Apart from scaring the person at the counter in the electronics department at the local grocer as I bought the game the day it came out; I've been quite pleased with the latest installment in the series.
Compared to Advance Wars DS and Advance Wars 2, this game seems even easier. I have managed to get through the first dozen levels with mostly S-ranks all over the place. The AI doesn't seem to defend their home base making capturing it a much more trivial affair (my favorite strategy involves a dozen War Tanks surrounding the enemy base while it's being captured). For example, the first level with boats, the AI moved all of its forces to attack my tank leaving its base free (about 3 moves away) - long enough to load up a lander (moving with 3 decoy ships that couldn't attack - they were destroyed, the lander survived) and they had enough time to dock and capture the enemy's HQ. In a subsequent level, the HQ was defended by missiles (the things only useful against air units) - again, with a lander (boats carrying units) it was trivial to bring two tanks to hold off the attack and a motorcycle to take care of the HQ.
The audio is good, but the music for certain COs feels like noise - but it doesn't feel out of place either. Actually, put on headphones, it sounds less like noise.
The graphics are much better - except for the wooden areas which look more like grass. But given this game's strength is not graphics (Final Fantasy Tactics Advance 2 looks much better); I don't really care as much.
The battles scenes are nice, but feel slower. For example, in DS they would be zoomed in or out then attack. In Days of Ruin, opposing forces appear on a different screen - the first attacks, while the second waits for the bombs to arrive.
The story within the campaign is good, and easy to get into. The amount of text to read to follow the story can seem tedious, so if you lose hit start to skip all the text. (something I've noticed with Intelligent System's games as I've been recently playing Fire Emblem for Wii - where they go to a point of mocking that fact in Paper Mario).
Downloading maps and uploading them was very easy. Too easy some could say. I have yet to see if playing against random opponents compares to playing against the AI (this is primarily a game I play on the bus)
The gameplay is standard Advance Wars fare. Some units found a new name, and some now can do more. Also, CO powers a not to be found in the first 17 or so levels in the campaign - meaning you can't rely on a CO power to save the day - which is a good thing in my opinion. The motorcycle units are extremely useful and remove the need for the transport/mech combination used to initially capture properties.
In the end, I'm really enjoying this game - except for the fact that I haven't sumbled onto an overly difficult level yet (still have hopes that one will slow me down).
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Saturday, July 7, 2007
A Smarter rm for Mac users
Hmm, today I had a nice experience. I wanted to remove two files; httpd and httpd.tar. The former being a directory.
Did a rm -r httpd *
Went away, then returned, panicked, seeing that the space between the httpd and *.
Well, there went a good part of my documents. The important things I tend to replicate everywhere, but now I'm hunting lego manuals. From this experience came out a nice little script for all my fellow OS X users. All OS X users, who, like me, don't want to say "y" to every file during an rm.
First, open your .profile and add in the following line:
alias rm '~/rm-trash'
Second, open the terminal and type the following:
$ touch rm-trash
$ chmod 755 rm-trash
open the empty rm-trash file in your favorite editor, and type up the following:
#!/bin/bash
if [ "$#" -eq "0" ]; then
echo "No files specified for deletion."
else
for i in $*
do
echo "Trashing: $i"
mv "$i" ~/.Trash
done
fi
There, my little magic script to forward my rm's to the trash; so from the command line, if I make a mistake, it's not as fatal. I can still get my files back. And if I didn't make a mistake? Just open the apple menu, and do an empty trash.
Just call it like:
$ rm "Some Folder" "Some File"
No need the -r, or things like that. But you need quotes. Bash handles wild-cards, so:
$ rm "Some*"
would remove both files "Some Folder" and "Some File". Put in the quotes! Or else bash may treat the sections of the file name divided by spaces as different parameters.
This should work for Gnome/KDE users as well - I believe that a folder is used for the trash as well.
Did a rm -r httpd *
Went away, then returned, panicked, seeing that the space between the httpd and *.
Well, there went a good part of my documents. The important things I tend to replicate everywhere, but now I'm hunting lego manuals. From this experience came out a nice little script for all my fellow OS X users. All OS X users, who, like me, don't want to say "y" to every file during an rm.
First, open your .profile and add in the following line:
alias rm '~/rm-trash'
Second, open the terminal and type the following:
$ touch rm-trash
$ chmod 755 rm-trash
open the empty rm-trash file in your favorite editor, and type up the following:
#!/bin/bash
if [ "$#" -eq "0" ]; then
echo "No files specified for deletion."
else
for i in $*
do
echo "Trashing: $i"
mv "$i" ~/.Trash
done
fi
There, my little magic script to forward my rm's to the trash; so from the command line, if I make a mistake, it's not as fatal. I can still get my files back. And if I didn't make a mistake? Just open the apple menu, and do an empty trash.
