Monday, March 31, 2014

NwN 2 Mask of Betrayer

If Neverwinter Nights 2 was a movie, itd be a typical summer blockbuster. After all, last years fantasy role-playing game was packed with tons of colorful characters, humorous dialogue, and, above all else, nonstop action as you battled your way through the game. On the other hand, Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer, the newly arrived expansion, is a much darker and more cerebral experience. Theres not that much comic relief, and theres a lot more puzzle-solving than before. Thats not to say that it doesnt feature plenty of action. In fact, its packed with titanic battles. However, the tone is a lot more serious.




Its almost impossible to talk about the plot without spoiling the ending of Neverwinter Nights 2. Then again, most people who pick up this expansion will probably have played through that epic RPG and will transfer their existing characters over. Nevertheless, its still possible to pick up the expansion, create a brand-new level 18 character, and play the game even if youve never played NWN2, though the plot will likely be confusing. So with that out of the way, Mask of the Betrayer finds you on the other side of the continent from the city of Neverwinter. The fabled Silver Sword of Gith is gone, including the shard that was embedded in your chest. In its place is a dark and mysterious hunger, and the ensuing quest to find answers will have you uncover a story of a failed rebellion against the god of death.

Mask of the Betrayer brings a lot of exciting new things to Neverwinter Nights. First off, there are new races in the form of the elemental genasi and wood elves, as well as new character and prestige classes. If you want to play the original NWN2 with these new races and classes, you can. The setting of spirit-infested Rashemen is a refreshing change of pace from the Sword Coast, which has been the subject of countless D&D games. Rashemen makes for a much more haunted setting, particularly when you take into account the shadow plane, an alternate mirror dimension that feels as if youre trapped in a nightmare. Mask of the Betrayer introduces some cool new characters and companions, and even more intriguingly, the companions you have access to depend on key decisions you make throughout the game. For instance, if you spare the spirit of a bear god during a pivotal battle, hell accompany you on your travels and open up quests that you would have otherwise not had access to. These decisions basically fall in good and evil categories, so theres not a lot of moral gray area in the game.

The expansion also does a great job of diversifying the gameplay. In NWN2, there was almost no situation that couldnt be solved with a little combat. On the other hand, Mask of the Betrayer is packed with all sorts of devious puzzles. For instance, a trip to a wizard school will have you trying to figure out an elaborate mirror puzzle, as well as attempting to break a contract with a devil. This is an expansion that will make you think, and thats a good thing.

Everything about Mask of the Betrayer feels epic compared to NWN2. You begin the expansion at level 18 or higher if you imported your existing character, and at that point youre already flirting with D&Ds "epic" character levels. To give you a challenge, the game forces you to battle a variety of ridiculously tough monsters and opponents, though youll also have an opportunity to pick up extremely rare and exotic weapons and equipment. You really feel like a legendary hero in this game. If theres one issue about the battles, its that if you have a high-end system and all the graphical effects are turned up, it can almost be impossible to figure out whats going on during a fight. There are so many massive spell effects obscuring the screen, and lightning flashes creating huge shadows on the ground, that trying to manage a fight is almost impossible. Sure, it looks spectacular, but its also completely chaotic.

Not every new feature in Mask of the Betrayer is a home run. The games most controversial addition is undoubtedly the spirit hunger that consumes your character. This hunger acts like a drug addiction, and it can be completely frustrating at first because the mechanics are confusing. Basically, your character has to consume spirits (essentially souls) to stay healthy and alive. Consume too many spirits too quickly, and you become more addicted and the effects of eating souls are shorter and shorter lived. The easier path is to suppress and satiate your hunger, which is basically the good path. But if you play an evil character, you have to consume spirits, so it becomes a vicious cycle in which you spend most of your time worrying about your spirit level. Its too bad that developer Obsidian doesnt let players opt out of this mechanic entirely. As it is, you have to carefully manage your every move, given that acts such as resting and travel will only drain the meter more quickly. This hunger system is probably a boon to hardcore role-playing fans who enjoy making tough decisions, but those who enjoyed NWN2 as a fun romp are apt to be frustrated.

Furthermore, Mask of the Betrayer introduces a new camera system that lets you play the game from a third-person perspective not unlike the one found in World of Warcraft. Its a nice feature that potentially opens the game up to new players, but its annoying that its the default setting. If youre a NWN2 veteran and prefer the prior camera style, you have to tweak the options to get it back to the familiar top-down isometric view. Unfortunately, the isometric view takes a step back because it now lets you rotate the camera around. The problem is that the game never quite remembers your favorite orientation, so if you load a new section of the game or a save, youll have to reorient the camera most of the time.




