Watching Other People Play Video Games
The notion of live streaming or recording video game playthroughs is now a clearly established part of popular culture. It is something you can do while sitting on your sofa, watching TV in your lounge. A decade ago, people were far more sceptical about it and would scratch their head and ask “why would you want to watch someone else play a game”? Yet here we are in 2025 and 15% of YouTube content is about video games. Furthermore 20 out of the top 100 content creators are producing video game related material. As of last year, YouTube videos about games were generating 6 billion monthly views, on average. Where there are views, there’s advertising. Hence there’s the potential to make a lot of money, which only encourages further growth.
The notion of live streaming or recording video game playthroughs is now a clearly established part of popular culture. It is something you can do while sitting on your sofa, watching TV in your lounge. A decade ago, people were far more sceptical about it and would scratch their head and ask “why would you want to watch someone else play a game”? Yet here we are in 2025 and 15% of YouTube content is about video games. Furthermore 20 out of the top 100 content creators are producing video game related material. As of last year, YouTube videos about games were generating 6 billion monthly views, on average. Where there are views, there’s advertising. Hence there’s the potential to make a lot of money, which only encourages further growth.
I won’t waste too much time extolling the virtues of Twitch TV and YouTube from a gamers perspective. They provide free marketing and promotion of video games along with a wealth of useful tips and hints. In many ways, videos can be far better than in-game tutorials. Content creators can also create communities. If I am considering buying a new game, I will always go online to watch some gameplay footage prior to purchase, to see if the game suits my personal tastes. Hence, in principle all of these examples are useful things. The content creators do all the immediate work and provide a service that is easy to consume and essentially free. However, if you examine this “cottage industry” a little more closely, then you’ll find that there are plenty of potential flaws and pitfalls.
Dr Disrespect is a well known internet twat
Content creators are not held to any professional standards or subject to any code of ethics. Hence, things may not always be as they appear and expressed views may be driven by other agendas, rather than being purely personal opinion. Furthermore, the bar for uploading material to YouTube is pretty low. It is technically not that difficult to do and as a result the standard of content varies greatly. The ability to press record and talk is no guarantee of quality. I suppose the politest thing that can be said is that there is a lot of “white noise” out there. The democratisation of video production has many positive virtues. People can make niche market content and connect with others all over the world to build communities. However, there is virtually no quality control and the free market approach leads to a race to the bottom.
Like many other people, I have watched YouTube videos and thought to myself “well if they can do that, so can I”. Sometimes I think with a degree of hubris, that I could do better. So I have decided to carry out a few test recordings of video game footage and see if I can edit together some content suitable to upload to my abandoned YouTube channel. So I have purchased some video editing software and will spend the next few weeks seeing what I can come up with. I have no aspirations beyond this at present. I’m more interested in the process of making videos, rather than growing a YouTube channel. The latter seems like a lot of hard work as you try to identify a target audience and then produce regular content to appeal to that demographic. It is an already saturated market that is very competitive. Plus YouTube places a lot of restrictions upon content that seeks monetisation.
Sniper Elite Resistance: 10 Tips
I have played Sniper Elite for over a decade, through all its various iterations. Although the core game mechanics stay broadly the same, over time a lot of additional features have been added to the game (and some removed). As a result, from time to time I will watch someone playing Sniper Elite via a stream or YouTube and see a feature that I didn’t know existed. Often these are small things but I find that it’s these minor embellishments that tend to prove the most beneficial. Hence, I have drawn up a list of 10 tips to share with fellow Sniper Elite players. Some may be well known, others may not. Due to the recent release of Sniper Elite Resistance, there are a lot of new players joining the community and this post is essentially aimed at them. Please note this is not a tactical guide but simply a list of a few “quality of life” tips .
I have played Sniper Elite for over a decade, through all its various iterations. Although the core game mechanics stay broadly the same, over time a lot of additional features have been added to the game (and some removed). As a result, from time to time I will watch someone playing Sniper Elite via a stream or YouTube and see a feature that I didn’t know existed. Often these are small things but I find that it’s these minor embellishments that tend to prove the most beneficial. Hence, I have drawn up a list of 10 tips to share with fellow Sniper Elite players. Some may be well known, others may not. Due to the recent release of Sniper Elite Resistance, there are a lot of new players joining the community and this post is essentially aimed at them. Please note this is not a tactical guide but simply a list of a few “quality of life” tips .
Shooting Explosives: Barrels, ammunition crates, generators and such like will all explode when shot. As will Grenades and Panzerfausts carried by enemies.
Sliding Down Ladders: You can slide down ladders by pressing shift and S. Similarly you can climb upwards at a faster speed by holding the shift key and W. However, climbing upwards at an accelerated pace will increase your heart rate. Sliding down does not.
Shooting Padlocks: Padlocks can be shot off with armour piercing rounds. This is faster than picking the lock although it will generate noise that may be detected. This tactic is most useful when you encounter a door locked from the otherside.
Active Reload: When reloading your weapon by pressing R, you will see a circular animated icon on screen. If you press R again at the right time (when the animation passes over the thicker part of the circle circumference), your weapon will reload faster.
Scope and Binocular Glint: Scopes on secondary weapons do not have any glint. Neither do binoculars.
Decoys: Decoys are useful against Tanks and other vehicles. They can also be deployed with a countdown timer that then generates noise. Enemies that shoot at the decoy are then tagged. Decoys are invaluable distractions for flanking or a quick escape.
Drop Takedowns: When climbing a wall, if you position yourself above an enemy you can press E to perform a drop down melee kill.
Booby Trapped Corpses: Booby trapped corpses can be thrown or dropped onto enemies and will explode.
Combining Explosives: Setting a Schü-mine near to a block of TNT is a good alternative to a regular mine. The combined explosion is fatal.
Rolling While Prone: You can roll to the left or right when prone by pressing either the left or right arrow keys and the spacebar. This can be effectively used to roll out of cover to shoot and then immediately back.
LOTRO: Will Your Kinship Survive the Server Migration?
I have many pleasant memories associated with playing the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online during its first decade. A lot of them are due to the kinship (guild) that I have been a member of since 2009. I started playing LOTRO in December 2008 and it took me a while to find a suitable kinship but once I did, it made logging into the game a real pleasure. I was at a point in my life where I had sufficient time to play the game regularly and take part in kinship organised raids. It was also an added bonus to be able to spend some time and chat with some like minded people. I’m sure such an experience is not unique to me and that many LOTRO players have enjoyed similar periods of time. The lucky ones may still be enjoying a comparable kinship experience today.
I have many pleasant memories associated with playing the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online during its first decade. A lot of them are due to the kinship (guild) that I have been a member of since 2009. I started playing LOTRO in December 2008 and it took me a while to find a suitable kinship but once I did, it made logging into the game a real pleasure. I was at a point in my life where I had sufficient time to play the game regularly and take part in kinship organised raids. It was also an added bonus to be able to spend some time and chat with some like minded people. I’m sure such an experience is not unique to me and that many LOTRO players have enjoyed similar periods of time. The lucky ones may still be enjoying a comparable kinship experience today.
Sadly, nothing remains the same forever. Kinships eventually run out of steam as people move on to other games or their personal circumstances change. MMOS themselves have fundamentally changed and a lot of content is no longer designed to be exclusively tackled by a group. For all the positive social aspects that a kinship can offer, there are also plenty of negatives ones as well. Drama, conflict and hierarchies. Hence a lot of players no longer see kinships as an essential part of the game experience but an optional extra. As a result of this gaming evolution and changing social dynamics, many kinships turn from an active social collective to a legacy group. The kinship endures but is no longer active. People stay out of friendship, or simply because why alter the status quo. Human nature loves the path of least resistance.
I suspect that for every active kinship there is in LOTRO who plan raids or social activities on a regular basis, there are another two which have become what I described previously as a legacy group. Kinships that have a house and a few members that decorate it and leave items in the kin chest. Everyone says “hi” to each other when they come online and one member continuously updates the message of the day to reflect what item is free in the in-game store. Long term players bring their alts into the kinship out of habit. Occasionally a returning player makes an appearance and everyone gets nostalgic. But beyond this, nothing really happens. No one runs group content and at times you may find that you’re the only member on the kinship online. You check the offline roster and see that people have been active but more often than not, you’re ships that pass in the night.
For kinships such as these, the forthcoming server migration is a significant problem. The logistics of moving alts, housing and a social group are not simple. Sadly, many members of inactive kinships do not have a means to communicate with all members. My own kinship has a Discord server but it is not used by everyone. Furthermore, not everyone who plays LOTRO takes an active interest in developer press releases. I have encountered a few random kinmates of late in-game, who were unaware of the server migration, including the kinship leader. None of which bodes well for a process that will require some organisation and management. Our kinship has to decide which server to migrate to and then the leader has to do a lot of prep to smoothly move the guild from A to B. Individual players also have to make decisions about housing and alts. Unless you travel lightly, all players will have some work to do.
