hex65000

Greetings A-Aers it's been a while. Today I'm getting rid of some things. Some things are items I thought that I could use. Other items I explicitly said to myself that it was too interesting to put in a landfill. There is no warranty or guarantee that said item will be complete or even work. The only assurance I will give is that the items will be clean and any known information I have I will give you if you have questions. I don't have time or the desire to barter or any of that so the rules for this sale is that everything is just the cost to get it into your hands. (shipping) *** Paying for stuff: I've stopped using Paypal for everything and so it's either a check or a money order. The list: -- Lis'ner 1000 Rev 1.0 : it's some kind of speech recognition / synthesis card for the commodore 64. Includes a card, edge card cable, headphones with a mic, instructions, and a floppy disk. I don't know if any of it works, but it looks to be in good shape. -- Microsoft Sidewinder Force Feedback Pro (PC joystick) : Includes a power supply. This uses the original DB-15 PC joystick connector. I'm pretty sure it works, or at least the previous owner said it did. -- Powermac G4 : I have fought with machine on and off to get a proper OS installed on it and I'm giving up. I'm pretty sure it's in working order and will include a pair of blank 30GB PATA drives for you to battle with on your own. Hardware: 400MHz G4 ppc, ATI Rage 128 AGP card, memory 1GB, scsi controller, CD rom drive, and hard disks mentioned above. This is pretty heavy so be mindful of that. -- PCI parallel port card. Comes in a box with a manual. There is a 3.5" floppy with driver disc. -- Modular Circuit Technology EPROM programmers : Includes multiple programming pods, a floppy disk (5 1/4"), manuals, and a couple of IBM PC ISA cards. (so, yeah, it's pretty dated). I have no idea if it works in any capacity, but there's enough parts here to probably get one up and running. EDIT: Attached some pictures, corrected aspects described on the macg4 and the parallel port card. (Also grammar) Hex. [ So much stuff, and so little time. ]

Agreed on GOG > Steam, especially for offline gaming. I didn't know about the option to link to your steam account I'll have to look into that. Usually, if I see a game of interest on Steam, I'll check GOG first to see if they have it also. If it's a sale item, many times the price is comparable so why not get the GOG version? The only sorta downside to GOG is that if there are steam trading cards / achievements that you wanna tell all your friends about, that bit is lost. I do like the trading cards for the occasional smattering of extra artwork, but it's not a gotta have thing. Hex. [ Wishes I had the time and skill to play like I used to... ]

I tried streaming for oh, about a week. It was okay I suppose, but I had some unwritten rules that I adhered to: -Audio only. I have an aversion of pictures of me on the Internet. They exist, but are intentionally scarce-ish. -Just play and do whatever I was going to do if no one was watching. This of course made me REALLY boring. -Try to be a little entertaining, but keep it PG and don't try too hard. Also made me boring. The "popular" streamers I have seen footage of I can't stand for more than 2 minutes til I am going, "Dude. Shuddap and play! stop filling the quiet with your incessant noises." Since I have limited bandwidth available, and I'm terrible at PvP activities that was right out. I played a few rounds of Warframe and Guild Wars 2. I had one subscriber and he was a guild member. <shrug> most of the time it was me mostly just quietly playing. I don't have time to move my mouth and discuss what's happening. I'm being shot at! Of course, now I'm thinking about firing up Minecraft and doing what I do best in that game : Dig holes in the ground. Hex. [ Today's experiment . . . . FAILED! ]

Just a bump-date on this one. They added Braid, Super Meat Boy, and Lone Survivor to the bundle if you beat the average (a bit over $8 currently). Hex. [ Is trying to squeeze in a couple of hours on the Guild Wars 2 beta... too bad I'm tired. ]

I remain secure in my manliness; I'd buy it. While pink is not my first choice, $51 dollars for one and the price is too good to pass up. I bought a black 3DS during their last little price dip. Haven't played with it the much. The library still needs to spin up IMO. Hex. [ Just too stubborn to stop looking for all the wrong things... ]

I bought it for Superbrothers since I already have Steam copies of everything else. I'll likely just give those titles to my sister to try out. Bastion is also in that bunch; if Morgan Freeman had a narrator, it would be the dude who narrates Bastion. Seriously though, I don't think there's a gutterball game on that lineup. I don't think of these as indie games per-se. but more like well funded experimental titles. (Katamari Damancy springs to mind in this category.) My rule is I give around $2-3 per game. It's a super low price point for what you get and it's easy to beat the average price using that particular model. Not to mention no DRM is worth supporting IMO. Hex. [ Coffee for the coffee god! Grounds for the ground throne! We brew eternal! ]

