Poetry Corner

So if you're wondering where I've been lately, it's been mainly juggling projects. Projects such as new video series. New video series such as this one:

The Escapist : Jim & Yahtzee's Rhymedown Spectacular : A Tale of Two Poets

If you enjoyed my FTL poem and that one ZP I did yonks ago entirely in limericks, you should realise that writing within a rhyme and rhythm structure is something that seems to hold appeal for me. So I wanted to flex it a bit, and when the Escapist mentioned they were looking into starting some new video content, I ran the FTL video past them. Well, it turns out Jim Sterling (of Jimquisition) was thinking along similar lines, so now we're doing a weekly poetry slam, on whatever video gaming topics come to mind.

The other thing that appeals to me about the concept is that it can be done a lot quicker than a Zero Punctuation, so I can be a bit more topical with the humour. Ho yes, I'll never be caught short by a news trend again. Last thing I need is something like Margaret Thatcher dying and me not noticing.

A Wealth Of Stealth

Yes, Gabriel and I did another LP to celebrate him not ejaculating into any more handbags since the last one. This time it's Operation Stealth, by Delphine Software, who also did the lovely Future Wars.

American viewers may be more familiar with this game under the title James Bond: The Stealth Affair, since for some reason the American version had the actual James Bond license while everywhere else got a thinly disguised version. Perhaps this only seems strange to me living in a new, internet-fueled age of globalisation. Maybe Ian Fleming's estate was planning on releasing a shitty adventure game of their own, but were planning to withhold it from the US because an American widdled on their cat.

Eff Tee Ell

Some necessary background: FTL: Faster Than Light is an indie game on Steam in which you have to manage a spaceship's crew and power functions as it makes its way to home base to warn of a coming rebel fleet. It's very absorbing and I've been playing it a lot lately. Recently I wrote a poem about it. Here it is.

didn't sleep well

Go to www.teamfortress.com. There's an image at the top of the page showing the 9 different characters. When you mouse over each character they become highlighted, indicating that they can be clicked on to go to their profile page.

And if you very slowly move the mouse cursor from one character to another, you'll find there's a tiny little gap as you cross from one character to the next. A brief moment when both characters become de-highlighted. Like there's a little channel separating the hotspots. This happens everywhere where one character's graphic joins another.

BUT.

There is one exception: the join between the Scout and the Soldier. If you mouse over and highlight the Scout and slowly scroll over to the Soldier, or vice versa, one highlights and the other simultaneously de-highlights. There is no separating border where both become de-highlighted.

If you mouse over the Scout and move to the Pyro, the gap is there. If you mouse over the Soldier and move to the Engineer, the gap is there. If you mouse over any other character and move to its next-door neighbour, every single time, there is a gap. It's just between the Scout and Soldier where there is no gap. It is impossible to position your mouse between them without highlighting either.

WHAT

DOES

THIS

MEAN

Merlin' In A Winter Wonderland

Merry Christmas, viewers. Here's a present for you: Gabriel finally managed to dislodge his thumb from its usual comfort zone (up his butt) to record a gameplay video of Young Merlin. Then we jabbered over it, as is our funny little way, for the benefit of any other total saddoes who have nothing better to do throughout the Christmas season than watch Youtube videos.

The game turned out to be a bit slow and backtracky, so our conversation had a slightly unfortunate tendency to drift back to cocks a lot.

UPDATE 23/12: Things only gets worse in part two!

UPDATE 26/12: Events shudder messily to a climax!

Green X And Com

The above image of a random recruit in X-Com: Enemy Unknown comes courtesy of Jacob, via my email. He assures me that it came from a friend's game and that he didn't edit the name or callsign beyond what the game assigned it. So either Jacob's friend is a big fat liar, or I am officially being shouted out by the developers of X-Com. That was nice of you, developers of X-Com! Look out for my ZP review in the next few weeks! Hope it doesn't jeopardise my new career as a space marine!

Release Day

 

 Happy Jam day! My new book's now released! Let's celebrate with a toast. Toast and jam.