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.
View Full Article | 7 Comments |
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.
September 20, 2010 - Golden Joystick Awards
Posted by Kikori on September 21st, 2010, 9:51 am. Category: RuneScape News
Article Here.
Huh. So Runescape's kids managed to crash the voting server?
Runescape News wrote:
We were happy to see over 100,000 votes cast within 12 hours following our Golden Joystick Awards - Shortlisted for UK Developer news back in August, but that wasn't enough to crash the servers like last year. The Golden Joysticks have upgraded their servers because of you - let's test them to the limit and see what the world's best MMO community can do!
Vote now for the ultimate game awards: The Golden Joysticks. If you would like to support Jagex in this year's awards, simply go to the voting page on the Golden Joystick website - you’ll find Jagex in the 'UK Developer of the Year' category.
As always, thank you for all your support.
Regards,
Andrew & Mark Gerhard
Vote now for the ultimate game awards: The Golden Joysticks. If you would like to support Jagex in this year's awards, simply go to the voting page on the Golden Joystick website - you’ll find Jagex in the 'UK Developer of the Year' category.
As always, thank you for all your support.
Regards,
Andrew & Mark Gerhard
Huh. So Runescape's kids managed to crash the voting server?
September 21, 2010 - Gunnar's Ground
Posted by Kikori on September 21st, 2010, 9:50 am. Category: RuneScape News
Article Here.
Hah, they typo'd "Minimize" at the end.
Runescape News wrote:
Why doesn't the barbarian village have a proper name? Why are these savage warriors living deep inside civilised lands? Why is there a dwarf slumped against the wall of their village, looking miserable? Take a trip west of Varrock to find out!
This new quest, for both free-players and members alike, delves into the history of the barbarian village. Gunnar's Ground focuses heavily on the story and the characters in it, but there's still time for RuneScape's first poetry puzzle. Free-to-play mages will find the new rewards especially interesting. Although this is a novice quest, additional rewards are available to high-level crafters.
Gunnar's Ground replaces Romeo & Juliet in the quest list. We think of it as a spiritual reworking of this classic quest to tie it more deeply into RuneScape's own background and stories. You'll recognise some of the story elements, but we've kept things fresh and interesting. To understand more about the reasons behind Romeo & Juliet's removal, read the Wherefore Art Thou Romeo? blog.
Players who have completed Romeo & Juliet won't receive any more Quest Points from Gunnar's Ground, but will still be able to play this new quest for the rewards. Players who had not completed Romeo & Juliet will receive five Quest Points from Gunnar's Ground.
Mod Jack
RuneScape Content Developer
Summary:
Where to start Gunnar's Ground:
Talk to Dororan the dwarf at the barbarian village.
Requirements to start Gunnar's Ground:
5 Crafting
In other news...
Various worlds have had their themes adjusted and some countries now have ‘home’ worlds. This may mean your favourite world has been reassigned to an activity or theme, but we’ve tried to minimise this disruption as much as possible.
Skillcapes have been lengthened once again.
This new quest, for both free-players and members alike, delves into the history of the barbarian village. Gunnar's Ground focuses heavily on the story and the characters in it, but there's still time for RuneScape's first poetry puzzle. Free-to-play mages will find the new rewards especially interesting. Although this is a novice quest, additional rewards are available to high-level crafters.
Gunnar's Ground replaces Romeo & Juliet in the quest list. We think of it as a spiritual reworking of this classic quest to tie it more deeply into RuneScape's own background and stories. You'll recognise some of the story elements, but we've kept things fresh and interesting. To understand more about the reasons behind Romeo & Juliet's removal, read the Wherefore Art Thou Romeo? blog.
Players who have completed Romeo & Juliet won't receive any more Quest Points from Gunnar's Ground, but will still be able to play this new quest for the rewards. Players who had not completed Romeo & Juliet will receive five Quest Points from Gunnar's Ground.
Mod Jack
RuneScape Content Developer
Summary:
Where to start Gunnar's Ground:
Talk to Dororan the dwarf at the barbarian village.
Requirements to start Gunnar's Ground:
5 Crafting
In other news...
Various worlds have had their themes adjusted and some countries now have ‘home’ worlds. This may mean your favourite world has been reassigned to an activity or theme, but we’ve tried to minimise this disruption as much as possible.
Skillcapes have been lengthened once again.
Hah, they typo'd "Minimize" at the end.
RVET #37: Bronze Team Deathmatch (Over, thanks for coming!)
Posted by Dark Paladin on September 20th, 2010, 7:58 pm. Category: Global announcement
RVET Event #37: September 2010
Bronze Team Deathmatch
The adventurer ran across the bleak, desolate landscape, looking for anyone that wasn't on her team. Eventually, she found an opposing warrior, decked out in lowly Bronze armor, holding a Bronze Scimitar. An easy kill, right? On the contrary--she was equipped with nearly the exact same gear, save for her Bronze Long Sword in hand instead. As they rushed towards each other with weapons raised, a lone thought ran through her mind. "There's no difference in our armor, and very little in our weapons. Neither of us is more equipped than the other--he doesn't have a Rune weapon to overpower me, and I'm not wearing Rune armor to better withstand his attacks."
"This battle is going to come down to wits...and skill."
General InformationWhat: RV vs. RV at Clan Wars in Bronze!
When: Saturday, September 25
World: 102 (F2P)
Time: 8 PM GMT (9 PM BST), 4 PM EST, 1 PM PST
Meeting Place: Clan Wars Lobby (beware of revenants!)
But First...
Before we explain the event, we'd like to recognize the four new members of the RuneVillage Events Team! Or rather, three new and one original member, heh. Landerpurex, n00b 4 m1nin, sammich, and Mackerel (returning to the RVET) are our newcomers, and we have every confidence that they'll do a fantastic job in helping the RVET plan events for all of RuneVillage to enjoy (and already have done a great deal in planning this event itself!) Welcome to the team, guys!