Yeah, that's pretty much it for me too. I have built a MASSIVE steam library in about 1.5 years. The sales on shiny things make me spend like a feind. My OK computer plays everything I want with no problems at all. In terms of consoles, I turned on my XBox 1 a few weeks ago to watch a DVD on the big screen. The Indie Bundles are IMO one of the avenues that may save the industry from total stagnation or perhaps better defined as terminal levels of stupid. For example, some 'small time' games that have been a blast for me to play... SPAZ (Space Pirates and Zombies): Yes, zombies in mutha-!@#$ing space! This combo of 2d shooter with exploration and light RPG elements has sucked up around 80 hours of playtime (thanks for telling me that Steam) They have a demo available too which gives you a good feel of the game. Last time I played it, they introduced bounty hunters. Irritate them enough and they pop in at random times to ruin your day. Kick thier arse in for doing it and you win respect which will make them back off and provide you with interesting new ship blueprints. UnEpic: This one I grabbed during the "because we may" sale. It's got average reviews, but it's a 2D Metroid-vania type that doesn't take itself too seriously. However, the difficulty curve can be mean as all get out. A bit pricier than some, but still, the purchase felt like money well spent. (again, a demo is available) Dungeon Defenders: This is one you can enjoy playing with a buddy. A 3rd person FPS merged with tower defense and lots of loot dropping action. The downside is that this dude has a CRAPTON of DLC. Some good, some bad, some I have no idea. If you like the base game (whch periodically sees a Steam sale or was available during one of the other indie bundle sales.) The DLC is wothwhile, but again, watch for sales on it. This one also seems to like having Steam associated with it. Swift Stitch: An odd and rather simple title. It's interesting twitch action done in a vector graphics style. I picked this one up on sale as well via the Because we May sale. What is nice about it is the pick up and play aspect and the target of perfect twitch skills that appeals to the retro gamer in me. The vector-like graphics make me look at it and go, "Why ISN'T this being ported to the Vectrex?" Seriously though, try the demo and enjoy what it has to offer. Lastly, GOG; these guys are depleating my wallet with the power of awesome. The fact that they are doing releases of current games is all the more reason to check there first. THEN check Steam. I bought "Tiny and Big" along with "Retro City Rampage" through GOG over Steam. Not to mention, Carmageddon is coming to GOG, "Can you DIG it!" Hex. [ Is thinking that THIS is a good Youtube rant in the making... ]

I loved playing the first two installments of Carmageddon; it was especially nice with the 3dFX Glide drivers. I still have the CDs sitting around too. However, Carmageddon 3 TDR was bad, bad, bad. Perhaps my first true launch day gutterball with the PC. I'm a little leery of the kickstarter thing though. In our IP - loopy world I wouldn't want this to magically turn into Gorf for the Jaguar... Hex. [ Has an awful headache... Anyone else want one too? ]

Warning: Thread Jack! After my friends telling me to look at Torchlight and the sequel is due out a little after the Diablo 3 launch at one third of the price ($20 currently can get you TL 1&2 via Steam). While it's a bit cartoony, I'm digging TLight 1. At the $30 or less mark, I'll consider Diablo 3. Until then, Blizzard can take a walk. <Pbbbbblllttt....> Hex. [ Recently tried his hand at Guild Wars 2 ... Oh look. Another game genre I'm abysmal at. <sigh> ]

Thanks Google for pointing out to me (again) how AWFUL I am at Starcraft... Hex. [ Is paranoid over 'cannon rushes'... ]

You also have to pay attention to the DRM on those games too. Gatling Gears has a 5 machine activation limit. I'm also surprised that they didn't include "The Baconing" with the other two DeathSpank titles. I try to avoid EA stuff because of their wackiness. Only the sheer stupidity of Ubisoft exceeds EA IMO. Full Disclosure: I own The DeathSpank series and Dead Space 1&2 (Dead Space has a crapload of DRM with it too; I regret that purchase. ) Hex. [ Last seen having a blast playing Torchlight... ]

You are correct that the game is busy and attempts to shift the focus away from what you are trying to shoot at. I like playing it every once in a while. Also, if you have/get a DS spinner for your DS you can play the game that way which changes the feel of the controls a lot. Hex. [ Will be drawing the ire of his wife in about a week... The giant box is coming... <sigh> ]