When faced with the realities of this server migration and what it entails, I think a lot of LOTRO kinships will effectively come to an end, either by choice or as a consequence of change. People with opulent houses are going to have enough work cut out for them when they arrive on their new server and have to totally redecorate. VIP players can only protect three alts names prior to the move. What about the rest of their characters? Kinship leaders have all these woes on top of having to spearhead the transfer of their kin. Then on top of all this, there is the risk that comes with any change of infrastructure. Hence some players may decide to leave their current kinship and look for a new home on the new server. Possibly some kinship will collectively decide to call it a day. Others may end up fragmented with a percentage of players moving, while a handful resolutely remain on their old 32-bit home.
I think centralising LOTROs player base between six 64-bit servers, half in the US and half in Europe, will ultimately be good for the game. It is important to see other players in an MMORPG and reinforce the notion of a shared environment. However, I do not expect the process to go 100% smoothly and there is a lot of potential for collateral damage to occur along the way. SSG has to manage this process better than they did last time they consolidated servers back in 2011. Perhaps in some respects this situation provides an opportunity for a social reset among legacy linships that are effectively just treading water. Perhaps some will merge with others in the hope of revitalising interest. But I suspect many will simply fade away, which in many respects is a very Tolkienesque theme.
DisplayMagician
I recently wrote about the problems I was having trying to play several MMORPGs on my second monitor. The games in question do not have any settings to output to display number 2 and if you drag the game window from the primary monitor to the secondary, then the game either snaps back immediately to its original location or returns there after closing the client. As I suspected, I’m not the only person to be inconvenienced by this issue. A Google search found a cunning piece of open source software called DisplayMagician that resolves the problem. Written by Terry McDonald, DisplayMagician is designed to change your display profile and then run the game or application you select, on the monitor of your choice. It can also select specific audio devices and start extra programs, if required. It will then reset your settings back to the way they were, once you close the game or application.
I recently wrote about the problems I was having trying to play several MMORPGs on my second monitor. The games in question do not have any settings to output to display number 2 and if you drag the game window from the primary monitor to the secondary, then the game either snaps back immediately to its original location or returns there after closing the client. As I suspected, I’m not the only person to be inconvenienced by this issue. A Google search found a cunning piece of open source software called DisplayMagician that resolves the problem. Written by Terry McDonald, DisplayMagician is designed to change your display profile and then run the game or application you select, on the monitor of your choice. It can also select specific audio devices and start extra programs, if required. It will then reset your settings back to the way they were, once you close the game or application.
DisplayMagician allows you to create multiple display setups using Windows 10/11 and save them as profiles. These profiles can then be associated with various games, ensuring they are output to the preferred monitor. Furthermore, when associating a profile with a specific game, additional commands can be added such as launching Steam or switching audio to a headset. Once all the desired data has been entered, DisplayMagician can create a game shortcut library for your favourite games, making the entire process convenient and easy. Upon exiting the game or application, DisplayMagician restores your default monitor settings and will even run an additional command to reset any peripheral settings, such as steering wheels and game controllers, if a bespoke configuration has been used.
So far, I have successfully set up game shortcuts for Fall Guys, Guild Wars 2 and Sniper Elite Resistance. All of which now display on my second monitor which is a FHD display. This is far more convenient for screen and video captures, as the monitor has a 16:9 aspect ratio. My primary monitor, which I use for writing, has a 16:10 aspect ratio, which confuses YouTube and other content sharing services. Hence, I am very pleased with DisplayMagician as it does exactly what it purports to do, with the minimum of hassle. It is easy to configure, unobtrusive and isn’t resource hungry. I just have to launch an app and then click on a game shortcut and a problem that has bugged me for years, is resolved. Furthermore, DisplayMagician is free of charge, although I do think it is worthwhile to make a donation to its creator, to ensure that they continue development.
Sniper Elite Resistance
Let me start by stating what Sniper Elite Resistance isn’t. It is not the next iteration of the franchise. It is a tangential sequel to Sniper Elite 5 with a story that runs in parallel with the events of that game. While Karl Fairburne is tackling “Operation Kraken” in Sniper Elite 5, Sniper Elite Resistance sees fellow SOE operative Harry Hawker assisting the French Resistance uncover a new German “Wunderwaffe” (wonder weapon). Sniper Elite Resistance shares the same setting, game mechanics and soundtrack with its predecessor. There are seven new missions, set in pre D-Day France, which take place in very expansive maps. There is more to explore, a greater degree of choice with regard to how you tackle each mission and increased scope for long range sniping. The game also benefits from a lot of new weapons along with established favourites.
Let me start by stating what Sniper Elite Resistance isn’t. It is not the next iteration of the franchise. It is a tangential sequel to Sniper Elite 5 with a story that runs in parallel with the events of that game. While Karl Fairburne is tackling “Operation Kraken” in Sniper Elite 5, Sniper Elite Resistance sees fellow SOE operative Harry Hawker assisting the French Resistance uncover a new German “Wunderwaffe” (wonder weapon). Sniper Elite Resistance shares the same setting, game mechanics and soundtrack with its predecessor. There are seven new missions, set in pre D-Day France, which take place in very expansive maps. There is more to explore, a greater degree of choice with regard to how you tackle each mission and increased scope for long range sniping. The game also benefits from a lot of new weapons along with established favourites.
The phrase “more of the same” can be used positively with regard to Sniper Elite Resistance. All the elements that make this franchise popular are front and centre and have been further refined. The new Gestapo Officer NPCs have superior AI to regular soldiers and are far more proactive investigating any sort of disturbance the player may make. Grenades have a non-lethal stun setting which opens a lot of new tactical options. There is a greater degree of verticality in the map design, affording the player more opportunities to reconnoitre and attempt long distance shots. As always, you can decide how they proceed through a map and tackle objectives. The franchise is very good at updating mission elements based upon reading letters, intel reports and other collectibles. If you fail to collect a satchel charge to open a secure door, there is often an alternative means to access the room behind.
Like its predecessor, Sniper Elite Resistance has a surprising amount of additional gameplay modes. You can play the entire campaign in co-op if you so desire and there are various permutations of multiplayer. The best being “no cross” where two teams play via a substantive map but are confined to their own specific area via. Hence the focus is on spotting and sniping. “Invasion” mode also makes a welcome return where another player can enter your ongoing campaign mission and attempt to hunt you down. Developers Rebellion have also added “Propaganda Missions”. These are timed instances where the player takes on the guise of a resistance fighter and has to complete as many stealth kills or long distance snipes in a minute. For those who’ve bought the season pass there is another “Target Führer” mission to kill Hitler.
Some fans are disappointed with Sniper Elite Resistance, claiming it is simply DLC for Sniper Elite 5. It is fair to say that Sniper Elite Resistance is certainly a continuation of Sniper Elite 5, rather than a totally new game. However, Rebellion has a history of releasing interim entries in the franchise such as Sniper Elite V2 Remastered and Sniper Elite VR. Sniper Elite Resistance follows that business model. However, criticism that this latest game is light on plot, cutscenes and new ideas are valid. Where the game excels is in its map design which allows players to approach gameplay in a variety of ways. I can spend several hours methodically working through a map, changing tactics as I go, depending on what I encounter. It is this adaptive quality that is one of the franchise’s greatest strengths and a welcome change from the usual breakneck pace of the FPS genre.
N.B. For players who have concerns over the respective value for money that Sniper Elite Resistance offers, it is available on Microsoft PC and Xbox Game Pass.
Today Is a Good Day to Die
Star Trek Online is currently running its yearly Klingon Recruitment Event for PC players. Characters created from January 21st to February 11th gain additional rewards and account wide unlocks while levelling. It is a particularly useful way to orientate new and returning players. I created a Klingon Engineer during the 2021 Klingon Recruitment Event which I previously levelled to the current cap. However, I hadn’t taken this character through all the episodic missions, so I thought the current event would be a good time to resume their progress. Therefore today I resumed playing through the Romulan Mystery story arc. It was during the course of the final part of the episode, “Mine Enemy”, that I encountered a curious bug. It amused me sufficiently to prompt this blog post and make a lazy pop culture reference.
Star Trek Online is currently running its yearly Klingon Recruitment Event for PC players. Characters created from January 21st to February 11th gain additional rewards and account wide unlocks while levelling. It is a particularly useful way to orientate new and returning players. I created a Klingon Engineer during the 2021 Klingon Recruitment Event which I previously levelled to the current cap. However, I hadn’t taken this character through all the episodic missions, so I thought the current event would be a good time to resume their progress. Therefore today I resumed playing through the Romulan Mystery story arc. It was during the course of the final part of the episode, “Mine Enemy”, that I encountered a curious bug. It amused me sufficiently to prompt this blog post and make a lazy pop culture reference.
Hardly surprising I hear you say, as Cryptic (now DECA Games) are notorious for allowing minor glitches to persist in their MMORPG. However, this one didn’t impede gameplay in any manner. It was just a curious visual anomaly. It piqued my interest to the point where I used Bandicam to video capture the bug in question, which I then posted to YouTube. That process is a blog post in itself for another day but I digress. The mission required my character to visit their Ready Room on their ship and use the computer to decode some files. So I “transported” to the bridge of my ship and entered the rather spartan Ready Room. On entering I noticed several Klingon crew next to the computer. I was puzzled as there usually aren't any crew in this location. These NPCs subsequently died and fell to the floor, only for more to appear. The cycle then continued to repeat itself indefinitely.
