So...it sounded like gunfire and smelled like burning happiness when my beloved computer exploded. It was definitely a worst case scenario, I had to take a moment to let it sink in that I no longer had a nice computer. I woefully tossed and turned for a few moments before finally coming to the conclusion that this was, in fact, not the end of the world.
It was however a pretty significant change of pace for me, someone who is online for a majority of their free time generally doesn't have a whole lot of backup plans when your source of fun/work/communication...
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Aion announcement!
Aion recently announced that 4.0, the largest content expansion we have seen, will be landing in June. That leaves just a few short months before our world gets flipped upside down (In a good way, hopefully!). I'm working on a project right now, it's a tad different than my typical guides but still quite important in my opinion.
I'd like to put together a "Best of 3.0" presentation and I don't have a clue what it'll look like yet. All I do know is that I want to include things that were iconic and defining about the 3.0 era as I see 4.0 as a reinvention...
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Bioshock Infinite Vox Codes

Just a quick little post detailing the Vox Codes as I find them!
#1 I foolishly forgot to screenshot the first one but you find the code in a cannon at the part of Soldier's Field right before entering Slate's section (Hall of Heroes) of the map. The code itself is in the building directly across from the cannon written on the bathroom wall.
#2 The next code is related to the code book you'll find in the prison while searching for Chen Lin, the...
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Shadow Hearts Revisited: Character Development
One of the things that the Shadow Hearts series executes well is its parallels between the characters, specifically Yuri and Alice. These parallels serve as a staging point for character development. You, as the player, are given this stark contrast between the rough around the edges Yuri and the more prim, proper and innocent Alice. Using characters with fundamentally different personalities allows Shadow Hearts to develop in a more dynamic way and provides a deeper perspective on how each character evolves along with the story.
Alice and Yuri...
Thursday, January 17, 2013
4:18 PM
Carbine Studios, MMO, Player learning, Telegraphed Combat, Wildstar, Wildstar Combat
1 comment
Game Theory: Teaching Players
When designing a game there is a huge degree of freedom when it comes to teaching your players how to play your game. Many games often fall victim to the typical default tutorial menus, a theme so common in mainstream gaming that often refuses a player the right to figure things out for themselves.
That isn't to say all tutorials are evil and should henceforth be banished from the gaming world but they need to be informative, not definitive. When a game explains itself to a player it loses that bit of mystery, and the room for player involvement...
Monday, January 14, 2013
4:47 AM
Alice, Analysis, Character Analysis, Game Analysis, Old School RPG, Playstation 2, RPG, Shadow Hearts, Yuri
No comments
Shadow Hearts Revisited: Overview

In the vast annals of gaming history there have been a few titles that have proven themselves as standouts--prolific titles that define genre standards. Everyone has a different list of games that helped shape their own personal definition of what makes an amazing game. For me, one of those defining games was Shadow Hearts.
This past week I began replaying the series after an extremely long time, it has been a reminder that nostalgia, while...
3:43 AM
No comments
Update!
Whew! It's been a while since I've posted here...pretty much since before I went on Christmas break and took a breather from a lot of different things. But fear not, things will be revving back up in short order as 2013 kicks off with more guides, goodies and hopefully a complete overhaul of this blog.
I've got several ideas for future content which includes many more guides and goodies for Aion (I may even make a second blog specifically for Aion stuff), and I'd like to begin posting some discussions on game theory related topics, evaluations...