October is nearly here. It's one of my favorite months. Part of it is that I like Halloween, and part of it is that it's the one month that seems to be most reliably autumn-like: September is often too hot (like this one), and November could - at least in the past - be wintry cold.
Con on the Cob is coming up, so that's exciting. Also, I got me some new Halloween decorations, though I'll have to figure out where I'm putting them, given that our walls seem to be mostly windows & bookshelves.
It's also the time of year for me to make my autumn Chex mix. I'll have to look to see if I've blogged my recipe before. If not, then I might just have to blog it. ;)
And, of course, Pokémon X & Y drop on October 12th. Frankly, though, I suspect that I won't get to them until the 13th, since that also happens to be an Ascension Game Day. For what it's worth, I think that I'll run through X first. Sadly, this also means that I'll probably be delaying my Soul Silver Nuzlocke run even further, as my Pokémon time will mostly be taken up by X.
Monday, September 30, 2013
Sudden Short Story 54
"If we don't act, then this Wilhelm II wins either way," said the tinkerer.
"How do you mean, 'either way'?" came the question.
"If he can defeat the brass dragon, then he'll gain both the confidence of his people and the fear of everyone else. However, I don't think that he means to defeat it, unless it comes to that. That is, I suspect that he seeks to take control of it for himself."
Gentlemanly dismay sounded throughout the room.
"If this is true," spake a general in attendance, "and if the new Kaiser gets his hands on this strangest of ships, then he'll no doubt use it to its current nefarious purpose. In addition to her, admittedly non-exclusive, access to the trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks and to the Volga route, Prussia will be the only northern European country able to safely use the North Sea and the English Channel."
"Prussia might now have to reach farther, though," said another, "though I suspect that we might have worse fears than that before us. The dragon is ever-increasingly seen in the Channel and in increasingly western parts of the North Sea. I suspect that whoever controls her is realizing what a pipe dream the European blockade is. I fear that her pilot means to blockade the Isles, instead, forcing the Empire's hand."
"Exactly," chimed in the tinkerer again. "That's why I've devised a plan to run the brass dragon aground, though likely destroying it in the process, thus eliminating the threat and enabling it to be studied. This plan will only cost the crown one to three of her best dirigibles - the exact number depends on how well the plan goes. The more significant investment goes into the construction of these." He retrieved a rolled-up diagram from its tubular container and unfurled it upon the table. Many eyed it. Those who understood it were puzzled at first, and then perturbed.
"It's not waterproof," pointed out one.
"It doesn't need to be," said its designer, "and waterproofing would weigh it down too much to fly."
"Well, now you're just being unreasonable," said one of the engineers in attendance. "The brass dragon flies because it gains an economy of scale with its massive wings. Based on the scale given here, this craft won't have nearly enough wing surface to fly."
"While the economy of scale helps, I suspect that the brass dragon is a hybrid aircraft, when it's an aircraft at all. As for the surface, you neglect the recent wind-tunnel research, which demonstrates that the leading surface is what's most important when the wings move forward. Of course, forward is just relative to the wing itself, so I have them rotate," he said, pointing to the diagram, "about these axles. It matters not whether they go forward, backward, left, or right. Rotation does produce torque, though, which is why I have a matching set on the other side, rotating the opposite direction. These wings, rotating quickly, produce enough lift to carry the entire craft, engine, pilot, fuel and all. At least, that's the theory. I lack the funds to produce them myself, which is why I'm here."
"How many do you think that it will take for this plan to work?" asked another general.
"I would plan to make and launch at least a dozen, expecting that some may be fought off or deflected by wind from the brass dragon's wings. Do note the small size of these craft."
There was a silent moment, for a time, as everyone contemplated the balance of the plan. A few looks were exchanged, and then, one of the advisors spoke up: "If there are no objections," he said, pausing to allow any," I think that it's safe to grant you approval to present your idea to the queen. Pending her approval, the rest can be readily arranged."
And with that, the helicopter preceded the aeroplane.
"How do you mean, 'either way'?" came the question.
"If he can defeat the brass dragon, then he'll gain both the confidence of his people and the fear of everyone else. However, I don't think that he means to defeat it, unless it comes to that. That is, I suspect that he seeks to take control of it for himself."
Gentlemanly dismay sounded throughout the room.
