Video Game Monopolies
Less than two weeks after we learned that Microsoft would be purchasing Activision Blizzard for $70 billion, today it was announced that PlayStation Studios (AKA Sony) is to buy Bungie for $3.6 billion. Both Microsoft and Sony have extolled the virtues of their respective acquisitions and claim that gamers will benefit. Game passes will become better value for money with new titles added to them. Accessibility and crossplay may well increase due to each company’s technological innovations. Console prices could even be reduced. And at a company level, restructuring and streamlining presents a potential opportunity to purge some developers of many of the toxicity issues that blight them. If you believe the press releases from both Sony and Microsoft, then the future of gaming is in safe hands and looking good. And so far there hasn’t been one mention of NFTs.
DIY
During the seventies there was a boom in DIY (do it yourself) in the UK and a surge in interest in interior design. It was a decade of home extensions, loft conversions and open plan living. Social attitudes were changing and the formal layout of the family home that had prevailed since Edwardian times was giving way to ideas of a far more informal living space. I experienced this cultural change first hand between 1975 and 1985, as my Father spent a decade renovating the family home, room by room. The time and pace of this decade of DIY were dictated purely by the costs. My Father was working as a teacher and so the school holidays afforded him the time and opportunity. The practical benefits of DIY made the cost far more affordable. Plus, my Father was a mechanical engineer by trade and therefore could competently undertake woodwork, building and basic plumbing.
Films You Have Seen More Than Seven Times
There was this Tweet doing the rounds on Twitter today. You know, the kind that asks a simple question that gets some traction, so eventually you start seeing various people’s replies throughout the day in your timeline. This Tweet asked "what film have you watched more than 7 times? Reply only with gifs". After reading several answers from those I follow on Twitter (all of which were very interesting), I decided to join in myself. So I found a suitable gif for Akira Kurosawa’s classic 1954 masterpiece, Seven Samurai, and posted it. I chose this film because it is one of my favourites. I find something new in it every time I watch it. And I have definitely seen it more than seven times. However, the more I pondered this Twitter question, the more I realised that there are many films that I’ve seen over seven times. In fact you don’t even have to be a dedicated film fan to fall into this category.
"The World Doesn't Actually Need 10,000 New Indie Games a Year"
One of the reasons I’m not that engaged with politics at the moment is because so many people’s opinions are based upon spurious data, misconceptions and logical fallacies. There are too many hot takes that are based on bluster, faux outrage and a fundamental dislike or fear of change. Sadly, speaking before thinking seems to have become commonplace and has filtered down from political discourse into pretty much every other aspect of public discourse. The furiously hard-of-thinking dominate most public spaces and seem ready to pounce on any subject being debated with an angry, knee-jerk opinion. It is all very wearing. It would seem that being angry about someone or something is as addictive as heroin and a lot cheaper. However, it is equally just as damaging to society.
LOTRO: The Angle of Mitheithel Preview Update
Yesterday, Standing Stone Games made Bullroarer Update 32 - Beta #5 available on their test server and invited player feedback. This latest preview of the next content update for the MMORPG, The Lord of the Rings Online, focuses mainly upon The Legendary Item Reward Track. When the revised LI system was released last October as part of the expansion Fate of Gundabad, it was not fully integrated into the game. Existing LI rewards were not replaced with new ones and no decision had been made regarding potential compensation for obsolete LI related items. There were also outstanding changes to the user interface for the LI system. These are now being addressed in Update 32. The current build, Beta #5, also has some minor updates to the new zone, The Angle of Mitheithel. As ever with anything on the Bullroarer test server, it is subject to change and may be different in the final live release.
Star Trek Online: The Captain’s Table
If you are a lifetime account holder for the MMORPG Star Trek Online, you get a selection of tangible benefits, as well as unfettered access to the game without currency caps and other impediments. These benefits include exclusive ships and playable races, additional bank and inventory slots and a plethora of boots and buffs. Buried among these trinkets and baubles is access to The Captain's Table. An interdimensional bar which caters exclusively to captains and leaders of note throughout the galaxy. In the early 25th century, the bar appeared aboard a mysterious Sierra-class space station, inside the Aenigma Nebula. The nebula is accessible through ship-sized portals in the orbits of Earth, Qo'noS and New Romulus. The Captain's Table is a nightclub and social venue with the following services.
Unavailable Films
I recently found an old blog post from an earlier incarnation of Contains Moderate Peril, circa 2010, in which I praised the availability of so many obscure and niche market films. Over the past 10 years since the DVD format became established, a tremendous back catalogue of material has become available. You only have to visit a branch of a store such as HMV, to find current or classic titles, complete box sets of old television series and obscure genre material. It is quite surprising what a search for more obscure titles online will turn up. I recently found the 1969 allegorical curiosity, Figures in a Landscape directed by Joseph Losey and starring Robert Shaw. A further perusal of international DVD vendors turned up a copy of the superb Italian cash-in movie, Killer Fish from 1979, with Lee Majors and Karen Black. I also lamented the conspicuous absence of several other films.