The recent RVET member drive was more successful than we had anticipated, with a record number of applicants, even. Our apologies to those that we had to turn away due to lack of space, but we heartily encourage you to re-apply in the future if spaces do become open.
Bronze Team Deathmatch Party Information
Following in the footsteps of events such as the RuneVillage Staff vs. The RuneVillagers battle nearly two years hence, this month we'll be fighting an all-out war at the Clan Wars arena! We'll be deciding the teams on the spot when we get there, with two captains alternating to pick team members. Then we'll enter the Clan Wars Arena, and the battle will ensue!
So what's the catch? You'll only be allowed to wear Bronze Armor (wooden shields are allowed) and wield a Bronze weapon. This battle will truly come down to wits and skill, reminiscent of the Team "Snowball" Fight event in February 2008 (which was comprised of Air Strikes only.)
Will your contribution to the battle lead your team to victory, or will your lackluster equipment and dull Bronze Scimitar doom you to an early demise? With an even playing field, it's anyone's guess--we hope to see you all there this Saturday!
Recent RVET Event Winners
This section proclaims the winners of past RVET events. Want to have your name up here on a Global for all to see? Come on down to our events and give it your all!
August '10 Games Room Champions: Guirun (Runelink) and Jaron (Draughts)
July '10 Skilling Contest Winners (SL & CK): Grackman and Regulus
May '10 Who's that Villager II Winners: Monk Basher and Muscular Ape
February '10 Skilling Contest Winner (CON): Grackman
November '09 Skilling Contest Winners (MI & SM): Glodenox and Simons Pure
August '09 Games Room Champions: ZinyX (Runelink) and Jackstick (Draughts)
July '09 Skilling Contest Winners (FI & WC): Avian Maid & Glodenox
April '09 Skilling Contest Winners (FM & RC): Vincent Ashe & mentos
February '09 Barbarian Assault Team: Glodenox, Weirdocal, Jaron, Vincent Ashe, Jimmybe
January '09 Staff vs. Villagers War: Villagers win
December '08 Fight Pits Champion: Jaron
August '08 Who's that Villager Winner: Jackstick
May '08 Castle Wars Winners: Team Saradomin
April '08 Trouble Brewing Team: Caedo, Goten, Jaron, Justin, Shadow7, Simons Pure
March '08 Egg Hunt Winners: Simons Pure (2 eggs), Shadowsmage, Zinyx, Devil Fly
February '08 Snowball Fight Victors: Justin's Wind Faction
January '08 Fight Pits Champions: Simons Pure, Paidea, Ges2
December '07 Games Room Champions: Dark Paladin, Jaron, The123king, The Slayer
About The RuneVillage Events Team
The RuneVillage Events Team is a team lead by Dark Paladin and Jaron, with strong support from Jackstick, Landerpurex, Mackerel, n00b 4 m1nin, sammich, and Tanksandguns. Together, we plan one event every month for all of RuneVillage to participate in. Hopefully, you will enjoy this event as well as every other event we host, as a lot of thought and time goes into each and every one we do. Also note that if you have an idea for an event and want our help, please do not hesitate to contact us and we shall see if we can help out.
- The RuneVillage Events Team -
Inactive and banned users are now more easily identifiable
Posted by Glodenox on September 19th, 2010, 10:11 am. Category: RuneVillage News
An adjustment has been made to the forums so banned users and inactive users (= not logged in for over 4 months) get their title replaced with either "Banned user" or "Inactive for x months".
This change was made because by default there's nothing that shows that banned users are banned. Quite often people don't notice that someone hasn't logged in for quite a while and would still send PM's to people and then wonder why they don't get a reply from that user. This addition should help prevent such situations.
Greetings,
Glodenox
This change was made because by default there's nothing that shows that banned users are banned. Quite often people don't notice that someone hasn't logged in for quite a while and would still send PM's to people and then wonder why they don't get a reply from that user. This addition should help prevent such situations.
Greetings,
Glodenox
Minor adjustment to the rules about plagiarizing
Posted by Glodenox on September 19th, 2010, 9:19 am. Category: RuneVillage News
Rule I-5 used to state "Do not steal or plagiarize another user's art, work, or personal creation."
This has now been adjusted to "Do not steal, plagiarize, or pirate another person or company's art, work, or personal creation.", which is a more elaborate explanation of what was meant all along.
Greetings,
Glodenox
This has now been adjusted to "Do not steal, plagiarize, or pirate another person or company's art, work, or personal creation.", which is a more elaborate explanation of what was meant all along.
Greetings,
Glodenox
16th September - Talk like a pirate & Undercroft for iPhone
Posted by TrendyHaz on September 16th, 2010, 12:57 pm. Category: RuneScape News
runescape.com wrote:
15-Sep-2010 - 'Talk Like a Pirate' Community Events
International Talk Like a Pirate Day isn’t always just fun and games. The noise of pirate merrymaking has awakened their ancient foes, the vampyres, who normally don’t surface until Halloween. So, now, these grumpy lords of the night wish to spoil the pirate party! But which be ye – pirate or vampyre?
This weekend (Saturday and Sunday), pirates and vampyres will not only compete to see who has the most style and flair in a costume display, they’ll also try to outdo each other with feats of derring-do in our special PvP event: The Conga of Death (and Undeath)! Then they’ll be fighting it out in the Trouble Brewing distillery to make ‘rum’ and sabotage their rivals. To top it all off, we even have a couple of treasure maps for you to decipher. Solving the maps will reveal the locations of the pirate and vampire parties we have planned!
So, either grab your double eyepatches and join the pirates on the Talk Like a Pirate Weekend thread, or dig out your vyrewatch gear and join the vampyres on the Stalk a Pirate Weekend thread.
A hearty “Yarr!” to ye all – may the winds favour yer sails!
Mod Odin
Community Management
International Talk Like a Pirate Day isn’t always just fun and games. The noise of pirate merrymaking has awakened their ancient foes, the vampyres, who normally don’t surface until Halloween. So, now, these grumpy lords of the night wish to spoil the pirate party! But which be ye – pirate or vampyre?