"If this is true," spake a general in attendance, "and if the new Kaiser gets his hands on this strangest of ships, then he'll no doubt use it to its current nefarious purpose. In addition to her, admittedly non-exclusive, access to the trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks and to the Volga route, Prussia will be the only northern European country able to safely use the North Sea and the English Channel."
"Prussia might now have to reach farther, though," said another, "though I suspect that we might have worse fears than that before us. The dragon is ever-increasingly seen in the Channel and in increasingly western parts of the North Sea. I suspect that whoever controls her is realizing what a pipe dream the European blockade is. I fear that her pilot means to blockade the Isles, instead, forcing the Empire's hand."
"Exactly," chimed in the tinkerer again. "That's why I've devised a plan to run the brass dragon aground, though likely destroying it in the process, thus eliminating the threat and enabling it to be studied. This plan will only cost the crown one to three of her best dirigibles - the exact number depends on how well the plan goes. The more significant investment goes into the construction of these." He retrieved a rolled-up diagram from its tubular container and unfurled it upon the table. Many eyed it. Those who understood it were puzzled at first, and then perturbed.
"It's not waterproof," pointed out one.
"It doesn't need to be," said its designer, "and waterproofing would weigh it down too much to fly."
"Well, now you're just being unreasonable," said one of the engineers in attendance. "The brass dragon flies because it gains an economy of scale with its massive wings. Based on the scale given here, this craft won't have nearly enough wing surface to fly."
"While the economy of scale helps, I suspect that the brass dragon is a hybrid aircraft, when it's an aircraft at all. As for the surface, you neglect the recent wind-tunnel research, which demonstrates that the leading surface is what's most important when the wings move forward. Of course, forward is just relative to the wing itself, so I have them rotate," he said, pointing to the diagram, "about these axles. It matters not whether they go forward, backward, left, or right. Rotation does produce torque, though, which is why I have a matching set on the other side, rotating the opposite direction. These wings, rotating quickly, produce enough lift to carry the entire craft, engine, pilot, fuel and all. At least, that's the theory. I lack the funds to produce them myself, which is why I'm here."
"How many do you think that it will take for this plan to work?" asked another general.
"I would plan to make and launch at least a dozen, expecting that some may be fought off or deflected by wind from the brass dragon's wings. Do note the small size of these craft."
There was a silent moment, for a time, as everyone contemplated the balance of the plan. A few looks were exchanged, and then, one of the advisors spoke up: "If there are no objections," he said, pausing to allow any," I think that it's safe to grant you approval to present your idea to the queen. Pending her approval, the rest can be readily arranged."
And with that, the helicopter preceded the aeroplane.
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Sudden Short Story 53
"There you are," said one guard to the other. "The sun's nearly down. Do you even have your sword with you?"
The second guard was looking a bit disheveled - he didn't even have his helmet on - and had arrived, by running, holding an iron shovel. He checked himself, then his backpack. Finding no sword in there, either, he at least put away his shovel. "No sword, but I've at least got my axe. And my bow."
"Give me the axe, then, and I'll give you my sword. I'm a better shot with a bow, anyway." He made sure that he had easy access to the axe, then got out his bow, and checked his arrows, to make sure that he had enough.
They left the gate northward. After peering around the northwest corner, to ensure that everything was clear, they doubled back southward, passing the gate on the way to the southwest corner. It was on their way back to the gate that they saw a giant spider as it attempted to scale the walls. Since they had the jump on it, they closed in and took it in melee. It was finished with a blow from the iron axe, but it was worn, and the head came loose from the handle in the process.
Frustrated, the first guard took back his sword, and they returned to the gate for the next portion of the watch.
"You stay here, while I go get your sword and helmet. I'll run your shovel back, too."
The other guard handed over his shovel.
"If any other monsters appear and are close enough, shoot them."
He waited by the gate, wondering what might come out tonight. The giant spiders were the worst, it seemed, since they appeared in numbers and could scale the walls. As he contemplated this, though, he noted that one of the tall trees in the nearby wood seemed darker than the others. He looked upon it, and was overcome by the ominous sound that seemed to come from everywhere at once. The tall, dark creature turned to face him, and their eyes locked. Carefully, he drew his bow.
"DON'T SHOOT IT!" he heard, but the cry came too late, and he had already released the arrow. Just as it seemed likely to hit, though, the creature disappeared.
"Where'd it--" but he was swiftly stricken from behind.
Before anyone knew what was happening, they were all fighting for their lives, as the enderman teleported around, leaving death piles and missing blocks in its wake.
