World of Tanks: The Maus

Die Machtig Maus....

Idk if I got that right.  I used babelfish.  I put in, "The Mighty Maus."

After playing WoT since beta -- from July 2010 -- and over 9k games, I finally got the Maus.  I see this as the end-game for me personally (me personally here).  So far, I have played only a few games.  This is not enough at all to really judge by, but I wanted to share my impressions of, firstly, the reactions of others:

Game 1: Map: Ensk: Died. Victory.  Damaged lotsa folks and contributed.  JDT got me.
Game 2: Map: Cliff: I went left by myself and met half the enemy team on our side of the mountain.  I held out long time vs. an IS-7, IS-4 and a cadre of others that could damage me, and with no one coming after many pings. Died. Called a noob by teammate. Defeat.
Game 3: Map: Prokhorovka: My client crashed.  I got back in the game and went down train tracks on outside to avoid arty. It was a good fight. Got a T30, et al.  Died. Ends in defeat.  At the point it was obvious we were going to lose, an E-100 on my team calls me idiot.  Why i asked, "you were afk and you went down middle." Me: "My f**king client crashed and I did NOT go down the middle!" (All I can figure is at the time he started watching me -- after he died -- I was passing their flag going for arty, and he simply assumed I went down the middle).
Game 4: Map: Malinovka: Stalemate that I finally broke by going solo down short side and raping their flank on guard.  Nearly died but didn't.  Steel Wall.  Got thanked by teammates who said great job.  I said, "only cuz we won and I obviously contributed to that end.  If not, I'd surely be a noob."

So far, it seems a massive amount of pressure is on me to some how magically win the battle for my team.  If for any reason we lose, and if for any reason I die EVEN if I face the entire enemy team by
myself, I'm a noob....

/qq right?

Otherwise, the Maus bounced Tiger II rounds like their coming from a Valentine (replayed my Valentine recently; my gosh at the lack of gun).  It really isn't as slow as I imagined, but it does feel like it's ice-skates -- something I've not noticed in any other vehicle).

I am still very raw in it, but despite the critics, I am having fun.  I do not like the pressure however, and that does detract somewhat.

The Coming Zombie Apocolypse

I think this is _the_ first ever post on the Internets about the coming zombie apocalypse.  I find it interesting that by typing "how to survive..." in the googles, it auto-completes: "...zombie apocalypse."

I have thoroughly enjoyed the game -- now with sequel -- Left 4 Dead.  I also recently started watching the AMC series: The Walking Dead.  However, I do have problems with the logic.

(Note: in Episode 2, I think it was, the hero gets inside an Abrams; I thought for sure he would wreak havoc on the great zombie horde that nearly ripped him apart; alas, it ends horrifically anti-climatically)

First, a Zombie Apocalypse _only_ makes sense _if_ the thing that turns people into zombies is airborne.  I simply have a problem with the logic behind The Walking Dead.  Ok, you can only get infected -- and consequently become a zombie -- if you are bitten or eat tainted food (apparently, getting scratched is ok).  However, all military bases have been overrun.  I mean, think about it: we can setup a military base in the middle of the hostile Middle East, and keep suicide bombers and other enemies out and a arms length -- or gun length -- but the military in The Walking Dead cannot stop a slow-moving zombie from just walking up and biting them? Ok, maybe it was food, but rogue humans have survived the infection, found each other, and gathered into small groups and are fully able to _not_ eat tainted food, but the military couldn't?...

Do not eat this corn!!!

Left 4 Dead also features "special" zombies: a jumpy hunter, an acid spitting lady, a big swollen "boomer," etc.    I actually like this.  I can see this.  The infection got started _by_ the military trying to make super soldiers, and it interacts with whatever strength the person has beforehand: the smoker, well, smoked.  Now, he smokes people.  The boomer liked chips and frosties, fat guy.  He now is filled with bile.  The hunter was obviously really good at parkour, and the tank was a musclehead....

I also realize that nothing really globally bad will happen without the Mayans having predicted, so, I next googled, "did the aztecs predict a zombie apocalypse" (note: aztecs and mayans are the exact same thing).  Turns out, it's sketchy at best, but it did turn up a page discussing how the CDC has issued preparedness info:

CDC Zombie Apocalypse Notice

Another thing I've noticed is the lack of zombie children, or zombie babies.  Idk.  I heard there are some here and there, but I can't think of any.

zomg!

I think producers do not have zombie infants cuz, the survivors will just punt them or something....

I do think one of the best possible clues to a real zombie apocalypse is/are vid games.  I think the govt. is secretly preparing kids to fight zombies.  It will not be the military that will save us.  It will armies of 12 year olds, who played L4D....

World of Tanks: Type 59 Getting Nerfed?