Wow. That's a lot of stuff. I don't see myself hitting the look of the more 'pro' looking videos anytime soon. My goal is that what I post meets within reason the following requirements: - Watchable (basic) : You can see what I'm doing and you can hear me / the target ambient audio that is of interest, and the camera isn't CONSTANTLY wobbling about. I noticed in the nervous brickdown video that my hands weren't very steady and so the case and instructions are moving around. At least the camera was on a tripod. - Watchable (flow) : While not perfect, I tried to break up the flow of Nervous Brickdown stages by not showing me play whole levels in most cases. Partly because I am AWFUL at the game. And partly to hopefully retain the attention of the watcher. In the summary, it probably felt more disjointed because of the abrupt game mode transitions. In that case I was focused on what I had to say and the gameplay footage was to fill the visual void in that case. This was a mistake I made with Ninja Town. The gameplay footage goes on for a while. In that case, I started to get bored watching it too; that means I have lost pretty much everybody else. - I am not on camera: I have a job currently where pictures of me on the Internet doesn't impact things much, but at a future job, it may. Call it a combination of healthy paranoia and plausible deniability. - I don't make a total ass of myself. I'm sure I do it anyway, but I do attempt to do damage control there. This kind of harks back to the previous point. While a 15 yr. old having an insanity fit breaking his stuff is a train wreck that everyone seems to like watching. It's not my style. If I review or comment on something the last thing I want to do is come off sounding like a 15 yr. old stating how 'ghey' something is. If I do that, SOMEONE PLEASE say something! - A semi consistent format: I try to have my more recent videos have a little bumper in the front with a title and at the end something similar. I have tried shooting footage of LCD screens (water cooling project video) and it just isn't readable. For now I'm going to stick to using the DSi XL for my future game related projects. If only because it lends credibility to how the game handles. Technical things: I have a so-so digital camera and while Nervous Brickdown was shot in 640x480. I can go higher, and will try to remember to do that for the next game. What I can't do is zoom in and out while shooting video. <grump> I typically wind up with renders in an open source format, and honestly, the format is the least of my concerns. I'm more interested in verifying that it renders correctly. Which leads to the video editing tools I use to do this. What is likely atypical is that I use Linux to meet my video editing needs. I use PiTiVi to crop and splice individual clips, OpenShot to glue the render together, the audio recorder and a webcam to capture voice over audio, and Gimp (or Paint Shop Pro 7 for Windows) does the stills. While there are Windows apps out there that are likely easier to use, I got what I paid for with these programs. <Free as in speech> I tried the note card thing with Ninja Town and it just went poorly. I was pretty frustrated after bombing take after take and forgetting stuff in between. Typing it out and polishing my thoughts felt better. However, as I read it aloud it became readily apparent that I was reading a script. A few edits later and a conscious effort to add inflection to my thoughts, it sounded 'good enough to ship'. You can tell it's not me talking into the camera microphone. I may consider improving that by buying a better voiceover microphone, but I'm not in a position to drop a ton of money on upgrading what gear I have. Annotations is a piece of the technology I'm not ready to dig into yet. I know it's not hard, but I'm after decent composition first. I think some people annotate because they slapped it together so fast that they forgot the content part. I see it as an element if used correctly is awesome, and if used incorrectly is just annoying. Your suggestions on video capture for computers and TVs sound like good ideas. I'll likely do that sometime soon. Thanks for the feedback. Although, you raise a good question, how do I promote this stuff without being too annoying? Hex. [ Put on another pot of coffee and shake the rust out... ]

Thread Necro! My second whack at a review is up. I did do a voice over for the summary at the end. It still sounds a little like I am reading a script though. (I am reading a script. I wrote it out so I could have my thoughts in order before I started talking.) Still, not as painful to watch (I hope) as Ninja Town was. Hex. [ And DO NOT watch the 8051 construction video unless you like watching me solder for an hour... o_0 ]

I think I have a new (opened) IBM 1.2MB drive sitting around. Give me a shout if you think you need it. Hex. [ Loved the <Clunk> noise the soleniods make on those drives... ]

I could never get into the GTA series. I tried, but the combat was so abysmal that I just threw my hands up in disgust. Picking up Postal 2 on GOG for $5 was money well spent though. The game is old, buggy in spots, and inappropriate in even more spots, Even when the Postal Dude tries to play it straight, things just go wrong. Then I robbed the local bank (in the game), and de-populated a lower income neighborhood, and a junkyard... Morally Wrong (in real life)? Yes. Fun (in the game)? Yes. Hex. [ Will likely pick up Saints Row 3 late this year/next year when the steam sales on the game + DLC occurs. ]