This weekend (Saturday and Sunday), pirates and vampyres will not only compete to see who has the most style and flair in a costume display, they’ll also try to outdo each other with feats of derring-do in our special PvP event: The Conga of Death (and Undeath)! Then they’ll be fighting it out in the Trouble Brewing distillery to make ‘rum’ and sabotage their rivals. To top it all off, we even have a couple of treasure maps for you to decipher. Solving the maps will reveal the locations of the pirate and vampire parties we have planned!
So, either grab your double eyepatches and join the pirates on the Talk Like a Pirate Weekend thread, or dig out your vyrewatch gear and join the vampyres on the Stalk a Pirate Weekend thread.
A hearty “Yarr!” to ye all – may the winds favour yer sails!
Mod Odin
Community Management
runescape.com wrote:
16-Sep-2010 - Undercroft - Free iPhone Game
It's always a pleasure to be able to announce something new and exciting for our community, and there isn't much that can top the arrival of a new game...except of course when that game is entirely free!
We are really excited to be able to launch Undercroft, our latest title for iPhone and iPod touch. Undercroft is a classic RPG adventure game that, as players of RuneScape, we believe you will also enjoy. In Undercroft you'll control a party of heroes that you can select and deploy in whatever strategy you choose, using a turn-based combat system to defeat your enemies.
A remarkable 20 hours of gameplay has been packed into Undercroft, encompassing an intricate plot spanning dozens of quests, plus plenty of side quests for those of you who enjoy exploration and experience gathering. There's a wide variety of environments, more than 750 items to find and 60 enemy types!
For more information and a full game guide, visit our new Undercroft website at www.undercroft.com.
Download Undercroft free from the Apple App Store.
Enjoy!
Mod Mac
Undercroft Team
It's always a pleasure to be able to announce something new and exciting for our community, and there isn't much that can top the arrival of a new game...except of course when that game is entirely free!
We are really excited to be able to launch Undercroft, our latest title for iPhone and iPod touch. Undercroft is a classic RPG adventure game that, as players of RuneScape, we believe you will also enjoy. In Undercroft you'll control a party of heroes that you can select and deploy in whatever strategy you choose, using a turn-based combat system to defeat your enemies.
A remarkable 20 hours of gameplay has been packed into Undercroft, encompassing an intricate plot spanning dozens of quests, plus plenty of side quests for those of you who enjoy exploration and experience gathering. There's a wide variety of environments, more than 750 items to find and 60 enemy types!
For more information and a full game guide, visit our new Undercroft website at www.undercroft.com.
Download Undercroft free from the Apple App Store.
Enjoy!
Mod Mac
Undercroft Team
Item database improvement: price graphs
Posted by Glodenox on September 16th, 2010, 12:15 pm. Category: RuneVillage News
For the past couple of months, a system on our server has been recording the prices of all items in the Grand Exchange. That information has now become available in the items database for each of those items in the form of a handy graph.
Originally this was meant to be an RV2.0 feature, but with the development still not over (still working on it on a semi-daily basis!), I've decided to already release this feature to the public. Some other features are likely to undergo the same decision soon, since I hope that this will help improve the rate at which the project continues.
So... We now have the GE price information available for each item. Can you guys think of any creative ideas in which this information could be used to improve your RuneScape life even more? I'm personally thinking of adding price notifiers, for example. Once an item goes over or under a certain price, a mail or PM would be sent to you to notify you of the price change. But I'm sure there's more we can think of!
Greetings,
Glodenox
Originally this was meant to be an RV2.0 feature, but with the development still not over (still working on it on a semi-daily basis!), I've decided to already release this feature to the public. Some other features are likely to undergo the same decision soon, since I hope that this will help improve the rate at which the project continues.
So... We now have the GE price information available for each item. Can you guys think of any creative ideas in which this information could be used to improve your RuneScape life even more? I'm personally thinking of adding price notifiers, for example. Once an item goes over or under a certain price, a mail or PM would be sent to you to notify you of the price change. But I'm sure there's more we can think of!
Greetings,
Glodenox
15-Sep-2010 - Z-buffering
Posted by Glodenox on September 15th, 2010, 7:34 am. Category: RuneScape News
Runescape.com wrote:
Advances in our engine will bring graphical improvements for players using RuneScape's Software and Safe modes, and increased speed to players using OpenGL or DirectX modes. The use of a Z-buffer across all graphical modes unifies their workings, which means artists can now create more complex models and more interesting animations, where previously they have been limited by the software modes.
One element of this we're particularly excited about is the ability to model and animate players and NPCs outside of the 'square' on which they’re standing. This will allow us to improve weapon wielding, combat animations and various other aspects of your appearance. Artists will also be able to design and build more impressive areas, which are less constrained to the grid-like nature of the RuneScape world.
Additionally, users in Software or Safe mode should see less in the way of graphical ‘clipping’ (where objects/locations in the world cut through each other incorrectly). We have also seen speed increases in OpenGL and DirectX of up to 50%, but this does depend on the area you’re playing in.
Mod Chris E
Game Engine
In other news...
Due to the z-buffer changes, the Wilderness ditch no longer looked right (in fact it looked rather unsightly). As such, the ditch has been filled in and a low wall has been built in its place. The positioning and path of the wall follows where the ditch was, and you can still jump over it as quickly as you could the ditch.
We've enabled access to our developer console to allow players a small selection of commands, which you may prove useful in tracking down the cause of more technical issues with the client on your computer. Just hit the back quote key (`), also known as the grave accent key, which is found left of the '1' key on most QWERTY keyboards. Input 'help' into the developer console for more information and a list of available commands.
The adjustments to skillcapes have now been copied (they were modelled and optimised for the z-buffer). Female skillcapes should be identical in length to the current male version. This was necessary to massively reduce graphical issues due to the length of the capes.
The loading screen has been reworked and updated to give it a fresh look and give it a little bit extra. These features have been live for a few weeks, but the system was previously emulating the old loading screen until the new artwork was ready.