Aside from those issues and a few small bugs, Mask of the Betrayer is a fairly polished game, and its a lot more impressive out of the box than NWN2 was at its debut. The code has been optimized over the past year, so the frame rate holds up, even during graphically intense battles where spell effects are everywhere on the screen. Additionally, mod makers and dungeon masters will appreciate the new tile sets and improvements made to the built-in editor that lets you build your own adventures. The audio experience in Mask of the Betrayer is excellent, from the abundant and solid voice acting to the bombastic orchestral music that swells during battles.

Mask of the Betrayer is a much more mature expansion, both due to its content and because it demonstrates how Obsidian Entertainment is maturing as a developer. If you felt that NWN2 was a bit too action-focused, then you should definitely check out Mask of the Betrayers blend of combat, puzzles, and decision-making. As it is, Mask of the Betrayer offers up a rich role-playing experience for fans of the genre.


By Jason Ocampo, GameSpot
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2010 Citroen Survolt Concept


(Reviews Car Blog) CITROËN is proposing a new automotive vision with the Survolt. Initiated by the Revolte concept car revealed at last year’s Frankfurt Motor Show, Survolt is the continuation of the CITROËN’S exploration of distinctive and original electric vehicles. Survolt Concept turns received notions through its radically new vision in a consummate blend of high-fashion glamour and motor-racing extravagance.
Survolt features two-tone paint, hues of fuchsia and charcoal grey, and plays with the materials and the volumes. It is further characterized by the strong contrasts between the voluptuous bonnet and the sculpted flanks with emphatic wheels on arches. At the front, the distinctive Citroen badge reigns above the large oval-shaped grille, while its slim and its horizontal head lamps are now inspired by sports coupés. At the rear, Survolt features the elegant light signature of Revolte together with a spoiler in an essential reference to the motor sport. Inside, Survolt’s cockpit is designed like a floating cell with a glass setting held between the chrome-finished roll bars.
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Sunday, March 30, 2014

L2J Alternative Lineage2 Game Server

Site: L2J

L2J is an Alternative Lineage2 Server written in Java, that anyone can run. L2J is distributed under the GNU General Public License. L2J does not violate NC Soft’s client modification policy, which stated any modification made to the client is illegal.

How to install and run the server.
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ASUS N53JF Review

A well-rounded entertainment notebook needs to deliver plenty of eye candy and back it up with stellar sound. And thats exactly what the ASUS N53JF-XE1 does. This 15.6-inch laptop ($1,094 as configured) pairs a full HD display with booming Bang & Olufsen speakers. What about performance? The N53JF has you covered there, too, with a Core i5 processor and Nvidia GeForce GT 425M graphics. We have a couple of complaints, but overall this machine kicks ass and looks good doing it
.

The ASUS N53JF is one of the few notebooks that utilizes a very limited palette (did you know there were this many shades of gray?) yet manages to look stylish. The fine lines of the brushed metal lid lead gracefully to the slick little curve at the hinge, which adds a bit of a wave to the deck. The palm rest is also made of metal, which gives the laptop a sturdy feel.
The multimedia DNA in the N53JF becomes apparent the minute you see the huge speaker bar dominating the deck. A strip of chrome above the keyboard houses buttons for multimedia, power, and more.
At 15.6 x 10.6 x 1.6 inches and 6.4 pounds, the N53JF is heavier than competing notebooks such as the Dell XPS 15 (6.1 pounds) and Lenovo IdeaPad Y560d (6.2 pounds), but comes off as sleek because of its design. Just dont plan on traveling with this laptop.

After playing a Hulu clip at full screen for 15 minutes we measured temperatures on the N53JFs touchpad (83 degrees), keyboard between the G&H keys (86 degrees), and the middle of the underside (88 degrees). All of these temperatures are comfortably below the category average.

The N53JF features a new "wave" keyboard with large keys, along with a numberpad on the right. The latters small size is fine for crunching numbers but might turn off gamers. While typing, the key feel was bouncy but slightly mushy, and we noticed some flex.
The 3.25 x 2.1-inch touchpad is a nice size (it could be bigger, given how much space there is on the deck), and has just the right amount of matte texture on the surface for smooth navigation. The single mouse bar beneath is not only a finger smudge magnet, but also marginally stiff.

The N53JF sports a 15.6-inch, full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) glossy display that provides a gorgeous canvas for Blu-ray movies and other 1080p content. When watching a Blu-ray of Iron Man we noted bright, popping colors and smooth action sequences. We noted no pixelation or artifacts when transferring from light to dark scenes, and we appreciated the wide viewing angles. Glossy screens mean reflections, though, and ours proved somewhat distracting when watching flicks.