This bug didn’t prevent me from completing the task at hand so I decoded the files using the computer and left the ship. Later, I returned to the Ready Room to see if the bug would repeat itself but it didn’t. On reflection perhaps that is a good thing. Bugs like this may superficially be entertaining but can sometimes have the potential to crash the game. Sadly, there are many bugs in STO. Traits become unslotted, loadouts go missing and there are numerous graphical and animation glitches. It is one of the reasons why the MMO has never been truly regarded as a top tier game. I suspect that the new developers, DECA Games, are going to be far more focused on maintaining the status quo, rather than resolving these issues. As for the bug I encountered today, I have no explanation as to why it happened. All I can say is that today was indeed a good day to die.
Playing MMOs on a Second Monitor
I have two monitors on my desk. The first (which is the primary monitor as far as my PC is concerned), is on the left and the second is on the right. The primary monitor is a 24 Dell U2412M, which has a resolution of 1920 x 1200. It therefore has an aspect ratio of 16:10 which adds a little extra desktop real estate, which I prefer when writing. The second monitor is a 24 inch Dell S2421H with a screen resolution of 1920 x 1080. It has an aspect ratio of 16:9 which is standard FHD. My chair is adjacent to the middle of my desk and I can turn according to each monitor I’m using. I tend to use the primary, larger monitor on the left for tasks such as writing via Google Docs and emails. The second monitor on the right is used for YouTube and gaming. This is because of its FHD format. I also have a Nintendo Switch connected to the second monitor for the same reason.
I have two monitors on my desk. The first (which is the primary monitor as far as my PC is concerned), is on the left and the second is on the right. The primary monitor is a 24 Dell U2412M, which has a resolution of 1920 x 1200. It therefore has an aspect ratio of 16:10 which adds a little extra desktop real estate, which I prefer when writing. The second monitor is a 24 inch Dell S2421H with a screen resolution of 1920 x 1080. It has an aspect ratio of 16:9 which is standard FHD. My chair is adjacent to the middle of my desk and I can turn according to each monitor I’m using. I tend to use the primary, larger monitor on the left for tasks such as writing via Google Docs and emails. The second monitor on the right is used for YouTube and gaming. This is because of its FHD format. I also have a Nintendo Switch connected to the second monitor for the same reason.
Now that’s out of the way, let’s move on to video games that are relevant to this post. I have at present six MMORPGs installed on my PC. Age of Conan, Star Trek Online, The Lord of the Rings Online, Guild Wars 2, The Elder Scrolls Online and Star Wars: The Old Republic. As previously stated I prefer to play video games using the second monitor as it is a default FHD standard. Screen captures and any recorded material are in a 16:9 aspect ratio, which is very useful for YouTube or streaming. Working within a standard format is also convenient when trying to find optimal game settings for my CPU and GPU. However, trying to get these games to run on my second monitor and more importantly stay there, has not proven easy. Some cooperate, others have to be cajoled and a few flat out refuse to do so.
The obvious solution is to change the primary monitor designation in the PC settings. However, I don’t want to do this as it would have a knock on effect on my current preferences. Hence I have had to manually tinker with each game to see if it will run consistently on monitor number 2. ESO being the most recent MMO out of those listed, has a drop down box in the game settings where you can choose which display you use. Both STO and SWTOR can be temporarily set to “windowed mode” and dragged over to the second display. Furthermore this change persists after exiting the game client and rebooting the PC. Sadly, AoC, LOTRO and GW2 resist this simple work around. The games can be dragged to the second monitor in “windowed mode” but when the display is set back to fullscreen they instantly revert back to the primary monitor.
I am far from alone in my preferences. A simple Google search shows that many other gamers have made similar enquiries and you’ll find numerous forums and subreddit posts. Often the advice is to use various Windows 10 settings to force content from one monitor to another but it seldom works, or if it does it doesn’t persist. Using the management software that comes with your GPU is also frequently recommended but this tends to be for spanning a game across two monitors, rather than forcing the output to a specific one. There are also some third party apps that have been developed by “gifted amateurs” but again the results are not guaranteed and often depend on having the right sort of GPU with the right sort of output cable. The problem ultimately stems from most of these games being developed when having multiple monitors was not as common as today.
Out of the three MMOs where this problem persists I find GW2 the most egregious. This game possibly has the biggest development budget of them all and is regularly updated. You would have thought such a feature as a choice of displays would have been added to the game by now. AoC is in maintenance mode, so one adjusts one’s expectations accordingly. However, LOTRO is a curious beast. It has a small but loyal playerbase and makes sufficient money to keep going. Updating the GUI is on the development “to do list”. In the meantime I finally found a workaround today by making some alterations to the “UserPreferences.ini” file. I changed “DisplayOutput=1” to 2 in the list of [Render] settings and changed all display resolution data to 1920 x 1080 and the aspect ratio to 16:9. LOTRO now runs on my second monitor and stays there after rebooting the PC. A minor victory but a victory no less.
Video Game Specifications
Video game specifications are the hardware and software requirements for running a game. These specifications include the amount of RAM, storage space, graphics card and processor. The specifications range from minimum to recommend. The former being sufficient to run a game on the lowest settings and the latter being what is necessary for optimal performance. As games and hardware become more complex, the range of specifications changes over time. PC gaming is predicated on the fact that hardware is “easy” to upgrade, unlike consoles which have fixed specifications. However, game developers are aware that not all customers have the same PC set up and so new titles are developed to run on a broad spectrum of hardware.
Video game specifications are the hardware and software requirements for running a game. These specifications include the amount of RAM, storage space, graphics card and processor. The specifications range from minimum to recommend. The former being sufficient to run a game on the lowest settings and the latter being what is necessary for optimal performance. As games and hardware become more complex, the range of specifications changes over time. PC gaming is predicated on the fact that hardware is “easy” to upgrade, unlike consoles which have fixed specifications. However, game developers are aware that not all customers have the same PC set up and so new titles are developed to run on a broad spectrum of hardware.
From time to time, video game developers will change the hardware parameters of their minimum specifications. A good example of this was in September 2023 when Starfield launched. At the time this was the first game I had encountered where it was mandatory to install on a SSD. If you used a standard HDD, then the game’s performance tanked. Similarly, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III made the same stipulation a month or so later upon its release. Hence in November 2023 I removed my traditional HDD from my PC and replaced it with a 4TB M.2 SSD. At the time the replacement drive cost £170 which is no small beer. However, SSDs are cheaper nowadays and their performance makes them essential for modern games. Therefore it does not seem unreasonable for such hardware to become the standard minimum specification for certain games.
It is often triple A titles that become vehicles for change to the minimum hardware requirements. A forthcoming release that is part of a popular franchise, may exert sufficient leverage so gamers upgrade their hardware in advance. Assuming that the message reaches all potential buyers. I was debating recently whether or not to buy Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. It was only today that I discovered that the game developers, MachineGames, have taken the bold step of making hardware-based ray tracing mandatory. Hence, your PC requires either a GeForce RTX or newer AMD graphic card to be able to play the game. There is no software-based ray tracing option that can be turned off, as with other games. Unlike upgrading an HDD to a SSD, buying a new graphics card is an expensive proposition.
I suspect that ray tracing will soon become a standard feature of video games, as opposed to an optional extra. How long will it be before FHD resolution (1920 x 1080) is replaced by QHD (2560 x 1440) as the default industry standard, as well? I appreciate that the spectrum of video game specifications has to move with the times but using a popular title to effectively bludgeon through a hardware upgrade does seem somewhat heavy handed. If you check the data from the latest Steam hardware survey, you’ll see that there are still plenty of gamers who are running PCs with older GPUs. This situation is not going to change overnight, especially when it comes with a potential £500 price tag. That being said, the positive reviews and FOMO surrounding Indiana Jones and the Great Circle may have an impact and drive a percentage of GPU upgrades. We will probably know more by the end of the year
Air Fryers and Modern Cooking
In October 2023, we bought an air fryer. Specifically the Ninja Foodi Max which was on special offer on QVC UK. We were intrigued by the possibilities and the convenience the device was alleged to offer. Fortunately, most of the hype proved correct and air fryers are quick and convenient. It takes awhile to determine cooking times but eventually you become as familiar and comfortable cooking with an air fryer, as you would using a conventional oven. They are also easy to clean. The baskets can be wiped down with hot, soapy water and the drip trays can be put in the dishwasher. Over a year later, we have grown attached to our air fryer due to its versatility and quick cooking times. Having one has substantially changed our cooking habits and the traditional oven is used far less.
In October 2023, we bought an air fryer. Specifically the Ninja Foodi Max which was on special offer on QVC UK. We were intrigued by the possibilities and the convenience the device was alleged to offer. Fortunately, most of the hype proved correct and air fryers are quick and convenient. It takes awhile to determine cooking times but eventually you become as familiar and comfortable cooking with an air fryer, as you would using a conventional oven. They are also easy to clean. The baskets can be wiped down with hot, soapy water and the drip trays can be put in the dishwasher. Over a year later, we have grown attached to our air fryer due to its versatility and quick cooking times. Having one has substantially changed our cooking habits and the traditional oven is used far less.