In addition to choosing the colour of your split chat, you can now choose the colour for your Clan Chat messages via the chat display options button on the settings interface.
Upon entering a dungeon, your bound items and ring of kinship will now be automatically equipped, which should save you a bit of time at the start of each dungeon.
You can now examine compost bins to see how full they are. This should now tell you how many items are in there, from empty through to completely full (0-15 items).
If you hover the mouse over any of the Agility shortcut icons on the world map, you'll now get a tooltip listing the level requirement and equipment necessary to use it.
Elf teleport crystals, the explorer’s rings and the Falador shields have had the order of their options adjusted, which should make them more convenient to use.
One of the smaller fonts used in various places throughout the game has been reworked as part of our ongoing effort to improve usability.
We've increased the selection of farming seeds available in the Vinesweeper reward shop.
One element of this we're particularly excited about is the ability to model and animate players and NPCs outside of the 'square' on which they’re standing. This will allow us to improve weapon wielding, combat animations and various other aspects of your appearance. Artists will also be able to design and build more impressive areas, which are less constrained to the grid-like nature of the RuneScape world.
Additionally, users in Software or Safe mode should see less in the way of graphical ‘clipping’ (where objects/locations in the world cut through each other incorrectly). We have also seen speed increases in OpenGL and DirectX of up to 50%, but this does depend on the area you’re playing in.
Mod Chris E
Game Engine
In other news...
Due to the z-buffer changes, the Wilderness ditch no longer looked right (in fact it looked rather unsightly). As such, the ditch has been filled in and a low wall has been built in its place. The positioning and path of the wall follows where the ditch was, and you can still jump over it as quickly as you could the ditch.
We've enabled access to our developer console to allow players a small selection of commands, which you may prove useful in tracking down the cause of more technical issues with the client on your computer. Just hit the back quote key (`), also known as the grave accent key, which is found left of the '1' key on most QWERTY keyboards. Input 'help' into the developer console for more information and a list of available commands.
The adjustments to skillcapes have now been copied (they were modelled and optimised for the z-buffer). Female skillcapes should be identical in length to the current male version. This was necessary to massively reduce graphical issues due to the length of the capes.
The loading screen has been reworked and updated to give it a fresh look and give it a little bit extra. These features have been live for a few weeks, but the system was previously emulating the old loading screen until the new artwork was ready.
In addition to choosing the colour of your split chat, you can now choose the colour for your Clan Chat messages via the chat display options button on the settings interface.
Upon entering a dungeon, your bound items and ring of kinship will now be automatically equipped, which should save you a bit of time at the start of each dungeon.
You can now examine compost bins to see how full they are. This should now tell you how many items are in there, from empty through to completely full (0-15 items).
If you hover the mouse over any of the Agility shortcut icons on the world map, you'll now get a tooltip listing the level requirement and equipment necessary to use it.
Elf teleport crystals, the explorer’s rings and the Falador shields have had the order of their options adjusted, which should make them more convenient to use.
One of the smaller fonts used in various places throughout the game has been reworked as part of our ongoing effort to improve usability.
We've increased the selection of farming seeds available in the Vinesweeper reward shop.
Greetings,
Glodenox
06-Sept-2010 - Golden Gnomes, International CW, Java Update
Posted by TrendyHaz on September 7th, 2010, 8:31 pm. Category: RuneScape News
runescape.com wrote:
06-Sep-2010 - Golden Gnome Video Awards Results
In the build-up to RuneFest we held two competitions: a Gallery competition and the Golden Gnome Video Awards. In the latter of the two, players were asked to submit videos under one of six distinct categories for their chance of winning a Big Ticket (a trip to visit Jagex in the UK), lifetime RuneScape membership, a RuneFest goody-bag and a coveted Golden Gnome award!
Unsurprisingly, the response from the community was fantastic, and we soon found ourselves whiling away mornings, afternoons and evenings reviewing entries to choose our finalists.
On the day of RuneFest, the Golden Gnome awards ceremony itself was held live in front of the RuneFest audience, who would also be deciding the ultimate winner of each category. After much laughter, clapping and cheering, the winners of the 2010 Golden Gnomes were chosen.
And the winners are (drum roll please!):
We were astounded by the level of creativity, humour and general video-making skill displayed throughout the competition and we’d like to thank everybody who entered. If you’d like to discuss the Golden Gnome winners then head over to the Golden Gnomes Competition forum thread.
Don’t forget to head over to our official YouTube channel to check out some of the other videos entered into the competition, as well as some of our favourite Runefest 2010 community videos.
Until next time!
Mod Hohbein
Community Management
In the build-up to RuneFest we held two competitions: a Gallery competition and the Golden Gnome Video Awards. In the latter of the two, players were asked to submit videos under one of six distinct categories for their chance of winning a Big Ticket (a trip to visit Jagex in the UK), lifetime RuneScape membership, a RuneFest goody-bag and a coveted Golden Gnome award!
Unsurprisingly, the response from the community was fantastic, and we soon found ourselves whiling away mornings, afternoons and evenings reviewing entries to choose our finalists.
On the day of RuneFest, the Golden Gnome awards ceremony itself was held live in front of the RuneFest audience, who would also be deciding the ultimate winner of each category. After much laughter, clapping and cheering, the winners of the 2010 Golden Gnomes were chosen.
And the winners are (drum roll please!):
- Animation RSMV: Josh1391
- Animation Short Story: Mino Tauros
- Live Action RSMV: KKComics
- Live Action Short Story: 1Carrot
- Machinima RSMV: Neon Slay
- Machinima Short Story: Robz
We were astounded by the level of creativity, humour and general video-making skill displayed throughout the competition and we’d like to thank everybody who entered. If you’d like to discuss the Golden Gnome winners then head over to the Golden Gnomes Competition forum thread.
Don’t forget to head over to our official YouTube channel to check out some of the other videos entered into the competition, as well as some of our favourite Runefest 2010 community videos.
Until next time!