The real star of the multimedia experience are the huge Bang & Olfson speakers. Theyre backed by ASUS SonicMaster technology, which allows users to customize audio output both on the speakers and when listening via headphones. The result is rich audio with a wide range thats well above the average notebook.
We compared N53JF with the Dell XPS 15, which delivered the best notebook audio quality of all the notebooks we tested this year. When playing tracks with driving bass, such as "Pick U Up" by Adam Lambert or "Beautiful Dangerous" by Slash and Fergie, the XPS 15 was the clear winner. However, with tracks that soar upwards or rely heavily on acoustics, such as "Dryads Promise" by Tricky Pixie or "Legions (War)" by Zoe Keating, the N53JF fared better. Overall, the XPS 15 has the best sound system, but the N53JF is a close second.

Never one to skimp on ports, ASUS packs in a few designed with the media maven in mind. The HDMI 1.4 port is ready for the next generation of HD connectivity. And the USB 3.0 port next to it ensures youll be able to take advantage of super speedy external drives and other enhanced peripherals down the line. Youll also find a USB/eSATA port, plus two more USB 2.0 ports, Ethernet, VGA, a 5-in-1 memory card slot, headphone, mic, and a Blu-ray drive.

The 2-megapixel webcam above the display is just okay. The images it produced werent the sharpest, but while chatting on Skype our friend noted that the camera continually adjusted for different lighting as we moved around and didnt see much blur.






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Saturday, March 29, 2014

Fujitsu LifeBook A1110

The Fujitsu LifeBook A1110 is not just a good performer. It’s also built to withstand the rigors of everyday use, although touch-typists may find the keyboard has a bit too much give.

Fujitsu LifeBook A1110 features the following specifications:
# Intel Core 2 Duo Processor P7350 (2GHz, 3MB L2 cache, 1066MHz FSB)
# Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit SP1
# 15.4" Crystal View WXGA display (glossy, 1280x800, replaceable lid)
# Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X4500
# 4GB DDR2 800MHz Memory (2GB x 2)
# 320GB 5400RPM Fujitsu Hard Drive
# Intel Wireless Wi-Fi Link 5100AGN (802.11 a/b/g/n)
# Integrated Bluetooth Wireless
# Dual-Layer Multi-Format DVD Writer
# Spill Resistant Keyboard
# Main battery: Lithium ion (6-cell, 10.8v 4000 mAh, 43Whr)
# AC Adapter: 80w (19v, 4.22A)
# Size: 14.56"(w) x 10.43"(d) x 1.65”/1.85”(h)
# Weight: 6lbs 7.6oz (7lbs 6.7oz travel weight)

The 6.3-pound LifeBook sports a basic black design with a square Fujitsu badge adorning the lid. If business black doesn’t do it for you, Fujitsu offers three bright, colorful snap-on lid covers to spice things up. Available in green, pink, and blue, the add-ons confer a touch of style while protecting the original black plastic from scratches.

The user-replaceable cover is the main attraction of this notebook and probably the best implementation of one that I have seen. Older designs used by Dell and others looked like something stuck onto the notebook and out of place. This cover snaps into position and looks as if the it were an integral part of the notebook. It is very tight fitting and the paint quality is very good. Removing the cover takes little effort as long as you grip in the correct place; you could also leave it off if you wanted. One side benefit is you’ll have a spare lunch tray with you at all times.

One feature Fujitsu has offered on some notebooks that we think is strange is a removable dust filter for the processor which is normally large enough to keep coins from moving through the ductwork. This particular notebook lists the dust filter as a feature, but it appears to be just a flat cover. Since no other filter piece is included in the accessory box, one idea that this port might serve is better access for an air gun to blast dust away from the inside-out.

The WXGA glossy panel rates average with comfortable viewing angles and a bright backlight that works in a well lit office setting. Colors are vibrant and contrast is very nice with the glossy screen surface. The vertical viewing range offers a good sized sweet spot with accurate colors with 10 degrees forward and back before colors start to invert. Horizontal viewing angles are better, but at steeper angles the screen starts to dim and you start seeing reflected surfaces instead of the display. The screen brightness overcomes the lights in a bright office setting, but outside viewing would be limited with the reflective glossy screen.

The keyboard is easy to type on with a full-size layout and comfortable key spacing. Individual key texture is smooth with a very mild matte finish that gives just enough traction to trigger keyswithout slipping when your fingers get sweaty. The keys’ action is smooth with a mild click when fully pressed. Typing is very audible with a springy surface that makes some of the noise echo off the notebook chassis. This notebook also includes a spill resistant keyboard which will contain water without letting it drip inside and short out components. After spilling a bowl of partially melted ice cream on my ThinkPad keyboard one time, I can easily say I will never buy another notebook that doesn’t offer a protected keyboard. It is usually much cheaper to replace the keyboard after an accident than try to replace a motherboard which could easily cost more than a new notebook.

