Welcome to the Home of Game Strategies and Stories
8 Sept 06
Well, I have the new Amazon Store up and the new ads. If things are getting too busy for your tastes on the news section, remember that the blocks are collapsible. Use the little '+' or '-' in the upper left to open or close the block. I can't remember if the cookie holds your state if you're not registered or logged in, but if not that just one more reason to register. Your feedback is appreciated on the ads and the store.
I didn't get everything done, so I have a bunch more work over the weekend. The NFL starts Sunday and there's the big Texas, OSU game tomorrow. We'll see what gets done. Next week I hope to finish the draft of the 4X Made Easy page. I want to do a column or two on writing stories from gaming experiences. I got an email from Bill Harris. He said he didn't realize how difficult it can be to write a game story. I think that stops a lot of people, so I'd like to help if I can.
Finally, I have another request for feedback. If you have a chance, please look over the Sword of the Stars stories again. The SotS Wiki has collected them all Here. I used some different techniques and styles across some of the stories. Some of it was for dramatic effect or just reflective of the mood I was in. Please let me know what styles worked and what didn't and whether the changes were jarring or kept things fresh. Also, let me know what style or styles you'd like to see in the future. Thanks again. Have a great weekend.
Jason
Read/Post Comments
7 Sept 06
Well, I'm behind. I didn't get any of those ads done or up today. Now it's late and I don't have much for you. Sorry.
I did have one question. Basically, it asked why Defcon wasn't on the September games list when it's on the front of the news page? The simple answer is that the game hasn't shown up on the steam list as projected let alone for preload. Since it's already September, I just didn't feel confident in it. If it makes it, great, add it to the list. That might be one of the few games I have the rig and time to play (accelerated, of course).
I'm not sure what my buying strategy is going to be for this month or even the near future. By Thanksgiving I'll have entered the holiday buying moratorium. Until then I have a limited budget, limited time and more than an adequate backlog. However, there are so many intriguing games coming.
The plan for now is to avoid any PC graphics showcases. My rig is just too old. I'm still planning on a brand new rig next year. That assumes Vista is released and is relatively stable. We'll see. No one is even guaranteed tomorrow.
I'm behind on my media and news updates as well. If anyone is interested in helping out on a regular basis, let me know. If you just want to help out when you have free time, just register in the news section. Registered users can submit news stories. If you'd just like to pass on some neat stories or news you've found on the web, don't neglect the forum. It could use a bit of life.
I realize that not everyone can support the site, but I'd like to thank all the people who've used the affiliate links. I'd also like to thank everyone who remembers to click on the interesting Google ad links. I think the upgrades they've enabled have really improved the site. I know not everyone is comfortable as a storyteller. Thanks for doing what you can.
Speaking of story telling, Bill at Dubious Quality has started a series of stories based on Dwarven Fortress. It looks like they'll be worth your time to check out. If you get sucked into that game, at least it won't cost you anything more than your time. Who doesn't love quality freeware?
Jason
Read/Post Comments
6 Sept 06
Busy, busy. I'll be putting up some new affiliate links shortly. As I mentioned earlier, based on instinct and feedback, I applied to a couple new advertisers. Hopefully, they'll be of some use to you, if not, please ignore. First, Amazon has started a new 'store' program. I'll be customizing a Talk Strategy store. Even if you don't buy there, it still might be of use to see some of the games discussed here, items of interest to me or suggested by others. Hopefully, it will enhance that feeling of community.
Next up is Office Depot. Not necessarily sexy, but they have some great sales on flash memory, accessories and ink.
Then we have Dell Home. I like Dell about half of the time. I've owned good Dell systems and I've seen Dell bloatware systems. However, with their XPS line with optional bloat free systems, their XPS laptops and some great deals on hardware, monitors and even some gaming gear, I've moved past my previous grievances. Besides, if a few people buy some high end gaming systems from them, we'll have some great contests around here.
Speaking of high end gaming systems, I've also added Alienware. Yes, I realize that Dell owns them, but they are still a separate unit. I know for some people having an Alienware rig is preferable to having a Dell. Some of the boutique options are nice.
So now that I've alienated half the audience, let's go for the rest. I'm a new affiliate of the Apple Store. There was a time when that would be considered selling out. That time is past. You can now dual boot a Mac/PC gaming rig. Not to mention that the Ipod is still the hottest item on the planet. Then every time I see that 30 inch cinema display, I drool a little. Hate me if you must, but make sure you're in an Apple free environment.
That's it for new affiliate programs. Let me know if I missed something.
Just so this isn't a totally worthless update I want to go over some of the games coming out this month. Probably the highest profile release around here is Company of Heroes. It a WWII RTS that emphasizes more realistic tactics and destructible environments. That would sound less impressive if it wasn't coming from Relic makers of Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War. Perhaps overlooked due to release timing will be Faces of War. That is the sequel to Soldiers: Heroes of WWII. Soldiers was an interesting action/strategy hybrid that itself was unfairly overlooked.
