Recently, I decided to revisit Duolingo, a website which I reviewed very early in the TCSA blog's existence. (Technically before it became the TCSA blog.) And it has undergone a few improvements since the last time I was there. Lets talk about that.
If you've been with this blog for a long time, (Golly gee, heading for the 1 year mark already.), you may remember the afore-linked article I wrote, mostly about Duolingo, in which I discussed the website and it's free language courses. Of which there were about 3 when I wrote that. Perhaps you even decided to check out the website as a result of that post. Either way, I recently went back to Duolingo to continue my French learning, (At fair random as is my wont.), and have found the website to have undergone a few, subtle improvements.
First and foremost that I would like to point out, you can no longer fail lessons. In the past they had a system in which after three strikes you would be forced to repeat a lesson until you managed it. If you, like myself, have ever been to school, you might understand the frustration of failing a test you've done before. The new system uses a progress bar of sorts which fills and empties based on correct and incorrect answers respectively, with the lesson continuing until you either quit or succeed. In terms of progression, this is far easier and far less frustrating than the old system, but I feel that psychologically, there are many benefits to not repeatedly telling the learner that they failed.
Besides that, Duolingo previously only offered a small selection of languages. If I remember correct, it only offered French, Spanish and Portuguese back then, but now offers an impressive 9 languages, with a further 7 under development, both of which I have listed below for ease of reference.
Available:
Spanish
French
German
Italian
Portuguese
Dutch
Irish
Danish
Swedish
"Hatching":
Hungarian
Turkish
Esperanto
Russian
Ukrainian
Romanion
Polish
I don't know about you guys, but I'm personally and very particularly excited about these new languages because of my love for languages and linguistics, and because I've always wanted to learn Russian, French and Irish. Odds are though, I might add one or two other languages to the list simply because they're available and because Duolingo is, in as far as I have seen so far, a particularly effective way of learning these languages.
However, for those of you keen to learn Russian as soon as possible, I might suggest going to http://learnrussian.rt.com/ as it is also an immensely well written way of learning the Russian alphabet and language.
In any case, that's all for this one. Found a website you think is also great for learning languages, or simply have something you wish to say about Duolingo? If so, do be sure to let us know down in the comments below, or via Facebook/Twitter. We here at TCSA love to hear your feedback. And of course, if you enjoy finding out about awesome stuff on the web and world then do please be sure to like the Official TCSA Facebook page and/or follow us on Twitter using the associated buttons on the bar to the left to get all the latest posts as they're published. Also, do be sure to share posts you enjoyed with your friends as it helps us out a great deal. Regardless of what you do, I thank you for having taken the time to read this post; hope that you have/had an absolutely FANTASTIC day, and I will speak again soon.
A wonderfully non-descriptive and poorly chosen screenshot of the Steam Store. Because terrible screenshots are what I'm all about.
Does your wallet suffer from excess weight? Do you suffer from having time on your hands? Well, provided you have a steam account, you're probably about to be cured of both those afflictions. Let's talk about the Steam Holiday Sale.
Every year, the wonderful, massive games distribution platform that is Steam has a year end holiday sale in which they successfully alleviate the wallets of the world through both quantity and quality of sales. There are truly few services that can entice you to buy things that you may never use, but Steam does that... well. (Not that I'm complaining.)
The statistic as pointed out in this Gamespot article from April this year based on a study by Ars Technica, is that 37% of all Steam games purchased are never played. Which is absurd considering that even at their cheapest, some games are worth a cheap meal at a fast food restaurant. (At least here in South Africa.) Nonetheless, these sales allow people who are somewhat more concious about their spending habits, such as myself, to get games that they want at extremely cut rates.
For example, as of about an hour or two ago from the posting of this article, Payday 2 went on sale at 75% off from it's price, with a 4 pack at the same 75% discount, which equates to a ridiculous saving in total, and an effective buy 3 get 1 free deal. Naturally, JovialJman, myself and our friends being the Payday fanatics that we are, immediately jumped upon this fantastic deal for a fantastic game.
Of course, among others, games such as all the Saints Row's, The Elder Scrolls Skyrim, Portal 2 and many other fantastic titles have all seen fantastic discounts for the holiday, including daily deals like Payday 2's in which they are further discounted by ridiculous amounts. Essentially, the Steam Holiday Sale is a frugal persons dream happiest dream.
Word of forewarning, If I suddenly drop off the internet for a while, I'm probably playing games more than I should be. In any case, that's all I have to say on the matter, so if you would like to get good games on the cheap, make sure to head over to Steam and check out the great deals and let me know what you find, down in the comments below, or via Facebook/Twitter. We here at TCSA love to hear your feedback. And of course, if you enjoy finding out about awesome stuff on the web and world then do please be sure to like the Official TCSA Facebook page and/or follow us on Twitter using the associated buttons on the bar to the left to get all the latest posts as they're published. Also, do be sure to share posts you enjoyed with your friends as it helps us out a great deal. Regardless of what you do, I thank you for having taken the time to read this post; hope that you have/had an absolutely FANTASTIC day, and I will speak again soon.
