Most of the ideas that I come up with are slowly molded over a long period of time. I'll come up with tiny idea and research the crap out related subjects, allowing it to develop and be refined until I get a solid, coherent idea. That's how Primal Frontier came along, and that one took a good while to form.
Last week however inspiration formed almost overnight. Being an unapologetic nerd, I'm interested with things that are a bit off of the wall, so it was only a matter of time before I got interesting in Steampunk. No, I haven't taken to wearing overly complicated gadgetry, but it sure does look fun!
Anyway, I began thinking about how I could do another series based in a Steampunk setting and how it all would work. My first obstacle is that I can't help but have technology make some sort of sense, and a lot of Steampunk stuff is... well... just gonna say it, confusing and random. Not that I mind terribly, but when I make something I'm wired to have it make some level of sense.
Then one night last week I sat up in bed as inspiration struck after only a few weeks, and so strong were the technology developments in my head that I had to hop out of my bed and write them down. The very next day at work I somehow developed a very deep, complex and fascinating setting that seemed awesome. I ran it passed one of my compatriots who swiftly found the concept compelling and had a great deal of potential. Then I ran the technology aspect passed another friend of mine, and to protect the innocent, shall simply call Waldo.
Waldo is amazing with internal mechanics but when he looks at Steampunk stuff his head hurts, because it makes almost no sense to him. However, running my concept past him almost instantly sparked his imagination because it was not only practical, but something he hadn't seen before and made sense. Coming from him, that is a very good sign! We very quickly began talking about ways to refine it and got around to talking about nuclear power systems. Now that is fun!
The thing is still in its infancy and needs a heck of a lot of work done to get it anywhere near ready for writing, but keep your eyes open. Sooner or later, I'm going to be writing some Steampunk stories lads!
Sunday, June 22, 2014
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
How my writing is coming along thus far
Well, things have slowly but surely been getting along in my writing subjects and I am glad to say that I am steadily increasing my rate of productivity.
When I started in December of 2013 I set a goal for writing a minimum of 300 words per day, as writing within time blocks just wasn't working. I'm ADD to the point of absurdity, so time schedules don't work that well. Thus, over the course of a week I might get 2,000 words written down for a novella.
Why yes, that is an embarrassingly small number. Baby steps lads, baby steps! A few months ago I upped the ante and was getting a steady rate of 1,000 words down per day, or at least 500 if it was a busy work day. I'm glad to say now that after about six months of writing and treating it like a professional, I'm now on average cranking out 2,000 to 3,00 words daily, which is around a tents of a full sized novella!
I'm working on addressing my faults, and I feel no shame in admitting that I have them. Sometimes linking an event or transitioning from one plot point to another gives me trouble, or figuring out how to resolve an issue takes place, but it seems to be getting better. Thus far my dialogue is wooden. But wood can be carved, and hopefully I can have some conversations that don't feel like they are being delivered by robots!
I am pleased to say that many of my beta readers find my action and description to be superb. It is tricky at times to balance the action and exposition while making the exposition interesting, but I think I'm hitting that balance for the most part. Heck, just today I ended up writing more than I meant to by getting caught up in explaining some backstory to flesh out a specific element. Yay!
Naming people, places and things is easily one of my most difficult angles, as every time I try coming up with a name it sounds silly or forced. Although it's also quite possible that I'm just being nitpicky and being overly self aware because I'm the one at the helm. Almost never do I ever call out named things in other stories, so it might just be me.
It is also quite fascinating in how I keep switching between story structures. Initially I tried to write like Robert E. Howard, where the plots ran fast and smooth without any lulls. While I've succeeded in some of my stories in doing that, I've also found that I'm straying into travelogue territory, writing out longer journeys where other events happen at a somewhat slower pace, very much in a H. Rider Haggard story. It follows the journey and the events that take place rather than just having pulse pounding action for every second. Then again, both of those types have their place in my series!
I have noticed that in my attempts to keep my stories lean and devoid of any useless elements that some of them are almost anorexic! I've found that if I trim things too close that I end up not just giving my stories haircuts, but end up cutting off chunks of their cheeks! Yikes! I think I need to ease up just a little bit and not try to have my novellas so tight that you could bounce a dime off of them.
I've been learning lots of things about myself and am working on all sorts of different story telling styles and at different angles, and it's quite an adventure itself to see how I'm improving and what I can continue to work on. I am thankful to say that some elements are getting easier as I practice more, like the aforementioned writing speed. Hopefully by the end of this year I can be cranking out 5K words per day- or more! Story elements are getting resolved more quickly and I'm encountering kinks less often as well as story ideas forming more rapidly and more intact.
I have a handful of stories finished as of today, one of them up to 45K words long. With luck I'll have my very first novella out before September. They do require touching up however. Editing is far from easy and being objective about my own writing is quite a challenge. I'll have to touch up paragraphs, switch some words around and check grammar.
Also, as a side note: Writing linguistics for non-existent peoples, even just individual words, is frigging hard!
My very first story, The Hunter from the Red Hills will be my introductory story, showing of the origin of my main character, some history on the world and setting, and set the stage for the adventures to come. If everything goes as planned for the Kindle system, this one will be free so you all can see the style and setting.
I am still wondering how to sell my other stories, as for a good while I will have to use the exact same book cover for quite some time. That stuff is expensive! And yes, it's the one on my main page for Primal Frontier. What do you folks think? Should I lump a handful of stories into an anthology for five or six dollars? Or should I release them individually for a dollar a piece? So far my minimum word count for each story is around 22K pages, which translates to almost a hundred pages on the Kindle system. Tell me what ya'll think!
All in all, things are looking quite well, although I still have a ways to go. And as another side note, although I'm focusing the bulk of my energy on Primal Frontier, I do have plenty of other ideas rattling around in my head. I've got a seed taking root in my head for a Steampunk setting and a handful of stand alone horror and action stories that set my skin to tingling!
Well, that's all for the moment folks. Can't wait to keep cracking away, whoo hoo!