Titan Attacks for me. Steam remains my pusher. <sigh> Hex. [ Is also occasionally enjoying a bit of pure stupid in Postal 2... ]

Any recommendations to look out for on the PSP? I've got about 20 titles for it and don't know where to start loading up. I do have some of the classics though like Lumines 1&2, Wipeout, and Untold Legends. I also have a few of the JRPGs like Lunar (which I would like to play again), Persona 2, and one of the Y's installments. The machine doesn't see nearly the level of use that my DS does. Hex. [ Will tell you how AWFUL Plants V/s Zombies for the DS is and will then promptly continue to play it... 0_o ]

Been playing EYE instead... it may be interpreted as a quirky poor man's Dues Ex. I wish they would crank out a demo for it just so you could get a feel for the interface before you buy. OTOH, it's a $20 steam title from a smaller dev house. The thing that annoys me the most though is that reinforcements can spawn on top of you, and they spawn everywhere. But the ability to co-op a side mission for in game money is nice -- especially since it, the xp, and pickups carry over to your single player game. But you will die. A lot. I find it to be a pretty challenging game overall. Not something I'd outright recommend, because there are things that are not intuitive, but not a bad title. http://eye.streumon-studio.com/ Hex. [ Coffee for the coffee god! Grounds for the ground throne! ]

A little late to the party on this, but I have been watching this with a lot of interest... I think you did a good job trying to keep the poll as even handed as possible. We all have our biases and opinions, but your questions didn't feel skewed to me. I agree, and Sony is good at bullying folks. The makers of Bleem? --sued out of business. Lik-Sang? Ditto. The fact that 'GeoHot' at least left them stalemated to opt to settle makes me think that someone knew continuing to apply legal pressure wasn't going to end well. If that was a legal or public relations front, who knows. I didn't trust the quality control of the PS2 for a loooong time due to getting burned by it, and the only reason I own a PS3 is because Crazy Climber sold me his. I was considering keeping it offline, but the barrage of firmware updates was the clincher. It still forces updates if you buy a new enough game though. Just like the PSP. I have two 'code frozen' PSPs that are just waiting to be broken open. I look forward to that day. The 360 -- as unreliable as that unit is... <sigh> is my modern platform of choice. I think I'm pushing a good 70 titles for it now. The PS3... maybe 15 in my collection -- At least two or three exclusives on my want list, but I'm in no rush to support Sony at all. I'd like to think that Sony and their supporters will learn from all of this, but who am I kidding. This is just a bucket of failure. I agree that cheating is inappropriate, and that's where my agreement with you ends. I buy hardware and I should be allowed to do what I please with it. Period. That's not the 'entitlement' bull that I hear a lot of proponents claiming. I'm not renting the hardware from Sony, so as far as I'm concerned they can take a walk. If so, then I want the $300 bucks I shelled out for the machine and they can come and get it. When I spoof or abuse their network, then they have a right to ban me and/or my console. This isn't rocket science here. A drunken monkey with a nail gun can implement these solutions. Now, while I have your attention, do a little light reading on Wired... Wired: PS Network Hack Whodunnit Wired: Sony Says Credit cards Were Encrypted Wired: Security Whistleblower In PS Hacker Hunt The whodunnit article rings pretty true to me. Insane accusations by trolls along the lines of 'GeoHot' helping these people hack Sony just proves that some folks are just plain crazy. The man is clearly rather smart, and knows he's under the microscope. It's a no brainer really. While I don't know a ton about Anonymous, if their mission is to shame corps who abuse folks because they have money and we don't it doesn't jive well. The general cyber theft is the most logical. Especially since I think we are even seeing suspect charges pop up for members here. The last article linked also provides some insight, because this guy realized that their front end servers were out of date. If a white hat hacker can figure out that much, then it's pretty obvious that a black hat can capitalize on the situation -- and did. See above. I do not think that the two events are as related as Sony would like us to believe. Do I hope that the person or person(s) responsible for jacking all that data are caught? You betcha -- they deserve it. Sony is gonna be ok, and the Internet will conveniently forgive and forget everything once the next "Call of Duty" iteration comes out and they can shoot their friends in the face via PSN. Yay. I guess... Hex. [ Considered doing at least one '$ony' in the actual post body, but decided that it took credibility away from my argument, so this is the last of that bit you'll see from me. ]