Sorry for the delays on updates here, I'm hoping to rectify that sometime in the near future, but in the meantime I wanted to wish everyone a happy All Hallows Eve!
I eagerly look forward to going to my big work shift to feed hundreds of people, then taking my younger siblings from house to house, yelling for them to stay out of the yards, especially the ones with cactuses, to not run into the people's houses, and upon the night's end enacting a candy tax upon their hoard. Hey, with five kids trick or treating, they're bound to get a good haul, and it's only fair that they share with their big brother who so selflessly led them to their glorious bounty, eh?
Oh, and can't forget buying all the discount candy on Monday! Walk into Target or Walmart with 20 dollars and you can return home like royalty with those bonuses. And just in time to stock up for the upcoming Fallout 4! It's only eleven days away! ELEVEN! Yeah, I've actually requested time off for its release.
Hopefully I'll have an article or two done before that happens, so what followers I have left can actually have something to read. I'm actually working on a review of Tremors 5, because it elicited such intense rage. However, I think I hate it so much that my subconscious keeps it buried to protect me. I keep forgetting it exists, and even though I know I have to get it done, my brain keeps preventing me from remembering most of what happened in the movie. Not good signs.
Ah well, until next time! Enjoy the candy and the scares!
Saturday, October 31, 2015
Monday, October 19, 2015
New book release: The Mines of Madness!
Nevada. The Silver State. Gold and silver ore pours in by the bucket-load, bestowing fantastic wealth upon whoever is lucky enough to find it. But when the Broken Back Mine falls silent, the owner seeks the help of Pinkerton Agent Jan Wheeler to help him find out what's wrong.
He knows it could be anything: Highwaymen, Indians, or even the miners themselves. When he arrives, he is shocked to find the gold is untouched. Yet no living man is there to greet him. Only the dead, shriveled bodies of the miners and the carrion eaters that feed upon them. It's up to him to find out what happened to the miners. The answer to the mystery lies somewhere deep in the belly of the Broken Back Mine. However, unbeknownst to the agent, something ancient is dwelling in the bowels of the earth, waiting.
http://www.amazon.com/Mines-Madness-Austen-Confer-ebook/dp/B016VLBGKE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1445321599&sr=8-2&keywords=the+mines+of+madness
My new book is finally out, and just before Halloween! Take a look and enjoy this subterranean horror! :)
Carboniferous Forest Simulator
After having played Ark: Survival Evolved, I thought they had pretty much cornered the market on paleo-themed games. And, okay, they still have. No other game I've played with dinos comes close, but that hasn't stopped these guys from making a very interesting game themselves!
Yup, these people took it upon themselves to make an entire simulator of at least one prehistoric time period, that being loooooong before our favorite animal group showed up. I mean, look at this!
http://extra-life.de/index.html
I admit, I've been wanting to see more of prehistoric environments for awhile now to help me with my writing. I don't want it to all either be generic jungle or redwood forests. There were lots of bizarre plant forms back in the day, but it's hard to get a really good grasp on what such an environment actually looked like. I could read a 400 page book on paleobotany, but that's more something for someone wanting to know all of the elaborate science behind it rather than just getting a general grasp of functionality and applying it in a practical manner for entertainment.
Well, this game seems to fit the bill nicely! It's in extremely early stages of development, so it is of course very primitive. Kind of like the environment it's trying to convey, it's just barely getting started and trying to develop. Pretty ironic actually.
I just played a very short session, and this is purely an educational game. No tricks, no cheats, no competition, just hopping into a prehistoric world and learning about the plant life around you. It's actually not quite as boring as you think, as it is quite atmospheric. Thank you guys for the background sounds! I'm hoping ya'll get more. :) Here are a few screenshots!
Maybe I'm just an uninteresting nerd, but I'm eager to see what else this produces. It's certainly something I haven't seen before!
Good luck to you guys and keep on developing! :)
Yup, these people took it upon themselves to make an entire simulator of at least one prehistoric time period, that being loooooong before our favorite animal group showed up. I mean, look at this!
http://extra-life.de/index.html
I admit, I've been wanting to see more of prehistoric environments for awhile now to help me with my writing. I don't want it to all either be generic jungle or redwood forests. There were lots of bizarre plant forms back in the day, but it's hard to get a really good grasp on what such an environment actually looked like. I could read a 400 page book on paleobotany, but that's more something for someone wanting to know all of the elaborate science behind it rather than just getting a general grasp of functionality and applying it in a practical manner for entertainment.
Well, this game seems to fit the bill nicely! It's in extremely early stages of development, so it is of course very primitive. Kind of like the environment it's trying to convey, it's just barely getting started and trying to develop. Pretty ironic actually.
I just played a very short session, and this is purely an educational game. No tricks, no cheats, no competition, just hopping into a prehistoric world and learning about the plant life around you. It's actually not quite as boring as you think, as it is quite atmospheric. Thank you guys for the background sounds! I'm hoping ya'll get more. :) Here are a few screenshots!