When I started in December of 2013 I set a goal for writing a minimum of 300 words per day, as writing within time blocks just wasn't working. I'm ADD to the point of absurdity, so time schedules don't work that well. Thus, over the course of a week I might get 2,000 words written down for a novella.
Why yes, that is an embarrassingly small number. Baby steps lads, baby steps! A few months ago I upped the ante and was getting a steady rate of 1,000 words down per day, or at least 500 if it was a busy work day. I'm glad to say now that after about six months of writing and treating it like a professional, I'm now on average cranking out 2,000 to 3,00 words daily, which is around a tents of a full sized novella!
I'm working on addressing my faults, and I feel no shame in admitting that I have them. Sometimes linking an event or transitioning from one plot point to another gives me trouble, or figuring out how to resolve an issue takes place, but it seems to be getting better. Thus far my dialogue is wooden. But wood can be carved, and hopefully I can have some conversations that don't feel like they are being delivered by robots!
I am pleased to say that many of my beta readers find my action and description to be superb. It is tricky at times to balance the action and exposition while making the exposition interesting, but I think I'm hitting that balance for the most part. Heck, just today I ended up writing more than I meant to by getting caught up in explaining some backstory to flesh out a specific element. Yay!
Naming people, places and things is easily one of my most difficult angles, as every time I try coming up with a name it sounds silly or forced. Although it's also quite possible that I'm just being nitpicky and being overly self aware because I'm the one at the helm. Almost never do I ever call out named things in other stories, so it might just be me.
It is also quite fascinating in how I keep switching between story structures. Initially I tried to write like Robert E. Howard, where the plots ran fast and smooth without any lulls. While I've succeeded in some of my stories in doing that, I've also found that I'm straying into travelogue territory, writing out longer journeys where other events happen at a somewhat slower pace, very much in a H. Rider Haggard story. It follows the journey and the events that take place rather than just having pulse pounding action for every second. Then again, both of those types have their place in my series!
I have noticed that in my attempts to keep my stories lean and devoid of any useless elements that some of them are almost anorexic! I've found that if I trim things too close that I end up not just giving my stories haircuts, but end up cutting off chunks of their cheeks! Yikes! I think I need to ease up just a little bit and not try to have my novellas so tight that you could bounce a dime off of them.
I've been learning lots of things about myself and am working on all sorts of different story telling styles and at different angles, and it's quite an adventure itself to see how I'm improving and what I can continue to work on. I am thankful to say that some elements are getting easier as I practice more, like the aforementioned writing speed. Hopefully by the end of this year I can be cranking out 5K words per day- or more! Story elements are getting resolved more quickly and I'm encountering kinks less often as well as story ideas forming more rapidly and more intact.
I have a handful of stories finished as of today, one of them up to 45K words long. With luck I'll have my very first novella out before September. They do require touching up however. Editing is far from easy and being objective about my own writing is quite a challenge. I'll have to touch up paragraphs, switch some words around and check grammar.
Also, as a side note: Writing linguistics for non-existent peoples, even just individual words, is frigging hard!
My very first story, The Hunter from the Red Hills will be my introductory story, showing of the origin of my main character, some history on the world and setting, and set the stage for the adventures to come. If everything goes as planned for the Kindle system, this one will be free so you all can see the style and setting.
I am still wondering how to sell my other stories, as for a good while I will have to use the exact same book cover for quite some time. That stuff is expensive! And yes, it's the one on my main page for Primal Frontier. What do you folks think? Should I lump a handful of stories into an anthology for five or six dollars? Or should I release them individually for a dollar a piece? So far my minimum word count for each story is around 22K pages, which translates to almost a hundred pages on the Kindle system. Tell me what ya'll think!
All in all, things are looking quite well, although I still have a ways to go. And as another side note, although I'm focusing the bulk of my energy on Primal Frontier, I do have plenty of other ideas rattling around in my head. I've got a seed taking root in my head for a Steampunk setting and a handful of stand alone horror and action stories that set my skin to tingling!
Well, that's all for the moment folks. Can't wait to keep cracking away, whoo hoo!
Monday, June 9, 2014
The Stomping Land: Day One
Well, as of June 1st I purchased the new game The Stomping Land which I've been looking forward to for months, and thought it would be fun to talk about the events that took place on my first day of playing in just about the precise way they took place. So much of this will be in the form of my thoughts as I blunder about in the new game world.
Day 1: I started out my new grand venture by selecting single player mode so that I could figure out the basic mechanics without being immediately murdered by any fellow human beings. The game started alright and I took the form of a tribal warrior with some awesome body tattoos, a short ponytail and a stone hatchet. There I was on a sandy beach, with the ocean on one hand and the dark, brooding forest spreading out before me. I felt very much like a castaway and felt it would be best to not run immediately into the thick foliage on what might very well be Skull Island from King Kong and decided to stay on the beach for the time being.
My first order of business was to figure out how to make things and I began whomping away at a tree until I got a single piece of wood. This I dropped, being unsure what to do with it and then saw one of my favorite dinosaurs saunter into view: A stygimoloch! My first dinosaur in game, whoohoo! How gracefully it moved, making all sorts of strange sounds which I am glad the design team worked so hard on.
So of course my first instinct was to sprint at the thing and smack it over the head with my stone hatchet. This... was unwise. The animal was completely unimpressed by my attack and proceeded to chase my tribal arse, and was swiftly beaten down face first into the dirt. Sixty seconds in and already I had met my untimely demise at the horns of a two legged herbivore. Master survivalist here!
I respawned shortly after that and decided it would be best for the time being to not throw rocks at the huge saurian so that I wouldn't again end up as filth to be scraped off of the bottom of their feet and again tried my hand at making things. Again I started whacking away at the trees on the beach. Then, rather by accident, I made an extraordinary discovery! You see, at first I laid down one piece of wood, then, acquiring a second, I thought "Hmmm, I shall make a little pile here so that I know where all of my wood is should I be needing it."