Just before Christmas 2024, we decided to buy a Ninja Combi Multi-Cooker. This purchase was again prompted by a promotion on QVC UK. This device can cook in 14 different ways, such as roasting, baking and steaming. At the flick of a switch it can also provide additional air frying services. Again its major selling points are speed and efficiency. A small chicken, cooked using the Combi Crisp setting, which steams and roasts simultaneously, takes about 30 minutes. The meat is thoroughly cooked but remains moist. If used in conjunction with our air fryer, a full roast dinner with three additional vegetables can be cooked in less than an hour (including the preparation time). Again, the mess is minimal and clearing up afterwards is straightforward. All of which makes cooking per se a lot easier.
During the course of my lifetime there have been several cultural shifts around home cooking. Our national diet in the UK has changed substantially with some traditional meals falling out of favour. Overall a broader continental approach to cooking has become prevalent. The other change being a move away from the exclusive use of ovens and hobs to cook. Microwaves ovens have become ubiquitous and can do a lot more than people think. Slow cookers are also a practical means to time-manage cooking. Air fryers and combi-ovens further contribute to this social change. Naturally there are a percentage of people who are happy to cook in a traditional fashion but I think this is becoming a smaller demographic group.
Despite the rise of modern cooking devices and techniques, convenience foods, ready meals and ultra processed products have sadly quelled a lot of peoples home cooking aspirations. Time is such an important factor in people’s decision making these days. With the modern work-life balance the way it is, a lot of people just don’t have the stamina to come home from work and cook, even if there are easier options than the traditional approach. It’s difficult to compete with a meal that is superficially tasty and ready in a matter of minutes. Cooking used to be a skill that was often passed down from parent to child. However, that is not necessarily the case nowadays, although the internet can provide an alternative source of information. Modern food products have made cooking skills non-essential.
That being said, there is a growing culture of trying to live a healthier lifestyle these days. For those who want to cook more themselves the air fryer does offer a practical stepping stone. Even if you’re not interested in cooking meals entirely from scratch, they can cook convenience food as quickly and easily as whole foods. In fact air fryers cooking times are now becoming quite common on food packaging along with standard instructions. Simply put, cooking today does not have to be the same as it was 30 years ago. The entire process can be approached in a far more casual manner and it is a lot easier to experiment. For those that are already enthused by “modern cooking” there are gadgets for everything. If you are looking to make a change and have simpler aspirations then I would recommend an air fryer as your first step.
They Came to a City (1944)
Humanity struggling to survive a dystopian future has been a mainstay of pop culture for several hundred years. They Came to a City, made in 1944 as World War II was drawing to a close, takes the opposite approach in which nine individuals are shown a utopian future and given a choice whether to join it or return to their existing lives. This experimental film based on a play by J. B. Priestly, is dialogue driven and struggles with its transition to cinema. Yet the striking minimalist set design and art direction by Michael Relph, along with the crisp and beautifully framed black and white cinematography by Stanley Pavey make it visually compelling. Functionally directed by Ealing Studios stalwart, Basil Dearden, They Came to a City is not a lost classic but it certainly is an unusually cerebral and socially outspoken piece of wartime cinema.
Humanity struggling to survive a dystopian future has been a mainstay of pop culture for several hundred years. They Came to a City, made in 1944 as World War II was drawing to a close, takes the opposite approach in which nine individuals are shown a utopian future and given a choice whether to join it or return to their existing lives. This experimental film based on a play by J. B. Priestly, is dialogue driven and struggles with its transition to cinema. Yet the striking minimalist set design and art direction by Michael Relph, along with the crisp and beautifully framed black and white cinematography by Stanley Pavey make it visually compelling. Functionally directed by Ealing Studios stalwart, Basil Dearden, They Came to a City is not a lost classic but it certainly is an unusually cerebral and socially outspoken piece of wartime cinema.
Nine people from the different UK social classes, find themselves mysteriously transported to a modernist walled city. They include Sir George Gedney (A. E. Matthews), a misanthropic aristocrat; Malcolm Stritton (Raymond Huntley), a politically dissatisfied bank clerk and his neurotic and domineering wife Dorothy (Renee Gadd); Alice Foster (Googie Withers), an unhappy and exploited waitress; Mr. Cudworth (Norman Shelley), a money-obsessed banker; Lady Loxfield (Mabel Terry Lewis) a needy and class conscious widow and her put upon daughter Philippa (Frances Rowe); Joe Dinmore (John Clements) a world weary, free-thinking seaman; and Mrs. Batley (Ada Reeve), a practical and philosophical charwoman. An opulent door opens allowing them to visit the unseen city, which is hinted to be a social paradise. However, they subsequently have to choose whether to stay forever in the city or to leave and never return.
At first glance this is an excessively verbose story, told through the medium of British acting of the time, which can be quite jarring to the modern audience. However, the dialogue is clever, telling and socially honest with the wisest person being the ageing charwoman. Performances are strong and honest. The political and social philosophising may seem somewhat naive to casual viewers but this was very much the mood of the nation in 1944. The horrors of World War II drove a robust public debate for social change, which was succinctly demonstrated by Winston Churchill's defeat in the 1946 General Election. Playwright, novelist and social commentator J. B. Priestley was a wartime correspondent and felt that the status quo needed to be addressed in a postwar settlement. However, he was wise enough to realise that there would be strong resistance to such ideas and They Came to a City includes characters who dislike the notion of any sort of change.
Critics at the time, as well as contemporary analysis, often cite the notion of any utopia as flawed, as it runs counter to human nature. As seaman Joe Dinmore states “They’ll tell us we can’t change human nature. That’s the oldest excuse in the world for doing nothing”. There are further prescient observations about bankers and finance. When Mr. Cudworth recounts how he told a citizen of the city that he worked in banking, they replied “we call that crime”. Again naysayers point out the “school boy socialism” of Priestley’s dialogue but here we are 80 years later and the same sentiments about the exploitative nature of untrammelled capitalism are still being made. Overall They Came to a City is a cinematic curate's egg but an engaging one. It should be viewed with the national mood of the time in mind, as context is key to enjoying this social fantasy.
An Uncertain World
I consider myself to be a grounded, rational individual. I am not excessively emotional. I like facts, data and reason as opposed to hyperbole, rhetoric and bluster. That being said, I am aware that the world is an imperfect place. Opinions are often not based upon empirical fact but personal perspective. Hence many people experience reality differently to me. They are driven by their feelings and other factors. However, despite these differences in philosophy, for most of my life the world has remained functional and over time slowly improved in subtle ways. Deference to expertise, a sense of community and basic pragmatism meant that people broadly pulled in the same direction. Of course there has always been dissent but it has been within a stable system. However, of late I feel that this era is now finally over. Things are no longer stable. We live in an uncertain world.
I consider myself to be a grounded, rational individual. I am not excessively emotional. I like facts, data and reason as opposed to hyperbole, rhetoric and bluster. That being said, I am aware that the world is an imperfect place. Opinions are often not based upon empirical fact but personal perspective. Hence many people experience reality differently to me. They are driven by their feelings and other factors. However, despite these differences in philosophy, for most of my life the world has remained functional and over time slowly improved in subtle ways. Deference to expertise, a sense of community and basic pragmatism meant that people broadly pulled in the same direction. Of course there has always been dissent but it has been within a stable system. However, of late I feel that this era is now finally over. Things are no longer stable. We live in an uncertain world.
Looking back at my youth, the seventies were economically and socially challenging. Not only here in the UK but across the western world. The energy crisis, war in the Middle East and the threat of nuclear attack were pressing concerns on top of the demands of day-to-day life. However, there was always the hope that cool heads would prevail. Changes in government meant that people with plans would strive to tackle and solve pressing issues. People broadly believed that public institutions were ultimately run by those who were suitably skilled. There was faith that the state worked and a degree of consensus regarding national aspiration. It wasn’t perfect by any means but the nation functioned and gave citizens a sense of stability. Democracy worked because people believed in it and understood their role. They also remembered the carnage of World War II and when democracy failed.
Today, I look around the UK and see a nation that is far from united. Politics, social debate and general interaction has become petty, nasty and ignorant. The cult of the individual rules and life is refracted through the prism of “what’s in it for me”. Everyone wants the benefits of first class public services but no one wants to pay for it. People no longer have any real grasp of how things work, be it the state or more tangible things like the internet. Critical thinking is in decline, as are attention spans. The world is becoming infantilised. People want change but lack the skills and patience to seek and implement any. Then there is the matter of wealth and power becoming further entrenched with an ever diminishing group of individuals. Inequality is rife, yet we still allow the wealthy to convince us that it is the most vulnerable in the world that are our enemy.
Such a state of affairs is worrying. I am no longer confident that the best of us will intercede and address the world’s problems. I believe that we’ll keep putting those who just make cheap promises in charge and they’ll just make things worse. This will then feed further decline. If certain politicians fail in the next 5 to 10 years, I can see the public giving up on democracy. Furthermore, I believe that a substantial percentage of the population are simply intellectually and emotionally unequipped to deal with any serious disruption to their normal life that may potentially occur. Trade wars, collapse of the global supply chain and terrorisms are all potential threats. Civil unrest is another possibility. Shortages, travel restrictions and disruptions to power and internet services would not be well received. As for the idea of ordnance being dropped on civilian targets, it would be beyond the comprehension of many.