Mod Hohbein
Community Management
runescape.com wrote:
07-Sept-2010 - International Castle Wars Tournament – Results
The first International Castle Wars Tournament has finished! Sixteen communities participated, protected either by Zamorak or Saradomin, but there was only one winner crafty enough to defeat all rivals.
That winner was the Dutch/Belgian community, with second place going to Global Stars (the international team) and third to the Finnish players.
The tournament was made up of 32 battles between 16 communities and involved thousands of players. It is not the end, though, as autumn will bring more adventures, so keep an eye on the events section of the forums.
Mod Karolina
Community Management
runescape.com wrote:
07-Sept-2010 - Java Certificate Update
We are updating the signing certificate used to authenticate all of our applets, which includes RuneScape and all FunOrb games. All this means is that the next time you load one of our games, you'll be asked to accept this new certificate. You'll only need to do this once, not once per game loaded.
We are updating the signing certificate used to authenticate all of our applets, which includes RuneScape and all FunOrb games. All this means is that the next time you load one of our games, you'll be asked to accept this new certificate. You'll only need to do this once, not once per game loaded.
07-Sep-2010 - Elite Achievement Diaries
Posted by Muscular Ape on September 7th, 2010, 7:34 pm. Category: RuneScape News
www.runescape.com wrote:
07-Sep-2010 - Elite Achievement Diaries
This week sees an Elite tier of tasks added to all existing Achievement Diaries (save for Ardougne, which already had Elite tasks, though there is now an Ardougne cloak 4 reward), plus a review of all the old rewards to make them work in a consistent way and be more user friendly. The Lumbridge/Draynor diary has had Hard tasks added instead, all of which are available to free players.
Should you rise to the challenge, you’ll be skilling your way around the world baking pies, fletching bows, manic mining, fighting some seriously dangerous critters and a lot more besides. Face some of the biggest challenges that exist in the world of RuneScape to complete these diaries and, if you succeed, you’ll find yourself worthy of receiving the Elite rewards!
Rewards, I hear you cry? Yes, in true Achievement Diary tradition, you’ll not only get experience lamps, but also some useful rewards to help in your everyday RuneScape life. These can range from the very generic, like teleports, to the very specific, like a handy shortcut in Brimhaven Dungeon.
You’ll also find that existing Achievement Diary rewards will have changed very slightly. Things like toggles for teleports, where possible, are now done by talking to NPCs rather than on the objects. If you have earned the ability to toggle the destination of the Watchtower or Varrock Teleport spells, you’ll find your POH portals will also take you and your friends to wherever you’ve toggled them to go!
Quite a lot of the existing rewards now no longer require the related diary clothing to be worn for you to benefit from them, but, to make sure you’re not missing out on your rewards, you’ll also receive a little message for those times when you would have received a benefit if you had been wearing some Achievement Diary clothing.
The Achievement Diary section of the Game Guide lists all of the new tasks and indicates which rewards require you to be wearing the reward clothing and which ones do not.
Good luck, elite adventurers!
Mod Maz
Senior RuneScape Content Developer
Queen of the Squirrels
This week sees an Elite tier of tasks added to all existing Achievement Diaries (save for Ardougne, which already had Elite tasks, though there is now an Ardougne cloak 4 reward), plus a review of all the old rewards to make them work in a consistent way and be more user friendly. The Lumbridge/Draynor diary has had Hard tasks added instead, all of which are available to free players.
Should you rise to the challenge, you’ll be skilling your way around the world baking pies, fletching bows, manic mining, fighting some seriously dangerous critters and a lot more besides. Face some of the biggest challenges that exist in the world of RuneScape to complete these diaries and, if you succeed, you’ll find yourself worthy of receiving the Elite rewards!
Rewards, I hear you cry? Yes, in true Achievement Diary tradition, you’ll not only get experience lamps, but also some useful rewards to help in your everyday RuneScape life. These can range from the very generic, like teleports, to the very specific, like a handy shortcut in Brimhaven Dungeon.
You’ll also find that existing Achievement Diary rewards will have changed very slightly. Things like toggles for teleports, where possible, are now done by talking to NPCs rather than on the objects. If you have earned the ability to toggle the destination of the Watchtower or Varrock Teleport spells, you’ll find your POH portals will also take you and your friends to wherever you’ve toggled them to go!
Quite a lot of the existing rewards now no longer require the related diary clothing to be worn for you to benefit from them, but, to make sure you’re not missing out on your rewards, you’ll also receive a little message for those times when you would have received a benefit if you had been wearing some Achievement Diary clothing.
The Achievement Diary section of the Game Guide lists all of the new tasks and indicates which rewards require you to be wearing the reward clothing and which ones do not.
Good luck, elite adventurers!
Mod Maz
Senior RuneScape Content Developer
Queen of the Squirrels
They're here
03-Sep-2010 - Bonus XP Weekend!
Posted by TrendyHaz on September 3rd, 2010, 10:23 am. Category: RuneScape News
runescape.com wrote:
The Bonus XP Weekend has now started! The next time members log into the game, their bonus XP modifier will come into effect. The modifier will begin at 2.7x the usual rate of XP you would earn from standard training activities, and will decrease every 30 minutes (of in-game time) in line with the table below. Your multiplier will then remain at 1.1x until the Bonus XP Weekend finishes on Monday.
Game time (mins) - XP Multiplier
Up to 30 - x 2.7
30-60 -x 2.55
60-90 - x 2.4
90-120 - x 2.25
120-150 - x 2.1
150-180 - x 2.0
180-210 - x 1.9
210-240 - x 1.8
240-270 - x 1.7
270-300 - x 1.6
300-330 - x 1.5
330-360 - x 1.45
360-390 - x 1.4
390-420 - x 1.35
420-450 - x 1.3
450-480 - x 1.25
480-510 - x 1.2
510-540 - x 1.175
540-570 - x 1.15
570-600 - x 1.125
600+ - x 1.1
The XP button left of the minimap will give you information on your current XP modifier and how long until it next decreases via a tooltip. To get a clearer idea of what actions will and will not be modified by the Bonus XP Weekend, and for more information in general, please read the Second Helping blog and the announcement newspost.