The second guard was looking a bit disheveled - he didn't even have his helmet on - and had arrived, by running, holding an iron shovel. He checked himself, then his backpack. Finding no sword in there, either, he at least put away his shovel. "No sword, but I've at least got my axe. And my bow."
"Give me the axe, then, and I'll give you my sword. I'm a better shot with a bow, anyway." He made sure that he had easy access to the axe, then got out his bow, and checked his arrows, to make sure that he had enough.
They left the gate northward. After peering around the northwest corner, to ensure that everything was clear, they doubled back southward, passing the gate on the way to the southwest corner. It was on their way back to the gate that they saw a giant spider as it attempted to scale the walls. Since they had the jump on it, they closed in and took it in melee. It was finished with a blow from the iron axe, but it was worn, and the head came loose from the handle in the process.
Frustrated, the first guard took back his sword, and they returned to the gate for the next portion of the watch.
"You stay here, while I go get your sword and helmet. I'll run your shovel back, too."
The other guard handed over his shovel.
"If any other monsters appear and are close enough, shoot them."
He waited by the gate, wondering what might come out tonight. The giant spiders were the worst, it seemed, since they appeared in numbers and could scale the walls. As he contemplated this, though, he noted that one of the tall trees in the nearby wood seemed darker than the others. He looked upon it, and was overcome by the ominous sound that seemed to come from everywhere at once. The tall, dark creature turned to face him, and their eyes locked. Carefully, he drew his bow.
"DON'T SHOOT IT!" he heard, but the cry came too late, and he had already released the arrow. Just as it seemed likely to hit, though, the creature disappeared.
"Where'd it--" but he was swiftly stricken from behind.
Before anyone knew what was happening, they were all fighting for their lives, as the enderman teleported around, leaving death piles and missing blocks in its wake.
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Sudden Short Story 52
Laviten wound his way through the winding gap at the top of the mountain. There had yet to be any branch in it, so there was no issue of getting lost. He just wondered how long it would be until he finally encountered the horned man. He rounded a corner, and there he was.
The horned man stood on a narrow plateau in the center of a great depression in the rocks. The plateau brought him to the same height as Laviten, who was dumbstruck, not having known what to expect. The horned man stood on the toes of one foot, his other tucked against his thigh, with his hands in an odd gesture at his hips. He did indeed have horns, and his eyes were closed.
The horned man spoke suddenly: "You seek to change who you are, Lesser of Leotan."
It was more a statement than a question, but Laviten felt compelled to speak. "I came to seek your wisdom."
"You sought wisdom from the shamasal; from me, you seek direction."
The horned man's directness befuddled Laviten, though only for a moment. "Y-Yes. I do not know what I should do next. Where am I needed? What shall I do? What if shapeshifting is not the only magic to --"
"Go across the high mountains," interrupted the horned man, pointing behind him to his own right with his right arm, "There you will find your star."
"But... of all the stars in the sky, none are mine," he protested. "The Oracle of Oras saw none for me."
The horned man opened his eyes, and fixed Laviten with his gaze. Laviten stood transfixed, staring at those implacable eyes. He began to notice what was so disquieting about them: Were they moving left and right too rapidly to be noticed? Or were the pupils actually wider? Laviten realized that the horned man had raised his left arm skyward. He followed it with his eyes to its hand curled into an upward-pointing finger, and then upward into the bluish sky.
Laviten fell backwards and scrambled backwards instinctively, for that what he saw was so terrifying. He had only just noticed it, but in that moment realized that he had seen it ever since he emerged from the gap. Had he seen it even before then? Perhaps even before he entered the gap, when the mountain was no longer climbable? How could he not notice it before now? Neither cloud nor moon nor star was to be seen above. Though the sky was clear, the moon and stars that forever bathed Ogo in nocturnal light were not to be seen.
"That is the power of the star that awaits you," spoke the horned man. "Its light is enough to banish the other stars, and more. Now go, across the high mountains. When you reach the other side, your journey will have begun."
Uneasily, Laviten collected himself and stood up. Promising himself to remain undaunted, he thanked the horned man, and then proceeded around the crater, toward the awaiting mountains, where the horned man's right arm still pointed.
The horned man stood on a narrow plateau in the center of a great depression in the rocks. The plateau brought him to the same height as Laviten, who was dumbstruck, not having known what to expect. The horned man stood on the toes of one foot, his other tucked against his thigh, with his hands in an odd gesture at his hips. He did indeed have horns, and his eyes were closed.