Just call it like:
$ rm "Some Folder" "Some File"
No need the -r, or things like that. But you need quotes. Bash handles wild-cards, so:
$ rm "Some*"
would remove both files "Some Folder" and "Some File". Put in the quotes! Or else bash may treat the sections of the file name divided by spaces as different parameters.
This should work for Gnome/KDE users as well - I believe that a folder is used for the trash as well.
Monday, March 5, 2007
About a Girl
That student, I tell you, he had his heart in the wrong place. A lonely person he was, living in solitude, using his imagination to create false memories of friendship. A university student, praised for his good grades, work ethic, and lack of social skills. Work is his life, and his life is for work.
But that must end, today. In class, the prettiest girl enters the room. If he can be the top of the class, why can't he just get the top in the social world? A simple proposition, he blushed at the thought; how hard could it be to converse, to small-talk. If he could climb the ranks of the ivory tower, why not the social ladder?
He got up, looking at the eyes, looking at him. He was now in the spotlight, and ascended the stairs of the auditorium to where she was settling her books. What looked like physical perfection. He approached her; his heart gave a leap.
He looked at her, unknowing how to start a conversation. She noticed quiker than he could react; which made him run down the aisle back to his seat. His heart sinking with the silent laughter of the other students. What was he to say? Why was it so hard? He failed. If life were a game, he'd probably score the lowest grade - no small-talk, no informal conversation, just a mind to get ahead.
He had excelled in the academic world through so much effort, that he no longer had time to socialize. Had his mind be more mature, he would have befriended people instead of going for the ultimate goal in one jump. He would have choosen based on personality, not on the perfection of the exterior of the meat popsicle before him.
But that must end, today. In class, the prettiest girl enters the room. If he can be the top of the class, why can't he just get the top in the social world? A simple proposition, he blushed at the thought; how hard could it be to converse, to small-talk. If he could climb the ranks of the ivory tower, why not the social ladder?
He got up, looking at the eyes, looking at him. He was now in the spotlight, and ascended the stairs of the auditorium to where she was settling her books. What looked like physical perfection. He approached her; his heart gave a leap.
He looked at her, unknowing how to start a conversation. She noticed quiker than he could react; which made him run down the aisle back to his seat. His heart sinking with the silent laughter of the other students. What was he to say? Why was it so hard? He failed. If life were a game, he'd probably score the lowest grade - no small-talk, no informal conversation, just a mind to get ahead.
He had excelled in the academic world through so much effort, that he no longer had time to socialize. Had his mind be more mature, he would have befriended people instead of going for the ultimate goal in one jump. He would have choosen based on personality, not on the perfection of the exterior of the meat popsicle before him.
Friday, March 2, 2007
Mass Production
Joseph looked out the window of his second floor office, happily watching people loading what his company manufactured into the truck. Ants, efficiently transporting goods, to be distributed to warehouses, then to consumers.
He peered out of his office towards his production staff, grateful of all the work that they had done for him; satisfying a multitudes of clients. They appreciated him, or so he hoped, for the job and money. But they, like him, are temporal beings. As was this building, the products on the crate outside, even the dramas currently being lived through the interactions of peoples. All worthless, to be forgotten to make place for the memory of the various media idols.
His factory, like the human population, was producting at record rates. His factory created a useful product, humans created humans. A new generation to surpass the old. But was it good to look at the human race as another result of mass production? Did it overly reduce people to just another component of a greater organism. Each company an orgasnism with people as cells.
A person, another completely replaceable part in the whole. That is, except for a few, special, that should be properly choosen. Joseph knows that he's not important enough to be remembered; but is the mass-produced population looking towards the right people?
Why was he bothering about this? He knows his place, he does what he has to do, returns to his desk, and prepares for the iteration of product specification, production, and release.
He peered out of his office towards his production staff, grateful of all the work that they had done for him; satisfying a multitudes of clients. They appreciated him, or so he hoped, for the job and money. But they, like him, are temporal beings. As was this building, the products on the crate outside, even the dramas currently being lived through the interactions of peoples. All worthless, to be forgotten to make place for the memory of the various media idols.
His factory, like the human population, was producting at record rates. His factory created a useful product, humans created humans. A new generation to surpass the old. But was it good to look at the human race as another result of mass production? Did it overly reduce people to just another component of a greater organism. Each company an orgasnism with people as cells.
A person, another completely replaceable part in the whole. That is, except for a few, special, that should be properly choosen. Joseph knows that he's not important enough to be remembered; but is the mass-produced population looking towards the right people?
