Sorry about the lack of post last Friday. I was busy / lazy.
Well, not quite lazy, I had to run into work even though it was a public holiday because a project at work broke. Even worse, when I got in there and ran it, it worked fine, the issue being only a temporary server downtime. So much for a day off...
Anyhoo, last week, Sarah and I joined my brother and a few other people heading to Olympic Park for some archery. It turns out that about a month ago, he and a mutual friend bought bows. They've been running off to archery ranges most weekends to have a few shots. Mark had mentioned to me at one stage that once he finishes uni, he'd be interested in taking up archery, and I was definitely up for joining him in that. My guess is that my bro heard me offhandedly mention that, and invited us to join him for a go (unfortunately, Mark was busy since uni is eating his soul).
We headed to Olympic Park, and paid our moneys. Matt and Josh had their own equipment and "know what they are doing", so they buggered off to another section of the range to play with their compound bows, whilst the rest of us were in the learner group with plain old longbows.
I quite enjoyed it, though I learned quite quickly that I'm a terrible shot. I spent a large amount of time in between volleys searching for the arrows that missed the target - and at one stage even managed to permanently lose one somewhere. They sometimes have a tendency to burrow under the ground (apparently the compound bows are worse for this), making it difficult to find them, if not impossible.
After a while Sarah and I managed to start hitting the target with greater reliability. It was at this point that I began to notice that the arrows we were using were bent. It makes sense, since that was the equipment that anyone can use when they head to the archery center, but it also allows me to blame my lack of accuracy on said bent arrows.
Eventually we were told to stop - altogether way too quickly, and we fired our last shots. We then watched Matt and Josh for a few shots (it turns out they're also quite terrible at archery, and although they were shooting at a much longer distance, they were also using bows equipped for said range), and I got to try one shot with the compound bow.
The compound bow is a pain to fire. The string was ridiculously difficult to draw back til a certain point, then it drew the rest of the way quite quickly. I don't know if this is expected behaviour, or if its my brother's bow being useless, or what. I took my shot, and managed to hit the target - which is more than Matt and josh could say for most of their shots!
In the end, I am considering purchasing a bow, although I do not know if it would be a compound one - those things are a bit pricey, after all!
Showing posts with label fun. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fun. Show all posts
Monday, April 25, 2011
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Japanese food, Arcade, and Walking
Walking. Lots and lots and lots of walking. But let me back up a bit.
Last week, it was brought to my attention that a certain person I know, normally residing in Bathurst, was in Sydney for the weekend, due to the uni he works for deciding arbitrarily that he doesn't know enough about iPhone programming, and so sent him to Sydney for a programming workshop, that lasted from Friday through to Sunday.
That's my theory anyway, why else would they send him to what seemed like a beginner's course on iOS programming?
Anyhoo, Sarah and I met up with Tiger for dinner and wandering around the city post-work Friday evening. We started by dropping by his hotel room so he could check in, and people could drop off things if required.
HOLY CRAP the room was HUGE. For one person, it was slightly overkill - a double bed (it accomodates two people max apparently), a huge loungeroom with a large TV (and lots of mirror's for seemingly no reason), a decently sized kitchen and bathroom. It even had a hat rack! Awesomesauce!
After that, we headed to the small Japanese 250 yen store, and the grocery store below it. I forget the name of the place. Anyway, Tiger spent copious amounts of money on random objects and foodstuffs (that he can't easily get hold of in Bathurst), while I was happy with a single bottle of Ramune, and a packet of random Ramune flavoured candies.
From there, we headed to Kinokuniya, where we looked at manga and just books in general until we were kicked out (it was around 6.30 by the time we got there, after all, and they close at 7pm). From there, on to Pepper Lunch! Foooooood!
Afterwards, we headed to Capitol Square to try some of the prize-winner games there. Noone managed to actually win anything off the claw machines, though I managed to lose about $3 without even having an attempt at it. The machines just kept eating my money, without letting me even try the claw thing.
Most likely the machine was scared I was going to win.
It turns out that the place also has pachinko machines there! Totally worth the $2 I spent to only half-understand what I was doing. I have the general idea of how Pachinko works, but I still kinda don't quite get it. I should read up on it at some point, I suppose.
