, where you face wave after wave of enemies including foot soldiers, dogs, helicopters and the infamous Juggernaut soldiers. For those looking for something after the campaign and after you get bored with multiplayer, I would recommend Spec Ops with a friend. It's an absolute blast!
Conclusion
All in all, I would say that Modern Warfare 3 was definitely worth the money I spent on it. It provided me with hours of entertainment, and will continue to do so for months to come. It fixed a lot of the issues I had with the previous game, and added some awesome touches as well. It did not disappoint me, and so far has lead to a lot less frustration with the game than Modern Warfare 2 did. I would recommend this game to any First Person Shooter fan, any fan of the Call of Duty franchise, and anyone looking for one of the best multiplayer experiences in gaming. I won't beat around the bush though, some of the fan-boys and the some of the casual players of MW3 can ruin your multiplayer experience, but that's why there's a mute feature.
~Tanksandguns
Rating: 9/10
Campaign
Modern Warfare 3 builds itself off of the same story line that we saw in CoD4 and MW2. It follows multiple story lines as you play several different characters across each and also brings back the memorable duo of Captain Price and Soap MacTavish. Modern Warfare 3 starts right where Modern Warfare 2 left off. The world is in chaos, and Makarov is still at large. The game has the player visit several cities completely ransacked with war and destruction, including New York City and Paris, France.
The overall flow of the campaign is excellent. The transitions between missions and the pacing is wonderful. And the whole games had sitting on the edge of my seat, with a subtle anxious feeling the whole time. I was constantly wondering what would happen next, and where I was traveling to.
The game is also very challenging. Having completed the first two games on Veteran difficulty, this was my first choice on my first play through of the game. I quickly learned, that this game doesn't beat around the bush, and I couldn't even make it past the first checkpoint. I quickly dropped the difficulty to Hardened, and again to Normal. Even while playing Normal, I found myself dieing fairly frequently, and I loved it. I enjoy a real challenge while playing video games, and to get one in a FPS is no easy task. I also didn't find myself in the slow buildup of anger mode that usually comes with the frustrating deaths of FPS Campaigns. At one point, mid-combat, the game cycles between one the ground fighting, and in the sky fighting in an AC-130 gunship. This is one of the best moments that I can remember throughout all the games, second only to 'Ghillie in the Mist' from Call of Duty 4. The developers did a stunning job of transitioning immediately after an explosion from the AC-130 missile, to the ground troops in the smoke and debris of where the shell had just impacted.
The game itself is really beautiful (or as beautiful as a war-torn city can be). I played the entire campaign on a non-HD TV, and still found myself staring in amazement at the graphics. When I moved over to an HD TV for multiplayer, I found that they were spectacular.
The storyline does an excellent job of wrapping up the first two games. I had few questions left after I had finished, and even teared up at one point during the story. If you played the first two, I can assure you that you will not be disappointed in the final game.
Multiplayer
The multiplayer has been reworked again from Modern Warfare 2. They have new Kill Streaks, and introduced things called 'Strike Packages.' Strike Packages affect what kill streaks you are awarded, and how they are awarded. They offer three types you can choose from: Assault, Support, and Specialist. Assault focuses on killing enemies to gain enemy killing kill streak rewards. It includes, AC-130, Predator Missiles, and Attack Helicopters. Support focuses on objectives such as capturing a flag, planting a bomb, capturing a Domination point, etc. It doesn't require kills to advance through the rewards, but kills also help. Also, Support doesn't reset on death, so you can keep on dying and unlocking rewards. This was my personal favorite. This can give you UAV, Care Packages, Stealth Bomber, etc. The final Strike Package you can use is Specialist. Instead of giving you kill streak rewards, it unlocks perks every 2 kills the player makes. By 8 kills, the player then has all the perks in the game. These have really reworked how the multiplayer feels, and it feels a lot more balanced than the second game ever did.
My main problems with Modern Warfare 2, were that there were kill streaks in the air almost constantly, and there was little anyone could do about it. That feeling has really subsided with Modern Warfare 3. There doesn't seem to be helicopters, AC-130's, and Predator Missiles clogging up the sky nearly as much as it did in the second game, and there's more that can be done about it. More launchers, Sam Sites, and fewer overpowered kill streaks make for the multiplayer experience to be a lot more enjoyable.
Another complaint that I had with MW2, was the the Sniper Rifles seemed extremely underpowered. It took 2, sometimes 3 shots to kill someone in a Core match. In MW3, this has been fixed. One shot to the torso is more often than not, a kill shot. I find this to be my favorite change that was made. I'm finally not getting angry that my high velocity round isn't killing someone when it should.
With CoD: Black Ops came the addition that CoD had been missing for all of its games that Halo and the likes had picked up on. Split Screen multiplayer available online, either through multiple Xbox Live accounts or the use of Guest Accounts. Modern Warfare 3, thankfully, did not change this. You can now play with a buddy on the same TV, online.
Usually with First Person Shooters, I find myself hating a majority of the maps. For whatever reason, Modern Warfare 3 seems different. I only really dislike one or two maps. All the others I seem to have a blast on! They're all beautiful, fun and fairly small. The only complaint I have, is there's really no open area map that is good for Snipers.
All in all, I was extremely happy with the subtle tweaks they made to the multiplayer experience. Prestige Mode now goes to level 80 (ten times), and they added Prestige tokens which can unlock little bonuses such as Double XP, Double Weapon XP, and Emblems and Titles, among other things. Each player starts out with 3, and since I haven't prestiged yet, I'm unsure whether you get 1 ever prestige level or more than that.
Spec Ops
Modern Warfare 3 sees the return of the Spec Ops mode. This can be done either solo or with a friend. I tried doing several of these solo, and found that once I had a friend help me out, they became significantly easier.
Spec Ops mode is a series of missions and objectives, some from the campaign, some completely fresh that test your speed and accuracy. Also, they can be a major challenge. From capturing the Russian President aboard his airplane, to killing waves upon waves in a Firefight type game mode, Spec Ops is nothing short of fun. Infinity Ward added a new style that resembles Horde from Gears of War and Firefight from Halo, where you face wave after wave of enemies including foot soldiers, dogs, helicopters and the infamous Juggernaut soldiers. For those looking for something after the campaign and after you get bored with multiplayer, I would recommend Spec Ops with a friend. It's an absolute blast!
Conclusion
All in all, I would say that Modern Warfare 3 was definitely worth the money I spent on it. It provided me with hours of entertainment, and will continue to do so for months to come. It fixed a lot of the issues I had with the previous game, and added some awesome touches as well. It did not disappoint me, and so far has lead to a lot less frustration with the game than Modern Warfare 2 did. I would recommend this game to any First Person Shooter fan, any fan of the Call of Duty franchise, and anyone looking for one of the best multiplayer experiences in gaming. I won't beat around the bush though, some of the fan-boys and the some of the casual players of MW3 can ruin your multiplayer experience, but that's why there's a mute feature.
~Tanksandguns
Skrillex-Bangarang (12/23/11): A Review
Posted by defeat on December 23rd, 2011, 7:11 pm. Category: Scribery Entry
Rating 5/10
Listen. I’ll start off by saying I’m as on the fence with the newest Skrillex release, entitled Bangarang, as I have been with all the others. The guy is an exciting producer, and the voice samples/hooks he’s used are unforgettable. However, as with his other releases, the mid-register robotesque bass lines, four to the floor beats, and general feel are the same as they ever were and absolutely forgettable. You’ve got the electronic industry by the balls, Skrillex, and the time to fix your broken record is nigh.
When Skrillex became an instant success, and his songs could be heard everywhere, I was impressed with the mash up of genre’s with him and Korn in the Korn single “Get Up“, and really enjoyed "Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites" and “Kill Everybody” off of Skrillex’s EP with the same name Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites. It seemed like a fresh, American take on the dubstep scene. That fresh take quickly turned into endless copycats and the post dubstep sub-genre dubbed “brostep”. As the forerunner of this new trend, Skrillex didn’t impress me with his first release, mildly did with his second release, and fails to with his newest.
There are definitely moments of production clarity on Bangarang in the title track (a song referencing the movie Hook?! Awesome!) and the non-bass line heavy house song “Right On Time“, but he even uses a broke up, syncopated, unintelligible, Asian sounding voice on the track “Summit” juuuust like he did on the track “Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites”. In a nutshell, Bangarang should be entitled Sonic the Househog On Crack. It’s got a Sonic the Hedgehog music + house + brostep sound on most of the songs on the seven song EP. If you are already a die-hard Skrillex fan (and I know you are out there as I just read the comment “Skrillex is life.“ from a fan on Skrillex’s Facebook page), you are going to absolutely love this album. If you haven’t ever heard Skrillex, and are into dubstep, you are probably going to like this album. The rest of us will either like it, dislike it, or think it’s OK (Mitch Hedberg anyone?). It does have bass drops and a couple buildups/breakdowns that make you smile with delight, so even after I write this review.....I’m still on the fence.
The title track:
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross-T.G.w.t.D.T.Soundtrack: A Review
Posted by defeat on December 12th, 2011, 11:14 pm. Category: Scribery Entry
Rating: 10/10
When Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor work together, they don't just make music. They mold sounds into layers of emotional synesthesia, and their newest masterpiece, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, is no different. Your brain and body don't quite know what to do with themselves. You smile. You get the chills. You get creeped out. You contemplate, yet sometimes you stop thinking all together.
After the near three hour playtime ended, I took my headphones off and the first thing to come to mind was Homer's epic poems the Iliad and the Odyssey. If Homer were alive today, he'd be furiously writing a screenplay, day in and day out, so Reznor and Ross could give it the sonic pulse it (I'm sure) would deserve. They are just that good.
Reznor has always been one of my favorites as far as extremely layered music goes. I consider Nine Inch Nails' The Fragile to be the greatest double-album of my generation, and it's a perfect example of Mr. Reznor's musical depth. Atticus Ross, on the other hand is more of a minimalist, and I was first introduced to his music when he did some programming and/or produced Nine Inch Nails' last four albums. He also caught my attention whilst watching the movie The Book of Eli. The entire time I was thinking to myself, "This HAS to be either Trent, Atticus, or Saul Williams doing the soundtrack for this...." It was indeed Atticus, and I became a fan.
The soundtrack for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a drone type of electronica with some darker ambient soundscapes layered in, and when I write "layered in", I mean it as emphatically as is possible. It's the most complex minimalistic album ever created, if that's even possible. You'll always hear synth, and you'll sometimes hear keys, bells, guitars, strings, vibrations, xylophones etc., etc. One of the songs even has vocals, and oddly enough it's a cover of Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" (featuring Karen O on vocals) In a nutshell, it's epic in every way possible. Find three hours and treat yourself to what's bound to be a Grammy winner.
Recommended if you enjoy: Sigur Ros, Ghosts I-IV by Nine Inch Nails, The Book of Eli (soundtrack), The Social Network (soundtrack)
When Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor work together, they don't just make music. They mold sounds into layers of emotional synesthesia, and their newest masterpiece, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, is no different. Your brain and body don't quite know what to do with themselves. You smile. You get the chills. You get creeped out. You contemplate, yet sometimes you stop thinking all together.
After the near three hour playtime ended, I took my headphones off and the first thing to come to mind was Homer's epic poems the Iliad and the Odyssey. If Homer were alive today, he'd be furiously writing a screenplay, day in and day out, so Reznor and Ross could give it the sonic pulse it (I'm sure) would deserve. They are just that good.
Reznor has always been one of my favorites as far as extremely layered music goes. I consider Nine Inch Nails' The Fragile to be the greatest double-album of my generation, and it's a perfect example of Mr. Reznor's musical depth. Atticus Ross, on the other hand is more of a minimalist, and I was first introduced to his music when he did some programming and/or produced Nine Inch Nails' last four albums. He also caught my attention whilst watching the movie The Book of Eli. The entire time I was thinking to myself, "This HAS to be either Trent, Atticus, or Saul Williams doing the soundtrack for this...." It was indeed Atticus, and I became a fan.
The soundtrack for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a drone type of electronica with some darker ambient soundscapes layered in, and when I write "layered in", I mean it as emphatically as is possible. It's the most complex minimalistic album ever created, if that's even possible. You'll always hear synth, and you'll sometimes hear keys, bells, guitars, strings, vibrations, xylophones etc., etc. One of the songs even has vocals, and oddly enough it's a cover of Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" (featuring Karen O on vocals) In a nutshell, it's epic in every way possible. Find three hours and treat yourself to what's bound to be a Grammy winner.