Enjoy!
The RuneScape Content Team
Game time (mins) - XP Multiplier
Up to 30 - x 2.7
30-60 -x 2.55
60-90 - x 2.4
90-120 - x 2.25
120-150 - x 2.1
150-180 - x 2.0
180-210 - x 1.9
210-240 - x 1.8
240-270 - x 1.7
270-300 - x 1.6
300-330 - x 1.5
330-360 - x 1.45
360-390 - x 1.4
390-420 - x 1.35
420-450 - x 1.3
450-480 - x 1.25
480-510 - x 1.2
510-540 - x 1.175
540-570 - x 1.15
570-600 - x 1.125
600+ - x 1.1
The XP button left of the minimap will give you information on your current XP modifier and how long until it next decreases via a tooltip. To get a clearer idea of what actions will and will not be modified by the Bonus XP Weekend, and for more information in general, please read the Second Helping blog and the announcement newspost.
Enjoy!
The RuneScape Content Team
Development Blog - Elite Tasks - Development
Posted by TrendyHaz on September 2nd, 2010, 5:32 pm. Category: RuneScape News
Runescape.com wrote:
Development Blog - Elite Tasks - Development
by Mod Maz
Well, it’s been a long hard road, but we’re getting there! Development is coming to a close on the Elite Achievement Diaries. This has been completed in between me training three new content developers (Mod Raven, Mod Jack and Mod Ana), and developing Shattered Heart, Familiarisation and a couple of other projects! I’ve been a very busy squirrel.
Diary developments
When I first wrote about this project in the first Elite Tasks - Design dev blog last November, I was at the very beginning of the design process writing down what I thought could constitute the Elite diaries. This was made a lot easier, as I’d previously had a great many suggestions from you, the players, for good tasks and rewards to include. I’d say about 50-75% of the tasks we ended up using were suggested by players.
Since that blog, we also decided to expand this project by looking back at the previous rewards to make them work more consistently with each other. As most Achievement Diaries were developed by different people, each was implemented in a slightly different way. For example, some put teleport toggles on objects, others put them on NPCs. So Mod Mark and I created a set of guidelines and applied them to all previous rewards. You’ll find a lot of the old rewards now don’t require you to wear the corresponding piece of kit to receive the benefits they offer.
Kitted out
Coming up with rewards is always the hard part of an Achievement Diary, especially rewards that are valued by the player and which don’t cause problems from a balancing perspective. For example, we don’t want to ruin the game by allowing everyone with Karamja gloves to be invulnerable while wearing them. I think we have ended up with a good mix of rewards for skillers and combat lovers, and, as much as possible, themed them to the areas of the diaries.
With the release of this elite tier of diary tasks, we’ve tried to unify the look of the complete kit a little. Not so much that it all looks like it was designed to go together, but enough that it looks good when worn in full. Each piece was, after all, crafted by a completely different culture, with their own methods and tools. To do this, the legs for the kit had to be designed at the same time, but they’ll not become available until a future Achievement Diary is released (where that will be set and when it will be released is something we have yet to decide). I really like the end result and I hope you do too.
So, what’s next?
After development, the project went through a period of review and feedback. Multiple people played through and evaluated the content to make sure things felt and played right, and fitted in the game well. All of this feedback was collated and then I implemented the bits we all agreed on.
We’re currently in the full QA phase of the project, where the code is tested and bugs squished, and, as you may have seen in the Behind the Scenes - September newspost, we’re hoping to release this update later this month!
I look forward to hearing all of your opinions after release!
To discuss this blog on the forums, please visit the Elite Tasks thread.
by Mod Maz
Well, it’s been a long hard road, but we’re getting there! Development is coming to a close on the Elite Achievement Diaries. This has been completed in between me training three new content developers (Mod Raven, Mod Jack and Mod Ana), and developing Shattered Heart, Familiarisation and a couple of other projects! I’ve been a very busy squirrel.
Diary developments
When I first wrote about this project in the first Elite Tasks - Design dev blog last November, I was at the very beginning of the design process writing down what I thought could constitute the Elite diaries. This was made a lot easier, as I’d previously had a great many suggestions from you, the players, for good tasks and rewards to include. I’d say about 50-75% of the tasks we ended up using were suggested by players.
Since that blog, we also decided to expand this project by looking back at the previous rewards to make them work more consistently with each other. As most Achievement Diaries were developed by different people, each was implemented in a slightly different way. For example, some put teleport toggles on objects, others put them on NPCs. So Mod Mark and I created a set of guidelines and applied them to all previous rewards. You’ll find a lot of the old rewards now don’t require you to wear the corresponding piece of kit to receive the benefits they offer.
Kitted out
Coming up with rewards is always the hard part of an Achievement Diary, especially rewards that are valued by the player and which don’t cause problems from a balancing perspective. For example, we don’t want to ruin the game by allowing everyone with Karamja gloves to be invulnerable while wearing them. I think we have ended up with a good mix of rewards for skillers and combat lovers, and, as much as possible, themed them to the areas of the diaries.
With the release of this elite tier of diary tasks, we’ve tried to unify the look of the complete kit a little. Not so much that it all looks like it was designed to go together, but enough that it looks good when worn in full. Each piece was, after all, crafted by a completely different culture, with their own methods and tools. To do this, the legs for the kit had to be designed at the same time, but they’ll not become available until a future Achievement Diary is released (where that will be set and when it will be released is something we have yet to decide). I really like the end result and I hope you do too.
So, what’s next?
After development, the project went through a period of review and feedback. Multiple people played through and evaluated the content to make sure things felt and played right, and fitted in the game well. All of this feedback was collated and then I implemented the bits we all agreed on.
We’re currently in the full QA phase of the project, where the code is tested and bugs squished, and, as you may have seen in the Behind the Scenes - September newspost, we’re hoping to release this update later this month!
I look forward to hearing all of your opinions after release!
