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17 Feb 06

Monday we'll start listing all the prizes for the contest. Once again I fell behind today. I thought I had completed most of the background projects I was working on. Then today, postnuke drops a security update. Backup, update, test on test server, update, test on main server. That took a long time. However, after that string of hack attacks last year, I can't take security lightly.

I had a scintillating discussion on user interfaces planned for today, but I've run out of time and energy. You'll have to wait until next week. I've also been trying to figure out a good way for PC to Mac to video conference. Something so simple shouldn't be so hard. Perhaps one of you experts can add some advice. I won't bore the rest of you with the details.

If you're having trouble coming up with entry ideas for the contest, I'd suggest you take a moment and read through the Games section. If you need a game, there's the War on Terror Demo I mentioned yesterday and there's a Commandos shooter demo (they promise it's tactical) at the Usual Suspects.

Finally, I wanted to add that The Outfit for the Xbox 360 has a new trailer out. It's looking like a team based Mercenaries, set in World War II with online multiplayer. Even though the graphics aren't killer, if it delivers all that, it should be quite fun. There should be a demo out in the next few weeks. I'll report back then.

Jason
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16 Feb 06

What a busy day. I was doing a lot of background stuff on the site, but this time you can actually see some of it. I found the official fix to the post title/topic title problem for the forum block. I fixed the problem with the collapsible blocks (at least on the default theme) so you should be able to minimize those blocks you don't wish to deal with. I also added a chat section. Feel free to use it to set up a game or chat after a game session. I might set up some test chats in the future to see how responsive it is and to answer any questions you may have.

I also did some set up and testing on a new project that may not see the light of day but is worth checking out. All that's left me a bit beat. So I'll just add don't forget about the anniversary contest, Star Wars: Empire at War is out, there's a War on Terror demo that can be found at the Usual Suspects, and check the news section for the info on Friday's GalCiv II official chat (that's not hosted here, btw).

Jason
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15 Feb 06

Just a reminder to people who preordered GalCiv II the early downloading has begun. Note, you don't get the main game files until the official launch, but you can get most everything else to save you download time on launch day. Of course, it also helps Stardock by reducing the load surge on their servers.

Ok, it's finally time to get the second anniversary contest also known as Talk Strategy Contest V. I'm still working on rounding up all the prizes and seeing if any donations come in. I also had fun posting the prize updates last year so I think I'll do that again. Overall the contest is going to remain the same as last year. It's cut and paste time.

Barring complications, we should have at least five prizes. The first place winner will select first, then the second and so on. If there are no prizes remaining that a winner wants, they are free to pass on to the next lucky winner. Unfortunately there's no budget for consolation prizes if there's nothing you want when it gets to you (if you win). There will be a maximum of ten winners selected. If there are any prizes left after the tenth winner selects or passes, remaining prizes will go back into the prize vault. I reserve the right to snap up any remaining prizes for review purposes by myself or the person of my choosing.

So, how do you win? It's pretty simple. This site is based on gaming stories. To enter you have to write one. Let's keep entries between 100 and 1000 words long. Please clearly mark the beginning and end of your story. Longer stories may be entered and could be edited at my discretion. Stories should be based on your gaming experiences, must be an original work and can not have been submitted here before. Entries must be sent to contests@talkstrategy.com. Entries should be in English and describe a gaming experience. Entries must be received by 11:59 pm CST on Feb 28, 2006.

Entries will not be evaluated on the quality of their content. Each entry will be assigned a number. Winning numbers will be randomly drawn. However, winning entries will be published on this website along with the winner's name. If a winner chooses to pass and not claim a prize, their entry will remain in the pool of non winners. All non winners have the option to have their story published or not on the website.

This contest is taking place in Texas and is void where prohibited. It is not required that you be a registered member of the site to enter the contest. Only one entry per person. You must write your story yourself. If you do have a username on the site, please include it in your entry. Please give your full name with your entry. Please contact me with any questions. Good luck to all entrants.