Then, upon setting the second piece of wood down on the first, something amazing happened! Instead of there being a little pile of logs, there was now a tiny basket! Wonder of wonders! And when I looked closer at it, I found that it was a box that contained items, at the moment just wood. Although it sounds silly on text, you would not believe what sort of childish joy this discovery brought me. I then discovered that the more wood I put into a single box, I could get more options for building things. Something about crafting in games is unrealistically fun.
I had the options of making a torch and a cage, but not much else, which I thought odd, seeing as how I knew there were many other items in the game that I could make. I wanted to build a fire as night was closing in, but was unable to. I read something online saying that this was a feature not available to single player mode, and thus took my first steps into the multiplayer world. I wasn't disappointed by the behavior of my fellow man.
Soon I was acting amongst other humans and hoping that I wouldn't be immediately murdered by the first person I saw. That didn't work out so well. Anyway, after querying my fellow players about how to build anything besides a torch or cage and was informed that I had to chop rock away and add it to the supply box. Chopping rocks with a stone axe! Of course! I swiftly built myself a firepit and ignited a glorious blaze.
At last, I had made one of the greatest discoveries in the history of mankind, the creation of fire! The power immediately went to my head and declared myself chief over the entire island, demanding the loyalty and service of everyone on the server, as I was the Fire Shaman. This... did not work well. I mentally sighed and worked on making my campsite. Luckily I was in an excellent position, as I had rocks and trees very close by right there on the beach and proceeded to make myself a tepee and all sorts of weapons such as a bow, arrows, bolas and a spear. Heck yeah!
However the arrows seemed to be made by Nerf, as I dumped arrows at passing herbivorous dinosaurs and they didn't even seem to notice that anything was happening. Well. That was a bit of a downer. I continued tinkering with the items, giggling like an idiot as I was actually having fun, and then I looked up and soiled my loincloth.
Standing right there was another tribal guy riding atop a carnotaurus, which is just a bit out of my league. However, I was not deterred! I bravely charged... into my tepee and offered him everything that I owned in exchange for not being horribly mutilated. Luckily he was so impressed by my bravery that he gave a nod and rode off, clearly not wishing to start a fight with the likes of me. Phew!
Having gotten a decent handle on the basic weapons and tools I decided that I was ready to forge on into the depths of the jungle and explore! Through the misty leaves I ran, stalking like a panther through the undergrowth. This island is huge! Ah, but then I found a river and something that caught my attention: A cave! I knew that in the caves there were healing herbs which I could use to mount dinosaurs and ride about like the physical incarnation of awesome.
I happily entered the yawning cave, looking for the tell-tale sign of glowing herbs in the darkness. Then I fell off of a ledge and plunged into an underground lake from which I was unable to find any escape. The problem with the inside of the caves is that there is virtually no light, so I couldn't see a bloody thing. Unable to find my way out I did the only reasonable thing I could think of: I swam to the bottom of the lake and let my lungs fill with water.
Luckily I was able to respawn at my tepee. Hooray! I had to rebuild all of my tools, but I was sort of alright with that. After rebuilding my gear I decided that it would be best to stick to the beach and ran along the left side of the beach. This time I just wanted to explore and pounded out on the right side of the beach, finding a decent fishing spot where I began trying in vain to hit one of the stupid fish with my spear. I thought I was alone, but got a small hint that I might not be completely lonesome when I heard a reptilian roar behind me.
With my loincloth feeling suddenly heavy, I turned and saw that gent riding the carontaurus again who was far too close for comfort. I then jumped into the deep water while squealing like a stuck pig as the gentleman laughed his tail off and asked me to come out, promising that he wouldn't hurt me. I was slightly less than convinced, but he managed to talk me into coming out to help him with something. This is the part of the game where you have to eat in order to not starve, and he couldn't cook his own food while riding his mount and wanted me to help him out. Still being a noob however, I had some trouble fixing him a meal and he sort of ended up starving. Oops.
I then tried claiming his fearsome mount as my own, but that didn't quite work out. Then shortly thereafter an anklyosaurus rumbled from the forest and charged the animal. A terrific battle broke out, both brutes slammed into each other, shaking the earth beneath their mighty tread. In the five seconds we'd been together the carnotaurus and I had built up a strong bond, much like this girl from high-school that I had one conversation with and knew that it was true love, although she disagreed vehemently. (Not a true story there, relax) Although I knew it was a fools hope, I began charging in to aid my dinosaur friend, spear held in front of me and ready to impale the armored beast.
Then a second anklyosaurus came out and I turned tail back towards the safety of the ocean, terrified urine marking my trail. A most dignified exit. So, I was alone again and tried making a new campsite. Then a stranger came into my camp. Now, on one hand I try to be a nice person and not slaughter strangers on sight. On the other hand, this is an MMO, and Murder is the most popular sport out there. However, this actually worked out and we two became allies, working together and enjoying the camaraderie. Hooray!
The two of us then decided that it would be wise to acquire herbs and get dinosaur mounts so that we could reinforce our camp and become feared warriors. Like shadows we slipped through the night, evading other hostile tribesmen and aggressive dinosaurs. I concede that I felt so cool as we stalked through the undergrowth, acting like primitive commandos. My companion managed to get some herbs from a cave, but none respawned for me, so we began heading further along the beach towards another set of caves we knew of. However, someone else had built a small tribe there along the beach. Even worse, they had captives in cages strewn along the beach.
Savages they were! Capturing and caging poor players, leaving them inside to rot. We began preparing for war. My companion acquired himself a herbivorous stygimoloch as a war mount, and another disgruntled player joined our small cadre. We then rushed into battle to release the captives and slay the slavers. I wasn't of much help, but we actually kicked their arses. Our leader's dinosaur got killed, but he survived. In fact, we didn't lose a single man! We destroyed the cages and I plunged into the cave as our leader tried coaxing another fellow down from this waterfall, who seemed to be an innocent bystander.