This upcoming in v7.1:

Presently, in the Russian patch notes for the T59 in v7.1:

Максимальный уровень боев танка «Type 59» увеличен на 1.

As http://babelfish.yahoo.com translates it:

The maximum level of combat of the tank “Of type 59” is increased by 1.

Basically, the Type 59 -- which has the same gun as the T-44 -- will find itself matched like the T-44, instead of enjoying the matching now of a tier 6.  Sorry T59 owners, fun is over.

But, this is just on the Russian servers so far, and just on the test.  It always starts in Russia....

SWTOR: Down, Set, Hutt!...

Star Wars The Old Republic: The Old Republic is our only hope.

Level three.  I remember 3rd grade.  This guy looks pretty held-back tho:

The cinematic/theatric quests really do tons and blows away all quest stories or quests period in all other games before this one -- wow looks like a joke now....

My understanding of the story thus far: I am a bounty hunter trying to get into a great hunt sponsored by a Hutt, named Nem'ro The Hutt -- a hunt, for a hutt, from a hut, what the hut?...

Nehow, my sponsor got killed, and I'm left with only his secretary (or something).  I must now prove to Nem'ro The Hutt that I can do the great hunt by doing "jobs" for him -- being his muscle.

I have decided to go light-side, ergo, good-side, and I do my best to make these choices, but they ain't always easy:

I feel like I'm back in school at times, "hrm, A! no no, B! wait, C!."  I know other bounty hunters also struggled with this light-side/dark-side stuff:

Apparently, that was the right, light, choice, cuz like, I had a "goodasm":

And then had to change my pants....

Also, also, also and stuff.  Meandered by the mailbox and see a number 'side it -- (queue Blues Clues: mail time!).  I had me some mails.  Turned out a lady in a quest I did yesterday, actually sent a thank you email.  Wow (not world of warcraft).  Never had that I don't think.  Tiny, but neat (twss):

Nem'ro The Hutt's digs:

Nice skylight:

Of course, there would be the seedy bar, and duh womin!...

I'm guessing they made the lewd women holographic to get by the censors.

Ah, the great Nem'ro himself:

His presence so sessy, it pushed me to level four!

He gives me stuff to do (aka, quests), that'll prove I can be in the great hunt.  Basically, go kill some poor people.  I head out and finally expand the map beyond THE noob area to just the noob area.

I did diez tho:

but a magic droid comes and brings me back to life:

I did end the day level 5, and a title: Fatkiddown: Hired Gun. 

I thot for sure it would say: Fatkiddown: Blue Crotch (obscure, but think about it -- hint, blue women).

SWTOR: You have been placed in a queue....

"In me?"

World of Tanks: 5x XP Holiday Special

WoT: 5x

World of Tanks is running a Holiday Special: 5x xp plus 50% off crew training too.  Merry the Christmas!  I went ahead and headed down U.S. TD line and just got the Tiger II as well.  Other stuff too like half price off all tanks premium and standard btwn tiers 2 thru 5....

World of Tanks Holiday Special

I also did the unthinkable, and moved my Leopard crew to the Tiger II....
(Note: my Leopard was precious to me, "precious!"  I have far more games in it than in any other tank, and devoted to it and the crew attention; alas, the newer tier 5 lights have eclipsed it....)

One new guy, gunner.  He's been pantsed twice now....

Welp, brand new Tiger II thus far:
1st game Tiger II: Draw
2nd game Tiger II: fought my heart out, 3 kills.  Defeat.
3rd game Tiger II: 3 kills before dying.  Defeat.

All 3 games: missed only 2 out of 32 shots.

No victory so far....

It is hard to believe that people sit in the wide open, taking shots
from 3 and 4 sides, as they aim to hit one target....

I decide to encourage my team in the 3rd battle -- which ends in a defeat:

fatkiddown: Victory! Battle: Fisherman's Bay
Thursday, December 22, 2011 9:44:10 AM Vehicle: PzKpfw VIB Tiger II
Experience received: 6,470 (x5 for the first victory each day) Credits
received: 34,624

And then, and then! AND THEN!... a victory....
This battle -- wherein, my Tiger II got his first ever victory _AND_ at 5x xp to boot -- was quite interesting.  My final shot into the tank that killed me, lit up his fuel.  I died, seconds later, he dies.  Nicely....

So, I cut into my precious Maus credits and slid over to the Slugger from the M4A3E8, to head toward the Death Star: the dreaded, T95.

We loves the specials, doesn't we precious?
50g per 100% crew training on Slugger (normally, 100g), and it was 100g per 100% crew training on Tiger II (normally, 200g).  The Leopard crew is doing great, and repairing fast when tank is hurt -- they are veterans of over 1,414 games in the Leopard.

