PixelCast Episode 10: Year of the Pixel

I took a break on Episode 9, but I'm back again to talk about Bayonetta, Torchlight, Trine, Tales of Monkey Island. We also discuss about playing games all the way to the end, a task I often fail in.

You can download the episode from here.

New Year's Resolutions 2010

The New Year has come and gone in a blink of an eye, and we're well into 2010; The final year of the first decade of the 21st Century. And there have been monumental changes in the past nine years, changes that have drastically shaped my life, and the person I've become. And hopefully by the close of this year, and the decade, I'll be able to mark some more notches on my belt.

Resolutions

1. Take a course and learn something new.
2. Watch more movies.
3. Write more.
4. Read more.
5. Ride a bicycle. Regularly.

Since leaving University, I don't believe I've applied myself vigorously to new thoughts, new ideas or new experiences. And as such, I believe I've stagnated mentally for a good period of time. I need to break out from my complacency and malaise, and try to reignite my brains once again.

Pixel Hunt Issue 10

The latest issue of Pixel Hunt has just been released. It's Christmas, so why not download it and read all the in-depth features and reviews contained within.

I've got an opinion piece, and two reviews in this latest issue, so go check it out!

You can download Issue 10 from here: www.pixelhunt.com.au

Merry Christmas. Here's more lame jokes for you

These are some lame jokes taken out from Christmas crackers (bon-bons).

Q: What do snowmen wear on their heads?
A: Ice caps!

Q: Why does an elephant wear sneakers?
A: So he can sneak up on the mice.

Q: Do you know how to make a bandstand?
A: Take away their chairs.

Q: What do snowmen eat for breakfast?
A: Snowflakes

Q: Why did the apple turnover?
A: Because it saw the cheese roll.

Q: What do you call a sleeping bull?
A: A bulldozer.

Q: What insect is musical?
A: A humbug.

Q: What did the winner of the race lose?
A: His breath.

Q: Why did the scientist install a knocker on his door?
A: He wanted to win the no-bell prize.

Q: What comes up when the rain comes down?
A: An umbrella.

Q: Why is an elephant large, gray and wrinkly?
A: Because if it were small, white and smooth it would be an aspirin.

Q: What travels around the world but never leaves its corner?
A: A stamp.

Merry Christmas!

Buying a house, and lessons learnt

Audrea and I moved into our new home over the weekend. The house is shaping up nicely, and aside from a few other bits of household items, we're mostly settled in.

But the entire process has been extremely trying and exhausting. And I think we're learnt a number of lessons, which will help if we ever move again in the future.

1) Making the offer, and signing the contract
We made an offer on the higher end of the price range, and perhaps that was a novice mistake. We were afraid that someone else would make a more attractive counter-offer. Making an offer of a reasonable amount to yourself is important.

I also made the mistake of not insisting on including "Subject to finance" in the terms of my offer. This would have given us an exit option, should things not work out. This is particularly pertinent when we were buying off the plan, which would take about 6 months till settlement.

Understanding the penalties is also very important. As I'll share later, we had a hard time securing the loan. And had we defaulted on settlement, we would have lost the house, forfeit our down payment, and paid the difference if the vendor was offered less on the re-sale. We didn't ask about the penalties in greater detail because we were so confident that securing a loan wouldn't be a problem, which in hindsight was a poor decision to make.

2) Not keeping an eye on the house
I think we placed too much trust on the real estate agent, the vendor and the builder to look after us. And as such, we didn't keep as close an eye on the building process as we should have. We didn't insist on being consulted with regards to the internal fixings, or even some of the larger aspects of the building (such as ducted cooling). We were lucky that the builder had a good eye, and picked the colours and materials that we otherwise would have. But we did end up with a couple of things we wished were included into the house.

3) Mortgage, brokers and lawyers
Because settlement was so far removed from the contract signing, we had a bit of time to secure a loan. And because of that, I think we both procrastinated a little bit. This was further compounded when advised by the broker in October that we still had plenty of time to secure that loan. Things did not turn out that way exactly.

The whole process took longer than it should have, taking almost one and a half months before we could confirm our loan arrangements. For some reason, the bank kept requesting for additional documents. And given there was a 6-8 day turnaround with each request, this greatly extended the time needed for the loan. And with our initial submission, we were assured by the broker that we had already provided sufficient documentation, so the constant delays caught us off guard. We only got final loan approval less than a week from settlement.