Why was he bothering about this? He knows his place, he does what he has to do, returns to his desk, and prepares for the iteration of product specification, production, and release.
Monday, February 26, 2007
My Little World
Listen, my friend, I do not wish to give you directions, neither do I wish to help you. We may seemingly both be standing in this super-market, seemingly both buying our supplies for nourishment. But do not be fooled, I am not from here.
How can you see me if I'm not from here? Why do I grace you with my presence? I suppose that it is a valid question. And I will respond with a simple question: deep down in your heart, do you really want to live in this world?
I was like you, some time ago. Brought up in a world of magic, just for the magic to disappear and be replaced by this land filled with scheming corruption. Anything for an extra buck. I saw medical doctors go on strike ignoring their patients, public service people unhappy with their pay block roads, having rulers who were probably as trust-worthy as a shadowy figure luring a child with candy. Is this the world you want to live in?
I bid you good day, my friend. Our worlds maybe crossed this one day; but they shall not again. I desire a different world, and that is where I'll be, no matter in what situation my physical representation manifests itself.
How can you see me if I'm not from here? Why do I grace you with my presence? I suppose that it is a valid question. And I will respond with a simple question: deep down in your heart, do you really want to live in this world?
I was like you, some time ago. Brought up in a world of magic, just for the magic to disappear and be replaced by this land filled with scheming corruption. Anything for an extra buck. I saw medical doctors go on strike ignoring their patients, public service people unhappy with their pay block roads, having rulers who were probably as trust-worthy as a shadowy figure luring a child with candy. Is this the world you want to live in?
I bid you good day, my friend. Our worlds maybe crossed this one day; but they shall not again. I desire a different world, and that is where I'll be, no matter in what situation my physical representation manifests itself.
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Projects, projects, projects...
Are you like me? You want to do so much that nothing really gets done until completion? I want to finish the old, but the latest and greatest is just tempting me.
My first project to actually graduate away from this is "GameLib" (yes, I'll probably end up uploading it a year later, but I'm proud, it's a code base that works). But it's supporting applications could use a bit of work, sadly enough. On the bright side, it's a project, it's over a year old :).
Last month I had to bury "AfterLife", a little story that I was working on. Sort of sad, really. I really wanted to evolve it, to develop it. However, the social structure that I had to enforce for the scenario to work, sort of worked against the scenario. Also, the characters needed quite a bit more development. And the story had no point.
Next, is "Metaphysics". The characters are much better defined. I still have to introduce myself to them; but I know who they are, how they are related to each other. This project, opposed to the previous, has much greater focus on relations among characters rather than a complex underlying world, a world that I wanted to live in, but my mind never went. "Metaphysics", being much simpler, is much easier to grasp, for me to enter the world, it's a story at my level. Various sketches were done; and for a personal project, it's advancing quite smoothly. I will post the first chapter once it's ready; and the sketches will wait until the relevant portions of the storyline is determined -- which is what I fear.
"AfterLife" also suffered from a very bland story-line. Nothing happened after a dozen pages of text. Characters were introduced, things happened, but all in all, no one ended up needing to save the world, there was no suspense. It's as though I documented Mr. Joe Average perfectly normal life (well, as normal as possible given the circumstances in the story). Also, after a certain while, the story just "ended" -- what was I trying to say; where was this going?
"Metaphysics" might be much better defined, but it really lacks in the story department. I'm working from the top-down, and am planning playing with the relations between groups of characters to cause chaos. However, who knows how that will pan out. Will it even work? Will the reader be interested? Will this sound like some stories where the author seems to be inventing things in order to make the story progress within practically every chapter? I hope this is a success.
The other project is my city in SimCity -- this is an easy project. Yet, I always tend to destroy my cities. Again, a bit of perseverence is key. There is a large demand for residential, however the residential zones haven't completely built up, or are complaining about transportation woes. From experience, I can expand the city 10-fold it's size, but still have transportation problems; hence time to attack the heart of the problem, and get those sims from point A to point B.
My first project to actually graduate away from this is "GameLib" (yes, I'll probably end up uploading it a year later, but I'm proud, it's a code base that works). But it's supporting applications could use a bit of work, sadly enough. On the bright side, it's a project, it's over a year old :).
Last month I had to bury "AfterLife", a little story that I was working on. Sort of sad, really. I really wanted to evolve it, to develop it. However, the social structure that I had to enforce for the scenario to work, sort of worked against the scenario. Also, the characters needed quite a bit more development. And the story had no point.