I got my herbs at last! And then things went downhill fast. The guy from the waterfall who was supposedly innocent was in fact part of the tribe we had just butchered and killed my two friends, then got another recruit who managed to ace me as well. That didn't go well. Our leader signed off, it being quite late but I was a bit delirious and kept playing. Ironically enough after being murdered by another player I respawned near the waterfall just in time to see the savages trying to capture another poor sap.
Here was an opportunity to avenge myself and my tribe! I brought out my stone axe and began charging across the sandy beach. Like a hot wind I swept down, believing that I would be on top of them before they knew what was happening. I was confident that soon I would rend my enemies apart with a ferocious whirlwind of axe strokes. One man seemed to see me and jumped aside, which I presumed was him retreating in terror from my mighty oncoming onslaught.
I raised my axe into the air, ready to bring it down upon my opponents head and split his skull, spraying his brains across the beach and thus avenge my fallen comrades! Then the other fellow lassoed my legs and I fell face first into the sand, making one or two rude comments about his parents as he dragged my sorry butt across the beach like a sack of embarrassment. I clawed at the ground helplessly, enduring what was easily one of the most embarrassing online gaming moments I've ever had in my entire life. As I was pulled around his companion began building a cage, of which I was placed and trapped in. One of them then referred to me by a popular name often used to designate a submissive position within a prison system.
Scarcely before have I felt like such an awesome warrior followed by such cataclysmic ownage. It is easily one of the most silly moments I've ever experienced in a game. Things were pretty poor after that point, as I wasn't able to cut my way out of the thing. So much for the mighty tribal warrior shtick!
So, first impressions of the game are actually not too bad, as I did actually have quite a bit of fun. The crafting has a strange charm to it and the map you explore is huge. Some of the mechanics need work, since the arrows don't do crap at the moment and hit detection can be a bit dodgy, but this is a brand new release after all so some kinks are inevitable.
I'll letcha know more as I play some more later on! Busy busy week!
Day 1: I started out my new grand venture by selecting single player mode so that I could figure out the basic mechanics without being immediately murdered by any fellow human beings. The game started alright and I took the form of a tribal warrior with some awesome body tattoos, a short ponytail and a stone hatchet. There I was on a sandy beach, with the ocean on one hand and the dark, brooding forest spreading out before me. I felt very much like a castaway and felt it would be best to not run immediately into the thick foliage on what might very well be Skull Island from King Kong and decided to stay on the beach for the time being.
My first order of business was to figure out how to make things and I began whomping away at a tree until I got a single piece of wood. This I dropped, being unsure what to do with it and then saw one of my favorite dinosaurs saunter into view: A stygimoloch! My first dinosaur in game, whoohoo! How gracefully it moved, making all sorts of strange sounds which I am glad the design team worked so hard on.
So of course my first instinct was to sprint at the thing and smack it over the head with my stone hatchet. This... was unwise. The animal was completely unimpressed by my attack and proceeded to chase my tribal arse, and was swiftly beaten down face first into the dirt. Sixty seconds in and already I had met my untimely demise at the horns of a two legged herbivore. Master survivalist here!
I respawned shortly after that and decided it would be best for the time being to not throw rocks at the huge saurian so that I wouldn't again end up as filth to be scraped off of the bottom of their feet and again tried my hand at making things. Again I started whacking away at the trees on the beach. Then, rather by accident, I made an extraordinary discovery! You see, at first I laid down one piece of wood, then, acquiring a second, I thought "Hmmm, I shall make a little pile here so that I know where all of my wood is should I be needing it."
Then, upon setting the second piece of wood down on the first, something amazing happened! Instead of there being a little pile of logs, there was now a tiny basket! Wonder of wonders! And when I looked closer at it, I found that it was a box that contained items, at the moment just wood. Although it sounds silly on text, you would not believe what sort of childish joy this discovery brought me. I then discovered that the more wood I put into a single box, I could get more options for building things. Something about crafting in games is unrealistically fun.
I had the options of making a torch and a cage, but not much else, which I thought odd, seeing as how I knew there were many other items in the game that I could make. I wanted to build a fire as night was closing in, but was unable to. I read something online saying that this was a feature not available to single player mode, and thus took my first steps into the multiplayer world. I wasn't disappointed by the behavior of my fellow man.
Soon I was acting amongst other humans and hoping that I wouldn't be immediately murdered by the first person I saw. That didn't work out so well. Anyway, after querying my fellow players about how to build anything besides a torch or cage and was informed that I had to chop rock away and add it to the supply box. Chopping rocks with a stone axe! Of course! I swiftly built myself a firepit and ignited a glorious blaze.
At last, I had made one of the greatest discoveries in the history of mankind, the creation of fire! The power immediately went to my head and declared myself chief over the entire island, demanding the loyalty and service of everyone on the server, as I was the Fire Shaman. This... did not work well. I mentally sighed and worked on making my campsite. Luckily I was in an excellent position, as I had rocks and trees very close by right there on the beach and proceeded to make myself a tepee and all sorts of weapons such as a bow, arrows, bolas and a spear. Heck yeah!
However the arrows seemed to be made by Nerf, as I dumped arrows at passing herbivorous dinosaurs and they didn't even seem to notice that anything was happening. Well. That was a bit of a downer. I continued tinkering with the items, giggling like an idiot as I was actually having fun, and then I looked up and soiled my loincloth.
Standing right there was another tribal guy riding atop a carnotaurus, which is just a bit out of my league. However, I was not deterred! I bravely charged... into my tepee and offered him everything that I owned in exchange for not being horribly mutilated. Luckily he was so impressed by my bravery that he gave a nod and rode off, clearly not wishing to start a fight with the likes of me. Phew!
Having gotten a decent handle on the basic weapons and tools I decided that I was ready to forge on into the depths of the jungle and explore! Through the misty leaves I ran, stalking like a panther through the undergrowth. This island is huge! Ah, but then I found a river and something that caught my attention: A cave! I knew that in the caves there were healing herbs which I could use to mount dinosaurs and ride about like the physical incarnation of awesome.