Driven by a 2GHz Core 2 Duo T5800 processor and 3GB of DDR2 memory, the LifeBook performed admirably on our benchmark tests. Its PCMark Vantage score of 3,042 was the highest score yet for a 15-inch budget notebook, as was its Cinebench 10 score of 3,803. It completed our iTunes conversion test in 5 minutes and our Windows Media Encoder test in 7 minutes and 44 seconds, both of which are leading scores in this class. A 3DMark06 score of 889, run in native mode, was a close second to the Gateway M-7818u’s score of 899. Unfortunately, the LifeBook didn’t fare so well on our DVD battery-rundown test, lasting only 1 hour and 40 minutes, a bit short of what you’d need to watch a typical full-length movie.

If you’re looking for excellent speed at a reasonable price, the Fujitsu LifeBook A1110 is one of the best values around, but its flimsy keyboard, lackluster array of multimedia ports, and relatively short battery life hold it back.

www.fujitsu.com

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Friday, March 28, 2014

Download Epson Stylus Color 740 Service Guide

The Epson Stylus Color 740 Printer Manual is the primary document used for repairing, maintaining, and troubleshooting the printer. To ensure understanding of this product, complete the Epson Stylus Color 740 Manual Training and self-study guide.

Table of contents Epson Stylus Color 740 Service Guide

* Product Description
* Operating Principles
* Troubleshooting
* Disassembly and Assembly
* Adjustment
* Maintenance
* Appendix
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Thursday, March 27, 2014

Epson Service Refilling Epson T0781 T0786 refillable ink jet cartridges

Our how-to guide shows the easy fill process of the T0781, T0782, T0783, T0784, T0785 & T0786 ink jet cartridges. Also covers information about the ARC (auto-reset chips) and refilling information.Instructions on Filling & Refilling Epson Compatible T781, T0782, T0783, T0784, T0785 & T0786 ink jet cartridges with ARC (auto-reset chips).
The refillable cartridges for T0781, T0782, T0783, T0784, T0785 & T0786 contain an auto-reset chip. Once ink level falls to a predetermined level the chip automatically resets to near full capacity.Cartridges have a 10+ml capacity per cartridge.
These cartridges are of a 2 plug design, but not pressure filled as previous 2P cartridges were.One plug is used as a fill hole while the other is a vent plug. The image on the right shows the two plug locations.
Filling & Refilling:

  • Remove clear rubber fill hole plug

  • Fill injector with desired color ink.

  • Insert injector needle into cartridge

  • Slowly inject ink. Make sure you do not push needle all the way to the hub (yellow plastic portion of needle.) Inject ink slowly

  • When completed injecting ink replace original clear fill hole plug.
That is it. Cartridge has now been filled and is ready for use.Though the image to the right shows the cartridge laying on it side this is not recommended. It was taken this way to show the ink in the cartridge. Always keep cartridge upright.
Before attempting to use any cartridge make sure you have ALL cartridges filled.Cartridges do not work independently. The printer will show an error message of only one - five refillable cartridges are installed.
Replace any cartridges already in the printer with a complete set of refillable cartridges.
Once all cartridge have been inserted remove the vent hole plug from the cartridge.The vent hole plug is the color plug. On the image to the right the two leftmost cartridge plugs have been removed.
After removing all six plugs hit the ink cartridge button.Printer will begin to run an initial cartridge prime, the same as when any new cartridge is installed.After prime has been completed run a print test.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
As with the OEM cartridges, refillable cartridges may not appear on the Epson Print Status window at all times. (image on right). If you open your printer properties window you can see the current status of the ink levels.(image on left of picture). This usually only occurs when running multiple print job without breaks in between.
Once a break in the print occurs your ink level will appear in the Print Status window once again.The ink level not appearing in the Status window is not an aftermarket related issue, but a printer related issue. This occurs on both OEM cartridges as well as aftermarket.
Never install less than 6 refillable cartridges at one time. Printer will not recognize the Epson cartridges when one of the refillable are installed.
Cartridge Chip auto-reset
These cartridges will reset automatically. There is no hitting cartridge change button or turning printer on and off required. Cartridge will all auto-reset at same time. It is advised that all cartridges be refilled at this time to prevent any cartridge running out of ink.Some cartridge may contain a good deal more ink than others depending on the first cartridge that requires reset. In most cases this is black. (under testing of 5 sets using of cartridges on 1 each R260, R380 & RX580).
Refilling
After initial fill when you are ready to refill return allplugs back to cartridge. Remove cartridges from printer and repeat fill process. There is no difference in refill from the initial fill.
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Lineage 2 now and back then