Recommended if you enjoy: Sigur Ros, Ghosts I-IV by Nine Inch Nails, The Book of Eli (soundtrack), The Social Network (soundtrack)
allbroke- Broke/Free EP (12/02/2011): A Review
Posted by defeat on December 6th, 2011, 11:23 pm. Category: Scribery Entry
Rating: 10/10
The dubstep scene is in two factions at the moment. You’ve got the UK kids who are all, “Yeah, Yeah dubstep…it’s played out and now the Americans are catching on late….yet again.” And we also have the US kids who are getting into dubstep because the US producers/programmers decided to 1-UP the UK’s scene. I personally don’t get into all that myself. If the track is good…..the track is good, wherever and whenever it came out.
Now on to the album you all need to know about. Allbroke has had a few songs independently released recently, and his Facebook was droppin’ hints about a present to us all (his fans). It’s here. His present is the absolutely free EP Broke/Free.
This you are going to enjoy. It’s a mix between UK and US dubstep in all the right ways. The music itself tells a subtle sci-fi story in it’s four song way. Makes me wish dubstep was around when The Matrix was being produced. I think It would have been very cool for Allbroke to have had a couple songs on there.
“The Device” is the opener, and from start to beginning it walks us through a device being used to make some nasty drops. It’s a very unique song. I have yet to hear of anyone doing what Allbroke is doing here. With this opener you know you’ve stumbled upon something unique.
“Nostromo” is second in line and well. It’s pretty chill at first until 55 seconds in when it drops and don’t stop….in a good way. Enter some sci fi dialogue. Great song.
“Orion” The third track I really, really, really , really enjoyed. Sweet, sweet tension and release I am a fan of. This one however has more of a UK sound to it. Not that I’m complaining .
“Field Medic” This closure is the epitome of what I was trying to get across up in hurr. It’s a UKUSA dubstep orgy.
Over all this albums broke down the boundaries between UK and US dubstep with one fell swoop. I was impressed with the dynamics of it all. Solid, Solid, EP.
Recommened if you enjoy: Ed Solo, Datsik, skrillex, Nero
Now how about a music video combining the songs for maximum epic? EH?
The link to the FREE EP is
http://www.facebook.com/spirographed?ref=tn_tnmn#!/Allbroke
Like the page, download the nasty.
The dubstep scene is in two factions at the moment. You’ve got the UK kids who are all, “Yeah, Yeah dubstep…it’s played out and now the Americans are catching on late….yet again.” And we also have the US kids who are getting into dubstep because the US producers/programmers decided to 1-UP the UK’s scene. I personally don’t get into all that myself. If the track is good…..the track is good, wherever and whenever it came out.
Now on to the album you all need to know about. Allbroke has had a few songs independently released recently, and his Facebook was droppin’ hints about a present to us all (his fans). It’s here. His present is the absolutely free EP Broke/Free.
This you are going to enjoy. It’s a mix between UK and US dubstep in all the right ways. The music itself tells a subtle sci-fi story in it’s four song way. Makes me wish dubstep was around when The Matrix was being produced. I think It would have been very cool for Allbroke to have had a couple songs on there.
“The Device” is the opener, and from start to beginning it walks us through a device being used to make some nasty drops. It’s a very unique song. I have yet to hear of anyone doing what Allbroke is doing here. With this opener you know you’ve stumbled upon something unique.
“Nostromo” is second in line and well. It’s pretty chill at first until 55 seconds in when it drops and don’t stop….in a good way. Enter some sci fi dialogue. Great song.
“Orion” The third track I really, really, really , really enjoyed. Sweet, sweet tension and release I am a fan of. This one however has more of a UK sound to it. Not that I’m complaining .
“Field Medic” This closure is the epitome of what I was trying to get across up in hurr. It’s a UKUSA dubstep orgy.
Over all this albums broke down the boundaries between UK and US dubstep with one fell swoop. I was impressed with the dynamics of it all. Solid, Solid, EP.
Recommened if you enjoy: Ed Solo, Datsik, skrillex, Nero
Now how about a music video combining the songs for maximum epic? EH?
The link to the FREE EP is
http://www.facebook.com/spirographed?ref=tn_tnmn#!/Allbroke
Like the page, download the nasty.
A battle of time on communities
Posted by Demon on December 5th, 2011, 6:42 pm. Category: Scribery Entry
Time moves on inevitably, as I’m sure anyone can tell. Childhood memories become just what they are – memories. Not much can stay the same in a world rapidly evolving with people snaking along just as quickly towards some mysterious, unknown goal of worth we, as a society and race, have decided is vitally necessary. This is also true for the internet, but at a much broader and faster rate because of instant gratification and the scope of available tools for developers to build. While driving down ‘memory lane’ after twenty-odd years may bring the shock of finding your childhood home destroyed and a new shopping plaza in its place, you can still find your breath taken away at the vast and expanding internet. Simply visit Google and type in a keyword relative to your life (anything) and you’ll find more information instantly available than you can possibly read in your lifetime… with more being released as you’re reading!
Thus, what happens to a memory of a place once you can no longer visit it or feel that connection you once felt? How often do you drive or walk down a new, but familiar street where memories seem to come alive and flood into your conscious? Where do you go when you begin to relive those days of happiness, the shared, raw energy of a community? The whole experience can be quite a downer once you start thinking about those childhood playmates or perhaps the teenage adventures while testing the world, knowing you had your parents as a safety net. Where, then do you go when that memory is an online community?
Too often I’ve found myself needing information and simply visiting search engines like Google and Bing to find a quick resolution to any situation which may arise. This includes anything from technological break-downs, news, or entertainment; basically anything which would be best served instantly. It seems, at least to me, that technical forums and online ‘gurus’ have become a thing of the past. Why? Most times, ‘Googling’ an issue will bring up a laundry list of posts in forums with the exact problem, usually followed with an answer. However, the post was made and answered anywhere from ten years to a more recent four years. In either case, unless it’s a new product, there is no real need for posting on a forum only to wait days (if you’re lucky) for an intelligent response and possibly longer to get a true answer.
So where do communities fit into this? It seems only natural that communities, though once warm and welcoming to the casual internet browser, has become a thing of the past. They’ve been replaced with blogs and social networking where, again, everything revolves on instant gratification for the end-user. What kind of communities have survived? Other than those directly linked with a brand (Dell Technical Support – Love them) or with a particular product (Tip.It – A fansite based on a MMO game), it would seem there is little opportunity for growth among other communities. Yet there are still communities with mixed interests (Runevillage – A fansite-turned-general interest) where a wisp of memory and the attachment of veterans keep the community together, even through difficult times.
Despite the fondness of memories in our compulsive visits to places we’ve known and grown to love, there is a sort of sweet sorrow in their parting. Just as we must one day say goodbye to our parents, it feels there is an inevitable end to all communities – online or not. In a more directed note, while the Village may be the dear home of a few dedicated users who have stayed around for nearly the entirety of its life, the difficulty lies not in reviving the dead, but re-angling the community to be both ageless and timeless where simple trends don’t direct the life of the site as a whole. I’d say this has been the bane of countless sites with a targeted audience, because there was never any room allowed or even acknowledged to open the door for a broader scope of inclusion for outsiders and thus lays the self-imprisonment of sites with too little a mind to approach a large audience.
Simply putting it, the only means by which to survive in the rapid change and growth of the internet is to build and evolve with it, rather than staying focused on a single niche. A stubborn, slow mind will only be left behind as the community gathered moves on to bigger and better things, though they may still visit every so often (like an old man in a retirement home, perhaps). There can only be success where success is actively perceived and rendered into a useable model; building a strong community is great while there is community to build, but there has to be some means of bringing new users in and getting them attached the same way everyone else has become attached.
Thus, what happens to a memory of a place once you can no longer visit it or feel that connection you once felt? How often do you drive or walk down a new, but familiar street where memories seem to come alive and flood into your conscious? Where do you go when you begin to relive those days of happiness, the shared, raw energy of a community? The whole experience can be quite a downer once you start thinking about those childhood playmates or perhaps the teenage adventures while testing the world, knowing you had your parents as a safety net. Where, then do you go when that memory is an online community?
Too often I’ve found myself needing information and simply visiting search engines like Google and Bing to find a quick resolution to any situation which may arise. This includes anything from technological break-downs, news, or entertainment; basically anything which would be best served instantly. It seems, at least to me, that technical forums and online ‘gurus’ have become a thing of the past. Why? Most times, ‘Googling’ an issue will bring up a laundry list of posts in forums with the exact problem, usually followed with an answer. However, the post was made and answered anywhere from ten years to a more recent four years. In either case, unless it’s a new product, there is no real need for posting on a forum only to wait days (if you’re lucky) for an intelligent response and possibly longer to get a true answer.
So where do communities fit into this? It seems only natural that communities, though once warm and welcoming to the casual internet browser, has become a thing of the past. They’ve been replaced with blogs and social networking where, again, everything revolves on instant gratification for the end-user. What kind of communities have survived? Other than those directly linked with a brand (Dell Technical Support – Love them) or with a particular product (Tip.It – A fansite based on a MMO game), it would seem there is little opportunity for growth among other communities. Yet there are still communities with mixed interests (Runevillage – A fansite-turned-general interest) where a wisp of memory and the attachment of veterans keep the community together, even through difficult times.
Despite the fondness of memories in our compulsive visits to places we’ve known and grown to love, there is a sort of sweet sorrow in their parting. Just as we must one day say goodbye to our parents, it feels there is an inevitable end to all communities – online or not. In a more directed note, while the Village may be the dear home of a few dedicated users who have stayed around for nearly the entirety of its life, the difficulty lies not in reviving the dead, but re-angling the community to be both ageless and timeless where simple trends don’t direct the life of the site as a whole. I’d say this has been the bane of countless sites with a targeted audience, because there was never any room allowed or even acknowledged to open the door for a broader scope of inclusion for outsiders and thus lays the self-imprisonment of sites with too little a mind to approach a large audience.
Simply putting it, the only means by which to survive in the rapid change and growth of the internet is to build and evolve with it, rather than staying focused on a single niche. A stubborn, slow mind will only be left behind as the community gathered moves on to bigger and better things, though they may still visit every so often (like an old man in a retirement home, perhaps). There can only be success where success is actively perceived and rendered into a useable model; building a strong community is great while there is community to build, but there has to be some means of bringing new users in and getting them attached the same way everyone else has become attached.
LLL: Updated 1/07; info on my future in the scribery
Posted by Landerpurex on December 1st, 2011, 2:55 am. Category: Scribery Entry
**EDIT**
Alright, so I daresay you editors and high ranking officials at RV are not interested in pure literature or creative works being put on the front page. Though I think that is ludicrous, I also see why that is. The bottom line is that I go to the movies, like, A LOT. Think on a weekly basis, pretty much. I hope to make some topics there on the front page through reviewing new movies. I have already written two and dedicated several hours to doing so in an effort to help this place. I know they are somewhat outdated, Darkest Hour being most so but I intend to review newer releases soon. I plan on seeing The Devil Inside tomorrow, so perhaps you can expect that review soon.
I also know that there are tons of other movie review sites, far more comprehensive and those that have professional critics (HA), but I tried to take a frank, fresh approach to the movies that will help anyone who is looking for such information. I also have to say that I am inspired by Defeat, but no longer will I allow him to take the brunt of the responsibility here, and the glory along with it.
Bottom line is, I am not going to write nor post creative works if they have no chance of being used, similarly how I am not going to write to no end for the Villager.
If someone wishes to refute or update me on Scribery and subsequently, front page quality policy, I would be much obliged.
Also it should be noted that I would like to buy the new RPG coming out in February called Kingdoms of Amalur, so dibs on that review assuming I actually get the game.
***
This is the thread I'm gonna reserve for the (hopefully) many contributions I make to RV in its new direction. For now, I'm only posting one poem but expect more in the future. This is perhaps my favorite piece that I've written, and I believe it shows. Later, expect more poetry, short stories, and snippets from my novel/s.
That said, I need to post a small disclaimer: I hope to make a living as a writer someday, and much of what I post will be some of my best work. I retain all rights to my work as the author. In the unlikely event that I sell the rights to some of my work, I may ask for it to be taken off the site but that does not seem to be something that is possible for me to accept.
This was something I wrote for a two week intensive poetry seminar. I wrote this in response to my classmates who often said that my work was too triumphant, that it wasn't sad, depressing, or void of conflict. I hope you appreciate the satire. It's a form called "letter poetry" which I had never tried before, but I seem to be at least somewhat good at.