I happily entered the yawning cave, looking for the tell-tale sign of glowing herbs in the darkness. Then I fell off of a ledge and plunged into an underground lake from which I was unable to find any escape. The problem with the inside of the caves is that there is virtually no light, so I couldn't see a bloody thing. Unable to find my way out I did the only reasonable thing I could think of: I swam to the bottom of the lake and let my lungs fill with water.
Luckily I was able to respawn at my tepee. Hooray! I had to rebuild all of my tools, but I was sort of alright with that. After rebuilding my gear I decided that it would be best to stick to the beach and ran along the left side of the beach. This time I just wanted to explore and pounded out on the right side of the beach, finding a decent fishing spot where I began trying in vain to hit one of the stupid fish with my spear. I thought I was alone, but got a small hint that I might not be completely lonesome when I heard a reptilian roar behind me.
With my loincloth feeling suddenly heavy, I turned and saw that gent riding the carontaurus again who was far too close for comfort. I then jumped into the deep water while squealing like a stuck pig as the gentleman laughed his tail off and asked me to come out, promising that he wouldn't hurt me. I was slightly less than convinced, but he managed to talk me into coming out to help him with something. This is the part of the game where you have to eat in order to not starve, and he couldn't cook his own food while riding his mount and wanted me to help him out. Still being a noob however, I had some trouble fixing him a meal and he sort of ended up starving. Oops.
I then tried claiming his fearsome mount as my own, but that didn't quite work out. Then shortly thereafter an anklyosaurus rumbled from the forest and charged the animal. A terrific battle broke out, both brutes slammed into each other, shaking the earth beneath their mighty tread. In the five seconds we'd been together the carnotaurus and I had built up a strong bond, much like this girl from high-school that I had one conversation with and knew that it was true love, although she disagreed vehemently. (Not a true story there, relax) Although I knew it was a fools hope, I began charging in to aid my dinosaur friend, spear held in front of me and ready to impale the armored beast.
Then a second anklyosaurus came out and I turned tail back towards the safety of the ocean, terrified urine marking my trail. A most dignified exit. So, I was alone again and tried making a new campsite. Then a stranger came into my camp. Now, on one hand I try to be a nice person and not slaughter strangers on sight. On the other hand, this is an MMO, and Murder is the most popular sport out there. However, this actually worked out and we two became allies, working together and enjoying the camaraderie. Hooray!
The two of us then decided that it would be wise to acquire herbs and get dinosaur mounts so that we could reinforce our camp and become feared warriors. Like shadows we slipped through the night, evading other hostile tribesmen and aggressive dinosaurs. I concede that I felt so cool as we stalked through the undergrowth, acting like primitive commandos. My companion managed to get some herbs from a cave, but none respawned for me, so we began heading further along the beach towards another set of caves we knew of. However, someone else had built a small tribe there along the beach. Even worse, they had captives in cages strewn along the beach.
Savages they were! Capturing and caging poor players, leaving them inside to rot. We began preparing for war. My companion acquired himself a herbivorous stygimoloch as a war mount, and another disgruntled player joined our small cadre. We then rushed into battle to release the captives and slay the slavers. I wasn't of much help, but we actually kicked their arses. Our leader's dinosaur got killed, but he survived. In fact, we didn't lose a single man! We destroyed the cages and I plunged into the cave as our leader tried coaxing another fellow down from this waterfall, who seemed to be an innocent bystander.
I got my herbs at last! And then things went downhill fast. The guy from the waterfall who was supposedly innocent was in fact part of the tribe we had just butchered and killed my two friends, then got another recruit who managed to ace me as well. That didn't go well. Our leader signed off, it being quite late but I was a bit delirious and kept playing. Ironically enough after being murdered by another player I respawned near the waterfall just in time to see the savages trying to capture another poor sap.
Here was an opportunity to avenge myself and my tribe! I brought out my stone axe and began charging across the sandy beach. Like a hot wind I swept down, believing that I would be on top of them before they knew what was happening. I was confident that soon I would rend my enemies apart with a ferocious whirlwind of axe strokes. One man seemed to see me and jumped aside, which I presumed was him retreating in terror from my mighty oncoming onslaught.
I raised my axe into the air, ready to bring it down upon my opponents head and split his skull, spraying his brains across the beach and thus avenge my fallen comrades! Then the other fellow lassoed my legs and I fell face first into the sand, making one or two rude comments about his parents as he dragged my sorry butt across the beach like a sack of embarrassment. I clawed at the ground helplessly, enduring what was easily one of the most embarrassing online gaming moments I've ever had in my entire life. As I was pulled around his companion began building a cage, of which I was placed and trapped in. One of them then referred to me by a popular name often used to designate a submissive position within a prison system.
Scarcely before have I felt like such an awesome warrior followed by such cataclysmic ownage. It is easily one of the most silly moments I've ever experienced in a game. Things were pretty poor after that point, as I wasn't able to cut my way out of the thing. So much for the mighty tribal warrior shtick!
So, first impressions of the game are actually not too bad, as I did actually have quite a bit of fun. The crafting has a strange charm to it and the map you explore is huge. Some of the mechanics need work, since the arrows don't do crap at the moment and hit detection can be a bit dodgy, but this is a brand new release after all so some kinks are inevitable.
I'll letcha know more as I play some more later on! Busy busy week!
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
What Kind of Gun to use for Dinosaur Hunting?
Seeing as how I've spent so much time fiddling around with illogical and absurdly fun ideas in my head when I should be working, I decided to type a few of them down for the amusement of the masses.
Although I've not yet had the pleasure to hunt abroad with a rifle or shotgun, I've found the concepts fascinating since childhood and have devoured all the literature within grabbing distance on the subjects. And, given my current writing subject, I couldn't help but wonder: What would I use in dinosaur hunting today?
The number of firearms, cartridges, bullet types and powder mixes are seemingly limitless, but I've given a good bit of thought as to what I would take if I were to somehow be transported to the Cretaceous or thereabouts!