The horned man spoke suddenly: "You seek to change who you are, Lesser of Leotan."
It was more a statement than a question, but Laviten felt compelled to speak. "I came to seek your wisdom."
"You sought wisdom from the shamasal; from me, you seek direction."
The horned man's directness befuddled Laviten, though only for a moment. "Y-Yes. I do not know what I should do next. Where am I needed? What shall I do? What if shapeshifting is not the only magic to --"
"Go across the high mountains," interrupted the horned man, pointing behind him to his own right with his right arm, "There you will find your star."
"But... of all the stars in the sky, none are mine," he protested. "The Oracle of Oras saw none for me."
The horned man opened his eyes, and fixed Laviten with his gaze. Laviten stood transfixed, staring at those implacable eyes. He began to notice what was so disquieting about them: Were they moving left and right too rapidly to be noticed? Or were the pupils actually wider? Laviten realized that the horned man had raised his left arm skyward. He followed it with his eyes to its hand curled into an upward-pointing finger, and then upward into the bluish sky.
Laviten fell backwards and scrambled backwards instinctively, for that what he saw was so terrifying. He had only just noticed it, but in that moment realized that he had seen it ever since he emerged from the gap. Had he seen it even before then? Perhaps even before he entered the gap, when the mountain was no longer climbable? How could he not notice it before now? Neither cloud nor moon nor star was to be seen above. Though the sky was clear, the moon and stars that forever bathed Ogo in nocturnal light were not to be seen.
"That is the power of the star that awaits you," spoke the horned man. "Its light is enough to banish the other stars, and more. Now go, across the high mountains. When you reach the other side, your journey will have begun."
Uneasily, Laviten collected himself and stood up. Promising himself to remain undaunted, he thanked the horned man, and then proceeded around the crater, toward the awaiting mountains, where the horned man's right arm still pointed.
Being Sick Sucks
Being sick sucks! :(
I had a cold or something this week. It kind of slowly built up and slowly died down. I'm fending off the last of it now, but it was so bad Thursday that I had to take the day.
At first, the symptoms were so mild that I hoped that I could just sleep it off a night or two. Either the sleeping or the sick-feeling, though, already interfered with my plans to put a somewhat-longer short story here this month. I'll just write it next month: I have the overall idea and plot, but I want to give this one more detail and give the reader a broader exposure to the time over which it occurs, as opposed to my usual condensed vignette form.
On the up side, I did finally play some Thaumcraft for the first time in a few months. Go read about it on my Minecraft blog: http://mcwikimancer.blogspot.com/2013/08/under-pyramids.html.
Oh, also, since I didn't have enough time to take off for being sick, I had to make up hours at work today. Boo.
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Sudden Short Story 51
"Daniel," he said into the microphone. "Daniel, get out of there. The hatches have unlocked, and we can't re-engage them. We're shutting down the rift due to the contamination risk, but that'll take time."
"I know," came the reply. "That's why I have to hurry." Daniel walked toward the sheathe that surrounded the rift. It was vertical because the incoming streams had to be perpendicular to the particle accelerators that generated them.
"Daniel, stop. You're solid: Most of your information will pass through the Maxwell filters."
"'Have you ever been in love?' That's what they asked when I joined."
Carl paused. "What?"
"Didn't they ask you? 'Have you ever been in love?' They asked me."
"Yes. They asked me with whom, and I named my wife. They want people without regrets: No dead lovers or loves lost, no lives lost at my own hands, nothing, no regrets. I get to be married to the woman that I love: To me, getting to work at the most groundbreaking facility yet made is just icing on the cake."
Daniel opened a hatch.
"Stop! You could cause a paradox," Carl said, knowing that a paradox would be almost certain, though they'd never know it. "How? They monitor brain activity during the interviews. How could you have lied?"
"I didn't," answered Daniel, stepping into the rift. "I answered 'no'."
"I know," came the reply. "That's why I have to hurry." Daniel walked toward the sheathe that surrounded the rift. It was vertical because the incoming streams had to be perpendicular to the particle accelerators that generated them.
"Daniel, stop. You're solid: Most of your information will pass through the Maxwell filters."
"'Have you ever been in love?' That's what they asked when I joined."
Carl paused. "What?"
"Didn't they ask you? 'Have you ever been in love?' They asked me."