The lawyer we engaged was a great help to us, because his constant reminders to us emphasised the urgency of the situation. But I think we had different expectations on the services provided. His services were to prepare the required documents for settlement, and in a normal situation, this would have been sufficient. But given our particular scenario, I had assumed that he would also represent our interests in dealing with the broker, bank, and vendor. I guess I had slightly different expectations of what engaging a lawyer entails, so there were moments when I felt quite frustrated by a seemingly lack of assistance from all sides.

4) Stamp duty
One of the biggest shocks we received near the end of the whole process was the amount of stamp duty we had to pay. Buying an off-the-plan property often means a much lower stamp duty than buying an established one. And one is always told that the duty is based off the value of the land. This is close, but not exactly true.

What we've found is that the duty is calculated by taking away the value of the construction from the purchase price. So say that the purchase price is $10, the value of the construction is $4, and the land is $3. The duty is not calculated on the value of the land ($3), but rather on the purchase price minus the construction price ($10-$4=$6). As such, we were hit by a higher stamp duty that we previously assumed, which has left us in a undesirable position.

5) Final inspection of the house
It's important to do the final inspection of the house as early as possible. Because we hadn't secured our loan until the last week, we weren't confident that we would get the house. We found a number of issues with the house, and because it was so close to settlement, there wasn't much that could be done aside from putting a request to have the builder resolve the issues. However, if we had done this earlier, it would have been possible to have these issues resolved before we get the keys. As it is now, those issues are now up to us to resolve.

PixelCast Episode 8: I'm dreaming of a white pixel

Christmas is upon us, and the Pixel Hunt crew gather once again to chat about games, the many seasons of Christmas, and the wonders of multiplayer. This episode, Alex Walker joins in the discussion with Tim, Dylan and myself.

If you listen to podcasts, and you like videogames, you must listen to the PixelCasts. It's a great show for the whole family! No foul language = kid-friendly.

You can download the episode here.

I'm a Beatles; Rock Banding

It was a difficult trek, making my way to Airport West just to pick up Beatles Rock Band for the PS3: An hour round trip from the office, with the game that was unexpectedly heavy. Getting the thing home was another challenge. But the quest was completed, and at a discounted cost of $150, the game (which came with drums, guitar and microphone) was well worth the effort.

Setting up took a lot longer than expected; there were so many parts in that huge box. The drums had to be fixed onto a stand, along with a foot pedal. There were wires, and dongles and assorted bits and pieces. But again... well worth the effort.

Because the game is bloody excellent. Being the Beatles, it doesn't need to be said how remarkable the music is. And the range was impressive, from their early years to their later, more experimental music. It's amazing how many songs I actually know... and how many that I didn't.

I was already familiar with Guitar Hero, so picking up the guitar again wasn't too difficult. Singing on the microphone wasn't too difficult either; I remained mostly in-key and on time. But the drumming was tough. Even though I can play a normal 4/4 beat on a real set, playing the drums in the game wasn't not an easy feat. It really does test one's coordination and timing.

But when you've got 2-3 people playing together, singing Here Comes the Sun... it was gold.

PixelCast Episode 7: Dylan, Ken and Tim on the mics again.

Tim's laptop has recovered from a serious case of blow-upititis, so the crew is back together again for another episode of the PixelCast. This episode, we've got a special guest joining us: James Pinnell from Gamer Limit.

Listen to us talk about Tropico 3, Wipeout HD, Left 4 Dead 2, Brutal Legend, unconventional uses of videogame consoles and the role of game demos.

You can download the podcast here.

Public Service Announcement: Semen Related Costs

Melbourne Stories: Vulture Man

City. Streets.
A trash bin, one of many.
A man sniffs around,
seeking treasures unseen.

He reaches in, pulls it out.
A paper bag in his grasp.
French fries is the prize;
Is the gold that he seeks.

Satisfying his hunger,
He reaches back in.
Finds a refreshing drink,
To complete his meal.

Life in Melbourne: Pearl Jam Live

I'm wearing the tour t-shirt that I bought at Pearl Jam's concert last night. I'm still blown away by the whole experience, and I'm trying to hold on to that feeling for as long as possible.

I've been a Pearl Jam fan for a long time now, even though I was made extremely aware that there are far more dedicated fans than I. I'm only familiar with their more recent albums; I haven't even listened to Ten (their breakout album) yet. And that is something I hope to remedy soon.