In my ever present lack of mind, I managed to screenshot almost everything except the title screen. Triple points? (Teehee)
Do you like Magic The Gathering, find shuffling tedious, or simply need something "new" *cough* to try out and do? If you said yes to any of these things, then you might find some enjoyment in Magic The Gathering: Duels Of The Planeswalkers 2013.
Those of you with significant mental acuity are likely already or about to ask: "2013? But isn't it almost 2015?". In which case you would be correct, I am perhaps somewhat late to the discussion in terms of this game. Although, that could be said for most games I've discussed considering this blog did only start in June. (Half a year now, goodness how the time flies.)
In any case, my good friend Richard decided to grace me with a copy of this game so that I could play it with him from the other side of the world while he waits to become a part of Her Royal Majesty's Navy in UK. (At least, I hope that's how you refer to it. I'm going to defer to ignorance if I'm wrong.)
In any case, lets talk about the game. MTG: DOTP 2013 (Longest acronym of my life...) is the computerized version of the massively popular trading card game Magic The Gathering which you are guaranteed to have heard of if you know anyone that is just a little bit nerdier than average. DOTP is the 3rd of three such computerized version of the game, focusing on people who prefer to have computers do all the shuffleing/counting/mathing done for them, as well on those who would like to play Magic with distant friends or from the convenience of their homes. It's also pretty good for playing against the AI if you have no internet. (Though that could easily get old quickly.)
The flashy, card based menu makes no allusion to this game being anything more than you expect. But then, it does what it does pretty well.
DOTP is, for all intents and purposes, Magic The Gathering for computers and consoles. It is admittedly a hard thing to sell if you have little knowledge of the actual card game, though some reviewers have pointed out that, apart from having an experienced Magic player teach you, this is about one of the best ways you could learn to play. DOTP's AI can hold it's own, the tutorials are well explained and the Campaign does a great job of introducing you to new ideas, decks and tactics in a fun and only occasionally frustrating way.
Some basic statistics about your game habits or records, as well as a plain viewing of my childhood nickname.
Perhaps the only original part of DOTP is what is called the "Planechase" mode, in which a normal game of Magic is played between up to 4 opponents, but with an added random element of a deck of Planes with their own effects and a die which allows the players to enjoy the benefits of the plane or cause it to change, often resulting in a frantic and different experience to the usual duels. I will point out again that this lack of originality is not a bad thing. Like Call Of Duty and Assassins Creed, things are made the same, because people enjoy it. Had this game been anything more or less than what it is, it would have been grossly criticized for having utterly dropped the ball and trying to be something it's not.
A rudimentary "deck builder" lets you change out a selection of cards from pre-defined decks and choices. It's fairly restricted compared to the real cards game, but it' is functional and approachable.
That said, DOTP does what it does well, has leaderboards and online play, achievements, a fair length set of campaigns and challenges and a deck builder. More or less everything you could expect or want from it. Everything works very well give or take one or two interface issues, and the gameplay is solid, unabashed Magic. For anything more than that, you're going to have to step away from the computer and find your local hobby store that stocks Magic The Gathering cards and knows where it's players congregates. Is it worth your time? Yes. Despite it's occasional limitations, DOTP is definitely fun and enjoyable computerised version of Magic, and certainly worth a couple bucks considering the many hours you can sink into the game. (If Steam happens to put it on sale this Christmas, do yourself a favor and buy a couple copies for yourself and your friends. Head to head matches are always a giggle.)
In any case, that's all I can say on the game. Feel free to peruse the rest of the screenshots below as they tell their own story. Otherwise, if you think this game is good, or completely disagree and think I'm weird for playing a tabletop game on a computer, do be sure to let me know down in the comments below, or via Facebook/Twitter. We here at TCSA love to hear your feedback. And of course, if you enjoy finding out about awesome stuff on the web and world then do please be sure to like the Official TCSA Facebook page and/or follow us on Twitter using the associated buttons on the bar to the left to get all the latest posts as they're published. Also, do be sure to share posts you enjoyed with your friends as it helps us out a great deal. Regardless of what you do, I thank you for having taken the time to read this post; hope that you have/had an absolutely FANTASTIC day, and I will speak again soon.
Happy gaming my friends.
My friend and I having a "two-headed giant" match versus the AI. While not an easy match, there are some fantastic cards that can completely turn the tide when used correctly as we soon found out.
The interface for starting new games is fairly simple and easy to figure out. No complaints here.
I think I speak for everyone that's played DOTP when I say: "F*** this encounter."
Came for the game, stayed because of the pretty pictures and the game. DOTP does a good job of showing off it's fantastic illustrations, very few of which were actually made for the game itself.
I'm not sure why I thought a dog staring into the ocean was an accurate representation of this event, but screw it: PUPPY!
You know that place down by the coast called Durban? In South Africa? The one with bunny chow, beaches, traffic circles and cargo ships at sea at all times? If not, you've likely never lived in South Africa. If you have, then you're probably gasping at the fact that I've only just been for the first time.