I am not a blind optimist but I usually see the value in maintaining some sense of positive and practical hope that things will get better. Sadly, when 2025 arrived a few weeks ago I looked around and simply couldn’t see any sources of inspiration. In political terms the right is in ascendance across the western hemisphere and the centre ground and left are in retreat. I see no possibility of any sort of social or political reconciliation. We live in an age where everyone hates someone. History and reality demonstrate that populists seldom get anything done that is universally beneficial and they tend to break social and political institutions, making it very difficult for their successors to repair things. It pains me to say it but things are going to get a lot worse before they get any better, assuming that that is even a possibility at a later date.
Depressing isn’t it. As for the question “what are you going to do about it”, the answer is precious little. There is always activism, protest and lobbying but I suspect that such things are going to get a lot harder to do in the immediate future. For a lot of people, the current geopolitical situation is a mandatory train ride to the terminus, whether you like it or not. In the meantime you determine who you can trust, then keep your head down and try to get by. All of the various post war generations have been cosseted to a greater or lesser degree and it would be wise for them to adjust their expectations accordingly. As for hope, you must look for it in unexpected places and maintain your own personal morale the best you can. Take comfort in the fact that tyrants, fools and bullies are all mortal and eventually die. The darkness is not forever but it may be your children that see the dawn, not you.
Analysing Your Website
I found out today that Contains Moderate Peril is missing a “touch icon”. This was most interesting as I had no idea what such a thing was, at the time. It would appear that it is a bespoke icon for a website or app saved to the home screen of an iOS device. As 27% of traffic to this site comes via iOS devices, this is something that needs consideration and I will take steps to provide one. You may ask “how did you discover this school boy error”? Well I used one of the many website checkers that are available online. Sites that parse your blog or website and analyse it, providing a summary of its alleged strengths and weaknesses. Depending on which website checker you use, some will often find problems that they can conveniently solve for a small fee but setting scepticism aside, some of the basic data can be quite useful.
I found out today that Contains Moderate Peril is missing a “touch icon”. This was most interesting as I had no idea what such a thing was, at the time. It would appear that it is a bespoke icon for a website or app saved to the home screen of an iOS device. As 27% of traffic to this site comes via iOS devices, this is something that needs consideration and I will take steps to provide one. You may ask “how did you discover this school boy error”? Well I used one of the many website checkers that are available online. Sites that parse your blog or website and analyse it, providing a summary of its alleged strengths and weaknesses. Depending on which website checker you use, some will often find problems that they can conveniently solve for a small fee but setting scepticism aside, some of the basic data can be quite useful.
Overall, Contains Moderate Peril seems to be in pretty good shape. A lot of the performance related statistics are good, mainly because the site is hosted by Squarespace and benefits from its robust international infrastructure. Hence, security protocols are up to date and the site loads quickly. According to the report by Ionos (which was free and required no registration or email address submission) the site scores well regarding visibility and accessibility. However, there are still a few things that need tweaking. Apparently the “homepage title and description is too short”. According to Ionos, “a homepage title and description that is too short is not effectively ranked in search results”. Fortunately this is an easy issue to resolve. Another point that was raised by the report is the absence of a Content Delivery Network. For the present I do not think existing traffic warrants such a facility.
Although I find the concept of website analysis interesting, I think you have to temper your opinion on any report, with regard to what you’re trying to achieve. For the average blogger a lot of the fine tuning that may be suggested is not really relevant. That being said, if a simple modification can contribute to improved performance and the possibility of more traffic, then it would seem reasonable to make such changes. For example, I think responsive website design is important so that your blog is accessible via mobile devices. However, most contemporary blogging and website platforms conform to current industry standards by default. Hence, don’t spend any money modifying your site unless you feel that it is justified. Continuously tweaking your blog can become a minor addiction. Therefore, ensure that tools such as website analysis serve you and not the other way round.
Do You Know What You're Doing?
Do you know what you're doing? For clarification, this question is regarding video games and not how you run your life. The latter would make for an interesting discussion but that is not what I am asking. On this occasion the question is to establish whether you are the sort of player who strives to understand the mechanics of a video game? Do you make it your business to become au fait with all the statistics and the formulas behind them? Do you keep a spreadsheet filled with data pertaining to your gear or build? Do you fully comprehend the consequences of swapping out an item and seeing a particular statistic increase or decrease. Does all of this inherently appeal to you and contribute to overall the enjoyment you get from a game? If the answer is yes, then bravo. I kind of admire your dedication to this aspect of gaming. Because I tend to switch off when it comes to min-maxing.
Do you know what you're doing? For clarification, this question is regarding video games and not how you run your life. The latter would make for an interesting discussion but that is not what I am asking. On this occasion the question is to establish whether you are the sort of player who strives to understand the mechanics of a video game? Do you make it your business to become au fait with all the statistics and the formulas behind them? Do you keep a spreadsheet filled with data pertaining to your gear or build? Do you fully comprehend the consequences of swapping out an item and seeing a particular statistic increase or decrease. Does all of this inherently appeal to you and contribute to overall the enjoyment you get from a game? If the answer is yes, then bravo. I kind of admire your dedication to this aspect of gaming. Because I tend to switch off when it comes to min-maxing.
I suspect that I’m not the only person like this. That’s not to say I have no understanding of what all the numbers mean in any given video game. I usually have a broad overview but nothing more. Take the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online for instance. I know what statistics are important for my primary character, the Lore-master. Hence, whenever I replace gear, I naturally choose items that will increase key numbers. However, that is as far as my knowledge goes. In a game such as LOTRO that can be sufficient to get by. Fortunately the game doesn’t punish players for their lack of understanding. High end gear is available from several sources and you simply pursue that which is achievable. Sadly not all games take such an equitable approach, with many delighting in their own arcane nature. I find both Star Wars:The Old Republic and Star Trek Online to have very complex gear mechanics. Furthermore, both games do a poor job of explaining themselves.
The most practical solution to these complexities is to simply follow a build that other players have posted online. I did this recently while playing Dragon’s Dogma 2. I found a gear and skills loadout for a ranged class which suited my play style and replicated it on my character. I subsequently stuck with it throughout my play through. I guess this is a textbook example of “standing on the shoulders of giants” but I suspect that a substantial percentage of gamers do this. For many, the complexity of in-game systems is actually an impediment to gameplay. We all approach games differently and therefore do not necessarily find enjoyment in the same things. Some players like the challenge of learning and understanding underlying mechanics. The idea of researching, tracking data and ultimately finding a formula for an optimal build is integral to their overall gaming experience. Others, myself included, expect a learning curve but balk at excessive “homework”.
There is another aspect to this element of gaming. Some game developers see the complexities of gear, builds and systems as a means to monetise their games. Star Trek Online excels at this. Getting the right mix of gear and traits on an appropriate ship massively increases your survivability and DPS output. Again, this is a game where the builds can be very complex and the mathematics behind them intricate. Hence most players try and get by following the prevailing game meta. However, the most effective builds will often include items that are only obtainable by spending money, such as a trait or console that can only be found on a premium ship. I recently tried to replicate a build based around Beam Overload but could only easily source 60% of what was required. To get the remaining 40% of items would have cost £30. So I improvised. The result has been functional but not optimal.
I wrote a long time ago about “the average LOTRO player”. I used that MMO as a personal frame of reference but I thought at the time that the points made in the post were applicable to other games. Having recently re-read the post I still stand by assertions. Many gamers are not “ high end players”. They often buy a game primarily because they want to have fun and play with their friends. Although most gamers acknowledge that a new title has a learning curve, that doesn’t mean that they will by default spend hours reading and watching videos prior to playing. Jumping into the proverbial deep end is by far the most common approach. I suspect that very few players truly play a game in the manner that the developers expect. So in answer to the question “Do you know what you're doing?”, I suspect the most common answer is “not especially so” and that is the way the majority of gamers like it.
LOTRO: Server Migration Concerns
I always remember the sage wisdom of the great children’s TV character Huxley Pig. “If in panic, if in doubt. Run in circles, scream and shout”. Such was the initial reaction of players of the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online, when it was announced recently that there is to be a new 64-bit server rollout in Q1 of 2025. At first glance, new servers are surely a good thing? The 64-bit legendary servers, which were tested in 2024, have proven to be a success and do much to address the lag issues that plague the existing 32-bit servers. Surely this is what players want? Well, yes it is, in principle but new infrastructure ultimately raises the issue of server migrations. Developer’s Standing Stone Games intend to consolidate the player population in the long term with the addition of 4 new 64-bit servers. The 2 legendary servers will remain but the 32-bit legacy servers will eventually close.