"Yes. They asked me with whom, and I named my wife. They want people without regrets: No dead lovers or loves lost, no lives lost at my own hands, nothing, no regrets. I get to be married to the woman that I love: To me, getting to work at the most groundbreaking facility yet made is just icing on the cake."
Daniel opened a hatch.
"Stop! You could cause a paradox," Carl said, knowing that a paradox would be almost certain, though they'd never know it. "How? They monitor brain activity during the interviews. How could you have lied?"
"I didn't," answered Daniel, stepping into the rift. "I answered 'no'."
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Regarding Pokémon X & Y
I thought that I should put my overall thoughts out there regarding the upcoming sixth generation of the Pokémon franchise.
Overall, I like the Pokémon franchise. I have some criticisms of it, but most changes seem to be just a little fiddling about, not much good or bad about it. There are a few things that, for me, are kind of a big deal, so I'll lay them out here:
Whatever happens, I plan to more-or-less drop my current games when X and Y come out, partly because the few people that I know who do play Pokémon keep very current on it, and partly because of things like limited-time code pokémon and the like, that require keeping current to get the most out of the experience. I'm hoping that I'll be able to get the same experience as everyone else, at least for a time, and be able to get a feel for it as a current event, rather than as a game.
One other thing: I like that Gen VI will be a global release, rather than our having to wait half a year or whatever for it.
Overall, I like the Pokémon franchise. I have some criticisms of it, but most changes seem to be just a little fiddling about, not much good or bad about it. There are a few things that, for me, are kind of a big deal, so I'll lay them out here:
- Making TMs infinite-use takes away a large part of the benefit of breeding. Now, aside from egg moves, (sometimes) hidden abilities, and just getting more of some hard-to-get-but-still-breedable species (starters, Snorlax, hard-to-get slots/Safari pokémon, etc.), the main benefit has to do with EVs and IVs and all that math-behind-the-game stuff. I generally don't like this sort of thing in thematic games, anyway: While I understand that a fair computer game must have numbers and rules behind it, it really detracts from the spirit of the game.
- They keep taking away things that were just fine. This is somewhat lesser of a point, but I still find it weird that apricorns and contests were removed and not put back in.
- Held items are good! I know that this was introduced in Gen II, but this was one of the most meaningful additions to the game.
- Abilities are also good! See above.
- There are far too many pokémon to reasonably catch them all. This was addressed slightly in Black & White, in that Unova had no overlap in pokémon with previous regions, so it was easy enough to just pretend that the (apparently 150) were all that there were, but it's still kind of an issue.
- Catching them all is no longer the goal of the game; defeating the Elite Four is the new goal. I know that both have always been goals, and this is essentially a plot/story thing, but this is still kind of a big deal for me. The main character is no longer a budding naturalist, but is instead a glorified cockfighter. I always understood that the player's goal was to defeat the Elite Four and become Champion and so on, but I also knew that this was just a smaller goal on the much longer path of catching all of the known pokémon, in-game. I think that the reason that they don't keep this model is for the reason that I mentioned above, that there are way too many pokémon for that to be at all feasible. In the first five generations alone, there are now 649 pokémon (I had to look it up), not counting whatever's coming out this fall.
- The addition of the Dark and Steel types seemed unnecessary at the time, but they've meshed well with the other types, so I'm fine with it.
- Making the physical/special quality of an attack independent of its type is an interesting way to increase the complexity of strategy.
- I still dislike the wall between generations two and three.
- As with so many modern games, I dislike the increased dependence on external web-based stuff to get everything. In this case, the Pokémon Dream World is what Gen V uses, and it's actually being shut down over the course of the next six months or so. I don't at all mind the use of personal peripherals to augment a game, such as the PokéWalker for HeartGold and SoulSilver, since that's entirely in control of the game's owner. If I take care of it, I'll be able to use my PokéWalker (with new batteries, of course) decades from now, whereas the Dream World will be gone forever.
Whatever happens, I plan to more-or-less drop my current games when X and Y come out, partly because the few people that I know who do play Pokémon keep very current on it, and partly because of things like limited-time code pokémon and the like, that require keeping current to get the most out of the experience. I'm hoping that I'll be able to get the same experience as everyone else, at least for a time, and be able to get a feel for it as a current event, rather than as a game.
One other thing: I like that Gen VI will be a global release, rather than our having to wait half a year or whatever for it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)