But the concert was absolutely fantastic. Eddie Vedder is brilliant as a singer, and so mesmerising on stage. The guitar solos were face melting, the atmosphere exhilarating. People were singing along to all the classics, jumping to the beat and throwing their hands into the air.

Seeing them play live was a huge wish fulfilled for me. And I'm glad I just decided to go, even if it was by myself.

PixelCast Stop Gap Episode

We are unfortunately missing our lead host for this episode. But this latest episode is still packed with gaming goodness. And instead of only talking about games, this time we talk about games while playing games.

Listen to us talk about Dragon Age, Modern Warfare 2, Tekken 6, Gratuitous Space Battles and Borderlands... While we are playing Borderlands simultaneously.

Download the episode here.

Life in Melbourne: Progress on the House 4

We visited the new house again a couple of weeks back. The place is looking better and better. Each time we see it, we increasingly see ourselves making a home out of an empty house.

Front of house

Living Room

Kitchen

Bedroom 1

Bedroom 2

PixelCast 6: Pixel-Haaaaair

We have a new chair this episode, with Michael joining the show for the first time. We talk about games we've been playing, the Pearl Jam concert in November, and the changing release caledar of games.

Listen to us here!

Oh crap!

PixelCast 5: Tickle My Pixel

Dylan, Tim and I made a second attempt to finish the podcast, and we persevered. Listen to us talk about games we've been playing, comment on gaming news and discuss episodic content.

We were fortunate enough to salvage half of the original recording with guest host, Nathan Cocks from PC Powerplay. Listen to our smooth, chocolatey voices and enjoy.

Download from here.

Podcast Attempt Failed

It's a real shame that the podcast we were recording yesterday afternoon was lost. It's probably a technical hiccup, and not anyone's fault really. When coordinating a recording with four people in separate cities (and different countries for one), there's many things that could go wrong; Sound quality, bandwidth and overtaxing the computers are all possible fault-lines.

We had some really good content in there, and good banter all around. So it's a real shame it's all gone now. We're trying to salvage something, but it looks like re-recording is the only real solution here. I hope we can recapture some of that magic.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2

I picked up Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 because I wanted a game that I could play together with Audrea. I wanted something wasn't too complex yet with enough depth not to be vacuous. And so far, we've been having fun.

As with the previous Ultimate Alliance game, players take control of various Marvel characters stopping a string of villains from dastardly deeds. Over the course of the game, players can upgrade their characters with skills and abilities with experience points gained from trouncing various minions and underlings.

One reason why I'm liking this game so much is that many RPG elements have been removed from the game. And that to me is a good thing. Apparently, this is not a commonly shared opinion. One major problem I've always had with the first Ultimate Alliance was the infinite minute increments that didn't have significant impact on the game. +3% damage for every level increase in the relevant skill? -2.4secs cool-down time? I don't want to deal with that level of tedium. I just want to get into the action as quickly as I can.

Which is why I also appreciate the new in-game levelling system. Instead of having to continuously wait for other players to upgrade their characters, you can now do it on the fly whilst others continue playing. Your character is taken over by the AI while you upgrade.

Visually, I'm finding it much easier to differentiate characters, enemies and background. I had a hard time with UA1, when there were too many clashing colours. But it's easier to follow the action in UA2. The in-game camera does need a little work though; there are multiple times when the camera ends up in the oddest angles, obscuring the vision of the players.

Audrea and I haven't gotten too deep into the game yet. We finished about 3 missions yesterday. But I reckon that we'll be playing this often over the course of the next couple of weeks. I'm finding the improvements in the sequel make for a better playing experience. And the removal of tedious elements helps to condense the fun factor.

Enlisted into the Twit Army

Like so many before, succumbing was the inevitable result. Should I have resisted for so long, knowing it was ultimately futile? Can I pride myself on the fortitude shown? Or do I hang my head low for my failing resolve?

Follow me at Twitter.com/kenleefh.

Life in Melbourne: Progress on the House 3

It's been just over a month since we last saw the house. And the progress that has transpired is quite astonishing. The floors are done, the kitchen is in, and the upstairs rooms are almost completed.

To be perfectly honest, we weren't quite as excited about the house when we saw it last. There was still a lot to be done then, and we couldn't visualise the space. But having seen it again in a near complete stage, we've had our faith renewed.

Things to do done still include wiring, plumbing, toilets, showers, carpets, garage and floor polishing.

Living Room

Kitchen

Bedroom 1

Bedroom 2/Study