Star Trek Online: Black Screen Bug
Over the last year an intermittent bug has been plaguing the MMORPG, Star Trek Online. For most players it is not unresolvable and there is a workaround. However, it is one of those bugs that is a low level source of annoyance for most and for a few unlucky players a major impediment to playing Star Trek Online. The bug is as follows. If you use the Arc game launcher to log into your Perfect World Entertainment account and then start Star Trek Online from the list of games, you will randomly get a black screen rather than the Cryptic logo and the game loading. If this occurs, you need to press ctrl+alt+del to bring up the Task Manager and manually click “End Task” to terminate the frozen GameClient.exe file. Relaunching the game from Arc a second time often resolves the issue and the game starts. However, the problem may occur again after exiting the game or it may not. It does seem to be somewhat random and capricious.
The Case of Charles Dexter Ward by H. P. Lovecraft - Read by Neil Hellegers
Charles Dexter Ward is a young man from a prominent Rhode Island family with a keen interest in history. He spends much of his childhood wandering the streets of ancient Providence, drawn inexorably to its architecture, as well as it’s colourful heritage. As an adult he continues his antiquarian leanings and subsequently discovers a hitherto unknown ancestor, Joseph Curwen. One with a shadowy past which hints at the pursuit of alchemy and other arcane practises. Charles decides to uncover the truth regarding Joseph Curwen and over time his interest changes into obsession. His Father begins to worry about his son’s fixation and the family Doctor, Marinus Bicknell Willett, decides to keep an eye upon the youth’s state of mind. A series of curious events hint at a growing eldritch malevolence and Doctor Willett begins to suspect that Charles is in grave danger from a menace stretching across time.
LOTRO: The Angle of Mitheithel Preview
Yesterday, Standing Stone Games made Bullroarer Update 32 - Beta #4 available on their test server. Unlike the previous three test builds, this one allows players to visit the new area coming in Update 32 to the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online. According to SSG “The Angle of Mitheithel stretches south from the Trollshaws to the junction of the Bruinen and Mitheithel rivers. It is a wild land of rocky hills and deep pine-woods, and a graveyard of ancient kingdoms. The ruins of Elves and Men alike crumble among the trees, and the Rangers steal through the shadows of the trees, ever watchful, carrying out secret assignments as the north grows more dangerous by the day. The Angle of Mitheithel will be for levels 40 to 45”. This is a very early build and as a result, there are no mobs at present in the new zone, nor have any new maps or stables been added to the game at present.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Trailer
Finally the first teaser trailer for Amazon Prime’s forthcoming TV show set in the Second Age of Middle-earth has been released. The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings of Power will be released weekly on Amazon’s streaming service commencing September 2nd 2022. The first season consists of eight episodes. The series is a prequel to the events of The Lord of the Rings, depicting "previously unexplored stories" based on Tolkien's works. The show will include such iconic locations as the Misty Mountains, the elf-capital Lindon, and the island kingdom of Númenor. The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings of Power maintains the visual and design aesthetic of the existing Peter Jackson movies. Furthermore, composer Howard Shaw maintains his involvement as does artists and designer John Howe. Apparently, due to the Tolkien Estate being happy with the development of the show, Amazon had gained access to certain elements and passages from The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales to include in the narrative arc.
Caring for the Elderly Part 15
In this latest post I wish to discuss hospital admissions and how they can become a regular occurrence when caring for the elderly. Being immobile, losing agency with respect to one’s personal hygiene and being dependent on medical equipment can lead to health related problems, irrespective of good home care. For example, my late Father had limited mobility and spent most of his day sitting. Hence, he used a memory foam cushion to protest against pressure sores. He also slept in a hospital bed equipped with an air mattress for similar reasons. Despite having attentive carers twice a day, he was subject to regular skin complaints due to his diet (he was fed via a PEG tube) and lack of sunlight. Perhaps the biggest source of problems came from being catheterised. Despite scrupulous cleanliness he would still regularly contract urinary tract infections. As a result hospital admissions were frequent.
LOTRO: Abandoned Game Mechanics and Systems Part 2
In the previous post, I focused upon several major game mechanics that were added to the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online with much pomp and ceremony, only to fall into abeyance shortly afterwards. I cited such examples as mounted combat, epic battles and skirmishes. Their fate may well have been due to player indifference or the fact that the mechanics were complicated to develop and expensive to maintain. In this follow-up article I would like to discuss some additional systems that are somewhat smaller in their scope and relevance, but have similarly been abandoned by the developer’s Turbine/Standing Stone Games over the lifecycle of the game. Some are ancient history within the context of the LOTRO. Others are far more recent and that is a point worth reflecting upon.