This wont be a review as Ive made review few years back. This is how I feel about the changes of this game. Ive started to play at the time of C3 and continued through C4 and C5.
The game back then was amazing - with strong medieval and magic theme, stunning art, amazing music and the gameplay was actually really well balanced and fun. Back then it was very easy to make new friends, play with them and relax. And you can make PvPs at low level and even PKs - dont get me wrong - I dont like to PK players but I dont get upset of being PKed. And its fun when big crowd of newbies chase after a PK. And its fun when somebody tries to PK you and at the end he is at the ground.
What about the grinding that the American players hate so much? Actually for me this was time to enjoy the game, to kill mobs and spent time with friends. More monsters to kill = more time with friends in a party. I dont like doing quests - run to location X talk with NPC Y do a pointless errand, run a lot more. I like to fight mobs and at every level Lineage 2 offers you a lot of different mobs to fight so I dont get bored.
Now about the players strength. Back then you can easily kill mobs at your level. Even level 70 sps could kill level 70-72 mobs - one or two without burning its all mana. The strong ones were the Raid Bosses but even they wasnt this tough as now. And they ran slower ... Now its almost impossible to solo high level monsters - but I like to play solo. I like to play with friends but I like to play solo when I feel it. Now I cant. You need a party of several people to kill a single mob. And some of the classes now are pointless as they are too much nerfed. I remember the time when we with one party fought in LOA and it was so much fun. And at the time of summoners I really like the trains and the train killing.
Now about the art. The new art of the game is soo much WOW like that at times I question myself what exactly am I playing. The old art is stylish, with music matching exactly the location and creating a feeling that you are living in a medieval fairy tail. The new art is flashy, with too much colors and shiny things like sparkling vampires. Lineage 2 was the most beautiful and amazing game, why are they doing this to it? Now at this new locations the feeling is gone and you only get the flashy stuff. And the clothes. Back then the clothes were actually cool and in the theme of the game. Now are sparkling as sparkling ... and those cloaks are ugly and look so artificial. I miss all the starting towns. I wont even talk about the skills and the gameplay after level 80.
With every change now the game feels less and less like Lineage 2 and more and more like WOW. I simply want one thing - server with C3 or C4 on it. And if they like to develop the game to made new territories with stronger monsters.

Now I cant even play for long as I get easily frustrated. I miss the old Lineage2.


And even now when I listen to this I get goosebumps.
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Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Photoshop Gradient Blending

I have had many people ask me how I blend my images so I thought I would make a simple tutorial on the method I use most often. This may not be the correct way but it is the technique I use in the majority of my wallpapers. This tutorial assumes you are already somewhat familiar with Photoshop. The version I use in this tutorial is V.7 but I think it will work pretty much the same for versions 5 and up. You may have to adjust some of the steps because one or more of the tools may not work as they do in Version 7.
For this tutorial we are going to use 3 simple images from Lord of the Rings that are the same size and are for demonstration purposes only. When the images are not the same size then more work is required to blend them properly. You can download the zip here.
1) Unzip the images and open two of them in Photoshop. The ones you want to open are the single Frodo image and the one with Frodo and Sam. Open a new canvas, 800 X 600 with a white background. Drag the two images onto the blank white canvas with Frodo the first layer above the background and Sam and Frodo the next layer. Make sure your layer palette is on your desktop as you will be using it. Select layer 1 which will be the Frodo image and drag it to the right til it just meets the right side of your canvas. Then select layer 2 and drag it to the left til it just meets the edge. Your image should look something like this:
2) Now go up to your layer palette and turn off layer 2 by clicking on the eye and select layer 1. Next click on the "Add layer mask" at the bottom of your layer palette. See diagram below:
 
3) Select your gradient tool and make sure your background color is black and your foreground color is white. Make sure that the "Linear" gradient is selected.

 
4) Now place the little crosshair on the very right edge of your image and drag it to the left til you are about 1/4 inch from the left edge, then let go. The point is to make the edge fade out gradually with no line showing. Your image should look like below
 
5) Now go back to your layer palette and select layer 2. This should turn the layer back on. Once again, with layer 2 selected, click on the "Add layer mask" icon at the bottom. You dont need to turn off layer 1.
 
6) You are going to repeat the steps you did in step 4 only you will start on the left side and drag it to the right. It should look like the image on the right below when you are done.
 
7) Now at this point you could leave it as it is and still have a nice blend but lets say you want to do something about the white faded area down the middle. There are several ways to get rid of this. The easiest way would be to select your white background layer and flood fill it with a color of your choosing. You would get something like this: (I chose a blue color in this example)

Or you could even choose another image, maybe some kind of scenery shot and place that below the two blended layers. There are many possibilities. Another option is to add a third layer on top and blend that one also, which is what Ive done below. However, this time we are going to center the image and fade the outer edges. With layer 2 selected open up that third image that was in the zip which is the image of Pip and Merry. Drag it to your layered image, making sure it is the top most layer. Center the image.
8) As you did with the first two layers you are going to click on the "Add layer mask" icon at the bottom.
9) Now with your gradient tool active, you are going to select the Reflected Gradient.
10) When you click and drag the crosshair start in the middle of your image and drag to either the right or left edge.
 