Alright, so I daresay you editors and high ranking officials at RV are not interested in pure literature or creative works being put on the front page. Though I think that is ludicrous, I also see why that is. The bottom line is that I go to the movies, like, A LOT. Think on a weekly basis, pretty much. I hope to make some topics there on the front page through reviewing new movies. I have already written two and dedicated several hours to doing so in an effort to help this place. I know they are somewhat outdated, Darkest Hour being most so but I intend to review newer releases soon. I plan on seeing The Devil Inside tomorrow, so perhaps you can expect that review soon.
I also know that there are tons of other movie review sites, far more comprehensive and those that have professional critics (HA), but I tried to take a frank, fresh approach to the movies that will help anyone who is looking for such information. I also have to say that I am inspired by Defeat, but no longer will I allow him to take the brunt of the responsibility here, and the glory along with it.
Bottom line is, I am not going to write nor post creative works if they have no chance of being used, similarly how I am not going to write to no end for the Villager.
If someone wishes to refute or update me on Scribery and subsequently, front page quality policy, I would be much obliged. Also it should be noted that I would like to buy the new RPG coming out in February called Kingdoms of Amalur, so dibs on that review assuming I actually get the game.
***
This is the thread I'm gonna reserve for the (hopefully) many contributions I make to RV in its new direction. For now, I'm only posting one poem but expect more in the future. This is perhaps my favorite piece that I've written, and I believe it shows. Later, expect more poetry, short stories, and snippets from my novel/s.
That said, I need to post a small disclaimer: I hope to make a living as a writer someday, and much of what I post will be some of my best work. I retain all rights to my work as the author. In the unlikely event that I sell the rights to some of my work, I may ask for it to be taken off the site but that does not seem to be something that is possible for me to accept.
This was something I wrote for a two week intensive poetry seminar. I wrote this in response to my classmates who often said that my work was too triumphant, that it wasn't sad, depressing, or void of conflict. I hope you appreciate the satire. It's a form called "letter poetry" which I had never tried before, but I seem to be at least somewhat good at.
Lander wrote:
Dear self,
You will never triumph against anything.
To presume otherwise is nothing
short of maniacal nonsense.
Wallow in your self pity,
Fill a pool with it,
Drown in it,
Glub.
Write your farewell poem in blood,
Then hang yourself.
Um, don’t do any of that.
I’m being facetious.
It surely wouldn’t kill you,
To let your weakness through
Every now and again.
Death dances around you.
He dances a jig in Swedish clogs.
He trips over his own robe,
Wreaking hellish havoc.
Pontificate.
Your father, dead by simultaneous stroke and heart attack
Your Uncle, dead by spidery spider cancer
Your cousin, dead by asthma attack
Your cousin, dead by drowning
Your mother, dead by house fire
Let a tear chart a new course
Down your cheek.
Taste bitterness.
Become angry.
Shout for no reason,
Curse the people who get under your skin.
Do it to their faces.
Your car’s a piece of,
Drive it til the wheels fall off,
Then light it on fire.
Loosen up and stop hiding
Your past and your trials.
They happened.
Pretending they aren’t real will only
Cause a quarter-life crisis.
Affectionately,
Me
You will never triumph against anything.
To presume otherwise is nothing
short of maniacal nonsense.
Wallow in your self pity,
Fill a pool with it,
Drown in it,
Glub.
Write your farewell poem in blood,
Then hang yourself.
Um, don’t do any of that.
I’m being facetious.
It surely wouldn’t kill you,
To let your weakness through
Every now and again.
Death dances around you.
He dances a jig in Swedish clogs.
He trips over his own robe,
Wreaking hellish havoc.
Pontificate.
Your father, dead by simultaneous stroke and heart attack
Your Uncle, dead by spidery spider cancer
Your cousin, dead by asthma attack
Your cousin, dead by drowning
Your mother, dead by house fire
Let a tear chart a new course
Down your cheek.
Taste bitterness.
Become angry.
Shout for no reason,
Curse the people who get under your skin.
Do it to their faces.
Your car’s a piece of
,Drive it til the wheels fall off,
Then light it on fire.
Loosen up and stop hiding
Your past and your trials.
They happened.
Pretending they aren’t real will only
Cause a quarter-life crisis.
Affectionately,
Me
By far, the most exciting news in the last year was the announcement of the latest entry in the Elder Scrolls series, Skyrim. Along with this announcement was a vast amount of detail on what would be included in the final product, as it would be released in less than 12 months, on November 11. The game is now out, and the biggest question series fans have had is this: Is it going to live up to previous games in the series?
I have to say what excited me was the announcement that this game would attempt to walk the line between Morrowind and Oblivion; Morrowind being one of my favorite games from childhood, and Oblivion being a technically good follow up set in a fairly generic setting. This is a pretty tall order. The magic of Morrowind, anyone can tell you, was in the discovery. You never knew what powerful ring you would find in that tomb across the river, or what daedric relic you'd pull out of the abandoned dwemer tower just outside of town.
Oblivion did away with this system, simply rewarding you these one of a kind items through quests; sure, a dungeon might provide a bunch of loot, but none of it had "pizzazz". None of it belonged to some great, unnamed warlock, and it certainly didn't belong to a demigod. You had to go talk to those guys in person, and you had to make sacrifices, but only when you hit the right level. Not the right level? Go back to Rockmilk and wait for those bandits and marauders to kill each other! Maybe after about ten delves you'll have fired your bow enough to get a level or two. It kind of got... boring. Not that other games don't have ridiculous amounts of grinding, but in a game claiming to be bigger and better than Morrowind, I expect even more relics to be dug up, not to just be handed to me for running between vendors and grabbing a shovel.
Skyrim, I'm happy to say, walks the line and leans toward the Morrowind side of the series. There's no telling what you'll find in any given cave, be it a powerful enemy wielding a magic weapon or a dragon wall providing you with immense power. The quests to find powerful artefacts often trigger just from discovering the tomb or strange item, so you still get the thrill of finding the artefact without feeling like you're a means to an end.
The world is wonderfully alien, just as it was in the good old days of the series. Expansive plains have herds of mammoths and giants wandering through, with beautiful mountains always in view. Rivers and streams flow through the landscape and look wonderful, although they are as much a nuisance as they are a beauty to look at. Often, there is no good way to cross a river without walking for what seems like miles out of your way. Attempting to wade across often goes awry, as there typically isn't a good way to climb out of said river. At this point, the best you can hope to do is survive the waterfall inevitably waiting 200 feet downstream and hope that you'll come out somewhere close to an actual road on the other side.
That's not to say that Oblivion's additions to the series were completely cut from the game; if anything, its shortcomings were tweaked until they became strengths for the game. While it didn't provide much in the way of setting, the fourth game in the series did a few things right: It simplified everything, and it added randomness in items. Skyrim expands on this.
Previous entries in the series required you to build your character around your Attributes, which governed skills, of which several selected as Major and [sometimes] Minor. You could only level up by increasing one of these selected skills, and then you had to weigh the pros and cons of increasing an attribute. These dilemmas are no more. Attributes: Gone. Major Skills: Nope nope. Minor Skills: That's been out of fashion for like ten years! All skills start the same, save for racial bonuses. You don't pick a class. You don't make a class. Whatever you use increases, and when a certain number of skill increases has been achieved, you level. You choose to increase your Health, Magicka, or Stamina bars, and then you get a perk to use to specialize in something. That's it. While I DO miss the challenge of increasing my luck, it's even better that I don't have to worry about respecializing in things after I've made my character. That isn't even a concern until after level 15 or so.
Building on the simplification of "Blade, Blunt, and Marksman", the weapon distinction has now become "One handed, Two handed, and Archery", with different sub-specializations within each skill tree that are up to you. One handed weapons include daggers, maces, swords, and one handed axes, and are great for damage dealers who don't want to take any damage. It goes hand in hand with the stealth tree, which only serves to make assassin characters even more overpowered (a common complaint I've heard of the game). From here you have the option to dual wield, a new feature to the series. It dramatically decreases your ability to block an attack, but the idea here is that you aren't going to be hit before this happens. Two handed is for people who don't mind getting punched in the face a couple times while swinging there weapon. These include greatswords, axes, and warhammers. Where does archery fit into all this? Very neatly, since it's so much more powerful than it ever was before. Put enough points into it, and it’s just as effective as any other weapon you could use.
Delving dungeons simply for magic items is always beneficial, especially at lower levels. Don't wear heavy armor, but still REALLY want that archery bonus? With the return of the Enchantment skill, items can be destroyed to learn their properties for use in making new ones. This means that equipment gathering is no longer the endless cycle of finding and selling and paying your first born to the Mage's Guild to make stuff temporarily better.
Oh, and dragons. With how late this review/rant is coming out, you've probably heard a lot about them already. Not a whole lot I can say on that matter except that they are far more fun than any of the other boss fights I have been involved with in this game up to this point. Fight them. Relish them, but remember that they are common throughout this game. If I had a nickel for every time I came out of fast travel and had to save a town, I wouldn’t have much money, because I don't think I've killed more than 20 dragons, and only like half those attacked towns. But I still feel like a boss.
Last, the main quest. I'm not going to get too much into this, because I honestly haven't done much with it. This shouldn't be a problem for many fans of the series, as no one really plays through it. From what I've seen of other people playing it, it is greatly improved story wise from Oblivion. What I can tell you is that guilds are back, with the Fighter's Guild and Mage's Guild being replaced by awesome. Dark Brotherhood is more disturbing than ever, and the Thieves Guild is... changed...
While a great game in and of itself, it stacks up with the best of the Elder Scrolls series. If you enjoyed any of those, give it a shot. It's definitely the best entry in the series. If you didn't, check it out anyway. Enough has changed that you may find yourself a new fan.
I have to say what excited me was the announcement that this game would attempt to walk the line between Morrowind and Oblivion; Morrowind being one of my favorite games from childhood, and Oblivion being a technically good follow up set in a fairly generic setting. This is a pretty tall order. The magic of Morrowind, anyone can tell you, was in the discovery. You never knew what powerful ring you would find in that tomb across the river, or what daedric relic you'd pull out of the abandoned dwemer tower just outside of town.
Oblivion did away with this system, simply rewarding you these one of a kind items through quests; sure, a dungeon might provide a bunch of loot, but none of it had "pizzazz". None of it belonged to some great, unnamed warlock, and it certainly didn't belong to a demigod. You had to go talk to those guys in person, and you had to make sacrifices, but only when you hit the right level. Not the right level? Go back to Rockmilk and wait for those bandits and marauders to kill each other! Maybe after about ten delves you'll have fired your bow enough to get a level or two. It kind of got... boring. Not that other games don't have ridiculous amounts of grinding, but in a game claiming to be bigger and better than Morrowind, I expect even more relics to be dug up, not to just be handed to me for running between vendors and grabbing a shovel.
Skyrim, I'm happy to say, walks the line and leans toward the Morrowind side of the series. There's no telling what you'll find in any given cave, be it a powerful enemy wielding a magic weapon or a dragon wall providing you with immense power. The quests to find powerful artefacts often trigger just from discovering the tomb or strange item, so you still get the thrill of finding the artefact without feeling like you're a means to an end.
The world is wonderfully alien, just as it was in the good old days of the series. Expansive plains have herds of mammoths and giants wandering through, with beautiful mountains always in view. Rivers and streams flow through the landscape and look wonderful, although they are as much a nuisance as they are a beauty to look at. Often, there is no good way to cross a river without walking for what seems like miles out of your way. Attempting to wade across often goes awry, as there typically isn't a good way to climb out of said river. At this point, the best you can hope to do is survive the waterfall inevitably waiting 200 feet downstream and hope that you'll come out somewhere close to an actual road on the other side.
That's not to say that Oblivion's additions to the series were completely cut from the game; if anything, its shortcomings were tweaked until they became strengths for the game. While it didn't provide much in the way of setting, the fourth game in the series did a few things right: It simplified everything, and it added randomness in items. Skyrim expands on this.
Previous entries in the series required you to build your character around your Attributes, which governed skills, of which several selected as Major and [sometimes] Minor. You could only level up by increasing one of these selected skills, and then you had to weigh the pros and cons of increasing an attribute. These dilemmas are no more. Attributes: Gone. Major Skills: Nope nope. Minor Skills: That's been out of fashion for like ten years! All skills start the same, save for racial bonuses. You don't pick a class. You don't make a class. Whatever you use increases, and when a certain number of skill increases has been achieved, you level. You choose to increase your Health, Magicka, or Stamina bars, and then you get a perk to use to specialize in something. That's it. While I DO miss the challenge of increasing my luck, it's even better that I don't have to worry about respecializing in things after I've made my character. That isn't even a concern until after level 15 or so.