One of my favorite novellas is the story A Gun for Dinosaur by L. Sprague de Camp, and is a fascinating contrast to Ray Bradbury's A Sound of Thunder, and Camp did a bit more research than most for guns in fiction, but being an unrepentant nut about firearms, I couldn't help but notice his misconception regarding the idea of shock value when dealing with big game.
I can't fault Mr. Camp too much however, as at the time this was an extremely popular theory and holds a considerable amount of sway even today. But I shan't bore the lot of you by ramming a sharpened stake through the heart of Shock Value, and simply say that the .600 Nitro Express is NOT a prime choice for dinosaur hunting.
My first choice would be the Marlin 1895 Guide Gun in 45-70 loaded with Garrett 420 grain Hammerhead rounds. These things are dynamite! http://www.garrettcartridges.com/4570420tech.html
Although the Ghost Ring sights ought to work just fine, I'd prefer a fiber optic front sight and a much smaller rear aperture, just being what I prefer and what I'm used to. I've not fired a Guide Gun yet, but I've handled one and boy did I want it! The action was smooth, it snuggled up to my shoulder like a flirty date (Not that I'd know what that feels like) and pointed naturally.
Not sure how I feel about the .450 Marlin. It can safely be loaded to higher pressures and still push heavy 45 caliber pills, but it's hard for me to see a use for it with the 45-70 around and still slaying grizzlies and elephants. My opinion is divided on that one!
Ah, but who can forget the 50 Alaskan? That massive pull pusher is today capable of slaying anything that walks this earth and has the vote of anyone who has used it.
I can't help but mention some of my favorite developers, the gents of B&M Rifles and Cartridges. They aren't a company, but rather a few gentlemen using their expertise to make the best platforms and cartridges possible for taking down big game, and boy do they deliver! They actually have some of the only bolt actions that I salivate over, incorporating a great many features that are sadly remiss on so many guns today.
Take a look at some of these bad boys!
http://www.b-mriflesandcartridges.com/50-B-M-Alaskan-Zimbabwe-2013.html
Also for those who might doubt the potency of the 50 Alaskan, here is an interesting story where Belt Mountain brass bullets were employed against an elephant. By the way, Belt Mountain bullets are way up there for monster penetration in big game. Those things are beasts!
http://www.leverguns.com/articles/elephant.htm
I'm one of those nuts that doesn't fiddle around with controlled expansion hollow points. I like rolling with solids, particularly hard cast bullets or Belt Mountain Punch bullets. Maximum penetration please! If I'm going to be tracking down those ancient lizards, I want to be able to him the vitals from any angle I'm presented, and I want to do it fast.
Although not my first choice, a pump action twelve gauge with slugs wouldn't be too bad. I'm annoyed that ammunition manufacturers haven't made many decent deep penetrating slugs, although I would love to be proven wrong about that. If you know of any great penetrating twelve gauge slugs, please let me know!
Although I'm not a big fan of the AR-15 platform, would most certainly not turn my nose up to using it chambered in the .450 Bushmaster or the .50 Beowulf. Ten rounds of either of those would be pretty darned vicious in a carbine package and should be all the firepower anyone darned well needs!
But yeah, in the end I personally would stick with a Marlin Guide Gun in 45-70, as I could handle almost all jobs with just that. Love that setup!
Although I likely wouldn't have need for a sidearm, most lacking the power to do the job of killing large birdtilians and I probably couldn't take advantage of their power anyway, I would certainly feel safer packing a S&W Governor loaded with .45 Colts, preferably fat 300 grain flat nosed bullets. Those should be just dandy on smaller saurian out on a dinosaur shikar.
What I'd be hunting on shikar there would depend a lot on where and when I would go, although I personally would be less inclined to go after the huge theropods. I'm quite partial to the idea of going after some of the huge crocodiles that were prowling around at the time. A deinosuchus or sacrosuchus skull would look mighty intimidating above the fireplace, wouldn't you say?
Ahhh, the idea of visiting the ancient African continent holds a great deal of appeal to me! Along with the usual sauropods and such, that era held all sorts of fascinating crocodile species. A documentary came out not long ago about the staggering variety of crocodilians that once roamed there, filling all sorts of niches in the food chain. Fascinating stuff! Not to mention that Spinosaurus and Suchomimus were abroad there at the time.
If in the Jurassic I'd like to find an Allosaur, as those gents are underrated. Great balance of size, speed and ferocity by all accounts. After all, they've been nicknamed "the lion of the Jurassic." What trophy collection would be complete without at least one lion, eh?
But before the paleontologist nuts bark over how I only care about the hungry carnivores, there are a few herbivorous species I'd be interested in collecting. For some reason the Kentrosaurus really strikes my fancy. Something about the different shapes of the spines and plates along its back are appealing, and it would more than likely be able to outrun me in any case. I'm not exactly Harry Hot Heels.
So, what about you gents?
What would you use if you were to go on a prehistoric safari? What would you hunt? Where would you go? Please, share your thoughts!
Although I've not yet had the pleasure to hunt abroad with a rifle or shotgun, I've found the concepts fascinating since childhood and have devoured all the literature within grabbing distance on the subjects. And, given my current writing subject, I couldn't help but wonder: What would I use in dinosaur hunting today?
The number of firearms, cartridges, bullet types and powder mixes are seemingly limitless, but I've given a good bit of thought as to what I would take if I were to somehow be transported to the Cretaceous or thereabouts!
One of my favorite novellas is the story A Gun for Dinosaur by L. Sprague de Camp, and is a fascinating contrast to Ray Bradbury's A Sound of Thunder, and Camp did a bit more research than most for guns in fiction, but being an unrepentant nut about firearms, I couldn't help but notice his misconception regarding the idea of shock value when dealing with big game.
I can't fault Mr. Camp too much however, as at the time this was an extremely popular theory and holds a considerable amount of sway even today. But I shan't bore the lot of you by ramming a sharpened stake through the heart of Shock Value, and simply say that the .600 Nitro Express is NOT a prime choice for dinosaur hunting.