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| Intro screen! Yay! |
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| Cousin It disguised a tree |
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| Educational windows upon examining plants |
Good luck to you guys and keep on developing! :)
Saturday, October 17, 2015
My dream revolver: Ruger Redhawk 45
I think out of all of the calibers that have come and gone, the 45 Colt is my favorite. And not just for nostalgia's sake. This cartridge was popular back in the day for a good reason. It put bad guys down and put meat on the table for many frontiersmen, soldiers and lawmen. Even today it holds a solid niche amongst shooters, even with competition from competitors like the 44 Magnum and others. It can fire fat heavy bullets for big game, or lighter 250 grain bullets for dealing with two legged predators with just as much authority as it did back when horses were still the primary mode of transportation. In fact, it's even more potent today with the advent of advanced expanding bullets. A 200 grain 45 caliber hollow point is deadly medicine for anyone not from Krypton.
To my bafflement though there has been a curious lack of moderate length barreled double action revolvers in the caliber. Sure there is the S&W Governor and Taurus Judge that can fire Colts along with 410 shotgun shells, and while superb guns, are a bit bulky. The cylinders are much longer and make them much larger in order to accommodate the longer shotgun shells. There's the S&W Model 25, but very few have the practical four inch barrel, instead opting for the Harry Callahan appearance with a seven inch barrel. A bit difficult to fit in a holster on your hip.
But low and behold, Ruger has at last answered my many prayers and delivered this glorious creation to the realm of mortals!
Unlike earlier Redhawk models, this one can accept moon clips and fire 45 ACP, a caliber that is in greater abundance than zombies in video games.With a practical four inch barrel, adjustable sights and the ability to switch between two of the most potent handgun calibers available, this is a versatile and wonderfully balanced gun. This can easily switch between being a trail gun whilst hiking, stoked with Colts for things like bear and feral dogs, to 45 ACP in an urban situation to cull the criminal populations. They are a bit overpopulated in the US last I checked. And with moon clips available you can get another six shots into the cylinder lickety split and be back in the fight.
I hope dearly to own one of these myself someday! It's like it was made for me! :D
For a more detailed review on this new model, I highly recommend clicking on the link below to the fantastic site Gunblast.com, the place I found out this beauty had graced our timeline with its presence.
http://www.gunblast.com/Ruger-RH45ACP.htm
To my bafflement though there has been a curious lack of moderate length barreled double action revolvers in the caliber. Sure there is the S&W Governor and Taurus Judge that can fire Colts along with 410 shotgun shells, and while superb guns, are a bit bulky. The cylinders are much longer and make them much larger in order to accommodate the longer shotgun shells. There's the S&W Model 25, but very few have the practical four inch barrel, instead opting for the Harry Callahan appearance with a seven inch barrel. A bit difficult to fit in a holster on your hip.
But low and behold, Ruger has at last answered my many prayers and delivered this glorious creation to the realm of mortals!
 |
| 45 Colt and 45 ACP chambering |
I hope dearly to own one of these myself someday! It's like it was made for me! :D
For a more detailed review on this new model, I highly recommend clicking on the link below to the fantastic site Gunblast.com, the place I found out this beauty had graced our timeline with its presence.
http://www.gunblast.com/Ruger-RH45ACP.htm
Saturday, October 10, 2015
World Building Academy
Hey, want to know a little secret? Building an entire country, culture, continent, or even a planet takes a LOT of work! Staggering, I know, but it turns out that all those folks making movies, RPG games and books have to do a heck of a lot of planning and thinking to make solid and believable worlds whether it be fantasy, scifi or anything else.
Thankfully with the wonders of the googlewebs, we have all sorts of tools at our disposal! One of the best examples I've seen so far is The World Building Academy. Okay, it's not an actual academy where you have to sign up. But it's a series of detailed articles meticulously built to assist game makers and writers to make believable and fleshed out worlds. The author of the page, Deborah Teramis Christian, has devoted a great deal of time and effort to helping us all and has been doing a dazzling job.
Have you ever thought of the logistics of keeping a rural road in working order in a fantasy setting? Or how disease effects a community or region? What about guilds approving you to work in their village? She certainly has!
I highly recommend looking at the Academy and the articles, and even the books if you're serious about world building. It's darned fun and stretches your brain muscles. So go ahead and take a look! :)
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
The Mines of Madness: My next book!
I've got my third book of the year coming up for release. Unlike before this isn't a Primal Frontier story, but a horror western. And just in time for Halloween too! Crackerjack timing on this one. :)
Keep your calendars marked for October 20th, and you'll get a hold of The Mines of Madness!
Follow the Pinkerton agent Jan Wheeler as he is sent to investigate the now vacant Broken Back Mine. Where have the miners gone? What happened to them? And will the same thing happen to our agent? Stick around to find out!
Keep your calendars marked for October 20th, and you'll get a hold of The Mines of Madness!
Follow the Pinkerton agent Jan Wheeler as he is sent to investigate the now vacant Broken Back Mine. Where have the miners gone? What happened to them? And will the same thing happen to our agent? Stick around to find out!
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