If you're a long time follower of the blog, you may have become familiar with the usually erratic release schedule of the posts, considering they tend to go up at some absurdly late hour, or not at all when there are occasional difficulties. Considering how much attention you pay, that would probably have alerted you to the fact that the last week's posts were not written on the days of their posting, since their publishing times are far too consistent.
I, having written them all ahead of time, was enjoying a fantastic week down in Durban, one of South Africa's greatly enjoyed holiday destinations famous for it's hotels (I think), beaches and bunny chow, among various other things. Having never had the opportunity to go before, I was quite ecstatic when a one of my best friends arranged for me to go spend a week down there with him as a form of early birthday present. (Yes, that dreaded day looms this month. Egads.)
So what did I get up to while my posts automatically published themselves? Various things that I've never done before. I explored a new city I'd never seen; got severely sunburned because "I don't get sunburned"; went to a marine park and aquarium; bashed my knee significantly on a rock in the ocean and nearly drowned in shock; spent 2 hours trekking along open beaches with my awesome friend while singing ridiculous songs, throwing a random orange we'd found and christened "Doctor Orange" to each other and suffering the sandblasting that could only be compared to walking through a desert naked; learned to drive; drove to our residence in the middle of the night and of course went to large party in the middle of a farm where it rained... a lot... and I got wet and fairly muddy.
Suffice to say, my 8 day long visit was hardly ill spent, and I met a good few wonderful people as well as enjoyed spending time with a fantastic friend of mine. Of course, having driven there and back was a somewhat tiring exercise of 7 hours each, and as such is the reason for this post going up two days later than originally intended.
In any case, I suspect you probably don't read this blog for details about my holiday's, but should I would more than happily extrapolate on the details of my foray into foreign lands should you desire. If so, do be sure to let me know down in the comments below, or via Facebook/Twitter. We here at TCSA love to hear your feedback. And of course, if you enjoy finding out about awesome stuff on the web and world then do please be sure to like the Official TCSA Facebook page and/or follow us on Twitter using the associated buttons on the bar to the left to get all the latest posts as they're published. Also, do be sure to share posts you enjoyed with your friends as it helps us out a great deal. Regardless of what you do, I thank you for having taken the time to read this post; hope that you have/had an absolutely FANTASTIC day, and I will speak again soon.
Who came up with "Seasons Greetings"? It sounds weird. Happy holidays my friends. (Teehee)
Some games are very dependent on their story for their worth. Whether it be Dragon Age, The Elder Scrolls, or, in this case, Fallout, the main reason that you play these RPG's is for their stories. Of course, sometimes their stories can become a little bit convoluted, and the lore of their universe too expansive. Luckily, ShoddyCast is here to shed some light on their brilliantly detailed worlds.
Like most things I discover on the internet, I found ShoddyCast by complete and utter accident while doing my typical internet browsing that usually forms part of my work schedule. (Don't ask how that works, it makes no sense to me either really.) In any case, suffice to say that I soon found myself watching the absolutely enrapturing and fantastically narrated Fallout Lore series on the ShoddyCast channel. (When I say enrapturing, I mean I watched every episode today...)
So what's so good about this series? Simple, it tells you the tale of American Wasteland from both before and after the great war and atomic bombs dropping, and all the stories of those within it from the original Fallout game all the way to Fallout: New Vegas. (Suffice to say this is gamer nerd's dream and I was quite happy to spend about 4 hours watching every single video in a row.) Quite literally the best part was finding out that many of the characters I knew from the latter 2 Fallout games had a history in the earlier games that I had never had the opportunity to play, and as such, thoroughly enjoyed the experience. (Admittedly, if you've never played any of the Fallout games then a lot of the coolness or sentimental value of the lore will probably be lost on you... but then... why haven't you played any of these games yet?)
In any case, I've shared the first video of the series above to give you a first hand experience of what the ShoddyCast narration is like. (Which I personally think is really awesome and very well done... Just saying.) Give it a watch, and if you like it or find it interesting, then follow this link to watch the entire series in order. Also, don't forget to give the Dragon Age and Elder Scrolls lore series' a check as well. (I have yet to watch them myself, hence why this post is somewhat exclusively on the Fallout Series. That and the fact that I did a post about hoarding that was centered around Fallout in the past. Teehee)
Do you agree that ShoddyCast is really good at narration? Or maybe you simply want to suggest something for future blog post? If so, do be sure to let us know down in the comments below, of via Facebook/Twitter. We here at TCSA love to hear your feedback. And of course, if you enjoy finding out about awesome stuff on the web and world then do please be sure to like the Official TCSA Facebook page and/or follow us on Twitter using the associated buttons on the bar to the left to get all the latest posts as they're published. Also, do be sure to share posts you enjoyed with your friends as it helps us out a great deal. Regardless of what you do, I thank you for having taken the time to read this post; hope that you have/had an absolutely FANTASTIC day, and I will speak again soon.
Ever wondered what it would be like to go to a high school that was all about playing video games and being the best at them? Welcome to Video Game High School, the low-budget but fantastically awesome and entertaining web-series from Freddie Wong.