Building on the simplification of "Blade, Blunt, and Marksman", the weapon distinction has now become "One handed, Two handed, and Archery", with different sub-specializations within each skill tree that are up to you. One handed weapons include daggers, maces, swords, and one handed axes, and are great for damage dealers who don't want to take any damage. It goes hand in hand with the stealth tree, which only serves to make assassin characters even more overpowered (a common complaint I've heard of the game). From here you have the option to dual wield, a new feature to the series. It dramatically decreases your ability to block an attack, but the idea here is that you aren't going to be hit before this happens. Two handed is for people who don't mind getting punched in the face a couple times while swinging there weapon. These include greatswords, axes, and warhammers. Where does archery fit into all this? Very neatly, since it's so much more powerful than it ever was before. Put enough points into it, and it’s just as effective as any other weapon you could use.
Delving dungeons simply for magic items is always beneficial, especially at lower levels. Don't wear heavy armor, but still REALLY want that archery bonus? With the return of the Enchantment skill, items can be destroyed to learn their properties for use in making new ones. This means that equipment gathering is no longer the endless cycle of finding and selling and paying your first born to the Mage's Guild to make stuff temporarily better.
Oh, and dragons. With how late this review/rant is coming out, you've probably heard a lot about them already. Not a whole lot I can say on that matter except that they are far more fun than any of the other boss fights I have been involved with in this game up to this point. Fight them. Relish them, but remember that they are common throughout this game. If I had a nickel for every time I came out of fast travel and had to save a town, I wouldn’t have much money, because I don't think I've killed more than 20 dragons, and only like half those attacked towns. But I still feel like a boss.
Last, the main quest. I'm not going to get too much into this, because I honestly haven't done much with it. This shouldn't be a problem for many fans of the series, as no one really plays through it. From what I've seen of other people playing it, it is greatly improved story wise from Oblivion. What I can tell you is that guilds are back, with the Fighter's Guild and Mage's Guild being replaced by awesome. Dark Brotherhood is more disturbing than ever, and the Thieves Guild is... changed...
While a great game in and of itself, it stacks up with the best of the Elder Scrolls series. If you enjoyed any of those, give it a shot. It's definitely the best entry in the series. If you didn't, check it out anyway. Enough has changed that you may find yourself a new fan.
Usergroup Underbanner Voting - Jackstick Wins!
Posted by Donut Juice on April 30th, 2008, 2:33 pm. Category: RuneVillage News
In reference to the poll:
Bartoron's Entry
Judge's Entry
Paidea's Entry
Kikori Kid's Entry
Dark Paladin's Entry
Jackstick's Entry (UNCOLORED):
Jackstick's Entry (COLORED):
Stalesoul's Entry
Hey,
Several months ago there was a discussion topic about several changes and requests (file size limit, online banner, etc.), recently Tweedy reminded me that I forgot to finish the last portion - the rank image design.
Firstly, this wouldn't be replacing our current 'rank images' (Sorceror of Saradomin, Board Moderator, Chat Administrator, etc.) but they would be displayable underbanners for the signature field, displaying groups you're apart of. It could also be used for those of you who are a Forum Moderator, well as a Village Legend. Or those of you who are a Village Legend, as well as a Village Staff.
RuneScape Community has great examples of what underbanners may look like, although ours don't necessarily have to follow the same layout:
They would look like this in the signature:
This was the topic discussing the changes.
Now, what is this topic for? It will be for submitting designs for these banners, and after a two week period of time to submit, and then a the judging period will begin.
Limits for Each Underbanner
Height: 15 pixels
Width: 100 pixels
File Size: 3KB
Font: Visitor is recommended, but feel free to choose your own.
Groups Requiring Underbanners
-RVA General
-RVA Captain
-RVA Lieutenant
-RVA Staff
-RVA Warlord
-RVA Member
-Villager Leader
-Villager Writer
-Villager Coder
-Villager Editor
-Villager Artist
-Guide Editor
-Guide Writer
-Guide Coder
-RVET Leader
-RVET Member
-RVCC Mod
-SoTW Judge
-Database Team
-Staff Leader
-Database Manager
-Village Legend
-Village Staff
If your design is chosen, you'll be required to make an image for each. But it's possible to simply change the font on each should you be chosen.
So! RuneVillage graphic masters assemble, and create amazing artwork for all to marvel at. If you have any questions, feel free to post!
Bartoron's Entry
Hidden:
Judge's Entry
Hidden:
Paidea's Entry
Hidden:
Kikori Kid's Entry
Hidden:
Dark Paladin's Entry
Hidden:
Jackstick's Entry (UNCOLORED):
Hidden:
Jackstick's Entry (COLORED):
Hidden:
Stalesoul's Entry
Hidden:
or 
Hey,
Several months ago there was a discussion topic about several changes and requests (file size limit, online banner, etc.), recently Tweedy reminded me that I forgot to finish the last portion - the rank image design.
Firstly, this wouldn't be replacing our current 'rank images' (Sorceror of Saradomin, Board Moderator, Chat Administrator, etc.) but they would be displayable underbanners for the signature field, displaying groups you're apart of. It could also be used for those of you who are a Forum Moderator, well as a Village Legend. Or those of you who are a Village Legend, as well as a Village Staff.
RuneScape Community has great examples of what underbanners may look like, although ours don't necessarily have to follow the same layout:
They would look like this in the signature:
This was the topic discussing the changes.
Now, what is this topic for? It will be for submitting designs for these banners, and after a two week period of time to submit, and then a the judging period will begin.
Limits for Each Underbanner
Height: 15 pixels
Width: 100 pixels
File Size: 3KB
Font: Visitor is recommended, but feel free to choose your own.
Groups Requiring Underbanners
-RVA General
-RVA Captain
-RVA Lieutenant
-RVA Staff
-RVA Warlord
-RVA Member
-Villager Leader
-Villager Writer
-Villager Coder
-Villager Editor
-Villager Artist
-Guide Editor
-Guide Writer
-Guide Coder
-RVET Leader
-RVET Member
-RVCC Mod
-SoTW Judge
-Database Team
-Staff Leader
-Database Manager
-Village Legend
-Village Staff
If your design is chosen, you'll be required to make an image for each. But it's possible to simply change the font on each should you be chosen.
So! RuneVillage graphic masters assemble, and create amazing artwork for all to marvel at. If you have any questions, feel free to post!
Some may of noticed the new rank that has appeared in the legend, at the bottom of the index page. If you haven't guessed, we'll be introducing a new rank, the Clan Chat Moderator rank. These users will gain the ability to aid in the moderation of "RV Lounge". They will not gain any authority here on Runevillage, nor will they recieve any additional permissions, apart from access to one new forum.
Users will recieve the following rank image if they earn the rank, Clan Chat Moderator.
Voting for users to gain this new rank is currently in progress, and any users in the final nominations will be notified before the promotions take place, most likely sometime next week.
Hope this answers any questions you may have.
Moose out
Users will recieve the following rank image if they earn the rank, Clan Chat Moderator.
Voting for users to gain this new rank is currently in progress, and any users in the final nominations will be notified before the promotions take place, most likely sometime next week.
Hope this answers any questions you may have.
Moose out
Below are the ranks that users can earn/receive:
Normal User Tag Ranks
These are post count related ranks. User's that do not have a special rank earn these ranks as their post count increases.
Page
Earnt at 0 posts
Squire
Earnt at 100 posts.
Knight
Earnt at 200 posts.
Wizard
Earnt at 300 posts.
Count
Earnt at 400 posts.
Prince
Earnt at 600 posts.
Minor King
Earnt at 800 posts.
Priest of Saradomin
Earnt at 1000 posts.
Sorcerer of Saradomin
Earnt at 2000 posts.
Champion of Saradomin
Earnt at 5000 posts.
Special Tag Ranks
Site Administrator
Has full control over the main site, forums, and Chat Room.
Assist. Site Admin
Same responsibilities as the Site Administrator.
Forum Administrator
Their main responsibility are the forums, but they also assume the responsibility of administering the Chat Room and sometimes the main site.
Board Moderator
A moderator of all the boards, or forums.
Board & Chat Moderator
A moderator of all the boards, or forums, as well as the Chat Room.
Forum Moderator
A moderator of a certain forum or category.
Forum & Chat Moderator
A moderator of a certain forum or category, as well as the Chat Room.
Chat Administrator
Their main responsibility is the Chat Room, but they also assume the responsibility of administering the forums.
Chat Moderator
A moderator of the Chat Room.
Clan Chat Moderator
A moderator of the RV Lounge clan chatroom.
Chat Bot
These are bots that are used in the Chat Room. Currently they are not in operation.
Staff Administrator
Their main responsibility is the main site. They also over see the village staff and all the site projects that go on. They also assume the responsibility of an administrator on the forums and in the Chat Room.
Staff Moderator
These moderators oversee the Staff-related areas as well as Hiker's Campfire and the Website Submissions & Corrections forum.
Village Staff
These people are the hard workers of the village. They have access to the guides and other projects. They can also report posts.
Village Legend
True standouts among the villagers. Rewarded to only the best of the bunch. These people are hand selected by the moderators, they can also report posts.
Village Elder
A moderator or administrator that resigned on good terms.
First Villager
One of the first "Villagers" of RuneVillage. Only awarded to Rubinous.
[Site Administrator] [Administrator] [Board Moderator] [Forum Moderator] [Chat Moderator] [Staff Moderator] [Village Staff] [Village Legend] [Village Elder]
Here are the Rank Images, only now they're uploaded to the RuneVillage Server (fresh off the uploader, too).
Please replace all your current images with the following, as Jackstick will be removing the images off his PhotoBucket account shortly. To find the image link to an image for your signature, right click the image and select 'Properties' the image link can be found there. Please only use the image if you're a part of that usergroup.
These images do not count towards the Profile Limits.
Enjoy! And a BIG thanks to Tweedy and Donut Juice for uploading these.
RVA
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Villager
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Guides
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RVET Leader
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RVET
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RV Clan Chat (RV_Lounge)
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SoTW
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Database
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Staff
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Village Legend
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For those of you looking for a less colorful choice, we've decided to allow the second place option; Jackstick's uncolored version to be used also. These do not count towards the limit either.
RVA
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Villager
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Guides
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RVET Leader
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RVET
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RV Clan Chat (RV_Lounge)
----------
SoTW
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Database
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Staff
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Village Legend
-----
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Normal User Tag Ranks
These are post count related ranks. User's that do not have a special rank earn these ranks as their post count increases.
Page
Earnt at 0 posts
Squire
Earnt at 100 posts.
Knight
Earnt at 200 posts.
Wizard
Earnt at 300 posts.
Count
Earnt at 400 posts.
Prince
Earnt at 600 posts.
Minor King
Earnt at 800 posts.
Priest of Saradomin
Earnt at 1000 posts.
Sorcerer of Saradomin
Earnt at 2000 posts.
Champion of Saradomin
Earnt at 5000 posts.
Special Tag Ranks
Site Administrator
Has full control over the main site, forums, and Chat Room.
Assist. Site Admin
Same responsibilities as the Site Administrator.
Forum Administrator
Their main responsibility are the forums, but they also assume the responsibility of administering the Chat Room and sometimes the main site.
Board Moderator
A moderator of all the boards, or forums.
Board & Chat Moderator
A moderator of all the boards, or forums, as well as the Chat Room.
Forum Moderator
A moderator of a certain forum or category.
Forum & Chat Moderator
A moderator of a certain forum or category, as well as the Chat Room.
Chat Administrator
Their main responsibility is the Chat Room, but they also assume the responsibility of administering the forums.
Chat Moderator
A moderator of the Chat Room.
Clan Chat Moderator
A moderator of the RV Lounge clan chatroom.
Chat Bot
These are bots that are used in the Chat Room. Currently they are not in operation.
Staff Administrator
Their main responsibility is the main site. They also over see the village staff and all the site projects that go on. They also assume the responsibility of an administrator on the forums and in the Chat Room.
Staff Moderator
These moderators oversee the Staff-related areas as well as Hiker's Campfire and the Website Submissions & Corrections forum.
Village Staff
These people are the hard workers of the village. They have access to the guides and other projects. They can also report posts.
Village Legend
True standouts among the villagers. Rewarded to only the best of the bunch. These people are hand selected by the moderators, they can also report posts.
Village Elder
A moderator or administrator that resigned on good terms.
First Villager
One of the first "Villagers" of RuneVillage. Only awarded to Rubinous.