11) With that blended in, we see that it kinda covers up the images below it so we are going to play with the opacity a bit.
12) And there you have it! Your finished image should look like below. However, this can just be a start. You can add as many layers as you wish, just remember to start on the side you want the darkest and end on the side you want faded out. If you want more of it faded then dont drag it as far. Just play around with it until you get the look you want. If you dont like the way it looks then undo it and try again. From there you can add whatever effects you want like brushes or erasing the edges of your canvas. It is only limited by your imagination.

If you have any questions about this tutorial then please feel free to e-mail me.
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Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Blue Toad Murder Files

Blue Toad Murder files is a downloadable puzzle board game for the PS3. The game is good with a really impressive mixture of puzzles, if a slightly off pricing model

Each episode, of which there are six, contain twelve puzzles. Despite this large number, they feel different from one and another and there is a nice balance between difficulty. None of the puzzles feel cheap and they include word, logic and spatial challenges which means everyone will be good at something.

In fact all the game play works really well. Four players can play with one controller. It takes the board game ethos of letting you choose how competitive you want to play. If you have younger players you may want to work together so they can do the more challenging puzzles, but the game includes plenty of scoring you so you can play against each other.

The great unmasking is also good. You have to be paying attention for the entire episode to be able to correctly identify who is the criminal. The developers have got the balance just right: you dont have to make any unimaginable leaps of genius, but equally it isnt blatantly obvious who it is; in all of the first three episodes at least one of us got it wrong each time.

The exaggerated town and over-the-top story are mirrored in the voice acting and art style. The narrators voice, whilst initially funny, starts to grate as he does a lot of talking. The characters are amusing with a very British sense of humour (there is even a Basil Fawlty-esque character) that give the game plenty of personality.

My main criticism with the game is how it is priced. There are (going to be) six episodes. Each episode has a self contained mystery to solve, but there is an over-arching conspiracy-theory of a plot to link the six. The idea is you can buy just one episode or the entire series. In principal this is a nice idea, letting you see what it is like before shelling out for the full thing. However, the pricing model simply does not reflect this idea.

[This is updated from the original review, see this post for details] The pricing is complicated: episodes one and two together are 9.99, the third one is currently free and the final three will be bundled for £9.99 unless you buy them all for 19.98. Confused, I was (hence the error). Let me do the maths for you: it is no cheaper to buy all of the bundles than to buy it in one hit. So just do that, which will let you try it out first. It is a really baffling price model, which considering the company is trying something new with the episodic content format is a shame.

They are enjoyable and if you are looking for a nice family game, £10 is great for three individual episodes. Though they have very little re-playability, they are fun enough to justify the price. I look forward to playing the final three, which are scheduled for the 8th of April. Because of the price scheme, you should get the first three soon (as the third one is only free for a limited time). I will review the other three when they are released.

This review has been updated to include factual corrections relating to the (quite) complicated price scheme. For full details of the changes, please view my correction post. Veteran Gamer believes in journalistic integrity and apologizes for this.
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How to Hide Your Post Date Time and or Author

There are some reason for bloger to hide Post date, time and author. May be they want to see their blog looks clear or everything. Now I will show you the trick to "hide your post date, time and or author". the mothods is very simple, just find the code that I pointed to you and delete it. You can chose which part want to delete, date only, time only, author only or it all. Ok, if you decided to do it lets begin the hack.

1. Login to blogger the go to "Layout --> Edit HTML"
2. Click on the "Download Full Template" to back up your template first.
3. Check on the "Expand Widget Templates" check box.

Hide Post Date
find this code and delete it.
<data:post.dateHeader/>.

Hide Post Time
find this code and delete it.
 <span class=post-timestamp>
<b:if cond=data:top.showTimestamp>
<data:top.timestampLabel/>
<b:if cond=data:post.url>
<a class=timestamp-link expr:href=data:post.url rel=bookmark
title=permanent link><abbr class=published
expr:title=data:post.timestampISO8601><data:post.timestamp/></abbr></a>
</b:if>
</b:if>
</span>
.

Hide Post Author
find this code and delete it.
 <span class=post-author vcard>
<b:if cond=data:top.showAuthor>
<data:top.authorLabel/>
<span class=fn><data:post.author/></span>
</b:if>
</span>
.

5. Save your editting

Good Luck ............

Related Post :
Change Post Date Become Calender Icon


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Monday, March 24, 2014

Free Radical bought by Crytec

Last year, Free Radical (Time Splitters) went in to administration. I, along with many others, was both shocked and upset, I was looking forward to Time Splitters 4, scheduled for this year. It was rumoured there were a number of third parties looking to buy in. However, it was not until earlier this month that it was revealed who was going to take them on.