My first choice would be the Marlin 1895 Guide Gun in 45-70 loaded with Garrett 420 grain Hammerhead rounds. These things are dynamite! http://www.garrettcartridges.com/4570420tech.html
Although the Ghost Ring sights ought to work just fine, I'd prefer a fiber optic front sight and a much smaller rear aperture, just being what I prefer and what I'm used to. I've not fired a Guide Gun yet, but I've handled one and boy did I want it! The action was smooth, it snuggled up to my shoulder like a flirty date (Not that I'd know what that feels like) and pointed naturally.
Not sure how I feel about the .450 Marlin. It can safely be loaded to higher pressures and still push heavy 45 caliber pills, but it's hard for me to see a use for it with the 45-70 around and still slaying grizzlies and elephants. My opinion is divided on that one!
Ah, but who can forget the 50 Alaskan? That massive pull pusher is today capable of slaying anything that walks this earth and has the vote of anyone who has used it.
I can't help but mention some of my favorite developers, the gents of B&M Rifles and Cartridges. They aren't a company, but rather a few gentlemen using their expertise to make the best platforms and cartridges possible for taking down big game, and boy do they deliver! They actually have some of the only bolt actions that I salivate over, incorporating a great many features that are sadly remiss on so many guns today.
Take a look at some of these bad boys!
http://www.b-mriflesandcartridges.com/50-B-M-Alaskan-Zimbabwe-2013.html
Also for those who might doubt the potency of the 50 Alaskan, here is an interesting story where Belt Mountain brass bullets were employed against an elephant. By the way, Belt Mountain bullets are way up there for monster penetration in big game. Those things are beasts!
http://www.leverguns.com/articles/elephant.htm
I'm one of those nuts that doesn't fiddle around with controlled expansion hollow points. I like rolling with solids, particularly hard cast bullets or Belt Mountain Punch bullets. Maximum penetration please! If I'm going to be tracking down those ancient lizards, I want to be able to him the vitals from any angle I'm presented, and I want to do it fast.
Although not my first choice, a pump action twelve gauge with slugs wouldn't be too bad. I'm annoyed that ammunition manufacturers haven't made many decent deep penetrating slugs, although I would love to be proven wrong about that. If you know of any great penetrating twelve gauge slugs, please let me know!
Although I'm not a big fan of the AR-15 platform, would most certainly not turn my nose up to using it chambered in the .450 Bushmaster or the .50 Beowulf. Ten rounds of either of those would be pretty darned vicious in a carbine package and should be all the firepower anyone darned well needs!
But yeah, in the end I personally would stick with a Marlin Guide Gun in 45-70, as I could handle almost all jobs with just that. Love that setup!
Although I likely wouldn't have need for a sidearm, most lacking the power to do the job of killing large birdtilians and I probably couldn't take advantage of their power anyway, I would certainly feel safer packing a S&W Governor loaded with .45 Colts, preferably fat 300 grain flat nosed bullets. Those should be just dandy on smaller saurian out on a dinosaur shikar.
What I'd be hunting on shikar there would depend a lot on where and when I would go, although I personally would be less inclined to go after the huge theropods. I'm quite partial to the idea of going after some of the huge crocodiles that were prowling around at the time. A deinosuchus or sacrosuchus skull would look mighty intimidating above the fireplace, wouldn't you say?
Ahhh, the idea of visiting the ancient African continent holds a great deal of appeal to me! Along with the usual sauropods and such, that era held all sorts of fascinating crocodile species. A documentary came out not long ago about the staggering variety of crocodilians that once roamed there, filling all sorts of niches in the food chain. Fascinating stuff! Not to mention that Spinosaurus and Suchomimus were abroad there at the time.
If in the Jurassic I'd like to find an Allosaur, as those gents are underrated. Great balance of size, speed and ferocity by all accounts. After all, they've been nicknamed "the lion of the Jurassic." What trophy collection would be complete without at least one lion, eh?
But before the paleontologist nuts bark over how I only care about the hungry carnivores, there are a few herbivorous species I'd be interested in collecting. For some reason the Kentrosaurus really strikes my fancy. Something about the different shapes of the spines and plates along its back are appealing, and it would more than likely be able to outrun me in any case. I'm not exactly Harry Hot Heels.
So, what about you gents?
What would you use if you were to go on a prehistoric safari? What would you hunt? Where would you go? Please, share your thoughts!
Saturday, May 31, 2014
How long have I not noticed that...
I'm not a big superhero person. I don't have anything against comics or superhero movies, it's just that most of them don't interest me personally. Different strokes for different folks.
One of the few exceptions would be Spiderman, as I find the 94 cartoon series to be a real guilty pleasure. It's excellent turn your brain off entertainment, at least for me.
But I just now realized something, and I'm pretty embarrassed that I never picked it out before: Black Cat's mask sucks. It covers maybe two square inches of her face total. Spiderman's mask covers sodding everything, but her mask doesn't do jack squat. Mr. Incredible's mask was better!
Man, I've gotta stop blogging so late at night. My brain can't function at this time of night.
I eagerly await the bombardment of comic nerds to correct me. Come at me bro!
One of the few exceptions would be Spiderman, as I find the 94 cartoon series to be a real guilty pleasure. It's excellent turn your brain off entertainment, at least for me.
But I just now realized something, and I'm pretty embarrassed that I never picked it out before: Black Cat's mask sucks. It covers maybe two square inches of her face total. Spiderman's mask covers sodding everything, but her mask doesn't do jack squat. Mr. Incredible's mask was better!
Man, I've gotta stop blogging so late at night. My brain can't function at this time of night.
I eagerly await the bombardment of comic nerds to correct me. Come at me bro!
Thursday, May 29, 2014
The Simple Joys of Life
The number of ways one can be entertained today are without number, and my mind spins at all the options we have. And yet I feel that many of the best joys are those that are the most simple.
As I sit here I've just taken great joy at simply learning something I didn't know before. I fancy myself an decent expert on firearms through various portions of history. Not the best by any stretch, heck no, but somehow I just took great pleasure in finding out information on one of the older muzzle-loading rifles of the mid to late-1800's on the American frontier.