[Site Administrator] [Administrator] [Board Moderator] [Forum Moderator] [Chat Moderator] [Staff Moderator] [Village Staff] [Village Legend] [Village Elder]
Here are the Rank Images, only now they're uploaded to the RuneVillage Server (fresh off the uploader, too).
Please replace all your current images with the following, as Jackstick will be removing the images off his PhotoBucket account shortly. To find the image link to an image for your signature, right click the image and select 'Properties' the image link can be found there. Please only use the image if you're a part of that usergroup.
These images do not count towards the Profile Limits.
Enjoy! And a BIG thanks to Tweedy and Donut Juice for uploading these.
RVA
----------------------------------------------------------------------Villager
--------------------------------------------------Guides
------------------------------RVET Leader
----------RVET
----------RV Clan Chat (RV_Lounge)
----------SoTW
--------------------Database
--------------------Staff
--------------------Village Legend
----------For those of you looking for a less colorful choice, we've decided to allow the second place option; Jackstick's uncolored version to be used also. These do not count towards the limit either.
RVA
----------------------------------------------------------------------Villager
--------------------------------------------------Guides
------------------------------RVET Leader
----------RVET
----------RV Clan Chat (RV_Lounge)
----------SoTW
--------------------Database
--------------------Staff
--------------------Village Legend
----------
28 April 2008 - Summoning Guaranteed Content Poll
Posted by Omegaman on April 28th, 2008, 12:10 pm. Category: RuneScape News
Runescape.com wrote:
Do you want to help decide on a new Summoning familiar? In this week's poll you can do exactly that! Choose from such varied creatures as killerwatts, giant kebbits and kangaroos...
Each of the creature options in this poll were chosen from a thread in the Suggestions Forum. Thank you to everyone who offered ideas for familiars.
Click 'Vote in this poll' on the left-hand side of the RuneScape front page to vote.
The Summoning familiar with the most votes will be developed once the poll finishes on 6th May, 2008. The winner will be announced on the 7th May.
Each of the creature options in this poll were chosen from a thread in the Suggestions Forum. Thank you to everyone who offered ideas for familiars.
Click 'Vote in this poll' on the left-hand side of the RuneScape front page to vote.
The Summoning familiar with the most votes will be developed once the poll finishes on 6th May, 2008. The winner will be announced on the 7th May.
Well... it's "that" time again..[UPDATE]
Posted by hiker on April 26th, 2008, 4:56 am. Category: RuneVillage News
Well... it's that time again. Donations are down and the Village treasury is empty. We've been a bit slow for a while now, but we were taking in enough to squeek by, and were even getting a little ahead. However, in the past two months we've had two of our largest subscription donors who have had to drop out.
While we have some smaller subscribers, and a number of occasional contributors, we don't have enough in a steady stream to insure that our monthly bills are covered. This month we were short a substantial amount as a result of these things.
Keeping us financed is an on-going task that we must face each month, not just in the months that we come out and beg. And donors usually come and go. However, if we have enough on-going subscribers, it gives us a steady flow that we can count on.
So the bottom line is we need some donations to come in, and if you are inclined to do so, subscriptions donations. Subscribtions are automatically deducted from your bank card each month, as opposed to "one-time" donations, and give us some assurance that we will have some funds come in. You can subscribe in any amount-- as long as we get enough, even $5 or $10 subscriptions will keep us going. On the other hand, the more we have, the better off we are, so larger subscriptions and donations are always welcome!
Thank you for your support!
EDIT: I left it out this time, but once again, we realize many of you would be willing, but are unable to donate due to any one of a number of good reasons- parents, too young to work, college expenses... etc. Your part in this is just to be a good Villager. This, as always, is aimed at adults, working teens, and others who are able to pitch in.
UPDATE: firstly, we had some of you sign up for monthly subscriptions. That is great and will help us in the days to come. We had a few make 'one-time' donations. This is great with trying to make this month's bill. We thank all of you who have made the effort so far to help the Village along.
However, the total of subscriptions and 'one time' donations for this month is still a tiny bit short of making the monthly bill... and of course since part of that total is 'one-time' it also means we're going into next month short as well. (we pay the bills on the 15th).
Right now, our subscriptions account for just over 1/2 of the monthly expenses.
So if any of you are still deciding, or still arranging payments, please help us by moving along with your plans. I say this because several people wrote me about making direct payments through the mail, and none have arrived yet-- plus a couple more who indicated that they would help out who have not been heard from yet either.
Remember, with enough people chipping in, it doesn't take a lot to keep us moving along....
Thank You for your Support!
Its me, Henner demoted me. 
Just kidding. I don't think this promotion will come as a surprise to anyone, in fact its long overdue. Jaron has been an outstanding member at RV in every sense of the word for many years now. Not only has he been incredibly active helping out, but he has consistently been a model for friendliness and the overall theme of what we strive for in creating the "village" atmosphere. He is someone that I personally have looked up to for quite a long time, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. I couldn't think of a better forum admin duo than Jaron and A5Chow to lead RV forward and hopefully make some really positive changes around here. Besides that, I like having Jaron one spot below me in rank, so I can most effectively boss him around.
And also of course Jaron sets the record for most promotions in a week.
Congrats Jaron!
Just kidding. I don't think this promotion will come as a surprise to anyone, in fact its long overdue. Jaron has been an outstanding member at RV in every sense of the word for many years now. Not only has he been incredibly active helping out, but he has consistently been a model for friendliness and the overall theme of what we strive for in creating the "village" atmosphere. He is someone that I personally have looked up to for quite a long time, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. I couldn't think of a better forum admin duo than Jaron and A5Chow to lead RV forward and hopefully make some really positive changes around here. Besides that, I like having Jaron one spot below me in rank, so I can most effectively boss him around.
And also of course Jaron sets the record for most promotions in a week. Congrats Jaron!
24 April 2008 - Postbag from the Hedge
Posted by Donut Juice on April 24th, 2008, 12:57 pm. Category: RuneScape News
www.runescape.com wrote:
This week's Postbag is a mix of the surreal and the serious. On the surreal side we have exploding trifles and talking tripwires. On the serious side we have the history of Charos and some worrying conspiracy theories...
If you are intrigued or bemused, we can only point you in the direction of this week's Postbag from the Hedge.
Postie Pete also wants images for a future Players' Gallery. In particular, everyone's favourite severed head would like landscapes of RuneScape's beautiful geography.
If you are intrigued or bemused, we can only point you in the direction of this week's Postbag from the Hedge.
Postie Pete also wants images for a future Players' Gallery. In particular, everyone's favourite severed head would like landscapes of RuneScape's beautiful geography.
Hello,
The Chat Team wishes to be the first to offer congratulations to RV's three newest chat mods! We're sure that you'll all be great in your new position of responsibility, and will continue your activity and commitment to the Chat.
Look here!
(details are inside the magnificent animation created by Jaron).
Again, congratulations guys!
~ The Chat Admins and Chat Mods.
The Chat Team wishes to be the first to offer congratulations to RV's three newest chat mods! We're sure that you'll all be great in your new position of responsibility, and will continue your activity and commitment to the Chat.
Look here!
(details are inside the magnificent animation created by Jaron).
Again, congratulations guys!
~ The Chat Admins and Chat Mods.
"RV Lounge" has replaced "RV CC"
Posted by Sayaka on April 22nd, 2008, 9:59 pm. Category: RuneVillage News
Thank you to everyone that voted in the recent poll of RV Lounge vs. RV Pub for RuneVillage's new Clan Chat Channel. In the end, after 90 votes, RV Lounge won with a majority of 59% and 16 votes up on RV Pub. This means that "RV Lounge" is our new Clan Chat Channel!
So, users of RV CC, please enter RV Lounge from now on when you play RuneScape. It's exactly the same as RV CC in every way except for typing four extra letters when you log into the chat. (That, and it'll stay updated, which means more moderators at more times of the day!)
Apologies to those of you that voted for RV Pub (37 of 90 votes), but RV Lounge took the lead in this one. From what I could tell in the topic, most of the people that voted for RV Pub did so simply because it was shorter, and didn't have any real complaints with the name "RV Lounge". Yeah, you'll have to type three more letters now than you would have, but in the grand scheme of things it's not all that bad.
Once again, please log into the "RV Lounge" Clan Chat from now on. RV CC will be deactivated shortly.
Thanks!
So, users of RV CC, please enter RV Lounge from now on when you play RuneScape. It's exactly the same as RV CC in every way except for typing four extra letters when you log into the chat. (That, and it'll stay updated, which means more moderators at more times of the day!)
Apologies to those of you that voted for RV Pub (37 of 90 votes), but RV Lounge took the lead in this one. From what I could tell in the topic, most of the people that voted for RV Pub did so simply because it was shorter, and didn't have any real complaints with the name "RV Lounge". Yeah, you'll have to type three more letters now than you would have, but in the grand scheme of things it's not all that bad.
Once again, please log into the "RV Lounge" Clan Chat from now on. RV CC will be deactivated shortly.
Thanks!
22 April 2008 - Myreque Part IV - Legacy of Seergaze
Posted by Martin on April 22nd, 2008, 8:24 am. Category: RuneScape News
22 April 2008 - Myreque Part IV - Legacy of Seergaze wrote:
The Vyrewatch continue to draw blood tithes from the citizens of Meiyerditch, while the Saradominist powers of Misthalin seem unable to break Drakan's stranglehold over the dread land of Morytania. The two forces are bound by Guthixian Edicts, preventing any confrontation that would start another war between the gods.
Mercenaries trickle into Morytania through Paterdomus and are guided down to the frontline in Burgh de Rott, but they are not enough. In Meiyerditch, the little blood that remains in the veins of the townsfolk continues to flow. With such organised evil and so few allies, what new efforts can the Myreque make?
A new rumour has been heard among the assembled mercenaries near Paterdomus. One of their number saw something suspicious in the temple and believes you should investigate it.
Farther south, word comes that Safalaan has tasks for an enthusiastic, young and just-promoted private of the Myreque. Your part in the tale is about to get more involved...
What new secrets are to be discovered in Paterdomus? Can the Myreque strike back against the Vyrewatch? What has the mysterious Safalaan got in store for you? Cross the border, once again, into Morytania and these questions may well be answered.
Summary
....................................Where to start Legacy of Seergaze:
....................................Talk to the Mercenary Adventurer at the Burgh de Rott Ramble start point, east of Paterdomus.
....................................Requirements:
....................................Darkness of Hallowvale
....................................Level 20 Construction
....................................Level 29 Agility
....................................Level 31 Slayer
....................................Level 35 Mining
....................................Level 40 Firemaking
....................................Level 47 Crafting
....................................Level 49 Magic
....................................Access to:
....................................A new hazard for Temple Trekkers and Burgh de Rott Ramblers to overcome
....................................Updated/improved Slayer creatures
....................................An update to Runecrafting
In other news...
The recently added Treasure Trail items, along with the Trouble Brewing clothing, can now be stored in your player-owned house. We know that these item sets can take up valuable bank space, so you can now store them safely away in your costume room!
We've made some core changes that will benefit the prices of items that appear stuck or stationary. Items traded between players or via the Grand Exchange will now change price more frequently.
Various icefiends have had a graphical rework. These ice-cool little creatures will melt your heart when you see them in their glacial glory!
The entrance to Morytania has been re-vamped graphically, to make it look even more fang-tastic. Stop and have a peek on your way to the Legacy of Seergaze quest.
Mercenaries trickle into Morytania through Paterdomus and are guided down to the frontline in Burgh de Rott, but they are not enough. In Meiyerditch, the little blood that remains in the veins of the townsfolk continues to flow. With such organised evil and so few allies, what new efforts can the Myreque make?
A new rumour has been heard among the assembled mercenaries near Paterdomus. One of their number saw something suspicious in the temple and believes you should investigate it.
Farther south, word comes that Safalaan has tasks for an enthusiastic, young and just-promoted private of the Myreque. Your part in the tale is about to get more involved...
What new secrets are to be discovered in Paterdomus? Can the Myreque strike back against the Vyrewatch? What has the mysterious Safalaan got in store for you? Cross the border, once again, into Morytania and these questions may well be answered.
Summary
....................................Where to start Legacy of Seergaze:
....................................Talk to the Mercenary Adventurer at the Burgh de Rott Ramble start point, east of Paterdomus.