About 3 years ago when I was still fairly new to being able to watch video's on YouTube at any time,(Uncapped internet at decent speeds costing what they do in South Africa), one of the YouTube channels that drew my attention quite significantly was what was, back then, simply called "Freddie W". Freddie W would make video game skits where he would take situations typically found in video games and the like and record a live action version of those type of events, which he then edited afterwards to give it that awesome video game appeal. Of all the countless channels I have watched on YouTube, only his channel, which is now called RocketJump and another channel called Corridor Digital, had done anything like that. At least as far as I know.
In any case, fast forward to the present, and things had changed since I'd last watched Freddie Wong's channel. (For starters it's called RocketJump now.) Having been busy with a wide variety of other things, blogging included, the kickstarter funded web series Video Game High School had eluded my attention until today.
Let me just be frank and say it. This show... IS AWESOME. Made on a budget several times smaller than most series these days, Video Game High School, or VGHS for short, is a well made and thoroughly entertaining take on the idea "What would it be like to go to a school for playing video games?"
Complete with a talented selection of actors, a fantastic storyline, some great use of gamer jargon and brilliant video graphics makes for a well rounded and thoroughly entertaining series complete with equal parts humor and intensity which honestly left me leaning in close to my screen to see what comes next. (Something that few shows do these days.) I will admit I'm probably biased because of all the gamer styled inside jokes and references makes me giggle like a schoolgirl who know's more than she should about male anatomy, but that's part of the appeal. If you consider yourself a gamer than you will definitely enjoy what is one of the few pieces of fiction these days which really focuses on gaming as it's central plot device. (Gamer and Noobz being the only others that readily come to mind.)
In any case, I'm going to stop sounding like a fanboy and let you watch the epic first episode of Video Game High School above, and then place a convenient link to the RocketJump YouTube page so that you can go watch all the other episodes in one day like I did today. (Teehee) It's definitely worth watching.
Of course, if it wasn't (which I doubt), or it was (which I mostly guarantee), do make sure to let us know down in the comments below, or via Facebook/Twitter. We here at TCSA love to hear your feedback. And if you have any gamer friends who you think would enjoy watching a gamer oriented show, feel free to share this article with them aswell. I'm sure they will appreciate it. Of course, if you yourself would like to read more articles about awesome stuff on the web like this one, consider liking the Official TCSA Facebook page and/or following us on Twitter using the associated buttons on the bar to the left to get all the latest posts, as they're published. Regardless of what you do, I thank you for having taken the time to read this post; hope that you have/had and absolutely FANTASTIC day, and I will speak again soon.
Payday: The Heist banner from http://starbreeze.com/games/payday-the-heist/. Complete with Hoxton rocking a clown mask and devil horns hand gesture. You can just feel the friendliness as a new batch of coulrophobia sets in..
Any gamer will tell you how easy it is to lose track of time when you're having fun. Recently, we here at TCSA discovered that Late Night Gaming Sessions aren't the greatest of idea's when you've got work to do and blog posts to write. Let's talk about that.
A few days ago, I noticed that the Starbreeze made game Payday: The Heist was going for the absolute steal of roughly R50 for 4 copies on the (in)famous game online distribution store, Steam. (I say roughly because that's a rounded number from after we converted the price from dollars.)
Of course, having heard about the huge reputation Payday has for being an awesome co-op game, and having played games like Left 4 Dead which are very much similar in gameplay, I saw no reason as to why we should pass up the opportunity to net 4 copies of a great game on the cheap. (I do not regret this decision.) Steam sales are notorious for the way they encourage people to open their wallets. (Or beg their friends to open theirs such as in this case. Teehee. Thanks JovialJman.)
In any case, a day or so after downloading Payday, backing it up to a flash and distributing the game files to my fellow would-be-criminals who were gifted the additional copies of Payday, it was decided that it would be fun to at last, try the game out and play a couple games while talking over Skype. Now, I don't mean to say we weren't thinking at this point. I will however, point out that Payday is a disgustingly huge amount of fun to play with friends, and the cumulative result of what supposed to be a couple games was a nine hour long Skype call and gaming session which resulted in myself, JovialJman and my brother being severely incapacitated for the next few days. (Friday, Saturday, Today to a lesser degree.)
As it turns out, planning bank heists, leveling up your criminal characters and just having a regular ball as you realize, for the 10th time in a row, that someone just hit a panic button and the S*** has just hit the fan again, can become rather addictive, even when we all knew we had things to do the next day. My brother and I were going to a friends place for the weekend and JovialJman had to work the next day. Suffice to say, I was unable to stay awake any later than 7pm and JovialJman was unable to work properly or write his already late post. Unfortunately, since I was not at home and had ruined my ability to write any posts while I was still at home, it would not be until today that I could finally write this post and finally publish it late. JovialJman is also in the process of, or already has, published his post from Friday as well.
Suffice to say, one 9 hour gaming session was the most schedule damaging thing we had ever done (yet.) Thankfully, part of the joy of the job is that we aren't getting yelled at for it. Though we are sorry for letting anyone down if they were looking forward to reading some new posts these past few days. On the upside, you'll be getting all the posts that should have been up, as well as the new posts as per our schedule in the next couple days, so better late than never right? (Please don't hit me.)
