myTotallyAwesome Windows application is out. Download it from here. Basically it's a simple work timer.
...Yeah. I made it with C# mainly for my own usage (but hey, might aswell do something with my web space). It uses the .NET Framework 3.5 and saves all data to an SQLite database (using this). Also includes a help file: that's an interesting story; I initially made it with the trial version of WinCHM (what an horrible program) and then removed the red WinCHM nag text with another trial version of a CHM editor I should have used in the first place.
Confusing. Anyways, check it out.
What is all the fuss about? Yes -- some games are violent -- but so are books, movies, TV shows and so can be every other piece of art. Games are art. They have stories. Unlike what FOX News claims, games can be much more than killing simulators (or alien sideboobs). They have real stories: numerous games I've played have actually better stories than some of the movies I've seen. Call of Duty 4 could easily be a Clancy novel or a movie. It has one of the best single player campaign plots I've ever seen.
There's a lot of movies with gore. A lot of it. Are they criticized by morons? No. But the second you make a game with a severed head, you're getting sued. Freedom of speech applies everywhere. Video games are as good as - or even better ways of storytelling. They are a (relatively) new way to tell stories. Highly photorealistic graphics allow even more believable environments. For example, I'd much rather play through Metal Gear Solid - which is on many "best videogame stories ever" lists than read a book, or watch a movie.
Get it? By adding interactivity, the lifespan of a story can be increased. It's more fun and engaging. But don't take me the wrong way - there are games that don't have a real plot, and are exactly what causes controversy. But freedom of speech exists. So do age ratings. It's not the maker's fault somebody underage got hold of the game. Yes -- you can hold them liable for making it -- but you might as well sue a cinema for showing a violent film. Or the film's makers. That won't go anywhere - but for some reason, it very often seems to work with video games (at least the "controversy" part). Why is this?
The main reason I wrote this article was due to the nearing release of Grand Theft Auto: IV (GTA) for short. By now, you should know what it is, so I doubt I need to explain. From what I can see from the trailers, IV could very well be a movie. Or a book. I've enjoyed the stories of the previous GTA games: they aren't bad (with the exception of San Andreas: what a horribly cliched & stereotypical character set).
Please, think twice before boycotting video games. They're just like all other media: if you hate GTA, you also hate everything violent on TV/film.
We just got a Topfield PVR. These things are cool - I can record one channel and watch another, time shows, even play an (awful) Breakout clone. It's the Topfield 5100.
But wait. Once it's set up, it works just fine, but I notice something bizarre: the channel numbering I defined in my "favorite" (or whatever it calls it) are screwed up. If I press the numbers on the remote, they go to the right channels, but if I press the button that goes one channel up (or the one that does it reverse), the order is all screwy.
Oh well.
Then there's the guide. It's absolutely horrible. I expected something like this:
What I get is a guide that shows one channel at once. And not to mention, its navigation is slow. Way to go Topfield! (Ironically though, the above image is a 3rd party EPG TAP for a Topfield PVR).
The recording was a bit bizarre at first, too. The default recording option menu (when you record "freestyle" instead of timing something) shows a dialog with 3 options: "record for *time*", "record until *show name* ends", and a third one I don't even remember. Those three looked like options I would need to change (all of them), instead of clicking one to define how long it records.
The manual sucks too. But at least it works. It's quite ironic that you actually have to download software by others to your own digital receiver to make it an OK system to use.
Click for bigger (on small resolutions, the already poor quality preview image might look distorted).
I need to make a wizard. I'm using C# (yeah yeah, shoot me) with Visual Studio 2008. I expect that there's a bundled form template for a wizard or something, made by the Satan (Microsoft) itself, but there isn't. I'm screwed.
Please Microsoft, make one. I am an awful designer. And I'm pretty sure there's a lot of other people with the same problem.
DEAR LORD I hate Visual Studio 2008. I have the thing up and running for a few days -- guess what happens after that? Whenever I try to make any kind of project (managed or not: C++ or not), I just get a nice little message in the status bar.
"Project creation failed".
Googling it returns the same error concerning a beta version of VS2008. Fixed by commenting a line in an XML file. Too bad this line doesn't even exist!
...By somebody who has owned his for a week. But fear not: I have a lot of friends with 360's (they're the people who got me into getting one): and they've taught me everything I need to know [hopefully]. There was a lot of confusion for me when purchasing, so I made this to hopefully clear things up. Anyways, there's some questions to ask yourself before getting you the thing:
- Which edition. Arcade, Elite... Do you want everything or just the plain basics? What can you afford?
- What games. Unless you want to play Hexic HD/UNO (just kidding, Boom Boom Rocket comes with the arcade too), you're going to need to buy games with it. launch titles or brand new games? Depends on the money. I'll list some of my own favorites.
- Accessories. What's your next-gen console without an obviously overpriced wireless adapter or hard disk? Do you need them? Find out later.
- Live. Do you need Gold or will Silver do?
Continue reading 'Xbox 360 buyer’s guide'
Rainbow Six Vegas. Upon entering an online game, I expect tactical team strategy. What do I get? Have a guess.
People messing with c4. An tactical online shooter becomes Team Fortress: instead of shooting people, you throw a charge of C4 next to them and blow it up. And boy does it piss me off.
Please tell me this is fixed in R6V2. Please?
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