I always remember the sage wisdom of the great children’s TV character Huxley Pig. ”If in panic, if in doubt. Run in circles, scream and shout”. Such was the initial reaction of players of the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online, when it was announced recently that there is to be a new 64-bit server rollout in Q1 of 2025. At first glance, new servers are surely a good thing? The 64-bit legendary servers, which were tested in 2024, have proven to be a success and do much to address the lag issues that plague the existing 32-bit servers. Surely this is what players want? Well, yes it is, in principle but new infrastructure ultimately raises the issue of server migrations. Developer’s Standing Stone Games intend to consolidate the player population in the long term with the addition of 4 new 64-bit servers. The 2 legendary servers will remain but the 32-bit legacy servers will eventually close.
LOTRO players were somewhat concerned about the vague nature of the original server announcement, in the “2025 Roadmap” that came out prior to Christmas. Hence Executive Producer Rob Ciccolini saw fit to appear on a live stream in the New Year to clarify the situation. Sadly SSG have a track record of poor communication with their playerbase and being true to form, Mr Ciccolini’s “clarification” simply raised more questions. Newer LOTRO players with only a handful of alts may well find the prospect of transferring to another server to be no big deal. However, the majority of the existing LOTRO community is made up of long term players who are greatly attached to their kinships, their housing and most importantly their alts. Server migrations can break such things, leaving players nameless and without their virtual possessions and community.
If in panic, if in doubt. Run in circles, scream and shout”
Furthermore, SSG has handled server migrations in the past and it wasn’t perfect. In 2011 SSG (formerly Turbine) took back control of the European game servers which had previously been administered by Codemasters. Yes, the process ultimately worked but there was a lot of player collateral damage along the way. Many of the players affected back then are still playing today and they’re far from optimistic, judging by the ongoing discussion of the official forums. It would appear there is a lot more to consider beyond the obvious. Apart from the logistics and management issues arising from this server migration, many players are not happy with the prospect of moving per se. The previously mentioned migration of 2011 was not well received by all. Some feel that communities were broken and the new servers were far from friendly.
I have no doubt that by the end of 2025 there will be a clear resolution to this situation. SSG has done this before and can do it again. Hopefully, if they’ve learned from their past mistakes they’ll be more communicative and cautious this time round. There are some potential positives arising from a migration and server merge. The player population will increase across the final 6 servers and there should be the technical benefits of the new 64-bit builds. SSG have also stated they will strive to allow players to retrieve characters from servers closed in 2011, so there may be the chance of resurrecting long lost alts. However, it would be naive to think that this enterprise is going to be plain sailing. Perhaps the most prudent thing for LOTRO players to do in the meantime is to start organising their inventories and divesting themselves of any virtual assets they don’t require. Forewarned is forearmed.
Revisiting Star Wars: The Old Republic Part 4
I resumed playing Star Wars: The Old Republic at the start of December 2024, after a two and a half year break. This is an MMORPG that I have never consistently played, compared to The Lord of the Rings Online or Star Trek: Online. I bought the game at launch and spent about a year or so slogging through content. Gameplay was a lot slower back then and I got stuck at a certain point in the Smuggler Class story, so I moved on to something else. I returned to the game when it went free to play but didn’t stay for long. However, when I came back to SWTOR in 2022, the game had significantly altered and I found that levelling new alts was a lot less grindy. I discovered that the best way to play the game as a solo player, was to treat it as an RPG and work my way through the class stories as each one is unique. My recent return has focused on completing the last three class stories I had outstanding.
I resumed playing Star Wars: The Old Republic at the start of December 2024, after a two and a half year break. This is an MMORPG that I have never consistently played, compared to The Lord of the Rings Online or Star Trek: Online. I bought the game at launch and spent about a year or so slogging through content. Gameplay was a lot slower back then and I got stuck at a certain point in the Smuggler Class story, so I moved on to something else. I returned to the game when it went free to play but didn’t stay for long. However, when I came back to SWTOR in 2022, the game had significantly altered and I found that levelling new alts was a lot less grindy. I discovered that the best way to play the game as a solo player, was to treat it as an RPG and work my way through the class stories as each one is unique. My recent return has focused on completing the last three class stories I had outstanding.
As of today, I have finally achieved what the game calls “Legendary Status”. All eight of the origin stories of each class have been completed. This achievement was created as part of the base game upon launch, when the level cap was 50, so there is still plenty further content to play through. However, this does feel like a milestone as the self-contained stories of each class are quite expansive, taking the player through all of the worlds that existed when the game originally launched. From time to time I have encountered other players and the recent addition of dynamic encounters has increased my exposure to other SWTOR players. However, much of the class stories are gated behind unique instances that are bespoke to the individual player. Hence you only really encounter other players while travelling to specific locations or at the major social hubs such as faction fleets.
The completion of this achievement, although very satisfying, has raised a new question. What shall I do next? I would like to take one of my alts through the remaining story content in the game and acquire optimal gear. However, I’m not sure which class to make my primary character and I have always found that the gear grind in this game is somewhat esoteric. As a predominantly solo player I don’t want to be dependent upon a guild to run instances for gear. I just don’t have the time to play regularly with others. I am also still trying to determine which class best suits my kind of gameplay. I have grown fond of my Jedi Knight with Shadow Combat Style and Serenity Discipline but it never feels especially “powerful” in combat. Plus I suspect that the pace of combat is dictated by the fact that this is an MMO from 2011.
Unlike other MMOs, it would appear that you cannot re-gear at level cap via the Galactic Trade Network. I have acquired a few new items via Flashpoints and Heroics that have been flagged as better gear than I currently have. They are of a different colour quality but when you compare the stats they are not greatly superior. Some numbers go up but others go down. As I don’t fully understand the stats system in the game, I am loath to change from my current build until I am certain that it’s a beneficial change. Hence I need to set myself some practical goals so that I can move forward in SWTOR. Obviously a little research is in order so I can determine a strategy but not too much. Nothing kills my interest in an MMO than an excess of “homework”. I am still enjoying SWTOR at present and would like to keep it that way.
Star Trek Online: Earth Spacedock Update
Yesterday the MMORPG Star Trek Online updated Earth Spacedock for the PC version of the game. The console version will be released a little later on. This replacement impacts upon Sol system space, the entire exterior model of ESD and elements of the interior. The outgoing model was somewhat old with several anomalies that linked to aspects of the game that have changed over the years. Perhaps the biggest reason for the change is a canon update to ESD as seen in the third season of Star Trek: Picard. The TV show features a new Earth Spacedock, also known as Probert Station, which boasts a larger superstructure designed to meet the demand of Starfleet in 2401. It would appear that this update is the first substantial release from the developers at DECA Games and may potentially indicate the quality of future content.
Yesterday the MMORPG Star Trek Online updated Earth Spacedock for the PC version of the game. The console version will be released a little later on. This replacement impacts upon Sol system space, the entire exterior model of ESD and elements of the interior. The outgoing model was somewhat old with several anomalies that linked to aspects of the game that have changed over the years. Perhaps the biggest reason for the change is a canon update to ESD as seen in the third season of Star Trek: Picard. The TV show features a new Earth Spacedock, also known as Probert Station, which boasts a larger superstructure designed to meet the demand of Starfleet in 2401. It would appear that this update is the first substantial release from the developers at DECA Games and may potentially indicate the quality of future content.
Star Trek Online launched in 2010 with a bespoke model of ESD which to all intents and purposes was a placeholder design. Within a year ESD was replaced with a canonical model based on the design that first featured in the film Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, and later used in TNG television show. The latest model for ESD had to be built entirely from screenshots from the TV show as there was no official design to work from. The result is a far more contemporary model which still offers the functionality of the old. Furthermore the model for planet earth has also been revised using 8K textures and a complex cloud map. Within Sol systems the fleet shipyards have been removed and McKinley station is now placed in the far corner of the map. Drydocks have been added on the periphery of the map so players can take screenshots of their ships.
The original Earth Spacedock from 2010
The ESD ground map now features a larger central docking bay and the models of the vessel inside have all been updated. These provide a much greater sense of scale. The developers intend to change the ship model regularly and no doubt they will showcase whatever ones are new to the game. There are cosmetic changes to Admiral Quinn’s office to reflect the revised galaxy map from several years ago. Several Type 14 shuttles have been added to the shuttle bay, as well as to the vessels that fly in and out. It would also appear that the San Francisco skyline on the Starfleet Academy map has been updated. Overall this is a good selection of revisions which are cosmetically justified without impacting negatively upon the essential functionality that ESD offers as a major game hub. Furthermore, ESD is visually a lot brighter and now seems to have the appropriate gravitas you’d expect from such a Starfleet institution.
However, this being STO, updates never come without some bugs or technical fallout. There was substantial lag and rubberbanding on several phases of ESD earlier today and I had to move to smaller populated instances before these abated. More annoyingly, the update has resulted in all traits being unslotted from alts when you log in for the first time. There was also a similar issue with some loadouts. All of which is currently being looked into but it would have been better if this had all been addressed on the test server before going live. I will have to trawl through some recent screenshots so I can correctly recreate my trait build which is a nuisance. However, I will not do this until the bug is patched, which will hopefully be in the next 48 hours. Although I am pleased to see the revised model of ESD, the subsequent bugs do lower my expectations of DECA Games. I hope I am proven wrong.