In any case, perhaps I shall do a proper review of Payday: The Heist in the upcoming few days considering it has the honor of being the first game to actually put us here at TCSA behind schedule. If you would like us to do so, or simply wish to moan at us for being so silly, do be sure to do so down in the comments below, or via Facebook/Twitter. If you have any friends who might be interested in reading up about Payday and perhaps seeing if it might be a game that they would enjoy playing, consider sharing this post with them so that they can see just how fun it can be. Of course, if you yourself would like to read that review, or any other of our posts, as they come out, consider liking the Official TCSA Facebook page and/or following us on Twitter to get all the latest posts, as they're published. Regardless of what you do, I thank you for having taken the time to read this post; hope that you have/had an absolutely FANTASTIC day, and I will speak again soon.
And everyone with even a modicum of OCD, (including me), wants to kill me for the slightly off center subtitle. On the other hand, the practical side of me refuses to move it 5 pixels to the left. Screenshot is of the title screen from the Emperor Edition of Total War: Rome 2.
Total War: Rome 2 is the most recent Creative Assembly game in the Total War Series, (That's been released so far at least), and is also the most recent cause for my lack of free time for a variety of reasons. As a result, I decided it might be fun to do one of my famous semi-formal reviews on it.
Yesterday, JovialJman spoke about Simulations and the way the reality was starting to be accurately portrayed with computers. Of course, what better opportunity to talk about my most recent timesink: Total War: Rome 2, the grand strategy game from Creative Assembly that revolves around the conquest of the European and North African landscapes which formed part of the Roman empire. (I'll point out that they don't refer to it as a grand strategy game, but I use that as a term for any game that involves the manipulation of a large "World Map" towards goals of victory; ala Paradox Games.) I started playing Rome 2 as a result of the crazy ramblings and tactical soliloquy of one of my other, newer favorite YouTube commentators, DiplexHeated, whom I found while looking for playthrough's of Paradox Games's Hearts of Iron 3.
In my case, I figured it would be more fun to try out the Iceni, a Gallic Brittanic tribe in the lands of what is now the UK. (Later in the campaign I conquered all the British, Scottish and Irish land... effectively forming the UK about 1700 years before it historically did. Give or take.)
So, before I get into the details, I will point out that I am playing the more recently released "Emperor Edition" of Rome 2, which was released with a large variety of updates, fixes and general extra content, most of which was graciously given to buyers of the original edition for their patience with what can only be described as a "turbulent" launch. For a humorous depiction of just how turbulent I mean, refer to the "Hitler Find Out" video below:
With that out of the way, and you likely in tears from laughter, let me talk about the pro's. Why does Total War: Rome 2 make me stay up far later than I should, and play when I should be writing blog posts or making special Halloween themed graphics? Well, the obvious answer is that it's fun and addictive, clearly preying on my enjoyment of figuring things out.
What's that? "Stop stalling and actually get to the point." you say? Of course, Rome 2 is keeps me absurdly distracted with both of it's game modes, which a fairly interlinked for reasons you'll understand shortly. The first of which is the "Grand Campaign" mode, as shown in some of the earlier screenshots that I have littered throughout this post as I am wont to do with these kinds of reviews.
In this mode, you control the entirety of your empire, managing it's politics, economy, diplomacy and, of course, military, in the hopes of becoming the dominant power on the map and ultimately becoming victorious. Everything from the arrangement of trade, alliances and confederations with your neighbors, to the research of new technologies and expansion of your cities and villages, down to the recruitment, improvement of your armies and a fair bit more is left in your hands; all managed from the isometric view of the world pictured in the screenshots.
Though the game is turn-based and, admittedly, takes a good minute to process each turn on my frankencomputer, this oddly satisfying bid for domination and supremacy kept me busy for a good 5 hours today, and several tens more this past week that I've been playing. Suffice to say that despite some negative views on what has been called a "dumbed down" game by fans of older games in the Total War series, there is still a great deal of fun to be had with Rome 2.
As it turns out, experience with grand strategy games in general does not make you immune to poor decisions, as the 2 armies denoted by the men with blue flags soon found out. (They died in case you're unsure.)
Of course, World Domination is not the only thing to keep you busy in Total War: Rome 2. The real meat of the game, (and the thing that made the Total War games famous in the first place), is it's highly accurate model for realtime warfare involving thousands of troops arrayed in their respective cohorts/squads/battalions/whatever you want to call them.
In some of the later screenshots in this post, you'll note that I decided to take a break from the Grand Campaign to try out some of the Historical Battles that come in the game. Of the 3 that I played, I lost 2 and learned that I am really bad at fighting offensively. (Which is part of the "Fun" as Dwarf Fortress would put it.) Between a forest ambush scenario, the siege of Carthage and a fort defense scenario, the only one I was able to win by just a slim margin was the fort defense, which is part of what makes the combat in Rome 2 so interesting.
You see, the Warscape Engine, and the engines previously designed for the older Total War games, are designed to create highly accurate representations of combat with large amounts of forces, thereby making real world combat strategies applicable to the game because of it's accurate representation of the soldiers and the factors that influence them.