LOTRO: Abandoned Game Mechanics and Systems Part 1
According to Merlin, played by the great Nicol Williamson in the 1981 film Excalibur, “It is the doom of men that they forget”. A criticism that could be levelled both at me and Turbine/Standing Stone Games. The MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online is littered with systems, game mechanics and features that have been introduced to the game, proven unsuccessful, unpopular or too complex to maintain and subsequently abandoned. I can’t help but think that the last reason is possibly the most common factor in determining the fate of a new game system. Cryptic removed The Foundry system of player created content from Star Trek Online because the sole member of staff that curated it left the company, proving this problem isn’t unique to LOTRO. However, as it’s been my main MMO of choice for 14 years, I shall be using it as a point of reference. Here are a few examples.
LOTRO: The Hytbold Experiment
In 2012, developers Turbine embarked upon an interesting experiment as part of the Riders of Rohan expansion for the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online. I do not refer to mounted combat. Let us leave that debacle for another discussion. I was referencing the rebuilding of the burnt out village of Hytbold, which was promoted at the time as an alternative to raiding for solo players. Hytbold is a settlement located within the Sutcrofts in East Rohan, which was burned down in an attack by Orcs from the East Wall. Once a player reaches level 84 they can undertake repeatable daily quests, participate in mounted combat and other unique events. Over time a player can rebuild the two dozen buildings that make up Hytbold and access services such as Stable Master, Provisioner and Barber. The rewards for this task are class and trait-specific armour sets that are comparable to level 85 raid gear and the title of Thane of Rohan.
Auto-manage
I’m sure I’ve mentioned this issue before in previous video game related posts. But I don’t think I’ve devoted an entire article to the matter, which is what I’m going to do today. So to provide some context, I logged into The Elder Scrolls Online today as I’m fast approaching that point in the year where I spend a few months subscribing to the game. Due to some recent patch, once again all my Champion Points have been refunded. Judging by the change in graphics, it may be that the entire Champion Point system has been updated. Whatever the reason, I have to re-allocate 501points into three skill trees. I wasn’t au fait with the last system, so I followed a build I found online. Now that it has changed, I’ll have to find a new one and copy it. Until I do, my character will be gimped. Shame the game doesn’t offer a selection of generic builds that can be easily implemented at the press of a button.
Star Trek Online: The Missing Missions
On October 15th 2018, Cryptic released Season 15: Age of Discovery for the MMORPG Star Trek Online. As well as adding new Star Trek: Discovery themeed content to the game, the developers also overhauled the new player experience and as a result made some major changes to existing missions in the game. Several story arcs were taken from the “Episodes” tab of the game’s Journal and relegated them to the status of side-content. As a result, several well written and enjoyable storylines are now buried in the game’s UI and are therefore easily overlooked. Some of them have been further gated behind a level 60 requirement to be eligible to play them. For more details of both these “side-content” story arcs and playing the entire game in narrative order, please see my previous post, Playing the Story Arcs in Order.
LOTRO: Changes to Embers, Motes and Figments Currencies
I dislike an excess of currencies in the MMORPG genre. I believe that such systems are implemented with a deliberate intention to obfusticate and dissemble. Especially if such currencies are bought with real money. Consider the following scenario. A player buys a specific currency and then uses that to purchase a second, different currency. They then use that to obtain an ingame item, The sole intention of such systems in video games are to disassociate the player from the fact that they have made a purchase which has a real cost. These are manipulative and predatory business practises but such is the nature of the video games industry and they are commonplace. You have to keep your wits about you when spending money ingame. Sadly those who don’t, end up falling foul of such practises.
At the Mountains of Madness by H.P. Lovecraft - Read by Richard Coyle
At the Mountains of Madness is a story told from a first-person perspective by geologist William Dyer, a professor from Miskatonic University in Arkham, a fictional town in Essex County, Massachusetts USA. When a new scientific expedition to Antarctica is announced, Dyer breaks his silence and discloses hitherto unknown and closely kept secrets about his own explorations of the continent and exactly what befell his own expedition. He details how his team found the preserved remains of 14 prehistoric life forms unknown to science and outside of the existing geological and evolutionary timescale. He goes on to recount how some of the men and sled dogs are killed under mysterious circumstances. Dyer and graduate student Danforth, subsequently explored a mountain range by plane and discovered a vast, abandoned stone city, which is alien to any form of human architecture. What is the secret of this ancient ruin? Can Dyer convince subsequent explorers to stay clear of “the mountains of madness”.
Diary of a Podcaster Part 18
I recently decided I’d had enough of the endless deliberation and procrastination and so I started producing a weekly podcast again. As of today the second episode of Season 10 of the Contains Moderate Peril podcast is available on all major platforms. I must admit, although I was confident that a few people would listen to the show, I was completely taken aback by the overall reaction. The Contains Moderate Peril podcast was warmly welcomed back by previous listeners on social media and the statistics for the first show have been most positive. For myself and Brian, recording the show is like putting on a comfortable pair of shoes. Last night’s recording went okay and I think after a few more episodes, the recording and editing process will be an efficient process. Keeping each episode to an hour or under means that the conversation stays on point.