....................................Requirements:
....................................Darkness of Hallowvale
....................................Level 20 Construction
....................................Level 29 Agility
....................................Level 31 Slayer
....................................Level 35 Mining
....................................Level 40 Firemaking
....................................Level 47 Crafting
....................................Level 49 Magic
....................................Access to:
....................................A new hazard for Temple Trekkers and Burgh de Rott Ramblers to overcome
....................................Updated/improved Slayer creatures
....................................An update to Runecrafting
In other news...
The recently added Treasure Trail items, along with the Trouble Brewing clothing, can now be stored in your player-owned house. We know that these item sets can take up valuable bank space, so you can now store them safely away in your costume room!
We've made some core changes that will benefit the prices of items that appear stuck or stationary. Items traded between players or via the Grand Exchange will now change price more frequently.
Various icefiends have had a graphical rework. These ice-cool little creatures will melt your heart when you see them in their glacial glory!
The entrance to Morytania has been re-vamped graphically, to make it look even more fang-tastic. Stop and have a peek on your way to the Legacy of Seergaze quest.
New RuneVillage Clan Chat Name (Poll added, vote now!)
Posted by Sayaka on April 20th, 2008, 3:55 pm. Category: RuneVillage News
Hi, everyone!
Lately, the account owner of the "RV CC" Clan Chat channel in RuneScape has become a bit inactive. Unfortunately for us, this means that there have been delays in assigning the correct Clan Chat ranks to our moderating team, Legends, and Staff here at RuneVillage. With Jagex policies as they stand, in order to maintain an official RuneVillage Clan Chat, our only option is create a new channel (while making sure that the owner of this one will not go inactive.)
The purpose of this global is for you, the Villagers that will be using the channel, to give input as to what channel name you think would be best. After a bit of debating behind the scenes, most of the team here at RV tend to like the name "RV Lounge". We have the Pub (forums) and the Chat already, so having the Lounge would signify a place to relax and chat with other villagers, all whilst playing RuneScape.
However, if anyone has other good ideas for the new channel name (or any reasons why we shouldn't use "RV Lounge",) this is most definitely the time and place to speak up and be heard!
Thanks,
- The RV Moderating Team and Supreme Overlord of Fail: Snake1235.
Lately, the account owner of the "RV CC" Clan Chat channel in RuneScape has become a bit inactive. Unfortunately for us, this means that there have been delays in assigning the correct Clan Chat ranks to our moderating team, Legends, and Staff here at RuneVillage. With Jagex policies as they stand, in order to maintain an official RuneVillage Clan Chat, our only option is create a new channel (while making sure that the owner of this one will not go inactive.)
The purpose of this global is for you, the Villagers that will be using the channel, to give input as to what channel name you think would be best. After a bit of debating behind the scenes, most of the team here at RV tend to like the name "RV Lounge". We have the Pub (forums) and the Chat already, so having the Lounge would signify a place to relax and chat with other villagers, all whilst playing RuneScape.
However, if anyone has other good ideas for the new channel name (or any reasons why we shouldn't use "RV Lounge",) this is most definitely the time and place to speak up and be heard!
Thanks,
- The RV Moderating Team and Supreme Overlord of Fail: Snake1235.
April 18 - Grand Exchange Database GreaseMonkey extension
Posted by Nate on April 20th, 2008, 1:36 pm. Category: RuneVillage News
Runevillage.com wrote:
The newly-released Grand Exchange Database allows you to look at the price evolution of the past 7 days or 30 days. The system to see how prices evolved over the past year is already in place, without a link to it though.
GreaseMonkey is an extension to your browser which allows you to run a bit of code on some pages. We at RuneVillage created such a bit of code that adds the button for 1 year so you can actually see what they didn't want us to see yet.
Once you have added the extension to your browser (easiest to do on Firefox, but possible on most other browsers as well), you can install the code found over here. It only adds a button and manipulates the page it links to so you get to see the graph of 1 year.
Have fun with it! Having a bigger idea of how prices have evolved is really handy!
EDIT: now with added support for the German version of the website!
GreaseMonkey is an extension to your browser which allows you to run a bit of code on some pages. We at RuneVillage created such a bit of code that adds the button for 1 year so you can actually see what they didn't want us to see yet.
Once you have added the extension to your browser (easiest to do on Firefox, but possible on most other browsers as well), you can install the code found over here. It only adds a button and manipulates the page it links to so you get to see the graph of 1 year.
Have fun with it! Having a bigger idea of how prices have evolved is really handy!
EDIT: now with added support for the German version of the website!
Rank Image Design Competition - Submissions Are OVER!
Posted by Donut Juice on April 20th, 2008, 9:13 am. Category: RuneVillage News
Hey,
Several months ago there was a discussion topic about several changes and requests (file size limit, online banner, etc.), recently Tweedy reminded me that I forgot to finish the last portion - the rank image design.
Firstly, this wouldn't be replacing our current 'rank images' (Sorceror of Saradomin, Board Moderator, Chat Administrator, etc.) but they would be displayable underbanners for the signature field, displaying groups you're apart of. It could also be used for those of you who are a Forum Moderator, well as a Village Legend. Or those of you who are a Village Legend, as well as a Village Staff.
RuneScape Community has great examples of what underbanners may look like, although ours don't necessarily have to follow the same layout:
They would look like this in the signature:
This was the topic discussing the changes.
Now, what is this topic for? It will be for submitting designs for these banners, and after a two week period of time to submit, and then a the judging period will begin.
Limits for Each Underbanner
Height: 15 pixels
Width: 100 pixels
File Size: 3KB
Font: Visitor is recommended, but feel free to choose your own.
Groups Requiring Underbanners
-RVA General
-RVA Captain
-RVA Lieutenant
-RVA Staff
-RVA Warlord
-RVA Member
-Villager Leader
-Villager Writer
-Villager Coder
-Villager Editor
-Villager Artist
-Guide Editor
-Guide Writer
-Guide Coder
-RVET Leader
-RVET Member
-RVCC Mod
-SoTW Judge
-Database Team
-Staff Leader
-Database Manager
-Village Legend
-Village Staff
If your design is chosen, you'll be required to make an image for each. But it's possible to simply change the font on each should you be chosen.
So! RuneVillage graphic masters assemble, and create amazing artwork for all to marvel at. If you have any questions, feel free to post!
Several months ago there was a discussion topic about several changes and requests (file size limit, online banner, etc.), recently Tweedy reminded me that I forgot to finish the last portion - the rank image design.
Firstly, this wouldn't be replacing our current 'rank images' (Sorceror of Saradomin, Board Moderator, Chat Administrator, etc.) but they would be displayable underbanners for the signature field, displaying groups you're apart of. It could also be used for those of you who are a Forum Moderator, well as a Village Legend. Or those of you who are a Village Legend, as well as a Village Staff.
RuneScape Community has great examples of what underbanners may look like, although ours don't necessarily have to follow the same layout:
They would look like this in the signature:
This was the topic discussing the changes.
Now, what is this topic for? It will be for submitting designs for these banners, and after a two week period of time to submit, and then a the judging period will begin.
Limits for Each Underbanner
Height: 15 pixels
Width: 100 pixels
File Size: 3KB
Font: Visitor is recommended, but feel free to choose your own.
Groups Requiring Underbanners
-RVA General
-RVA Captain
-RVA Lieutenant
-RVA Staff
-RVA Warlord
-RVA Member
-Villager Leader
-Villager Writer
-Villager Coder
-Villager Editor
-Villager Artist
-Guide Editor
-Guide Writer
-Guide Coder
-RVET Leader
-RVET Member
-RVCC Mod
-SoTW Judge
-Database Team
-Staff Leader
-Database Manager
-Village Legend
-Village Staff
If your design is chosen, you'll be required to make an image for each. But it's possible to simply change the font on each should you be chosen.
So! RuneVillage graphic masters assemble, and create amazing artwork for all to marvel at. If you have any questions, feel free to post!
We apologize for the outage yesterday-- problems with the server... and for those keeping score, here's how tech support described the problem:
A conflict issue between a cPanel update and an Apache update created a server-wide
permissions error on two servers. Since there were three issues altogether, and an
inordinate number of solutions to fix each one, it took longer than we had hoped to
resolve all of the issues.
Well.. those things happen sometimes in the wonderful world of computing...
A conflict issue between a cPanel update and an Apache update created a server-wide
permissions error on two servers. Since there were three issues altogether, and an
inordinate number of solutions to fix each one, it took longer than we had hoped to
resolve all of the issues.
Well.. those things happen sometimes in the wonderful world of computing...
18 April 2008 - FunOrb: Arcanists and Shattered Plans
Posted by Jackstick on April 18th, 2008, 7:18 am. Category: RuneScape News
RuneScape wrote:
We have made several changes to FunOrb, the new gaming website from Jagex, makers of RuneScape. The first of these is to Arcanists, which was recently voted 'favourite FunOrb game' in a RuneScape poll. Many of you will be pleased to hear that multiplayer Arcanists is now available to registered and unregistered free players!
You can now enjoy this online wizard-battling game with your friends or anyone else, taking them on with Arcane or Fire spellbooks. If you wish to unlock and explore other spellbooks, you should subscribe as a FunOrb member.
We also released a stunning new multiplayer game: Shattered Plans - a galaxy-spanning strategy epic that allows up to six players to battle for supremacy and decide the fate of worlds.
The objective is simple: control as much known space as possible and wipe out your opponents. By conquering star systems, you stockpile the resources necessary to construct fleets, which can then be sent out to spread your influence further.
Every game map is randomly-generated, so no two games will be alike as you take on the galaxy!
Visit FunOrb to make the most of these two great updates. We only plan to post FunOrb news when we feel you'll appreciate the updates, and we certainly feel that these changes are worth telling you about. FunOrb players would recommend that you try Arcanists out!
You can now enjoy this online wizard-battling game with your friends or anyone else, taking them on with Arcane or Fire spellbooks. If you wish to unlock and explore other spellbooks, you should subscribe as a FunOrb member.
We also released a stunning new multiplayer game: Shattered Plans - a galaxy-spanning strategy epic that allows up to six players to battle for supremacy and decide the fate of worlds.
The objective is simple: control as much known space as possible and wipe out your opponents. By conquering star systems, you stockpile the resources necessary to construct fleets, which can then be sent out to spread your influence further.
Every game map is randomly-generated, so no two games will be alike as you take on the galaxy!
Visit FunOrb to make the most of these two great updates. We only plan to post FunOrb news when we feel you'll appreciate the updates, and we certainly feel that these changes are worth telling you about. FunOrb players would recommend that you try Arcanists out!
I'm beginning to think that MechScape was simply a minigame thought up for funorb.
17 April 2008 Players' Gallery (#19)
Posted by Judge on April 17th, 2008, 11:43 pm. Category: RuneScape News
Runescape.com wrote:
Dragons have invaded this month's Players' Gallery and Postie Pete isn't going to argue with them! You may think him cowardly, but he's not keen to test whether skulls or magical sacks are flammable...
If you want to look upon their beautiful draconic visages, then check out the Players' Gallery now. Just don't forget your anti-dragonbreath shield!
If you want to look upon their beautiful draconic visages, then check out the Players' Gallery now. Just don't forget your anti-dragonbreath shield!
The RVA challenge the rest of RV to a war!
Posted by Simons Pure on April 16th, 2008, 4:01 pm. Category: Global announcement
The RVA challenge the rest of RV!
Welcome to another exciting RVA event. This is a little different to the usual event's such as castle wars and Assassins. This time the RVA is challenging the rest of RV to a war at clan wars!
Clan wars can be located here:
Clan wars is a safe and fun minigame in which both teams go into 2 different clan chats. The clan chats then battle it out.
The RVA will go into my clan chat (Simons Pure). The rest of RV will go in (Please pm me if you wish to be the leader of the rest of RV).
Time:7PM BST
6PM GMT
2PM EST
1PM CST
2AM GMT+8
Where:Clan wars located north of varrock. World 102 (F2P)
When:Saturday 3rd May
What:Clan wars event, Fight between RV and the RVA
A link to clan wars can be found Here
Welcome to another exciting RVA event. This is a little different to the usual event's such as castle wars and Assassins. This time the RVA is challenging the rest of RV to a war at clan wars!
Clan wars can be located here:
Clan wars is a safe and fun minigame in which both teams go into 2 different clan chats. The clan chats then battle it out.
The RVA will go into my clan chat (Simons Pure). The rest of RV will go in (Please pm me if you wish to be the leader of the rest of RV).