At this point, I figured it would be a good idea to show what the technology tree's looked like in the game. Nothing too fancy, but they don't feel redundant at least.
To be less vague about how this is done, consider one of the battles I fought in the "Grand Campaign" as the Iceni against the Demetae clan. Outnumbered 3 men for ever 2, I decided, having read a great deal of military themed books and taken great interest in various documentaries throughout my life, that the best course of action would be to place all my men up on the nearby hill and force the enemy troops to arduously climb up the hill to reach me.
Having reached the foot of the hill, his men quickly found themselves being pelted heavily by the extended range of my slingers, effectively killing a good 100 of their men before they even managed to get into combat. Those that did make it to the top were severely winded from the steep ascent, and their morale damaged at the sight of their friends dying beside them and the knowledge that at any moment, they could be next.
Not yet broken, their own slingers took up a line at the base of the hill and began pelting their own missiles back up at my mine while their warriors fought. Unfortunately for them, this was the perfect opportunity for my horsemen, in a wedge formation, (which is effective for smashing through ranks of enemies.), to come and utterly decimate his unarmored slingers. Alone and unable to fight back against the agile horsemen, the enemy slinger's morale broke within moments, the surviving men fleeing the field quickly while my own warriors enveloped their enemy atop the hill. Surrounded and without support, the enemy warriors began to die quickly due to attacks coming from all sides, and the death of their general promptly resulted in their surrender.
One moment while I revel in how cool that sounded. (Heehee). Moving on, as you can see, the game's engine allows for the accurate depiction of all the factors that influence a fighting force in the game, from morale, to how tired they are, the equipment that they have, and the effect that losing their leader can have on them. And that's not even everything that can happen. In the earlier mentioned Roman fort defense scenario, use of archers with flaming arrows and onagers allowed me to demoralize the enemy Gauls while holding them at the fort gates, causing more men to flee than what actually died in the combat. (I will point out that I am not actually that good at these games, I just haven't mentioned my blunders yet, such as my inability to regroup my men during a forest ambush, and the fact that I let half my army die to arrow fire from the walls of Carthage during the siege. Truth be told, if I don't choose where I'm going to fight, I'll probably lose.)
Some of the historical battles in Rome 2. I should point out that those earlier mentioned victories in battle were made playing on "Easy". This game is kinda difficult.
Now, I could continue to give you blow by blow accounts of battles, (Which does sound like fun in all honesty, perhaps I'll do it again sometime.), but I think you've gotten the picture of why I so thoroughly enjoy playing this game, and that's enough for the purposes of this article. All in all, as someone as easily forgiving as me, I have yet to find any real reason to fault Total War: Rome 2, though I am admittedly new to the Total War series. Perhaps the AI isn't the best in the world and maybe the Grand Campaign is allegedly dumbed down from previous iterations, but as a game on it's own, objectively, Total War: Rome 2 is a fun game and definitely worth a go. I would recommend this game to anyone who's a fan of tactical and strategic military combat, as averse to simply running into battle as one guy and killing hundreds of people all on your own. (That can have it's own attractions too sometimes.)
In any case, feel free to check out the additional screenshots and read the side-story that accompanies them at your leisure for a better perspective of what the game looks like. If you enjoyed this article, or have something you wish to add or ask, please be sure to let us know down in the comments below, or via Facebook/Twitter as we here at TCSA love to hear from you guys. Of course, if you happen to have any friends who enjoy large strategy games, consider sharing this article with them too. I am sure they will appreciate it. And if you yourself would like to read more articles like this one, consider liking the Official TCSA Facebook page and/or following us on Twitter using the associated buttons on the bar to the left. Regardless of what you do, I thank you for having taken the time to read this post; hope that you have/had and absolutely FANTASTIC day, and I will speak again soon.
Fair battles my friends.
The siege of Carthago begins, complete with a map of the battlefield and a customary Roman-times themed quote.
A few minutes later, and the most I've done is lobbed several hundred rocks at the enemy walls and siege equipment in the hopes that this will make the impending battle easier. (It didn't really.)
Walls and towers down, the time to charge was getting closer, but I had a strange feeling that this wasn't going to go well.
The land based Roman forces which I had little experience commanding. Though better equipped than the Gauls from earlier, the fact that the Carthaginians got to choose where we fought is probably a good indicator of things to come.
The water based troops of Rome. Most of these guys died before they even drew their swords thanks to enemy Onagers and towers.
Having finally assaulted the city, it can be easily seen by my men's healthbars that the Carthaginians had collected a hefty toll for my entry.
Most of my men killed and maimed, it should come as little surprise that I wasn't happy when I found out the enemy was counter-attacking.
Note to self: War elephants are no joke. Just because your men were confident before the fighting started does not make them any less mashable by elephant tusks and feet. -300 Roman Soldiers in 30 seconds.
The enemy counterattack defeated, my roman troops were in complete shambles as they attempted to kill a squad of elites. (This dis not go so well, especially since my general had died a few minutes ago already)
On the upside, my 36 minute long "Valiant Defeat" did drag almost twice as many of their troops to death as they did mine. I don't think Rome is happy with "my best" though.