To discuss this blog on the forums, please visit the Elite Tasks thread.
01-Sep-2010 - Court Cases: Back in Session
Posted by TrendyHaz on September 1st, 2010, 3:16 pm. Category: RuneScape News
runescape.com wrote:
You may have proven yourself in arguing your case, be that for the Prosecution or the Defence, but now you have to do some real legwork. Interviewing witnesses in the field is now a key part of building a case; for example, how do you prove that Evil Dave is evil? Ask his mum! Or how about finding crucial evidence at a crime scene, which could make or break your case? Would finding chicken feathers in Professor Oddenstein’s lab prove he performed illegal transmogrification tests on Ernest?
Not all cases are so black and white either. Do the wizards of RuneScape deserve compensation from the barbarians for an invasion that happened over a century ago? Is the sawmill operator running an illegal monopoly or is he just protecting his intellectual property rights? Cases like these have no easy answers!
With more challenging cases come bigger rewards, including larger amounts of Attack and Defence XP and more items from grateful clients. Also, the Court House likes to reward you for your hard work too, so, once you've completed 10 and all 16 cases respectively, you'll receive a barrister's top and a gavel to match your barrister's wig.
Mod Nancy
Senior RuneScape Content Developer
Summary:
Where to start Court Cases:
Talk to the clerk at Seers' Village Courthouse for your first case.
Requirements to play Court Cases:
To begin, you must have completed the King's Ransom quest and have 65 Attack (to prosecute) or 65 Defence (to defend).
After completing your first case, you will also need a court summons to access further cases. These can be dropped by monsters; found on Treasure Trails; picked from certain pockets; and found in fishing caskets.
In other news...
Not all cases are so black and white either. Do the wizards of RuneScape deserve compensation from the barbarians for an invasion that happened over a century ago? Is the sawmill operator running an illegal monopoly or is he just protecting his intellectual property rights? Cases like these have no easy answers!
With more challenging cases come bigger rewards, including larger amounts of Attack and Defence XP and more items from grateful clients. Also, the Court House likes to reward you for your hard work too, so, once you've completed 10 and all 16 cases respectively, you'll receive a barrister's top and a gavel to match your barrister's wig.
Mod Nancy
Senior RuneScape Content Developer
Summary:
Where to start Court Cases:
Talk to the clerk at Seers' Village Courthouse for your first case.
Requirements to play Court Cases:
To begin, you must have completed the King's Ransom quest and have 65 Attack (to prosecute) or 65 Defence (to defend).
After completing your first case, you will also need a court summons to access further cases. These can be dropped by monsters; found on Treasure Trails; picked from certain pockets; and found in fishing caskets.
In other news...
- If you’ve got a keen eye, you’ll notice that players and other humanoid NPCs have gained some important facial features. That’s right, some character now have eyes!
- We've streamlined the amount of effort it takes to get through Shantay Pass. Chatting to the guard is now quicker, right-clicking the guard can now pay him from your bank or inventory, and if you have a pass you can go through unobstructed or bribe the guard easily enough if you don't. The bribe amount has increased slightly to compensate for the ability to take payment from your bank.
- The character rotate on Thessalia's clothing interface is now optional. Clicking on either side of the representation of your character to start spinning. Clicking again will stop the spinning and return the representation of your character to normal.
To be honest the most exciting update for me is Thessalia's rotating option
Was very annoying trying to look at the clothes as they turned the wrong way.. NO! I DON'T WANT TO SEE MY CHARACTER'S BUM! Behind the Scenes - September
Posted by TrendyHaz on September 1st, 2010, 2:59 pm. Category: RuneScape News
runescape.com wrote:
01-Sep-2010 - Behind the Scenes - September
Romance blossoms during September in a brand new free-to-play quest, coupled with some rather elite achievements for our most experienced of members. If you’re not busy planning for the Bonus XP Weekend, why not swat up on your legal drama, as we prepare for the latest batch of court cases?
Court Cases: Back in Session
It’s been busy recently at the Seers’ Village courthouse, with cases closed and wrongs righted by those of you skilled enough to argue, examine and accuse, all while wearing a stylish wig. The court case update will consist of 11 new cases (as mentioned in the Back in Session blog), each far more fiendish than those released earlier in the year. Interrogate witnesses in the field, use viewing orb magics to investigate crime scenes and discover incriminating fingerprints for yourself as you uncover the truth behind some of our most popular personalities.
Cases once again navigate through a wide range of issues and characters from Barbarians vs. Mages (looking at RuneScape history from two conflicting perspectives), round Evil Dave, past Professor Oddenstein vs. Ernest, and taking a sharp left turn at the Sandwich Lady. Rewards still focus around Attack and Defence XP, but also include a barrister’s top, and a judge’s gavel that comes with an appropriately themed emote to let you conduct your own brand of justice.
Bonus XP Weekend
As you know from the newspost last week, we’re planning a second Bonus XP Weekend to take place from 3-6th September. We’re taking a slightly different approach this time, though, so do read the newspost or the Second Helping FAQ blog to learn more about this update. It’s a great time to train up those skills you’ve been neglecting, as well as work on your main attributes, with plenty of time to mix and match between all sorts of content.
Elite Achievement Diaries
The Elite Achievement Diaries update is one we have been discussing in our blogs as early as November last year and, finally, we can talk about the release. We are adding some epically high-level diary tasks to all of the Achievement Diaries, and some new hard tasks to the Lumbridge diary. Requirements include stats as high as 95 Prayer, 96 Fishing, 93 Slayer and 92 Firemaking with an inferno adze.
With new challenges come new rewards, of course, and the elite clothing comes with some useful perks. The highlights are access to a new mining area where there’s an NPC who exchanges ores for certs, more Slayer points from Lapalok, High Alch spells for the explorer’s ring and log chests for the beacon network. Not only that, but there are also improvements to the existing diary rewards AND some huge XP lamps? FTW!