If you're looking for a more modern warfare RTS, there's Joint Task Force from Vivendi. It looks interesting and the trailer is in the downloads section if you're interested. El Matador has been featured as a game of the week. It looks like it might have turned out to be more action than tactical, but we'll see reviews shortly. Speaking of reviews, the two release Roman city builders haven't exactly knocked the socks off reviewers. Let's hope Caesar IV ends that trend.
Wrapping up the PC, I shouldn't forget Paraworld. If you just look at the surface, it seems a bit like a gimmicky RTS, but if you dig deeper, there's some real brilliance there. Let's hope it doesn't get lost in the wash.
Then there are a few games that have my curiosity piqued even if they're not tactical or strategy games. Okami for the PS2 looks creative, brilliant and different. It's also getting some glowing reviews. Also for the PS2 is the new Valkyrie Profile RPG. I'll probably just hold out for Final Fantasy XII, but weakness might overtake me. Just Cause for the Xbox 360 is a maybe. There is some compelling gameplay in the demo, but I want some reviews first. Baten Kaitos Origins for the Gamecube could be a classic strategy/card RPG if they fixed some of the annoyances of the original. Again, I'm waiting for reviews.
Let me know if I missed anything here as well.
Jason
Read/Post Comments
5 Sept 06
I apologize if this ends up being a light week for updates. I'm working on two other websites, and it's taking longer than expected. They're both local websites and probably not of much interest to most of you so I won't be posting any links unless I need people to check layout and functionality.
I wanted to do a post game wrap up today. My Liir story ended successfully. I hope everyone enjoyed it. That will probably be the last one unless I get a multiplayer story going. I'm afraid my limited time keeps me from doing too many stories like that even though they are fun. When I can play a RTS match or a tactical shooter and write up a good story in the same amount of time as one episode of an epic 4X game, it doesn't make much sense. I'll probably be eating crow if I get a build of Sins of a Solar Empire or something. I do listen to me readers so let me know what your preferences are.
So what did I notice during my Liir game? It was nice to get more research breakthroughs. That was especially true during the times when I slowed down research to build up my navy. However, that still didn't make up for those delicate Liir ships. Generally speaking I like the hard points and weapons distributions on Liir ships, but it seems like if someone sneezes on board, the ship explodes. My last Liir game I got some pretty advanced shields to make up for it. This time I didn't get an option to go beyond level one shields, and I felt the hurt.
I think my play style is best suited for the Tarka. The Liir slowing down before arriving at a planet annoyed me. It's like, "here, take a turn to respond to my 'surprise' attack fleet."
I did notice a difference in the AI play with the higher difficulty level. They had more ships, made more aggressive moves. They left fewer vulnerable planets under defended. They also expanded a heck of a lot quicker. If two factions had teamed up, I would have been wiped out. That created a nice tension. I also liked the Hivers exploiting our non aggression pact to place a lot of gates in my systems. Too bad they were always sending out attack fleets and never had enough ready troops on hand to respond quickly to an attack. Of course, I didn't let them get a second chance.
The Humans put up a great fight. If they had researched a cure to the retro plague either already or soon after my offensive, I'm not sure I could have won. They did seem to turtle too much once things turned against them. They stopped sending the big attack fleets even though they had the ships.
Overall, I really enjoyed the game. The challenge kept me on my toes. The battles were fun as always. I wasn't able to build a big lead and crush my enemies. It's good to keep me honest. Don't look for me to be playing the Liir too much though.
If you have any questions, send them on. I'll do my best to answer them. For those of you sick of the Sword of the Stars coverage, I'll be moving on. There should just be the review left and a post mortem interview, at least until expansion time.
Jason
Read/Post Comments
4 Sept 06
Happy Labor day to readers in the US and Canada. This is traditionally a day off. Don't expect too much. Tomorrow, I'm going to do a post game wrap up. I have some new advertising links to announce. I think some of you might be interested. Others of you will scoff, but if you haven't actually bought anything through the links, I have trouble caring about your scoffing. Knock yourself out.
We got hit again this holiday weekend with a comment spammer. I've cleaned up the mess. If any of you spot anything like that, please let me know. The earlier it's spotted, the easier it is to clean up.
I would like to note that we're almost two weeks since the launch of Sword of the Stars and despite all the glowing email I received saying how great the game is for storytelling, we haven't seen any new stories. Hopefully someone will correct that soon. Please don't think there's some kind of high bar you have to overcome to put your story here. The only way to get better writing game stories is to do it. You don't have to mimic what I did. You can just do a quick wrap up of your last game.
Speaking of Sword of the Stars, I'm working on my review. You might see me flitting around online jumping into open game slots. I'm curious to see how fun it is to jump in the middle. Please don't take offense if I leave either. I'm also curious to see what the AI does once set if I leave and come back.
Not everyone, and I'm including myself here, has time to sit down and play a full large scale game in one sitting. It can also be annoying trying to get everyone together at just the same time. It seems to me those features are quite important in scoring the game. As always, I'm looking for feedback. If you feel anything should be mentioned in the review, please let me know. I'll look into it.
Jason
Read/Post Comments
© Talk Strategy 2004-2006