If you know who this character is, then you're probably a fan of trance music. Image is from this YouTube Video. Turns out its hard to get high quality images from ancient music videos.
Music is a very large part of most people's lives, so it makes sense that we pick and choose our favorite songs as we go. However, for some people, their age or upbringing is rather obvious by their choice in music, not that we particularly care. Here's a list of 10 Pre-2000 songs that we just won't stop listening to, in no particular order:
1. Darude - Sandstorm
Lets start the list of songs from pre-2000 with a song that was almost released in 2000. Sandstorm is the insta-hit trance song by the Finnish DJ Darude from 1999, complete with a cult following of dancers and a horde of 20 to 30 year olds reminiscing about the good old days when music videos could have random running people instead of swinging balls and naked teen stars. (Teehee)
2. Kansas - Carry On Wayward Son
As a fan of the hit TV Series Supernatural, not knowing the name of the famous song that has played in the final episode of every season would be a shameful thing to admit as the band Kansas saw immensely renewed fame as a result of the 1976 made song's use in the series.
Bonus points for going hipster and saying I was listening to this song with my dad before Supernatural was ever aired. (Please don't hit me.)
3. Billy Joel - We Didn't Start The Fire
The previously number 1 hit in the US from 1989, We Didn't Start The Fire is the fast paced pop rock song that makes you realize just how much happens in 40 years with over 100 references to news headlines from 1949 to 1989. It also happens to be hellishly catchy and fun to listen to, which is probably why I'm not alone in frequently listening to it despite the song actually being 6 years older than me.
4. ACDC - Highway To Hell
Speaking of hell, this wouldn't be a list without a reference to the 1979 released Highway to Hell and classic rock hit from ACDC. (You know, those guys everyone said were satanic before bands like Slipknot came out and took up the mantle.) Having been raised by an a drummer, it shouldn't surprise you that this song was something I knew well in my younger years. (That and the scary album art of Gene Simmons's Kiss. *Shivers*)
Fun fact, There are actually several places in the world called Hell, so it's arguable that this song could be making reference to any one of them, not the least the Hell in Michigan, United States.
5. Michael Jackson - Thriller
Of course, anything talking about pre-2000's would of course make reference to the "King Of Pop" as he was known, Michael Jackson. The much controversial Thriller was released in 1983 by the much controversial singer and dancer who was famous for things like crotch grabbing, anti-gravity shoes, good singing, color changes, and court cases about alleged pedophilia. Regardless of his actions and eccentricities, his songs remain famous to this day, having even gone platinum in music sales posthumously. His life must have been Thrilling to be certain.
6. Black Sabbath - Iron Man
There is great potential for irony in a metal song named after ferrous materials of metal designation. (ALL THE METAL PUNS!) In all seriousness, considering the advent of the famous Robert Downey Jr. movies Iron Man 1, 2 and 3, I'm not surprised this song is popular. (Okay fine, it was pretty popular before those movies anyway.) Either way, when you hear the iconic grungy guitar sounds of this songs intro, it's hard to mistake it for anything else. It might also be the only thing you listen to occasionally.
7. The Doors - Riders On The Storm
While perhaps not something immediately listened to in life, my enjoyment of this song actually came from hearing it in the Snoop-Dogg remix version that makes thousands of gamers immediately dream about racing cars on the Play Station 2 when they hear it. This 1971 song by The Doors will forever be famous for the laid back story telling that was the last recorded song including Jim Morrison to ever be released.
8. Boston - More Than A Feeling
Having practically heard this song from the moment of birth, (okay, that may be exaggerating, but my dad played Boston music A LOT while I grew up), suffice to say that this song has always been something of a favorite of mine for his upbeat rock tune that you just don't hear elsewhere. This staple of classic rock from 1976 will always be a favorite of many old rock enthusiasts, regardless of age.
9. Queen - We Will Rock You
Ah Queen, the first band I ever considered my favorite. How could we all not nod respectfully towards the legend that was Freddie Mercury who fell in his prime. Of course, it was difficult choosing between 1975 hit Bohemian Rapshody and the 1977 hit We Will Rock You for this list, since technically I listen to them both about equally as often, but when I consider just how much the 2 stomp one clap motif of We Will Rock You is used as sporting events, I think what was my first favorite song wins. (Totally not biased in any way, I promise).
Extra points if you remember how fun it was to have this and many other rock songs in the 2001 film "A Knights Tale"... which I think I'm going to go watch now.
10. Pink Floyd - Another Brick In The Wall
Pink Floyd, the band famous for music that sounds drug induced, and my uncle's spite when I originally told him I didn't know who the band on his shirt was. Turns out, they're pretty awesome despite it frequently feeling like they had had poured LSD onto the computer when their songs were composed.
Of course, any school child with a taste for the older music would tell you that Pink Floyd's 9 minute long, number 1 hit from 1979 was probably their anthem... that and Alice Cooper's "Schools Out" which was my common choice of song to sing at the end of every school term... for about 9 years running.