Blog Questions Challenge
If you’re familiar with this blog then you know that I like an internet questionnaire. A little bit of introspection can be quite a useful thing. This particular questionnaire, the “Blog Questions Challenge”, was originally created for users of Bear Blog. However, the questions have subsequently been adapted to make them applicable to other blogging platforms and therefore accessible to a wider audience. I recently discovered this particular questionnaire over at Alvan’s Digital Garden and thought the selection of questions to be interesting. Hence I have decided to tackle them. If you’re a blogger yourself, feel free to follow suit and use this set of questions, as I think that it’s always interesting to know what inspires people to write and what path brought them online.
If you’re familiar with this blog then you know that I like an internet questionnaire. A little bit of introspection can be quite a useful thing. This particular questionnaire, the “Blog Questions Challenge”, was originally created for users of Bear Blog. However, the questions have subsequently been adapted to make them applicable to other blogging platforms and therefore accessible to a wider audience. I recently discovered this particular questionnaire over at Alvan’s Digital Garden and thought the selection of questions to be interesting. Hence I have decided to tackle them. If you’re a blogger yourself, feel free to follow suit and use this set of questions, as I think that it’s always interesting to know what inspires people to write and what path brought them online.
Why did you start blogging in the first place?
I have always enjoyed writing creatively. My English teachers at both junior and senior school always encouraged us to write stories and express ourselves through the written word. Not only is it an essential skill for work and day-to-day life, I feel that writing one’s thoughts and feelings is a great way to process the world in general. Especially with subjects and situations that are complicated. Blogging also provides an opportunity to share one’s interest and to potentially build communities.
What platform are you using to manage your blog and why did you choose it?
Since August 2015 I have used Squarespace for my blog. Instead of trying to migrate the previous iteration of Contains Moderate Peril, I decided to reboot the entire blog and start from scratch. Many of the existing posts such as film reviews were easily republished which made the process a lot easier. I chose Squarespace due to its ease to use and the fact that it doesn’t place any restrictions on user traffic. In the past I have had my website taken offline because the volume of traffic exceeded the bandwidth allowance included in the hosting package. Nearly ten years later, I am still satisfied with the quality of service Squarespace offers. I have seldom had any downtime and additional features and functionality are continuously added to the platform.
Have you blogged on other platforms before?
My first blog in 2007 was via the now defunct blog.co.uk service. A year later I moved to Google Blogger for convenience as this was a common platform at the time. Circa 2011 I migrated my blog to a hosted WordPress service which I used for the next four years. I liked WordPress initially as it is a very flexible way to produce a blog. However, I got tired with how much maintenance it required, as updates would often break third party plugins and there was always a constant battle against cyber attacks, spam and malicious code intrusions. I have also used Wix and Blot for separate website projects and found both to be very user friendly. The former provided a quick and flexible means to create a new contemporary website with all the features you’d expect. The latter was an excellent platform for a minimalist blog based around using Google Docs.
How do you write your posts? For example, in a local editing tool, or in a panel/dashboard that's part of your blog?
I use Google Docs to write my blog posts, despite having a subscription to Microsoft Office. The primary reason being I can access my documents from anywhere with an internet connection, which was very useful during my working career. Whenever I had any free time I could access my draft post folder on Google Drive and continue writing. It’s a habit that has stuck, plus I find Google Docs has great functionality. I can cut and paste a finished document directly into my blog editor without any formatting issues. I have set my web browser to open Google Docs in a tab upon launch and can therefore easily start writing whenever an idea occurs to me.
When do you feel most inspired to write?
I tend to write first thing in the morning as I feel mentally alert and suitably motivated. However, sometimes due to circumstances I will write late at night. My PC is in the spare bedroom which I use as an office. I like to be able to write in a controlled environment without interruption or noise. Occasionally, if I am looking after my grandchildren at their house, I will use my laptop to write once they have gone to bed. If I have an interesting idea for a blog post when out, I will make some notes via my phone.
Do you publish immediately after writing, or do you let it simmer a bit as a draft?
I tend to publish upon completing a blog post and seldom have the requirement to “sleep on it”. I don’t write anything that I deem to be controversial and I have sufficient confidence in my views and opinions to express them in a manner that is appropriate. That being said, I don’t mind if people do not like what I have written. That is their prerogative. Equally, it is mine to not be concerned with their opinion.
What's your favourite post on your blog?
Having written over 1890 posts, there are a few that I am quite fond of. There are two posts on “British Slang Words and Phrases” that are lighthearted but informative that I enjoyed writing. The subject matter certainly has scope for further instalments. On a more serious note, I wrote a series of 17 posts over seven years about “Caring for the Elderly”, which were about my family’s experiences caring for my parents who had both had life altering strokes. The comments left were often from people in similar caring roles and I felt that these posts were actually of use to people.
Any future plans for your blog? Maybe a redesign, a move to another platform, or adding a new feature?
I made some minor changes to my blog at the end of last summer and revised the branding. The template that I’m currently using is a decade old. The changes have proven sufficient for the present. A major overhaul of the blog would require every post being manually updated which is not a task I would welcome. Plus the overall operating costs of running a blog are increasing at present. Any future changes will have to be carried out within a budget.
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim (2024)
I have always found it curious that there haven't been more feature films set in Middle-earth, after the success of Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy. However, a little research shows a very complex set of rights regarding Tolkien’s work, with different material being controlled and administered by different bodies. Hence, the market has not been saturated with officially licensed material. Thus, when The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim was announced to be in production, it aroused a great deal of curiosity both among fans and those with an interest in the wider film industry. To base an entire feature film on something that is effectively just a few paragraphs in the appendices of The Lord of the Rings is quite intriguing. The producers claimed it afforded them greater artistic freedom not to be constrained by an excess of lore. Industry pundits theorised that the film was being produced solely to ensure that wider rights were retained.
I have always found it curious that there haven't been more feature films set in Middle-earth, after the success of Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy. However, a little research shows a very complex set of rights regarding Tolkien’s work, with different material being controlled and administered by different bodies. Hence, the market has not been saturated with officially licensed material. Thus, when The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim was announced to be in production, it aroused a great deal of curiosity both among fans and those with an interest in the wider film industry. To base an entire feature film on something that is effectively just a few paragraphs in the appendices of The Lord of the Rings is quite intriguing. The producers claimed it afforded them greater artistic freedom not to be constrained by an excess of lore. Industry pundits theorised that the film was being produced solely to ensure that wider rights were retained.
Setting aside the provenance of the production, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is a competent anime fantasy film directed by Kenji Kamiyama. Set 183 years prior to the events of The Lord of the Rings, the film depicts the reign of Helm the Hammerhand, King of Rohan. During a council meeting with the Lords of Rohan, Freca Lord of Adorn requests that Helm’s daughter, Héra, marry his son Wulf to unite the Rohan. Freca being of part Dunlending blood and considered by many in Rohan as an outlander. However, Helm rejects the offer and rebuffs Freca. A fight ensues between the two leaders and Helm kills Freca with a single punch. Wulf leaves, vowing revenge and subsequently raises an army among the Dunlendings. A surprise attack on Edoras forces the Rohirrim to retreat to the Hornburg. With the death of her two brothers and her father stricken with grief, it falls to Héra to rally her people and turn the tide of the war.
From a production perspective, there is much to praise about The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim. The background art is sumptuous and vivid and there is a strong score by composer Stephen Gallagher. He cunningly uses classic themes by Howard Shore and further embellishes the soundtrack with solid material of his own. The animation is dynamic and doesn’t pull its punches. Limbs are severed and blood is spilt. The anime style works surprisingly well with the source material and certainly doesn’t look out of place. I am not a great fan of this medium but did not find it a deal breaker in any way. The voice acting is strong with the central characters having clear and distinct voices. The screenplay does not excessively diverge from established lore although it does make some changes for the sake of the narrative arc. Héra being an original character.
However, despite solid production values The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim has two fundamental problems. The first is the story simply cannot sustain its two hour running time and the film could easily have been 30 minutes shorter. What is an interesting footnote in the source text, remains such as a feature film and nothing more. The second is the compulsion that new entries in a franchise often have, to try and directly link to events that occurred in a previous movie. For example there is a totally unnecessary action scene that is resolved by the appearance of a beast identical to the “watcher in the water” outside the West-gate of Moria. It doesn’t really hold up logically and seems very arbitrary. There are also several other clumsy references to both Orcs and Gandalf as the screenplay hamfistedly attempts to link to the forthcoming events of The Lord of the Rings.
Hardcore Tolkien fans may get more enjoyment from The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, than broader audiences. I found the film to be sufficiently entertaining but upon reflection it really doesn’t add much to the existing Tolkien cinematic universe. Also, as a Tolkien aficionado I can think of plenty of other stories referenced in the appendices of The Lord of the Rings, that would make a better feature film. I think The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim would have fared better if it was part of a smaller scale television show called “Tales of Middle-earth” or something similar and the story was told over a more concise running time. As it stands, this 134 minute animated film falls between two stools. It is not bad but it is not anything more than adequate. When you consider the pedigree of the production and who is involved, you expect a lot more.
