Daisy Daisy

Some notes from a Swedish interview: - They want to render the computer divine and mysterious, i.e. cast as something more prophetic and mystic (mystic in the sense of communion with something divine). - The developers have created a "programing language" for the player to use in the game that adheres to it's own internal logic. Following this, the game will be heavily systemized. They gave an example in which the protagonist comes across a locked door, and instead of brute forcing it yourself, you write a program that does it for you. - Progression in this game is as much about the player (you) as the protagonist (your character). You learn new functions and possibilities which you will apply with what you already know. Now I don't know if this knowledge is unlocked in the traditional sense (i.e. is bound to narrative progression) or if you can play through the game again and apply "endgame-code" to starting areas. Anyway: ENDLESS EMERGENCE. P. S. My Swedish is a bit rusty but I think I understood well enough.

Hmm I spot Borges, perhaps Calderón (de la Barca?) or Calvino? Also Brian Eno, U2 and Eagleman(?). Will this be a more a literary cast?

I should have clarified, we are taking a stand against "The Man" together. She cares for Valentine's about as much as I do. She's coming over soon and we'll toast each other, play some Chess, and gently go to sleep. What I react against is how artificial the celebration is, I feel disingenuous doing nice things on this day. And I'm not above giving her gifts when I find something I know she will like or when I feel the need to buy myself out of guilt. Or above doing something nice if my SO feels that this day is important. And I'm sorry you are alone today, perhaps I was inconsiderate and showy whining like this. If so, I apologize. I'd probably feel bad about it too if somebody reminded me about it, I'm not that strong.

Oh Valentines, you shitty celebration of love. In Motherland the concept of Valentine's Day was introduced in the 60s to increase sales of flowers, jewelry and other high-end products. And unless you are a Catholic stuck in time somehow, the day shouldn't mean much to you. Anyway, I intend to drink Rye with my girl and perhaps catch a movie. I resigned to peer-pressure

Now I'm reading: Tobias Wolff "Our Story Begins: New and Selected Stories" - Very, very good. I just LOVE how he turns quotidian, more or less rural scenes into the mystic realm. I really wish I could explain how I feel about this, it's such an amazing effect. Especially considering how raw, down-to-earth and visceral his prose is. Aleksandar Hemon "The Question of Bruno" - An emigre writer, escaped the civil war in Yugoslavia and now writes weird and wonderful stories about his history and the history of his people. In one story, called "The Life and Work of Alphonso Kauders" he just piles on facts to build a portrait of a special man, facts such as these: There are plenty more, and an appendix. When I realized that these facts actually are canon and used as mythology in other stories, I felt pure glee. Some poems by Charles Simic, here and there - all great stuff but I probably don't need to tell you. Criticism by James Wood (mainly from The Irresponsible Self) and Coetzee (Inner Workings, On Stranger Shores). Really makes me wish I could articulate better in English (any language, really).

Oceanography is more like going beneath the surface, dredging up what lies hidden in the dirt and darkness. But then again I go hard for a sonar.

I saw Almodóvar's La piel que habito (The Skin I Live In) two weeks back. A really good, weird and disturbing movie. It made me think of Cronenberg but Iberian. Now whenever I run around* in long johns and henley shirts I think of myself as Vera - only less graceful. *

I do think that this is fairly awesome. It seems like as a developer, you don't touch another developer's games. Breaking this convention is such a fun little way is incredible and goes to show what you can do with the proper resources. I want to see more developers messing around with mods and toolkit for games they themselves didn't create!

As an outsider: I'm terrified both of, and for, USA. Reading n+1, Dissent, NYRB, the New Inquiry, Jacobinmag etc does that I guess. Anyway, this is an awesome political ad from back in the day. I just love the aesthetics and the fear-mongering: 63h_v6uf0Ao If I had the resources, I'd do bogus ads in this style.

What do you think of Nietzsche? Also, of Nabokov? Ever since I read James Salter's Burning the Days I've wanted to read Speak, Memory but I haven't got off to it yet.

Thank you all, both for your input and for your kind complements. I would feel weird with that here, but if I post something obtuse you should definitively ask for clarification. I don't really have that as a point of reference, I'm thinking more about the non-fiction of David Foster Wallace. He bends words and metaphors which allows him to reach almost perfect clarity while maintaining an enjoyable tone and style. To be fair, these two paragraphs will probably be interpreted differently and the changes are mostly arbitrary, I think I get your point though. Thing is, I don't really want to revise my posts too much. If I was writing an essay or article for school or publication, then certainly. But when posting on a forum I just want to get my thoughts out while being clear and comprehensive. Again thanks for your advice, all of you!

Spoilers for where you find shields:

Scandinavia, Cumbria does sounds appealing though.