Z-buffering
Improvements to our engine will bring a major graphical improvement to the game in the form of z-buffering. This means you will experience less 'clipping' issues (objects/scenery cutting other objects in half or sticking through each other) and find that scenery 'layers' on top of each other in a more predictable way. This will see improvements to high-paced game content like PKing and allow players to better see the threats around them.
Upon release, the end result will be fewer graphical glitches in software mode and we get faster OpenGL! This also bodes well for the future, as we can now design even more impressive areas and characters, particularly for OpenGL. It also allows us to improve the interaction between players in the future, such as multi-player emotes.
Gunnar’s Ground
Love is in the air in this month’s planned quest: Gunnar’s Ground. What can happen when a dwarf poet is rendered speechless by his love for a Fremennik chieftain’s daughter? You’ll face RuneScape’s first poetry composition puzzle and learn about the history of how the Barbarian Village came to be.
This is a brand new quest for the free-to-play game and will be replacing the old Romeo and Juliet quest. As we have often said in the past, we’re always trying to improve our existing content, but some elements just don’t age well and are often best removed entirely from the game; we feel that’s the case with Romeo and Juliet. Don’t worry, though: nobody will lose out on Quest Points or rewards.
In other news...
We also plan to speed up the Shantay Pass, give compost bins the ability to tell you how full they are, increase the clickable area of rope swings and allow you to define the colour of your Clan Chat.
Have fun!
Mod Mark
RuneScape Lead Designer
Romance blossoms during September in a brand new free-to-play quest, coupled with some rather elite achievements for our most experienced of members. If you’re not busy planning for the Bonus XP Weekend, why not swat up on your legal drama, as we prepare for the latest batch of court cases?
Court Cases: Back in Session
It’s been busy recently at the Seers’ Village courthouse, with cases closed and wrongs righted by those of you skilled enough to argue, examine and accuse, all while wearing a stylish wig. The court case update will consist of 11 new cases (as mentioned in the Back in Session blog), each far more fiendish than those released earlier in the year. Interrogate witnesses in the field, use viewing orb magics to investigate crime scenes and discover incriminating fingerprints for yourself as you uncover the truth behind some of our most popular personalities.
Cases once again navigate through a wide range of issues and characters from Barbarians vs. Mages (looking at RuneScape history from two conflicting perspectives), round Evil Dave, past Professor Oddenstein vs. Ernest, and taking a sharp left turn at the Sandwich Lady. Rewards still focus around Attack and Defence XP, but also include a barrister’s top, and a judge’s gavel that comes with an appropriately themed emote to let you conduct your own brand of justice.
Bonus XP Weekend
As you know from the newspost last week, we’re planning a second Bonus XP Weekend to take place from 3-6th September. We’re taking a slightly different approach this time, though, so do read the newspost or the Second Helping FAQ blog to learn more about this update. It’s a great time to train up those skills you’ve been neglecting, as well as work on your main attributes, with plenty of time to mix and match between all sorts of content.
Elite Achievement Diaries
The Elite Achievement Diaries update is one we have been discussing in our blogs as early as November last year and, finally, we can talk about the release. We are adding some epically high-level diary tasks to all of the Achievement Diaries, and some new hard tasks to the Lumbridge diary. Requirements include stats as high as 95 Prayer, 96 Fishing, 93 Slayer and 92 Firemaking with an inferno adze.
With new challenges come new rewards, of course, and the elite clothing comes with some useful perks. The highlights are access to a new mining area where there’s an NPC who exchanges ores for certs, more Slayer points from Lapalok, High Alch spells for the explorer’s ring and log chests for the beacon network. Not only that, but there are also improvements to the existing diary rewards AND some huge XP lamps? FTW!
Z-buffering
Improvements to our engine will bring a major graphical improvement to the game in the form of z-buffering. This means you will experience less 'clipping' issues (objects/scenery cutting other objects in half or sticking through each other) and find that scenery 'layers' on top of each other in a more predictable way. This will see improvements to high-paced game content like PKing and allow players to better see the threats around them.
Upon release, the end result will be fewer graphical glitches in software mode and we get faster OpenGL! This also bodes well for the future, as we can now design even more impressive areas and characters, particularly for OpenGL. It also allows us to improve the interaction between players in the future, such as multi-player emotes.
Gunnar’s Ground
Love is in the air in this month’s planned quest: Gunnar’s Ground. What can happen when a dwarf poet is rendered speechless by his love for a Fremennik chieftain’s daughter? You’ll face RuneScape’s first poetry composition puzzle and learn about the history of how the Barbarian Village came to be.
This is a brand new quest for the free-to-play game and will be replacing the old Romeo and Juliet quest. As we have often said in the past, we’re always trying to improve our existing content, but some elements just don’t age well and are often best removed entirely from the game; we feel that’s the case with Romeo and Juliet. Don’t worry, though: nobody will lose out on Quest Points or rewards.
In other news...
We also plan to speed up the Shantay Pass, give compost bins the ability to tell you how full they are, increase the clickable area of rope swings and allow you to define the colour of your Clan Chat.
Have fun!
Mod Mark
RuneScape Lead Designer
This looks like it's going to be a good month
Looking forward to the graphical improvements as well, from how it was explained at Runefest, it looks like it will bring quite a few changes! Including to Dragon Scimitars (after a guaranteed content poll )
Hey, you! Yeah, you!
Posted by Tanksandguns on September 1st, 2010, 1:42 am. Category: RuneVillage News
Hey everyone! Do you like to play Mini-Games on Runescape? Do you like to host drop parties for everyone's enjoyment? Are you creative, and like to come up with fresh, new ideas? Do you like to work as a team to accomplish goals? If you answered 'Yes' to any of these questions, then consider joining the RuneVillage Events Team! The RVET is looking for one or two new members to help out with idea planning, host and attend events, and come up with new, fun events for all Villagers to enjoy! Send your PMs with reasons why you think you'd be helpful and fit in with the RVET to Tanksandguns! Be sure to include Runescape activity in your PM. You won't be ruled out if you're not active on RuneScape, but it does help!
