I'm maybe a Smoke Conduit

Still thinking about getting that PS4... but I don't know if I want to get a 1st-gen machine. It's still going to be a long while before I get one. Probably at least 2 years. Then again, I got the PS3 in 2009, about 3 years after its launch (and right before they announced the slim model). I think I did about the same with the PS2, nabbing one around 2002-ish. So if the pattern continues, I'll be seeing one in about 2016... And hopefully this time I'll get something after a hardware revision!


When not dealing with classes (or sometimes in them if I'm bored enough) or assignments, been reading a fair amount of game dev stuff. Found a game dev magazine with all the issues online for free + code snippets when I went looking for the original inFAMOUS's postmortem since the one for Second Son was rather fascinating. In fact, I have 2 versions of the postmortem: one with just the slides, and another with a few notes per slide (not a lot, but a few interesting tidbits). Now if only I could get my hands on the presentation about their particle effects system... That one's the most intriguing, and it's only open to GDC Vault subscribers, which is quite expensive.

Post-release support for the game has been rather impressive. Just from watching the streams, you can tell that it's a launch window game with its mission structures and the like (as much as I like the series so far, it really does look more like a playable tech demo). Sure, there are a lot of fine details and the like, but some things just don't seem to gel properly. It almost seems like the game is meant to be played as a hero based on cutscenes and dialogue. Content is somewhat sparse, save for the Paper Trail and potential "Festival of Blood"-sized DLC. Quite a few complaints about the side-missions, and I don't blame them. But adding in things like Photo Mode, a HUD-less option, 30fps cap, etc? Makes me want to play the game even more. It shows that the developer, Sucker Punch, has been listening to criticisms and working to improve their game. It helps having one of their patch notes say that their art director pulled something while scrambling for the spare controller. Amusing, although something like that should have been accounted for since we're now playing with primarily wireless controllers. Well, they're listening, and that's what matters.

For April Fool's? There were a few fun ones, like 16-bit Thief from S-E's JP site. Google and Nintendo teamed up for a Pokémon themed challenge. Managed to catch all of them by the 13th because I had caught 5+ before the first deadline. Took screens of Mew on my tablet (found it in the Amazon). It was relatively painless, although I would've preferred to catch them all on the phone as it's a faster device. Still, happy to have caught 'em all~ Another one that amused me was Sony JP's "travel" campaign... which included a 4 day tour of Seattle courtesy of Delsin. With the D.U.P. still there. That can only end well.


Also finally decided to crack open the actual testing kit. Unfortunately, my screwy sense of smell worked against me this time. If you know me IRL and were present in that bio class, you might remember that I had absolutely no reaction in Gr.11 when it came to the digestion lab with the incubator, mock intestines, and enzymes. In fact, you had to put me really damn close to the incubator in order for me to smell anything. Well, taking a whiff of swatch 3 almost did me in for the night. I still don't know what the hell that was supposed to be and I'm not about to find out. Swatches 1 and 2 reminded me of various cleaning fluids, so it didn't bother me as much. No idea how they're determining the results though. Did sort of notice how they were graphing the answers. Maybe I'll create a dummy account and spam a bunch of answers to see what happens. Plus, I want to save those trippy pics they had for the online-only version. The ink splotches were quite nice though.

The funniest thing about the test? My results didn't change in the least. It was still 92% and Smoke. In a way, I suppose it's accurate considering how much I like fire.


Added a couple of things to my Steam wishlist. Trials Fusion was just too funny to pass up after seeing a trailer for it not too long ago. You see some pretty good gameplay for a bit... then you hear screams. Then you see slo-mo crashes for some time. And they were hilarious. Saw a few livestreams and some beta test footage (or is it demo footage?) for the PS4 version, and it looks really fun. Lots of physics and face-planting.


By the way? Coconut Oolong? Ew. I think it's either the oolong or the lemongrass. Something's rather off-putting about this blend. Had to force myself to finish it. It smelled quite nice though... Shame that it fell on its face like that. The coconut seemed a little bit off as well. Almost too much on the artificial flavouring. And I think I have to watch when I can steep a cup of the Coffee Cake blend. It apparently makes someone nauseous. I guess I can only have it while I'm hanging out in an open area. Like a certain office...