Time:7PM BST
6PM GMT
2PM EST
1PM CST
2AM GMT+8
Where:Clan wars located north of varrock. World 102 (F2P)
When:Saturday 3rd May
What:Clan wars event, Fight between RV and the RVA
A link to clan wars can be found Here
15 April 2008 - Grand Exchange Database
Posted by Baca Loco on April 15th, 2008, 8:16 am. Category: RuneScape News
Quote:
Many of you asked for the ability to view graphs of market values and track item prices as they rise and fall. Well, this week we introduce the Grand Exchange Database Beta, which does exactly that!
Skilled merchants will find the Grand Exchange Database to be an invaluable tool, enabling you to keep an eye on prices as they rise or fall. Get in quick if you wish to buy low and sell high!
If you prefer crushing creatures to trading on the Exchange, why not use the Database to find out the market value of a weapon you want or the value of a drop you have just received?
The Grand Exchange is currently at a 'Beta' stage. This is so that we can listen to the feedback of everyone who uses it and make any necessary changes.
If you have any feedback, please visit the 'GE Database Feedback' thread in the Website Updates RuneScape Forum.
Summary
Where to start using the Grand Exchange Database
Follow the link here to start using the Database. Alternatively, there is a link from the RuneScape front page, below 'QuestHelp'.
Requirements:
None - both members and free players can use the Grand Exchange Database.
Access to:
A visual guide to Grand Exchange market prices and fluctuations!
Skilled merchants will find the Grand Exchange Database to be an invaluable tool, enabling you to keep an eye on prices as they rise or fall. Get in quick if you wish to buy low and sell high!
If you prefer crushing creatures to trading on the Exchange, why not use the Database to find out the market value of a weapon you want or the value of a drop you have just received?
The Grand Exchange is currently at a 'Beta' stage. This is so that we can listen to the feedback of everyone who uses it and make any necessary changes.
If you have any feedback, please visit the 'GE Database Feedback' thread in the Website Updates RuneScape Forum.
Summary
Where to start using the Grand Exchange Database
Follow the link here to start using the Database. Alternatively, there is a link from the RuneScape front page, below 'QuestHelp'.
Requirements:
None - both members and free players can use the Grand Exchange Database.
Access to:
A visual guide to Grand Exchange market prices and fluctuations!
15 April 2008 - Treasure Trail Expansion
Posted by Baca Loco on April 15th, 2008, 8:15 am. Category: RuneScape News
Runescape.com wrote:
Around 50 new clues have been added to the medium and hard Treasure Trails this week with the introduction of some taxing riddles and anagrams. Prepare to have your brain twisted as you decipher some true puzzlers!
We couldn't have spiced up the clues without doing the same to the rewards, so we've brought them up to date this week. You'll get your puzzling mitts on more familiar items such as Construction gear, and new rewards like jewelled canes, animal masks and the top hat.
For a list of additions to the Treasure Trail items, please visit the Knowledge Base here.
Summary
Requirements to access the new Treasure Trails clues and rewards:
This content is members-only.
A clue scroll is all you need!
Access to:
New medium and hard difficulty anagrams and riddles.
New items, including the black crossbow, black/adamant/rune canes, animal masks and the top hat.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In other news...
In Customer Support news, we are very pleased to announce an update to our Offence Appeal system. This update allows players to appeal their previously-issued permanent mutes. For more information about this change, visit the 'Appeals Update' thread in the News and Announcement RuneScape Forum, or type the following quick-find code into the 'Jump to thread' text box at the top of the Forum window: 13-14-482-56082709.
There is now a minimum and maximum number of players required to start a game of Bounty Hunter, so the craters don't get overcrowded. As a result, we've increased the number of worlds Bounty Hunter can be played on.
It seems that Summoning pets were behaving slightly strangely. Now, a black labrador will no longer change colour when it's fully grown!
Last week, there seemed to be some ground movement near the bank in west Falador. We've called in the landscape gardeners and it's been leveled out.
We couldn't have spiced up the clues without doing the same to the rewards, so we've brought them up to date this week. You'll get your puzzling mitts on more familiar items such as Construction gear, and new rewards like jewelled canes, animal masks and the top hat.
For a list of additions to the Treasure Trail items, please visit the Knowledge Base here.
Summary
Requirements to access the new Treasure Trails clues and rewards:
This content is members-only.
A clue scroll is all you need!
Access to:
New medium and hard difficulty anagrams and riddles.
New items, including the black crossbow, black/adamant/rune canes, animal masks and the top hat.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In other news...
In Customer Support news, we are very pleased to announce an update to our Offence Appeal system. This update allows players to appeal their previously-issued permanent mutes. For more information about this change, visit the 'Appeals Update' thread in the News and Announcement RuneScape Forum, or type the following quick-find code into the 'Jump to thread' text box at the top of the Forum window: 13-14-482-56082709.
There is now a minimum and maximum number of players required to start a game of Bounty Hunter, so the craters don't get overcrowded. As a result, we've increased the number of worlds Bounty Hunter can be played on.
It seems that Summoning pets were behaving slightly strangely. Now, a black labrador will no longer change colour when it's fully grown!
Last week, there seemed to be some ground movement near the bank in west Falador. We've called in the landscape gardeners and it's been leveled out.
11 April 2008 - PayPal Subscription Reductions
Posted by Jackstick on April 11th, 2008, 5:48 pm. Category: RuneScape News
RuneScape wrote:
We have changed the way that PayPal payments are made. Instead of using PayByCash to process any PayPal transactions, you will now be making payments directly to PayPal.
This means that, in the majority of cases, we can offer a reduced subscription cost when paying for RuneScape using PayPal. This reduction may be as much as 10-20% off our previous PayPal prices.
These changes are available to anyone who has a verified PayPal account. If you wish to set an account up, please visit Paypal's website.
This means that, in the majority of cases, we can offer a reduced subscription cost when paying for RuneScape using PayPal. This reduction may be as much as 10-20% off our previous PayPal prices.
These changes are available to anyone who has a verified PayPal account. If you wish to set an account up, please visit Paypal's website.
The New And Improved Villager :0
Posted by Gamestar on April 10th, 2008, 3:00 am. Category: RuneVillage News
Welcome Ladies, Gentlemen and Applequest!
Today I come to you with a new generation of The Villager. The new, improved, better organised Villager comes with a brand new layout!
*ooooooh*
An awesome new competition, in which you could win a CASH PRIZE!
*ooooooooooooooooh*
and of course many new and exciting projects for you to check out!
*ahhhhhhhhhhhh*
I would like to thank Zeta Animus and Tom for designing the new layout.
So, without futher-ado, here we have it!
*drum roll please*
The April 2008 Villager!
Today I come to you with a new generation of The Villager. The new, improved, better organised Villager comes with a brand new layout!
*ooooooh*
An awesome new competition, in which you could win a CASH PRIZE!
*ooooooooooooooooh*
and of course many new and exciting projects for you to check out!
*ahhhhhhhhhhhh*
I would like to thank Zeta Animus and Tom for designing the new layout.
So, without futher-ado, here we have it!
*drum roll please*
The April 2008 Villager!
The Rva Invite Runevillage To Castle Wars! ~!~ OVER ~!~
Posted by Jimmybe on April 9th, 2008, 11:17 am. Category: Global announcement
"I stood there, in the lobby, waiting, deciding. I had the choice to fight with the good, the 'I don't care just make the teams fair' and the pure evil. I made up my mind and ran at the Saradomin portal, just in time - as soon as I touched the portal and reached the waiting cave I was whisked into the arena, the fight was on. I grabbed a handful of cloth with crosses on them and ran out the starting room. I jumped down the ladder and geared up for the 20 minutes ahead. Who would win, the gods decide."
Time: 8:30pm GMT/ 9:30pm BST / 1:30pm PST / 2:30pm MST / 3:30pm CST / 4:30pm EST / 10:30pm EET / 5:30am AWDT
Meeting Place: Across The Bridge Just Outside Castle Wars
Event: Castle Wars
Date: April 13th Sunday 2008
World: 104
That's right, the runevillage army have officially invited all of you to come war with us at castle wars! Be there or be square
Thanks To: Stalesoul, Simons Pure, Rva Staff
9th April - Fist of Guthix
Posted by Ozzie Bond on April 9th, 2008, 5:32 am. Category: RuneScape News
A number of Guthix druids have discovered an unexplored cave under the lower Wilderness, just north of Varrock. Inside is a new, one-on-one, tactical PvP combat minigame, available to both members and free players!
The cave appears to have been left undisturbed since the time of the god wars, guarded over the years by Fiara, a giant earwig and protector of something called the Fist of Guthix. Great powers emanate from this 'Fist' and the druids have managed to convince Fiara to allow them to gather charges from it. Being light on numbers, they need others to help them, which is where you come in!
In the spirit of Guthix, Fiara has introduced a 'balance' to this minigame. For each adventurer looking to absorb the power of the fist, there is another trying to chop, range or cast spells at them!
You and another adventurer must each take a turn being the hunted or the hunter. The hunted's task is to survive as long as possible, storing charges in a stone of power as the time counts down, while the hunter simply has to defeat the hunted in as quick a time as possible!
The energy of this mysterious area has quite an impact on those who attempt to absorb the power from the Fist of Guthix. Even the mightiest of warriors will find themselves severely weakened as they avoid the hunter, making it incredibly difficult to survive for long. The cave does offer some help in the form of places to hide, but will this be enough?
After both you and your opponent have had a chance to be the hunted, victory is assigned to those who stored the most charges in their stone of power. Fist of Guthix tokens will then be given out, based on how well you did, with which you can purchase a wide variety of rewards, including magical gloves to help you boost your XP, spiked shields and many more.
Summary
Where to start Fist of Guthix:
North of Varrock, in the lower reaches of the Wilderness.
Requirements:
None - Fist of Guthix is available to both free players and members.
Access to:
A new, one-on-one, tactical PvP minigame under the Wilderness
A new area the size of Ape Atoll
Rewards, including clothing with set effects, available to free players as well as members
A Fist of Guthix Hiscores table for those who have a rank of 500 or higher
In other news...
Hunter pet variations have been added to many places in RuneScape. Monkeys, squirrels, raccoons and geckos can now be found in several different shapes, colours and sizes, so get hunting!
The Party Room chest has been changed to better reflect the value of the items that are in it. It now checks the items against the Grand Exchange market price, so you should find a more accurate drop party value in banks or the Party Room.
Having looked at feedback on the Forums, we have changed the ibis, granite crab and granite lobster so that they give a small amount of Fishing experience when catching fish - a nice little bonus, we think you'll find!
A few graphical issues popped up last week: a pier in Neitiznot disappeared and a small hole opened up on Karamja! Guthix has restored the balance and these have been repaired.
Finally, a change has been made to the Culinaromancer's chest and the gnome ingredients shop at the Grand Tree. Item prices in these shops should be more attractive.
The cave appears to have been left undisturbed since the time of the god wars, guarded over the years by Fiara, a giant earwig and protector of something called the Fist of Guthix. Great powers emanate from this 'Fist' and the druids have managed to convince Fiara to allow them to gather charges from it. Being light on numbers, they need others to help them, which is where you come in!
In the spirit of Guthix, Fiara has introduced a 'balance' to this minigame. For each adventurer looking to absorb the power of the fist, there is another trying to chop, range or cast spells at them!
You and another adventurer must each take a turn being the hunted or the hunter. The hunted's task is to survive as long as possible, storing charges in a stone of power as the time counts down, while the hunter simply has to defeat the hunted in as quick a time as possible!
The energy of this mysterious area has quite an impact on those who attempt to absorb the power from the Fist of Guthix. Even the mightiest of warriors will find themselves severely weakened as they avoid the hunter, making it incredibly difficult to survive for long. The cave does offer some help in the form of places to hide, but will this be enough?
After both you and your opponent have had a chance to be the hunted, victory is assigned to those who stored the most charges in their stone of power. Fist of Guthix tokens will then be given out, based on how well you did, with which you can purchase a wide variety of rewards, including magical gloves to help you boost your XP, spiked shields and many more.
Summary
Where to start Fist of Guthix:
North of Varrock, in the lower reaches of the Wilderness.
Requirements:
None - Fist of Guthix is available to both free players and members.
Access to:
A new, one-on-one, tactical PvP minigame under the Wilderness
A new area the size of Ape Atoll
Rewards, including clothing with set effects, available to free players as well as members
A Fist of Guthix Hiscores table for those who have a rank of 500 or higher
In other news...
Hunter pet variations have been added to many places in RuneScape. Monkeys, squirrels, raccoons and geckos can now be found in several different shapes, colours and sizes, so get hunting!
The Party Room chest has been changed to better reflect the value of the items that are in it. It now checks the items against the Grand Exchange market price, so you should find a more accurate drop party value in banks or the Party Room.