After that, GALAXY WORLD! We walked up the street to the "proper" arcade, and played games. DDR, Guitar Freaks, a couple more prize winners, and DJ Max Technika 2. Oh God Yes Technika!
For those who don't know, Technika is a game where you pick a song, and you play it on a touch screen. It is kind of similar to Elite Beat Agents on the DS (or Osu! Tatakae! Ouendon), in that you tap circles on a touch screen in time with the song. However, in Technika, you have the top half of the screen moving left to right, and the bottom half going right to left, so you end up with a generally kind of circular motion of notes.
It also has some pretty good music, that will stick in your head forever if you give it half a chance.
Afterwards, we headed back to Tiger's hotel room, sat down for a bit (since we had walked all over the city between each destination by this point). Eventually, it was time to leave, and catch a cab home.
Fun night. Tiger, you better get yer ass up here to Sydney more often!
Last week, it was brought to my attention that a certain person I know, normally residing in Bathurst, was in Sydney for the weekend, due to the uni he works for deciding arbitrarily that he doesn't know enough about iPhone programming, and so sent him to Sydney for a programming workshop, that lasted from Friday through to Sunday.
That's my theory anyway, why else would they send him to what seemed like a beginner's course on iOS programming?
Anyhoo, Sarah and I met up with Tiger for dinner and wandering around the city post-work Friday evening. We started by dropping by his hotel room so he could check in, and people could drop off things if required.
HOLY CRAP the room was HUGE. For one person, it was slightly overkill - a double bed (it accomodates two people max apparently), a huge loungeroom with a large TV (and lots of mirror's for seemingly no reason), a decently sized kitchen and bathroom. It even had a hat rack! Awesomesauce!
After that, we headed to the small Japanese 250 yen store, and the grocery store below it. I forget the name of the place. Anyway, Tiger spent copious amounts of money on random objects and foodstuffs (that he can't easily get hold of in Bathurst), while I was happy with a single bottle of Ramune, and a packet of random Ramune flavoured candies.
From there, we headed to Kinokuniya, where we looked at manga and just books in general until we were kicked out (it was around 6.30 by the time we got there, after all, and they close at 7pm). From there, on to Pepper Lunch! Foooooood!
Afterwards, we headed to Capitol Square to try some of the prize-winner games there. Noone managed to actually win anything off the claw machines, though I managed to lose about $3 without even having an attempt at it. The machines just kept eating my money, without letting me even try the claw thing.
Most likely the machine was scared I was going to win.
It turns out that the place also has pachinko machines there! Totally worth the $2 I spent to only half-understand what I was doing. I have the general idea of how Pachinko works, but I still kinda don't quite get it. I should read up on it at some point, I suppose.
After that, GALAXY WORLD! We walked up the street to the "proper" arcade, and played games. DDR, Guitar Freaks, a couple more prize winners, and DJ Max Technika 2. Oh God Yes Technika!
For those who don't know, Technika is a game where you pick a song, and you play it on a touch screen. It is kind of similar to Elite Beat Agents on the DS (or Osu! Tatakae! Ouendon), in that you tap circles on a touch screen in time with the song. However, in Technika, you have the top half of the screen moving left to right, and the bottom half going right to left, so you end up with a generally kind of circular motion of notes.
It also has some pretty good music, that will stick in your head forever if you give it half a chance.
Afterwards, we headed back to Tiger's hotel room, sat down for a bit (since we had walked all over the city between each destination by this point). Eventually, it was time to leave, and catch a cab home.
Fun night. Tiger, you better get yer ass up here to Sydney more often!
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Storm's a Brewin'
I bought Bulletstorm last Thursday. I have since, finished the game.
TWICE. The second time being on Very Hard mode.
It is rare for me to finish a game twice nowadays - I have so many games to play that usually once I finish one, I'm done with it, unless its multiplayer is good, in which case it becomes a fallback MP game.
Bulletstorm's multiplayer isn't that good. It had an interesting idea - team up with other people to aim for as many cool "Skillshots" as you can. However, it is implemented via Games for Windows LIVE, which is a piss poor excuse for an online platform. This immediately removes the possibility of dedicated servers, or even getting a choice of server to play on. There is no chance to select a server with a low ping - you just hit connect and hope like hell you don't get screwed. Not to mention the login kerfuffles. I kind of feel sorry for the people who bought the game on Steam - they probably have to log in TWICE to play the game.