Next, is "Metaphysics". The characters are much better defined. I still have to introduce myself to them; but I know who they are, how they are related to each other. This project, opposed to the previous, has much greater focus on relations among characters rather than a complex underlying world, a world that I wanted to live in, but my mind never went. "Metaphysics", being much simpler, is much easier to grasp, for me to enter the world, it's a story at my level. Various sketches were done; and for a personal project, it's advancing quite smoothly. I will post the first chapter once it's ready; and the sketches will wait until the relevant portions of the storyline is determined -- which is what I fear.
"AfterLife" also suffered from a very bland story-line. Nothing happened after a dozen pages of text. Characters were introduced, things happened, but all in all, no one ended up needing to save the world, there was no suspense. It's as though I documented Mr. Joe Average perfectly normal life (well, as normal as possible given the circumstances in the story). Also, after a certain while, the story just "ended" -- what was I trying to say; where was this going?
"Metaphysics" might be much better defined, but it really lacks in the story department. I'm working from the top-down, and am planning playing with the relations between groups of characters to cause chaos. However, who knows how that will pan out. Will it even work? Will the reader be interested? Will this sound like some stories where the author seems to be inventing things in order to make the story progress within practically every chapter? I hope this is a success.
The other project is my city in SimCity -- this is an easy project. Yet, I always tend to destroy my cities. Again, a bit of perseverence is key. There is a large demand for residential, however the residential zones haven't completely built up, or are complaining about transportation woes. From experience, I can expand the city 10-fold it's size, but still have transportation problems; hence time to attack the heart of the problem, and get those sims from point A to point B.
Friday, February 16, 2007
Illegal Copying
This just came to mind. At what point is something considered copying? While watching a DVD on the computer, I wondered how I'd implement the DVD player software -- assuming it weren't encrypted -- which would be quite fun one day. Well, I'd open the files on the DVD, copy data to memory, decompress the data, and stream the results to the audio device and video-card.
Now; here's the fun part. Copy. Yes, to watch a movie, all of the content is copied onto the machine. And written on the disc is "Do not copy"... Hmm, and to say I'm sure that all DVD players do something similar (especially if they are buffering parts ahead in case of future seek problems).
If you can see it, it was copied into a memory buffer somewhere. With HDMI, the decompressed video data will probably be on the monitor itself; but it's still a perfect copy.
Like unprintable and unsavable PDFs, a copy of the PDF resides in memory on the local machine (it'd be stupid not to). Hence, anything viewed on the web is already copied to the local machine. Anything viewed on the web is downloaded (even streamed data; no matter what hoops someone has to jump, it still gets decompressed somewhere in memory to be sent to the video-card's memory).
The moral of this story, to play or watch a movie implies that it is copied. "No Illegal Copying" would be a better phrase (and that is what should be assumed they meant) - however that would reveal to everyone that there is such a thing as legal copying. They could say "no copying for more than 3 seconds at a time" (for those of us with extremely huge buffers), but could just seem as confusing.
Or they could do like they did with my "Rise of Nations" and "SimCity" discs. Include a nice blurb like "If you think these discs are illegal, contact Microsoft", or just don't mention it. (It's all detailed in the EULA anyhow...). I only wish I could read the EULA before buying the product (aka, in store, and before popping in the disc; some games like HL2 I would have liked to have a different EULA - it was one where some clauses I wanted to refuse; but what store accepts returns on opened software?).
Now; here's the fun part. Copy. Yes, to watch a movie, all of the content is copied onto the machine. And written on the disc is "Do not copy"... Hmm, and to say I'm sure that all DVD players do something similar (especially if they are buffering parts ahead in case of future seek problems).
If you can see it, it was copied into a memory buffer somewhere. With HDMI, the decompressed video data will probably be on the monitor itself; but it's still a perfect copy.
Like unprintable and unsavable PDFs, a copy of the PDF resides in memory on the local machine (it'd be stupid not to). Hence, anything viewed on the web is already copied to the local machine. Anything viewed on the web is downloaded (even streamed data; no matter what hoops someone has to jump, it still gets decompressed somewhere in memory to be sent to the video-card's memory).
The moral of this story, to play or watch a movie implies that it is copied. "No Illegal Copying" would be a better phrase (and that is what should be assumed they meant) - however that would reveal to everyone that there is such a thing as legal copying. They could say "no copying for more than 3 seconds at a time" (for those of us with extremely huge buffers), but could just seem as confusing.
Or they could do like they did with my "Rise of Nations" and "SimCity" discs. Include a nice blurb like "If you think these discs are illegal, contact Microsoft", or just don't mention it. (It's all detailed in the EULA anyhow...). I only wish I could read the EULA before buying the product (aka, in store, and before popping in the disc; some games like HL2 I would have liked to have a different EULA - it was one where some clauses I wanted to refuse; but what store accepts returns on opened software?).
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