Here is my best so far in my primaries that I'm playing during the Holiday Special:

Victory!Battle: El Halluf Wednesday, December 21, 2011 10:03:03
PMVehicle: VK 4502 (P) Ausf. BExperience received: 7,520 (x5 for the
first victory each day)Credits received: 63,876

Yes, each time I get the creds to buy the 6.1 million $ Maus I'm grinding the VK4502p/b towards, WoT does another special, but this time, I feel the cut into me Maus money worth it.  I sold a couple of tanks that had no crews -- can always grind them back later if I wanna -- and that brought me to within approx. 400k creds to get back to 6.1 for the mousey.

All-in-all, I loves me some 5x Holiday Special times....

SWTOR: The Beginning

A few days before making the decision to put cash down, I enjoyed this game play vid:
SWTOR Game Play

ff:

I received news that servers were getting locked soon, and so, made the plunge.  I was able to purchase the game from origin.com no problem.  However, the email that landed in my inbox was useless in assisting in downloading/installing the game.  The "order completed" page at origin.com was not, and I soon was performing the massive download after getting the initial setup.exe.  All download and install done, the game is 19.4GB.  I went to bed knowing play would wait until the morning.

While watching time ooz by with the download, I decided to review classes.  Odd how google can both turn up quick, insightful briefs on anything, but then on something so easy, no page stands out at first.  Honestly, it's my ADHD's fault and not google's.  I wanted quick info with more beneath.  I finally happened up on a swtor wiki, and it did the trick: http://www.wikiswtor.com


So, theatrics/cinematics: well, is it me, or does Lucas start everything by killing the master off-the-bat?  (As soon as I typed that sentence, it lightening and thundered -- 4 days before Christmas.)  Like.

But no matter what, Star Wars just juices the male thing that gets juiced by 300 or Troy or Star Wars.  Yes, Jedi's going at it with green (making us know they are good) light sabers vs. Sith using their red (ebil!) light sabers, is awesome.  Of couse, yes, a master always dies -- always a good master too, hardly ever a Sith master.  Sith mastas die at the end of stuff.

Ok, I picked Bounty Hunter, and made my guy.

The noobie game section so far is pretty good.  I heard it's all voice -- quests and NPC interaction and whatnot -- and indeed, so far, it is.  The game is running nice on my some-what aged box, but looks great.

I messed-around with the initial quest choices getting varied responses.  It seems, so far, you can choose the most benevolent or the most selfish from the little dial-pad at the bottom, and the game performs cinematics accordingly.  I did a mix.  (Funny how we hate multiple choice in school, but put-up with it in vid games).

I started taking screenshots once I entered the server I chose.  FYI, on Windows 7, these are stored here: C:\Users\[username]\Documents\Star Wars - The Old Republic\Screenshots

Once the opening starter quest/questions were done, I began moving about.  Eek!  As normal, controls are not to my liking.  I fixed those.  Note: key bindings are a tab at the bottom of the main "Preferences" page.  Also take note of the red text near bottom telling you that you just unmapped a keybinding elsewhere -- make sure to fix those now or deal with later.

Tabbing/windowing in and out of the game is quick, it runs good, and so far, the interface is easy.  I think Bioware has done good, but the jury is still out.

Automap: ah, nice.  I can leave it up as an overlay, and it adjusts opacity as needed when I move.

(Stopping here to address Star Wars haters: Yes, yes.  Lucas dissing is rife since all the guys who were kids like me when their dad's took 'em to see the 1st 3 movies, grew up, and realized movies weren't real anyhow and how dare Lucas not make a Flight-Club/Matrix-type movie instead?  Toss in the same "gotta grab the kiddies" stuff already in RoTJ -- that we all overlooked, didn't mind, thot was ok when we were teens, etc. -- and you got Lucas/Star Wars haters.  Well, no Star Wars fan hates the 1st movie or especially the 2nd, or even the 3rd.  We even didn't mind when Mark Hamill's face got differntly replaced.  Hell, he got stuck in guts and that was so cool we just overlooked it!

I think the SWHs are diminishing and/or, are just getting over it.  Besides, no one is successful who doesn't have a strong contingency of haters.  Haters gonna... back to the game.)

Looting: ok, if you cannot loot after seeing the finger of god highlight the thing you just killed with a brilliant, 5th element end-movie light from heaven, then, well, go play angry birds.

I must say, Bioware has taken the familiarity of other MMORPGs and applied it to SWToR across the board, i.e., as far as interface, menus, usability, etc.  Why fix what's not broken right?  Right click to equip (I got new pants), Right click to fight (right click on emeny to shoot it!), etc.

A chest!!!

Finally, after pwning a few Fa'athra Gangsters (I am disappoint they didn't name them, "gangstas"), I gots level 2!!!

And headed back to the casino to unwind with alcohol and blue women with two very thick pieces of hair protruding from their heads....