Having looked at feedback on the Forums, we have changed the ibis, granite crab and granite lobster so that they give a small amount of Fishing experience when catching fish - a nice little bonus, we think you'll find!
A few graphical issues popped up last week: a pier in Neitiznot disappeared and a small hole opened up on Karamja! Guthix has restored the balance and these have been repaired.
Finally, a change has been made to the Culinaromancer's chest and the gnome ingredients shop at the Grand Tree. Item prices in these shops should be more attractive.
I'm very happy to announce the promotion of Applequest from Forum Administrator to Asst. Site Administrator.
I think almost everyone at the Village knows Apple, he's been with us for over four years and has previously served as a mod and a board mod before his current position as Forum Admin. and has done an excellent job at them all.
This is the highest rank one can be promoted to at RV, and he joins henner and Mustangnut in that position.
Congratulations to Applequest on his well-deserved promotion, and you may all look in awe as his name now appears in red.
I think almost everyone at the Village knows Apple, he's been with us for over four years and has previously served as a mod and a board mod before his current position as Forum Admin. and has done an excellent job at them all.
This is the highest rank one can be promoted to at RV, and he joins henner and Mustangnut in that position.
Congratulations to Applequest on his well-deserved promotion, and you may all look in awe as his name now appears in red.
The Final Wiz Quiz -IS OVER- WINNERS ANNOUNCED
Posted by Wizard Wiz on April 2nd, 2008, 6:43 pm. Category: Global announcement
*This is going to be temporarily globaled, when deglobalized, it will be moved to the General Chat Forum*
Alright, I am guaranteeing this is my last Wiz Quiz (or so I hope xD), either way, this will be a first time for many things.
About the Quiz:
I would like to make a note, I will not always be making the post, so I am bringing back some old school rules, first post with CORRECT answer will get the point.
Attempt on a question will be 1/4 pt, correct will be 1 pt, incorrect questions (after question 10 only) will cost you 1 point. Note when the following question is posted, all posts pertaining to questions previous after the post time made of new questions are considered to be void, just try to answer the new question.
This WILL be the most challenging quiz I have yet to post, so be prepared for a maelstrom of questions that might leave you in some sort of awe. There will be a possibility (depending on time and how many people participate) of 75 questions.
ONE and ONLY ONE question will be posted a day, around the hour of 2000 EST, I will not confirm correct answers until after the new question is asked.
TO ANSWER THE QUESTION, POST IT BELOW
Please give me until the weekends to be able to successfully tally points.
Prizes:
NOTE THIS TIME YOU ARE COMPETING FOR A REAL CASH PRIZE, First Place will receive 50 USD. I would like to note, if you do not feel comfortable to giving your address out online or whatever, you can just beat everyone else for fun so I can keep my money
.Rules:
Now to start, The rules are simple and as follows.
READ THESE
- 1. For short answer, PLAGIARISM IS 100% NOT ACCEPTABLE, any user caught plagiarizing someone elses work will get the boot on this quiz, I do not care how far it is into it.
2. DO NOT SPAM OR FLAME ANYONE, doing so will earn you off this quiz and possibly a warning or two.
3. It is possible that some one can be more correct than you, if you have the first post and a correct answer, if some one else has a more correct answer they will get a full point and you will receive 1/2 a point.
4. PLEASE NOTE I HOLD AUTHORITY TO ADD RULES AS THE QUIZ EVOLVES
Questions
- Question 1: In the book Artemus Fowl (the first book), by Eoin Colfer, what is the constant motif throughout the Novel?
Question 2: In a system that I want to maintain a base pH in, assume initially it is water, and I have to refill it and in this water there is a slight mix of Hydronium, should I use a Strong Base, or a Weak Base? Provide the reason for the one chosen. (for a bonus 1/4 point, give the most logical base to be used to act against the hydronium)
Question 3: What type of logic gate is this and what is its output? http://img174.imageshack.us/img174/466/gatejo5.jpg
Question 4: In StarWars, how does Darth Vader find out Luke has a sister?
Question 5: What is the name of the 5 brothers that lost their lives on the same Naval Vessel, what is the Vessels name and classification, and what day was it sunk?
Question 6: What weapon turned the tides in favor of the United States in World War II, what is the classification of this bomb, the classification of the act to keep it top secret and the cover up name of the project?
Question 7: What was the name of the talk that FDR would give during the great depression?
Question 8: In amu's, what is the EXACT WEIGHT of a proton? (out to 9 decimal places)
Question 9: What are mitachlorians?
Question 10: What is a Satyr and it's origin?
Question 11: What is the House of Plantagenet? Who was it founded by, what did its name come from and what year?
Question 12: If a zibble is a zabble, and a zabble is a ziggy, is a ziggy and zibble?
Question 13: What is a quark comprised of? What makes a quark act the way it does.
Question 14: What is the definition of aulophobia (in your own words I will eat you if you use a dictionary and paste it)
Question 15: Name the only two US Navy Nuclear subs that have been sunk?
Question 16: How many layers of fat does a polar bear have in the winter?
Question 17: What is a Diclonius and how does it breed?
Question 18: Who is Baby Ruth named after?
Question 19: On what day did George Washington cross the Delaware River, what is so significant about at, and name at least one other person who was with him at the time.
Question 20: What was the suggested national bird by Benjamin Franklin, and what was his misconception in his electrical theory?
<sorry for my late posting, I have had recent family issues back home>
Question 21: What is the latin word for "influenza" (the flu) and where is the word influenza derived from and what did it mean in its original language.
FINAL QUESTION
In the movie "Run, Lola Run". What is the constant theme, how is it displayed and intensified?
Can it really be April already: the month of sweet Spring showers, frolicking lambs and the first rays of sunshine? RuneScape certainly doesn't believe so. Apparently, it's the month of Morytanian swamps, circling vampyres and the cries of battle from our newest PvP minigame
The first of April's updates seems to attract abbreviations: F2P, PvP, OMG - all of these could be used to describe Fist of Guthix, our next combat minigame. We could say that this will be a safe, single-way, Wilderness-based game available to both free players and members, but that would ignore some important details. Attack strategies, defensive tactics, well-timed escapes: Fist of Guthix will employ all of these to create a memorable combat minigame.
There is a massive range of rewards to win for playing Fist of Guthix, so we'll give you a wee teaser. The rune berserker shield, like most of Fist of Guthix's rewards, degrades with use, but it also offers you some hefty defence bonuses and a Strength boost; the battle robe set will sometimes pay for mind, chaos, death or blood runes that you use when casting a combat spell; and the Runecrafting gloves will double the experience you gain from crafting runes of the glove's type!
Talking of rewards, where could you possibly find a top hat, animal mask, adamant cane and black crossbow? It could only be the Treasure Trails, and this month will bring our next installment. Among the new weapons, clothes and hats will be some brain-twisting new clues to untangle, ranging across the medium and hard difficulties.
It is at this point in the month that the skies will darken, a fog will descend and a bloodcurdling scream will echo out. What could bring on this strange and eerie change? Ah, it must be the fourth in our Myreque quest series: Legacy of Seergaze! With no help forthcoming from Misthalin and vampyres continuing to collect their scarlet tithes, the Myreque have been calling on mercenaries to aid their cause. Meanwhile, deep in Paterdomus, Drezel has found something strange that could shed light on Morytania's gloomy past...
Not so gloomy are the graphical improvements to the Morytania entrance area and the icefiends of RuneScape. Expect Paterdomus temple and its grounds to become more grand and foreboding, and the icefiends a sight more icy and fiendish.
A nod must be given to the website updates. The Grand Exchange Database will be released this month, having had its image issues resolved, displaying graphs and statistics of Grand Exchange market prices. There's also a Summoning guaranteed content poll, the latest Players' Gallery and the Postbag from the Hedge.
Good updates
The first of April's updates seems to attract abbreviations: F2P, PvP, OMG - all of these could be used to describe Fist of Guthix, our next combat minigame. We could say that this will be a safe, single-way, Wilderness-based game available to both free players and members, but that would ignore some important details. Attack strategies, defensive tactics, well-timed escapes: Fist of Guthix will employ all of these to create a memorable combat minigame.
There is a massive range of rewards to win for playing Fist of Guthix, so we'll give you a wee teaser. The rune berserker shield, like most of Fist of Guthix's rewards, degrades with use, but it also offers you some hefty defence bonuses and a Strength boost; the battle robe set will sometimes pay for mind, chaos, death or blood runes that you use when casting a combat spell; and the Runecrafting gloves will double the experience you gain from crafting runes of the glove's type!
Talking of rewards, where could you possibly find a top hat, animal mask, adamant cane and black crossbow? It could only be the Treasure Trails, and this month will bring our next installment. Among the new weapons, clothes and hats will be some brain-twisting new clues to untangle, ranging across the medium and hard difficulties.
It is at this point in the month that the skies will darken, a fog will descend and a bloodcurdling scream will echo out. What could bring on this strange and eerie change? Ah, it must be the fourth in our Myreque quest series: Legacy of Seergaze! With no help forthcoming from Misthalin and vampyres continuing to collect their scarlet tithes, the Myreque have been calling on mercenaries to aid their cause. Meanwhile, deep in Paterdomus, Drezel has found something strange that could shed light on Morytania's gloomy past...
Not so gloomy are the graphical improvements to the Morytania entrance area and the icefiends of RuneScape. Expect Paterdomus temple and its grounds to become more grand and foreboding, and the icefiends a sight more icy and fiendish.
A nod must be given to the website updates. The Grand Exchange Database will be released this month, having had its image issues resolved, displaying graphs and statistics of Grand Exchange market prices. There's also a Summoning guaranteed content poll, the latest Players' Gallery and the Postbag from the Hedge.
Good updates
About The Mod Situation......
Posted by hiker on April 1st, 2008, 8:29 am. Category: RuneVillage News
April Fool's!
yep... some of you guessed it, but this was the staff April Fool's prank for this year....
The *entire* staff was in on this from the git-go, and in fact, had been planned out for weeks in the Staff Lounge....
So all those fuzzy bunnies and nasty comments were all acting... at least i *hope* so!
I've already mentioned in the Staff Lounge that there won't be enough Oscars to go around this year at the Academy Awards-- and besides they only give *one* for best actor/actress, and we have a handfull of them!
Although many of you took this very seriously, and gave some very thoughtful replies to the staff comments, i hope that in the bottom line you'll find the humor in our prank-- it's always difficult to do *something* that *everyone* finds humorous...
The only thing i found a little troubling was that so many of you immediately accepted it that i would do such a thing to the guys and gals who put so much of their lives into RuneVillage in the hope of making it a better place. I'm not sure if that means that many of you trust my judgement so completely, or that it sounds like something i'd actually do!:D
EDIT: btw, we didn't actually remove the 'powers' from anyone- we wouldn't leave you and the Village unprotected like that-- we simply changed their ranks/colors-- everyone still retained all their permissions.....
Thanks to the entire staff for pitching in on this-- and doing it so well! ... and a big 'thanks' to mogomongoose, who did a bit of the background action- such as the two posts from 'me' that kicked this whole thing off (admins can change the poster of a topic!).
Anyway, here's comments from the Crew themselves.....
happy trails,
yep... some of you guessed it, but this was the staff April Fool's prank for this year....
The *entire* staff was in on this from the git-go, and in fact, had been planned out for weeks in the Staff Lounge....
So all those fuzzy bunnies and nasty comments were all acting... at least i *hope* so!
I've already mentioned in the Staff Lounge that there won't be enough Oscars to go around this year at the Academy Awards-- and besides they only give *one* for best actor/actress, and we have a handfull of them!
Although many of you took this very seriously, and gave some very thoughtful replies to the staff comments, i hope that in the bottom line you'll find the humor in our prank-- it's always difficult to do *something* that *everyone* finds humorous...
The only thing i found a little troubling was that so many of you immediately accepted it that i would do such a thing to the guys and gals who put so much of their lives into RuneVillage in the hope of making it a better place. I'm not sure if that means that many of you trust my judgement so completely, or that it sounds like something i'd actually do!:D
EDIT: btw, we didn't actually remove the 'powers' from anyone- we wouldn't leave you and the Village unprotected like that-- we simply changed their ranks/colors-- everyone still retained all their permissions.....
Thanks to the entire staff for pitching in on this-- and doing it so well! ... and a big 'thanks' to mogomongoose, who did a bit of the background action- such as the two posts from 'me' that kicked this whole thing off (admins can change the poster of a topic!).
Anyway, here's comments from the Crew themselves.....
happy trails,