And I must admit, I was surprised to find it was Crytec, most well known for Crysis. If I had to think of two first person shooters that were as different in style and execution as possible, it would probably be these two! Crysis is ultra-serious with incredibly realistic graphics and physics, a clichéd, with no tongue in cheek humour, action story. Time splitters has a weird, goofy, genuinely funny script, cartoony graphics, some of the worst physics you will ever come across and a monkey gun.

Can it work? I am not convinced. With the economic climate, and that FR was rescued from administration, Crytec may not be willing to fund a FPS that is less serious (as it may be considered more risky, just compare the sales of Time Spiltters with Halo or even Cyrsis itself). On the other hand, it could be absolutely awesome. It depends on whether the Cryengine can handle cartoony graphics as well as it can handle real graphics, and whether Crytec let FR run with their crazy monkey schemes!

I played the Halo Wars demo, so expect some first impressions coming soon. On top of which, some very exciting VG news:

While I am not getting my hopes up just yet, I think I may have secured a review copy of Dawn of War 2. As a result, I will be getting my act together and actually witting the review on time! The review cannot be posted before the 20th, but I aim to have it released exactly as the embargo is listed. Dont worry, I wont let it get to my journalistic integrity! But, however I score it, I want to say a big thank you to THQ, and if the beta is anything to go by, I am sure it will be awesome.
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Learning Spanish


Learning Spanish
a funny Learning Spanish game.http://timeandgame.com mouse click the correct answer


fighting mode:
ASDF=move
J=attack
K=jump

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Sunday, March 23, 2014

Ragnarok Online 2 The Gate of the World

Official Site: http://www.ragnarok2.co.kr
- Translated -
GRAVITY Co., Ltd: http://www.gravity.co.kr/en/index.asp

Requirements:
Minimum:
CPU: Pentium 4, 1.4GHz
RAM: 512 MB
Graphic card: GeForce 3Ti, Radeon 8500
DirectX: version 9.0c
OS: Win 98/ME/2000/XP/Vista

Recommended:
CPU: Pentium 4, 2.40 GHz
RAM: 1 GB
Graphic card: GeForce 4Ti, GeForce FX5700, Radeon 9000
DirectX: version 9.0c
OS: Win 98/ME/2000/XP/Vista


Ragnarok Online 2 is a MMORPG created by GRAVITY Co. and is the sequel of the popular Ragnarok Online keeping its original anime style. The game is based on Norse mythology.
Some features:

  • Specialty Job system - It allows the chars to use skills form other classes.
  • Complex Job Change system
  • Equipment leveling
  • Real Emotion Expression - player avatar can show and express realistic emotions.
  • Safe trade system
  • Loot the body system
  • Jumping and swimming

Races: Ragnarok Online 2 introduces 2 new races for players to play as.
  • Norman race with human appearance
  • Ellr - half-breed between Normans and Elves
  • Dimago - rejected offspring of the relations between Colossus and Norman.

Classes:
  • Novice
  • Swordsman
  • Enchanter
  • Thief
  • Clown
Currently Ragnarok Online 2 is in Korean Open Beta phase. It is open to all Korean citizens. A final Release is currently unknown.







http://www.ro2sea.com/
http://ragnarok-online-2.com
http://www.ro2db.org/
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Thursday, March 20, 2014

Our Plane and Boat Ride experience to Boracay during Monsoon Season

Our Boracay trip has been booked last year when Cebu Pacific offered their piso-fare deal. We werent very much aware of what our schedule will be but since the total amount that we paid for was only around Php 600 including also the surcharges, we decided to push through anyway. 

It was Sunday when Maring came and left by Tuesday but monsoon rains were still pouring come Thursday morning. Upon arriving at Terminal 3, the usual empty areas were packed with people. Some sleeping, some waiting for flights and a lot of people have been stranded the day before.

Since we had companions who had earlier flights that have been moved, we were aware that our 1205 flight to Caticlan might be moved to a later time. Because of this, we went to Mrs Fields and had a relaxing meal while we wait for further announcement on our flights status. The boarding areas were actually packed with people who should have left earlier. 

We were surprised to hear that our flight was prompt. We actually caught up with our companions who were supposed to leave 45 minutes earlier than us. We were happy though that there wouldnt be anymore waiting time when we reach Caticlan.

Because the plane was small (propeller type), we were aware that it may be a little bumpy. Our take-off was good but when we were going through the clouds, the turbulence was much worse than expected. It was a good thing that this was a short flight and there were no meals, otherwise, Im pretty sure that a lot of drinks would have been spilled because of the really turbulent ride. We thought that after that one set of turbulence, everything will be okay. But during landing, we didnt expect it to be just as bad! As much as I want to be as calm as I can, I could help but pray for our safe landing because for a moment, I thought we were about to crash. I couldnt define how awful it could be but my husband who was seated 2 rows behind me shared that Japanese people who were sitting next to him was showing each other their wet and sweaty hands because of the tension. After we landed, everyone just cheered and I thank God we were able to arrive safely to our destination. You might say that its a little discriminating because the weather that day was really bad but, our companions who landed about 5-10 minutes earlier (same airline company as us) didnt experience the rough turbulent ride that we did. Maybe because their pilot was more experienced than our pilot? Not too sure as well but it would really be better if they let more experienced people handle smaller planes so that people wont be scared to death on their plane ride.

and so, I searched for scary landings on Youtube...