Five Films I Like
I was asked recently, what are my top five films of all time? This is one of those loaded questions that I don’t really like to answer. I enjoy lots of films across multiple genres. This includes acknowledged “classics” as well as low rent, exploitative trash. So why limit myself to just five films? Also, my answers would change regularly depending upon my mood and current cinematic interests. However, that doesn’t make for a pithy and interesting response to the original question. So I shall compromise. Here is a list of five films that I have an abiding love for and watch frequently. They always entertain me and there is a sense of comfort whenever revisiting them. That's not to say they are all good films. Possibly only one that is listed is considered a piece of noteworthy art. The rest are just entertaining to various degrees. Yet I have a strong emotional attachment to them all. Sometimes that’s all that matters.
I was asked recently, what are my top five films of all time? This is one of those loaded questions that I don’t really like to answer. I enjoy lots of films across multiple genres. This includes acknowledged “classics” as well as low rent, exploitative trash. So why limit myself to just five films? Also, my answers would change regularly depending upon my mood and current cinematic interests. However, that doesn’t make for a pithy and interesting response to the original question. So I shall compromise. Here is a list of five films that I have an abiding love for and watch frequently. They always entertain me and there is a sense of comfort whenever revisiting them. That's not to say they are all good films. Possibly only one that is listed is considered a piece of noteworthy art. The rest are just entertaining to various degrees. Yet I have a strong emotional attachment to them all. Sometimes that’s all that matters.
The Medusa Touch (1978)
An interesting adaptation of a popular seventies novel by Peter Van Greenaway. Novelist John Morlar is found in his flat, savagely beaten yet clinging to life. The subsequent Police investigation uncovers that Morlar has continuously encountered tragedy throughout his life and how many of those associated with him have died unexpectedly. After reading Morlar’s journals, Inspector Brunel (Lino ventura) begins to suspect that the injured novelist may be able to cause disasters. Although Richard Burton was not in the best of health when he made this film, he still delivers a powerful and charismatic performance as a misanthropic author. There is some eminently quotable dialogue and the tension steadily builds to a dramatic climax. The cathedral collapse at the end of the film is very well realised with practical effects and miniatures. The Medusa Touch is also a who's who of British character actors of the time.
Journey to the Far side of the Sun AKA Doppelgänger (1969)
This British science fiction film was produced by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson at the height of their success. However, one of Universal Studios financing requirements was that the film had to be directed by an established American director. Hence Robert Parrish got the job and clashed with Gerry Anderson. As a result many subplots within the script were cut from the final film. As a result the story, although intriguing and very akin to an episode of the Twilight Zone, struggles to sustain the film’s 100 minute running time. However the production design is stylish and in a very late sixties idiom. There's a sumptuous score by Barry Gray and the miniature effects by Derek Meddings are sublime. Especially the rocket launch. As ever with Gerry Anderson there is a casual and tonally unexpected use of violence and the film has a wonderfully bleak ending that no studio would countenance these days.
Krull (1983)
This hybrid fantasy movie started as sword and sorcery film but subsequently morphed into a Star Wars clone during its pre-production in a curious attempt to hedge its bet. At the time this was a very expensive movie using multiple sound stages at Pinewood Studios and location filming in both Spain and Italy. Krull is narratively and thematically somewhat of a mess due to the obvious changes made to the screenplay. However, it looks fantastic and features a wonderful cast of such character actors as Freddie Jones, Alun Armstrong and the great Bernard Bresslaw. There are also early appearances by Liam Neeson and Robbie Coltrane. Krull has developed quite a cult following over time. The Slayers and the Beast designs are quite scary and there is a superb score by James Horner that is very reminiscent of the halcyon Hollywood days of Erich Wolfgang Korngold and Miklós Rózsa.
Raise the Titanic (1980)
British media proprietor and impresario Lew Grade fared very well in television throughout the sixties and seventies. However, he was not so successful when he moved into film production. Raise the Titanic, based upon the novel by Clive Cussler, went through dozens of re-writes before it went into production, which accounts for why the final screenplay is so indifferent. The cast is curious and you get the impression that everyone they originally wanted was not available. Yet those actors who were eventually cast, Richard Jordan, Jason Robards and Alec Guiness are perfectly competent. However, the film was critically panned and bombed at the box office, effectively ruining ITC Productions. Irrespective of this, the miniature effects are outstanding and John Barry's portentous score does much of the heavy lifting, creating atmosphere, mystery and intrigue. It’s not a hidden gem but Raise the Titanic is far from the dog’s dinner some claim.
Night of the Demon AKA Curse of the Demon (1957)
Based on M R James' short story Casting the Runes, this is a horror masterpiece from director Jacque Tourneur. Beautifully shot in black and white by Ted Scaife, the film boasts an excellent production design by Ken Adam who subsequently went on to create all the huge sets for the sixties and seventies Bond films. The implied horror and tension is superbly handled and when the demon turns up it is suitably grim, despite its technical limitations. It was originally intended that the demon would be created by stop motion legend Ray Harryhausen but he was sadly unavailable. The optical smoke effects by FX wizard Wally Veevers are a marvel and were subsequently repeated in his last film The Keep in 1983. Night of the Demon is a bonafide horror classic due to its attention to detail and palpable atmosphere. Again a strong cast, including Dana Andrews, Peggy Cummings and Niall MacGinnis contributes substantially to the proceedings.
Thinking Out Loud
At present the UK is enduring some relatively harsh winter conditions. Usually November to February is continuously filled with rain and drizzle. When it is not enduring either of those things it tends to be overcast and gloomy. However, for a change the nation is currently experiencing snow, ice and heavy frosts. Even as far as the South East of England (IE where I live) the weather is cold, reaching temperatures as low as -3° celsius. Oh and before we get into the usual “You call that cold? It’s -X degrees here” argument, more fool you for living somewhere freezing. You can move, you know. Getting back on point I hate this time of year because it is so dreary. There’s nothing immediately on the horizon to look forward to and the cold weather just makes the matter worse. The UK is never equipped for snow to begin with. The idea of a fortnight somewhere warmer suddenly becomes a lot more appealing.
Here we are again with another selection of thoughts and ideas that have crossed my mind recently. As always, some could be developed into blog posts of their own but that really isn’t the point of this recurring post. This is more of a curated “brain fart”, where I just put a virtual pen to paper and get some of my thoughts written down for your consideration. As always, please feel free to leave a comment.
Winter
At present the UK is enduring some relatively harsh winter conditions. Usually November to February is continuously filled with rain and drizzle. When it is not enduring either of those things it tends to be overcast and gloomy. However, for a change the nation is currently experiencing snow, ice and heavy frosts. Even as far as the South East of England (IE where I live) the weather is cold, reaching temperatures as low as -3° celsius. Oh and before we get into the usual “You call that cold? It’s -X degrees here” argument, more fool you for living somewhere freezing. You can move, you know. Getting back on point I hate this time of year because it is so dreary. There’s nothing immediately on the horizon to look forward to and the cold weather just makes the matter worse. The UK is never equipped for snow to begin with. The idea of a fortnight somewhere warmer suddenly becomes a lot more appealing.
New Year Honours
Each year on January 1st, the New Year Honours are announced as part of the wider British Honours System. This often attracts a great deal of negative and partisan debate because a percentage of those nominated are serving or former politicians and titles and awards are seen as a “reward” or “payoff”. This is especially so when someone is made a Lord and gets a permanent seat in the second chamber of the UK parliament, The House of Lords. The UK tabloid press also dislikes it when celebrities or those connected to the arts receive honours due to diverging political opinions and affiliations.
But the vast majority of New Year Honours are given to members of the public for their service to others. Furthermore they are nominated by their peers and friends. Hence, decent people such as those providing school crossing patrols or running charities such as food banks will receive “gongs” and initials after their names. I do not consider this a bad thing and find it frustrating that a worthy form of public recognition is hijacked by the media who focus on a few political nominations. It’s a shame that people who have dedicated their lives to others don’t receive comparable press exposure.
New Year Resolutions
New Year resolutions are bullshit. You know this. I know this. A sham, a waste of time and a pointless self indulgence. If you want to make a change to your life then research it, plan it and implement it. As Yoda wisely said, “Do or do not. There is no try”. Or as German comedian Henning Wehn said “ Westphalia is not an option”.
You Cannot Always Achieve a Positive Outcome
If you keep abreast of the latest data collated by those with appropriate qualifications, you will notice that Western culture is becoming very risk averse. A lot of positive developments such as a greater focus on mental well being and being open about one’s feelings have also fostered a mindset where people don’t want to make mistakes or be seen to do so. This leads to a culture of either misplaced assuredness and possibly to the Dunning-Kruger effect, or alternatively to a complete inability to make decisions and a withdrawal from anything where definitive action is required.
When I was a young teenager I can remember several teachers at my school from different disciplines impressing upon us that it is not always possible to achieve a positive outcome. They illustrated this with points from history. This axiom also occurs in the literature and wider pop culture of the time and still persists today. Captain Picard stated that “It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not a weakness. That is life”. It is a shame that more people don’t understand this concept and reconcile themselves to it. Because I suspect that global events over the next 4 to 5 years will hammer the point home. Don’t allow yourself to be broken by a misplaced philosophy.