So if your name happens to be Aleks Da Silva and you're a good friend of mine, then you can proudly say that your nagging paid off and got OddballGreg to write a post about music. (You didn't have to do much nagging though. Teehee)
Do you have a song that you feel should have made this list? (Of course you do.) If so, let me know down in the comments below or over Facebook/Twitter; perhaps I'll even do a follow up article where I talk about them as well if enough people do so. And even if don't, you sharing this post with your music loving friends will of course be much appreciated by both myself, and most likely them I'm sure. Perhaps even like the Official TCSA Facebook page and/or follow us on Twitter so that you can get the latest articles, possibly including that follow up I mentioned, as they're published. Regardless of what you do, I thank you for having taken the time to read this post; hope that you have/had and absolutely FANTASTIC day, and I will speak again soon.
"Because writing 100 posts is comparable to having a birthday... right?" - OddballGreg
"Who brought the 100 candles?" - JovialJman
98 Days ago (on the 18th of June), we started writing daily blog posts. Today, we've written 100 posts, (imagine that ...) Let's talk about some of the interesting things regarding the journey here, and crack a few jokes too.
Did you notice that there are more posts then days? (I didn't until yesterday). The reason for that is the fact that OddballGreg published 3 posts on one day, (I think he got a bit too excited ...) There have also been 2 days which the post were a bit too late and were not counted and indexed for that day; Greg's post yesterday ,being one, as he had no internet access (I am sure he facedesked when he realized that he could not post it on time). The other being Greg's Blogging Music post which went up at midnight but was seen as the next day.
This is my 19th personal post , and boy has it been a strange journey here. I have had the very kind help of Greg, to help improve my writings, and he has said it has improved, (let us know in the comments if you agree or disagree). Ideas are limitless but when I have to think of a post for a day, then all the options seem to disappear, like magic, (somewhat strange for a novice magician)
TCSA has been going for 38 days, if you start counting from Greg's last Storytime Sunday, which, of course, I do, (that is over a full month of OddballGreg and JovialJman's joint ramblings on TSCA, (who would have thought it's been that long).
On 30th of July 2014 OddballGreg achieved 1000 total pageviews, (OddballGreg was all by his lonesome then). Today we are sitting at ± 2600. What an achievement! I would like to thank each and every one of you who have shown your support. Thank you.
Let's recap on some of the post that has seen a fair amount of attention (their page views are accurate as of the 23rd of September) :
This was my 4th post and a somewhat follow up to my first post, The Disillusion Of Magic, which was recommended by a dear friend of mine, Clinton. I am rather passionate about the topic, which I really think shows in the amount of views it has gotten. It is my favorite post I have written so far as it allowed me to talk about a favorite pastime of mine.
Parkour and Muscle Damage (60 views)
"A story about a younger me jumping around on things, swinging on things, and hurting myself like you would expect. Also, turns out that parkour is still really fun even though I tend to hurt myself. I quite enjoyed telling this story about my usual bad ideas, and was quite proud when Parkour South Africa shared the article on their Facebook community."-OddballGreg
"I may be a nerd, I may play Dungeons and Dragons, but so do a ton of other people in world, even though we have computers and videogame consoles. People really enjoyed reading this article, and I really enjoyed writing about a really awesome hobby. In fact, perhaps Jerome and I will write an article about the escapades of us playing DnD eventually." - OddballGreg
"You probably still believe statistics, but since they make up such a large part of our lives, we can probably let you off the hook for that. Apparently, a fair percentage of people like reading about the potential statistics have for being wrong, but hey, percentages can be fudged now can't they?" - OddballGreg
This post was one that was recommended or suggested by my sister. I was struggling for an idea on the day and she said Spongebob is a representation of the 7 deadly sins, and thus the post had formed. I was still learning how to write a post with more accuracy so Oddball had to help a bit with that one. While doing the research for that one I came about a fair deal of other cartoons and their supposed connotations.
With the top page views as they are, if we were to speak about Spongebob giving magicians statistics of Role Playing games, after his accidental muscle damage from parkour, would that be the most popular post so far? maybe, (let us know down in the comments, what your idea would be for a popular post). Geocaching (Glorified Treasure Hunting) is less then a week old, but it has already climbed to the 6th position of the most viewed post. It goes to show that if the right audience is achieved, the amount of views should go up, and since there are people out there ,that I know of, that would like to start or already have started Geocaching they find it somewhat interesting and share it with others.
We have had views from many different places, here is a list of some; The United States, South Africa, United Kingdom, Germany, Poland, Netherlands, Turkey, Canada, Kenya, Italy, Ireland, France and the Philippines. We have a very diverse audience but it is scary to think that we have gotten a few more view from America, than South africa, they represent about 44% and 41% of our total pageviews respectively.
Do you have any thing that you would like us to talk about, or have any questions, please ask away down in the comments, over Facebook or on Twitter. Thank you for taking the time to read today's post. If you know of anyone that you think might like the blog, please share this with them, as I am sure they could find it of some interest. If you would like to see the newest posts as they are published, please like us on Facebook and/or follow us on Twitter. Thank you for your support and I hope you have/had a wonderful day. I shall write again overmorrow
Enjoy National Heritage Day (aka. National Braai Day) tomorrow buddies.