Jason
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14 Feb 06

I hope everyone enjoyed their Valentine's day. The Game of the Year poll just closed. Congratulations to Firaxis and 2K Games. The winner is Civilization IV. I certainly can't argue with the selection even counting all the times I've lost to the devious AI and my poor performance in the pitboss game. It's a game that's hard to stop playing. It will be on my hard drive for years to come.

Even from early on, it was clear that Civ IV was the favorite to win, but how the rest of the voting broke down was interesting to me. Second place was Nexus: The Jupiter Incident. I enjoyed the game quite a lot. However, it came out early in the year and wasn't widely praised. I'm sure it must have made a couple other GotY nomination lists, but I didn't see them. In a way, I'm kind of proud that such a hidden gem did so well here.

Next we had a tie with the Rome expansion and Space Rangers 2. It does say a lot about this place that the expansion for last year's winner tied for third with an quirky space adventure that throws everything in incluing the kitchen sink and RTS lite ground battles. Did I mention that Space Rangers 2 hasn't even been released in the United States yet?

Every nominee got at least one vote except The Movies. In a way I understand that. If you look at the tycoon and sims side of the game, it's not that great. I still believe that the machinima toolbox it provides will have long and reaching impact on games and the community. Clearly the seasoned virtual warriors around here don't believe in voting based on future potential.

I'd like to thank everyone for voting. Maybe we'll make it on the box for the Game of the Year edition, but don't hold your breath. Congratulations again to Civilization IV.

This week's game can aspire to some of the greatness of Civ IV. It's Modern Naval Battles -- World War II at Sea (official site) from Battlefront. It's like Down in Flames only at sea, see. Sorry, you have a small fleet from one of six nations then fight for control of the seas around the world. Like Down in Flames, it's based on a card game, and the cards carry over, but you get to see the combat rendered for you. It's all about planning, attack, maneouver, and reaction. Modern Naval Battles adds persistent rankings and online play to the mix. Look for Modern Naval Battles once Battlefront stops tweaking and releasing bonus packs for Down in Flames.

Jason
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13 Feb 06

Just a reminder that tomorrow is Valentine's day. That probably means when you're reading this today is Valentine's day. If you happen to be in a relationship where this is important, please don't forget. End community service bulletin.

Speaking of service, did you see the Inquirer's update on Best Buy and their XBox 360 launch problems? Interesting.

Don't forget the Game of the Year poll closes tomorrow. Get your vote in.

I think I like the Forum Activity block in the News section. I might eventually figure out how to force it to use the topic title instead of the post title since reply post titles are often not used. Unfortunately, that's not one of the standard options. That means delving into the depths of my ignorance to try to alter the code. Perhaps when I'm feeling enthusiastic.

Of course, that brings up the point, why are you reading this when you could be reading the excellent Rome: Total Realism AAR that Raggedyman has been posting. I don't have a good answer for you there. I can say I have a sudden itch to fire up Rome again. I don't know if I'm up for total realism, but it's been a while since the might of my legions have thundered across the ancient world.

I think I'll wrap up with an update that some of you probably aren't interested in, but that's never stopped me before. Last year, I talked about Amazon prime. It's an offer where you pay an up front fee, but then all your shipments direct from Amazon get free 2 day shipping and reduced overnight shipping. Basically, if you get a lot of packages from Amazon and don't want to have to worry about items qualifying for free ground shipping, you can get things quicker and cheaper.

My prime membership just renewed. First, that's interesting since they said the program might not last beyond the trial year so I guess Amazon branded it a success. Next, that means I never cancelled prime for the promised, prorated refund. Finally, that means I've had a year to evaluate prime.

So what's my verdict? It's addictive and I can see why Amazon likes it. If their prices are competitive, shipping usually makes it worthwhile to go through Amazon. It's nice to get the items quickly. I received several two day shipments that made it overnight. It's nice when all you need is one cable or one CD that you don't have to look for something else to get the magic number for free ground shipping. The one thing I worried about was unchecked impulse buying, but that didn't happen. I think I actually ordered less impulse items this year than I did the last. The big downside is that there's still no third party participation in the program. I wouldn't expect every little store to go in, but you'd think they could get some larger stores (maybe call them 'premier partners' or something) to go free ground. Overall, still recommended.

Jason
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