I hate Games for Windows LIVE.
Once you get the game running though, its quite fun. You spend the majority of the game running around looking for the most interesting and awesome ways of killing the mutants that are hunting you. Typically that involves things like impaling them on giant cacti, kicking them into exposed electrical wires, using your electric leash's "thumper" attack to send everything sky high before impaling multiple enemies using your drill gun - a gun aptly named the "Penetrator", and other such atrocities.
Quite a brutal game in terms of body count, graphic violence and potty mouth. Every character in this game has a bad case of potty mouth. Admittedly, its what you expect when you play as a Space Pirate, and I don't have a problem with coarse language in the slightest, but it can get tiresome sometime. Especially when, take away the word pirate and replace it with marine, and your character suddenly becomes ridiculously generic again. Who am I kidding, the character is very generic. There is even the sequence early on where you flash back to his time as a space marine!
However, where the game shines is the gameplay. Admittedly, the levels are linear, but I'm fine with that. Too much freedom tends to result in my getting lost anyway. In this game - the goal is clear. Follow the path to where you need to be - killing everything in your path in the most inventive way possible with the environment around you. Blow up that hot dog cart, with the resulting explosion killing nearby mutants, for the "Sausage Fest" skillshot. Find a bottle of booze, down it and kill a mutant while drunk (which can prove quite difficult sometimes due to blurry-screen and the game refusing to aim where you want it to) to get whatever skillshot you just earned, with the addition bonus "Intoxicated". Find some enemies in the cargo bays of a spacecraft, pull the level that opens the door behind them for the skillkill "Ejeculated".
Yes, very crude, but oh so enjoyable.
Also, at one point you get to control a giant robot dinosaur. And it shoots lasers out of its eyes. It gets the best name ever too.
Waggleton P. Tallylicker.
TWICE. The second time being on Very Hard mode.
It is rare for me to finish a game twice nowadays - I have so many games to play that usually once I finish one, I'm done with it, unless its multiplayer is good, in which case it becomes a fallback MP game.
Bulletstorm's multiplayer isn't that good. It had an interesting idea - team up with other people to aim for as many cool "Skillshots" as you can. However, it is implemented via Games for Windows LIVE, which is a piss poor excuse for an online platform. This immediately removes the possibility of dedicated servers, or even getting a choice of server to play on. There is no chance to select a server with a low ping - you just hit connect and hope like hell you don't get screwed. Not to mention the login kerfuffles. I kind of feel sorry for the people who bought the game on Steam - they probably have to log in TWICE to play the game.
I hate Games for Windows LIVE.
Once you get the game running though, its quite fun. You spend the majority of the game running around looking for the most interesting and awesome ways of killing the mutants that are hunting you. Typically that involves things like impaling them on giant cacti, kicking them into exposed electrical wires, using your electric leash's "thumper" attack to send everything sky high before impaling multiple enemies using your drill gun - a gun aptly named the "Penetrator", and other such atrocities.
Quite a brutal game in terms of body count, graphic violence and potty mouth. Every character in this game has a bad case of potty mouth. Admittedly, its what you expect when you play as a Space Pirate, and I don't have a problem with coarse language in the slightest, but it can get tiresome sometime. Especially when, take away the word pirate and replace it with marine, and your character suddenly becomes ridiculously generic again. Who am I kidding, the character is very generic. There is even the sequence early on where you flash back to his time as a space marine!
However, where the game shines is the gameplay. Admittedly, the levels are linear, but I'm fine with that. Too much freedom tends to result in my getting lost anyway. In this game - the goal is clear. Follow the path to where you need to be - killing everything in your path in the most inventive way possible with the environment around you. Blow up that hot dog cart, with the resulting explosion killing nearby mutants, for the "Sausage Fest" skillshot. Find a bottle of booze, down it and kill a mutant while drunk (which can prove quite difficult sometimes due to blurry-screen and the game refusing to aim where you want it to) to get whatever skillshot you just earned, with the addition bonus "Intoxicated". Find some enemies in the cargo bays of a spacecraft, pull the level that opens the door behind them for the skillkill "Ejeculated".
Yes, very crude, but oh so enjoyable.
Also, at one point you get to control a giant robot dinosaur. And it shoots lasers out of its eyes. It gets the best name ever too.
Waggleton P. Tallylicker.
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