Right, I actually felt silly posting here since this really isn't very existential. Actually I pretty much only read/listen to/watch English art/media/x but I think I have plateaued a bit. I think I might have to move into an environment where English dominates to learn more and become more fluent, I'm not sure though. And I'm not sure if this is threadworthy, just something I thought people here might be able to help with.

Perhaps. Perhaps also to nuclear holocaust, but keep that on the hush-hush Also: No comment on my comment? I feel snubbed...

So I feel weird when I write in English, I know to many phrases and colloquial expressions for my own good. When I type I often have a clear idea of what I want to say but can't always find the proper words to express myself, instead I resort to using one of these things I've picked up which often are too broad but sound eloquent. Basically, I want more exactness in my writing. Any ideas of how I can improve?

I realize that I typed up my first post in a hurry, I'll elaborate: 1. I am a Man. My name is more an obscure (maybe?) reference or two. 2. I do feel that Skyrim is a better game - as much as "better" can be quantified - and that the world potentially is more engaging. But as Gwardinen pointed out, I've changed and now I feel like how the game plays, how tactile the experience is (or isn't, in this case) much more important to me than it was before. The point I'm making is that if I don't feel connected enough to my character I'm distracted from enjoying the world. 3. And when I say that the world is bland, I mean more the whole "dragonsmagicskings," not the setting and atmosphere which I feel is much improved from Oblivion. The first time night fell outside Dragonreach (?) and I saw the dome above I was almost floored - I had a similar feeling to when you are snorkeling in clear seas, that the bottom of the sea and all life on it is so close you can touch it. And things like this is awesome: 4. I played New Vegas on the computer and I enjoyed that experience much, much more. I think it has something to do with guns working better with the FPS-view but I'm not certain. P. S. Am I the only one who has difficulties with tenses when talking about games? I never know if I should refer to their release, the time I experience it or it's existence. English doesn't come naturally to me though so it might just be that.

Have any of you have contact with the Occupy-movement? If you do, and if you did enjoy it, can I perhaps interest in David Graeber's latest work? (If you aren't familiar with Graeber: he is regarded as one of the intellectuals behind the ideology of the whole movement.) Now I haven't read it yet, but I wanted to highlight this since it might be of interest to you staters. It's called Debt: The First 5000 Years and basically retells economic history as we know it, and from what I've read about it, championing debt as a way of keeping a social balance. The reviews have been great, and here's a great one from a really smart dude. Me? I'm currently debating what to read, after finishing W. G. Sebald's The Emigrants, a long ritual of elimination since I have way to many unread books stacking up.

This is an interesting subject, and a huge one too. My suggestion (and what I've done to some extent) is to take a game you enjoy with a solid editor and then start working with that. Figuring out what works within the context of the game's systems and mechanics as well as what you enjoy creating. I had loads of fun trying to create detective stories with unusual narration in low-scale but high-density settings for Neverwinter Nights. I usually got sidetracked by the first alley or house or so, but the potential was there! By taking this route you don't have to create your own assets and can focus on gameplay, narrative etc. and ultimately gives you more time to "just design." If you do want to learn to model/texture/animate that can also easily be done - just look at forums like Polycount for advice! I hope this helps!

I played Skyrim for a while on my PS3 without running into any bugs, however I just couldn't get into the game: The way my character controlled felt too clumsy and unresponsive, and the world was too bland for me. I'm sorry if I'm stepping on any toes but I enjoyed Oblivion and I'm quite disappointed. It seems like I've come to expect more from my games.

Yes, I'd rather put points into any other stat than Resistance. It's just so odd that they put it in there?

I've been playing Dark Souls and I love it, even more than I thought I would. The transition from a module-world-with-a-hub to an open, seamless world is probably my favorite change, instead of Super Mario X I get Super Mario 64* and the feeling of discovery that carried ( ). I also love pyromancy, especially for low-level characters or later if you don't build any Fire/Flame? weapons or you want to muck around with Combustion/Iron Flesh/Power Within. I've got some beef with Attunement but in the end limited number of "casts" and a secondary slot-stat probably is balanced. I.e. you can fight with magic but then you are mostly fucked in other combat, or you can use magic to support your melee character. And don't get me started on Resistance, it's like Luck but even more odd... At least Luck had Blue Blood Sword and Large Sword of Searching while Resistance reinforces the same stats as all armor? It just feels so useless... * Arguably Firelink Shrine is an analogue to the Castle.

Hi there, The little time I have goes into beating my head against Dark Souls (I'm trying to get ALL the shields right now, but I don't want to mess around with Siegmeyer for him to appear in Blighttown) and playing BlaOps multiplayer, against the AI. I'm probably not authorized to post in a video game forum.