Reading never loses its charm. In spite of the amazing leaps we've taken with technology, the advents of movies, shows, video games and comics, books are still going strong and still perhaps the best way for the simple working man to convey new and fascinating ideas in fiction and in facts.
There are plenty of other simple things that I enjoy of course, shooting my rifle, feeling the keen edge of a blade, observing wildlife, telling stories, enjoying good company and good food, things that will never get old. The simple joys of life will never truly die, even with the insane progress and shifts in society and technology.
I find this to be a most comforting thought.
As I sit here I've just taken great joy at simply learning something I didn't know before. I fancy myself an decent expert on firearms through various portions of history. Not the best by any stretch, heck no, but somehow I just took great pleasure in finding out information on one of the older muzzle-loading rifles of the mid to late-1800's on the American frontier.
Reading never loses its charm. In spite of the amazing leaps we've taken with technology, the advents of movies, shows, video games and comics, books are still going strong and still perhaps the best way for the simple working man to convey new and fascinating ideas in fiction and in facts.
There are plenty of other simple things that I enjoy of course, shooting my rifle, feeling the keen edge of a blade, observing wildlife, telling stories, enjoying good company and good food, things that will never get old. The simple joys of life will never truly die, even with the insane progress and shifts in society and technology.
I find this to be a most comforting thought.
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
Gotta love Kolchak: The Night Stalker
There are few openings that I enjoy more than one of the most entertaining shows I've ever seen, Kolchak: The Night Stalker. Just check this out!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfmK8YUdSpY
Starring Darren McGavin as the lead character, Carl Kolchak, he's a persistent reporter in Chicago where he delves into the weird and unusual violence that takes place, specifically those pertaining to the supernatural and monstrous. Although it only lasted one season and the costumes and effects were primitive even by 70's standards, this show was a gem for the time and was repeatedly referenced as being the primary influence for one of my other favorite shows, The X-Files. The creators loved Kolchak and even tried to get Darren McGavin on the show as his original character, Kolchak.
For reasons I haven't been able to find he declined, but did appear as someone darned similar, playing a retired FBI agent from the 50's known as Arthur Dales who originally started the X-Files that Mulder picks up on later. That show truly was a spiritual successor, and it's easy to see.
McGavin does a superb job of playing the annoying reporter who tricks his way into every place he can to get his story and is amazingly fun. Each episode revolves around genuinely interesting plots, some of which even had me guessing. Considering how fast I usually solve this sort of setup, that's saying a good bit!
There are plenty of supporting characters, mostly Kolchak's co-workers and boss. There's Tony Vincenzo, his superior who is constantly putting up with Kolchak's antics and problems. Although he often has a short temper and Kolchak often feels restrained or ignored, I find Tony quite sympathetic. He puts up with quite a lot and actually does care when things get rough. Although he never assists Kolchak in his endeavors, he does that by himself, Tony can always be counted on to bail him out of jail, which happens a lot.
Then there's Ron Updyke, Kolchak's office rival who always gouge and poke each other out of spite. Kolchak usually has the upper hand though, seemingly a troll before computers were even invented.
The only person immune to Kolchak's harassing behavior is Miss Emily, an elderly but sweet woman who truly gets along with him and is the only person he trusts, although he doesn't initially know it.
I can't describe how funny and suspenseful this show can be. The writing is awesome, and our lead just comes alive in his role. In spite of the sets being limited and the costumes costing less than a standard pair of shoes today, there are parts where I truly feel on edge. That is very uncommon for me, as I've watched plenty of "scary movies" without blinking.
If you're like me and are tired of the droll and dumb shows of today and desire something with some true charm, check it out! You can even find full episodes on Youtube or purchase it on DVD. Give it a look. I'm going to have some fun with it right now!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfmK8YUdSpY
Starring Darren McGavin as the lead character, Carl Kolchak, he's a persistent reporter in Chicago where he delves into the weird and unusual violence that takes place, specifically those pertaining to the supernatural and monstrous. Although it only lasted one season and the costumes and effects were primitive even by 70's standards, this show was a gem for the time and was repeatedly referenced as being the primary influence for one of my other favorite shows, The X-Files. The creators loved Kolchak and even tried to get Darren McGavin on the show as his original character, Kolchak.
For reasons I haven't been able to find he declined, but did appear as someone darned similar, playing a retired FBI agent from the 50's known as Arthur Dales who originally started the X-Files that Mulder picks up on later. That show truly was a spiritual successor, and it's easy to see.
McGavin does a superb job of playing the annoying reporter who tricks his way into every place he can to get his story and is amazingly fun. Each episode revolves around genuinely interesting plots, some of which even had me guessing. Considering how fast I usually solve this sort of setup, that's saying a good bit!
There are plenty of supporting characters, mostly Kolchak's co-workers and boss. There's Tony Vincenzo, his superior who is constantly putting up with Kolchak's antics and problems. Although he often has a short temper and Kolchak often feels restrained or ignored, I find Tony quite sympathetic. He puts up with quite a lot and actually does care when things get rough. Although he never assists Kolchak in his endeavors, he does that by himself, Tony can always be counted on to bail him out of jail, which happens a lot.
Then there's Ron Updyke, Kolchak's office rival who always gouge and poke each other out of spite. Kolchak usually has the upper hand though, seemingly a troll before computers were even invented.
The only person immune to Kolchak's harassing behavior is Miss Emily, an elderly but sweet woman who truly gets along with him and is the only person he trusts, although he doesn't initially know it.
I can't describe how funny and suspenseful this show can be. The writing is awesome, and our lead just comes alive in his role. In spite of the sets being limited and the costumes costing less than a standard pair of shoes today, there are parts where I truly feel on edge. That is very uncommon for me, as I've watched plenty of "scary movies" without blinking.
If you're like me and are tired of the droll and dumb shows of today and desire something with some true charm, check it out! You can even find full episodes on Youtube or purchase it on DVD. Give it a look. I'm going to have some fun with it right now!
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