Ours was not as scary but I got interested and watched several more "crosswind" landing videos -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMvLuUJFHYk
Going back, our package included transfers. We easily made our way to the ferry port via a private van from the airport. After reaching the port, we waited for 15 minutes until we were requested to board the vessel that will bring us to the island. After the tough plane ride that we had, we didnt realize that being at sea will be more challenging. Other than the boat not being as clean and tidy, the waves were stronger than usual. Good thing that it didnt take more than 15 minutes for us to reach the island because we didnt have sea-sickness medicines with us!

Seeing the island though, it was very much worth all the hassle that we had to go through. It was a one-of-a-kind experience that we will never forget! We were all very happy though that we were riding PAL on our way back to Manila - their pilots are really better!

LaNnA
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Wednesday, March 19, 2014

P Bandai Online Hobby Shop Exclusive HG 1 144 GN Arms Type E Real Type Colors New Images Release Info

P-Bandai Online Hobby Shop Exclusive: HG 1/144 GN Arms Type E (Real Type Colors)  (Pre-order Date starts Mar 13, 2014, Release Date: May 2014, Price: 4,600 Yen)
GG INFINITE: ORDER HERE

[Updated 3/7/14]

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VMArgs vm args Eclipse builders

VMArgs vm args


-Xms256m -Xmx1024m -XX:PermSize=64M -XX:MaxPermSize=256M -DLATEST.OR.RELEASE=LATEST


JRE Home: 

/System/Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/1.6.0.jdk/Contents/Home

Maven user settings:  /Users/jkroub/.m2/LATEST.settings.xml






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Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Who Asked You to End Homelessness

So many people want to end homelessness. Here is just a short list of people and agencies desperately trying to put an end to homelessness in our towns and cities.



The Alliance to End Homelessness (Ottawa, Canada)

Arizona Coalition to End Homelessness

CT Coalition to End Homelessness

Denver Commission to End Homelessness

End Homelessness Now

Los Angeles Coalition to End Hunger & Homelessness

New Hampshire Coalition to End Homelessness

The National Alliance to End Homelessness

New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness

People To End Homelessness

The Philadelphia Committee to End Homelessness



The National Coalition for the Homeless says "Our mission is to end homelessness."



The Urban Institute asks "What will it take to end homelessness?"



In June of 2004 the mayor of Washington, DC, announced a plan to end homelessness in the city within ten years.



Philip Magano, White House homelessness czar, says, "We can no longer tolerate the homelessness of so many of our neighbors. Our commitment is to fulfill the promise of a home for every American... That effort will begin with an initiative directed to remedy homelessness for those who are disabled living on the streets and in encampments across our country. We cannot acknowledge their plight, and then do nothing to remedy their situation."



Who do these people think they are? How arrogant is it to look at someone, judge his life against your own, and find his deficient? I never met a homeless person who said, I want you to end my homelessness. I met homeless people who asked for spare change, for food, for employment, for drug treatment, for medical help, for shelter for a night, for a ride to the next town, and for someone to talk to. All that yes, and I have always asked for respect and dignity. No one wants to give up the right to direct his own life.



Why do people think they know best how others should live, without ever asking those they say they want to help? It is because when people talk about a homelessness problem, they are talking about the problem that the rich have passing the poor every day. When Paul Magano says we cant tolerate homelessness, he means he cant tolerate the homeless.



Be certain when you offer to help, that you are offering to help someone other than yourself. To do that, the first thing you need to do is listen.



People will tell you if they want help, and what help they want. Dont impose your life on others. Youll only harm them. When people say they are going to end homelessness, I receive that as a threat.



The more we can kill this year, the less will have to be killed the next war, for the more I see of these Indians the more convinced I am that they all have to be killed or be maintained as a species of paupers. Their attempts at civilization are simply ridiculous.

General Sherman, 1868



Why not annihilation? Their glory has fled, their spirit broken, their manhood effaced; better that they die than live the miserable wretches that they are. History would forget these latter despicable beings, and speak, in later ages of the glory of these grand Kings of forest and plain…

L. Frank Baum, author of The Wizard of Oz, advocating genocide, 1890
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MG 1 100 Unicorn Gundam Unit 3 Phenex Painted Build

MG 1/100 Unicorn Gundam Unit 3 "Phenex" (Released in Japan, Price: 12,600 Yen)
GG INFINITE: ORDER HERE  
Modeled by ZGMFXG
























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