Entries from May 2008
May 12, 2008
As I delve deeper into the world of GTA IV, I find myself encountering a feeling of familiarity, even a sense of déjà vu, as I go about my business. There is a lot that is thematically in common with previous GTA games. On the other hand, the quality of the experience is so much greater, and many of the common themes have been expanded upon to the extent that, regardless of the familiarity, everything still has a patina of being different and fresh. This is really saying something, as I have become very jaded about my video gaming as of late.
The main character, Nico Bellic (NB for short), is remarkably compelling. The cut scenes and interactions with his friends and business associates make him a very likable character. So much so, in fact, that it is easy to forget that he has gunned down and/or maimed maybe 100 people so far, including the obligatory “beat up the prostitute and take back the cash” trick which is the cause of so much stir amongst the Jack-Thompsonites.
The way personal relationships are handled in-game is really extraordinary, and the fact that these NPC’s will contact you and express varying emotions depending on how much they like (or dislike) you, what you’ve done for them in the past, and whether you have bothered to contact them recently really adds to the depth of the in-game world. So far I have only dated Michelle, but I swear that I feel a real twinge of guilt when she calls to let me know that I’ve been ignoring her for awhile. Then she laid on the “Let’s make sure no one gets hurt.” line when inviting me up for some “hot coffee” action, which reminded me of a whole slew of failed relationships from my past. Doh!
But this is just more testimony to the greatness of the GTA IV experience. The action is good, but the immersion is excellent. I have spent a great deal of time doing almost nothing in-game, and loving every minute of it.
Okay, on to some game-play stuff!
The quickest way I have found so far to acquire some cash is to do the “procedural” missions, primarily the drug deliveries for Jacob, and the 10 Most Wanted from the police vehicles. Don’t bother with the taxi missions – the money is generally not good for the time it takes. Beating up people in dark allies is also not a good money maker… yet. I haven’t discovered yet if there is the equivalent of the corner drug dealer from San Andreas. That would probably make this game too easy though.
There are also armored vans that drive around town. You know, like the kinds that pick up cash from banks. I haven’t heisted one yet, but I’m betting that they have a good amount of cash in them. I’ll look into it and confirm ASAP.
Regardless, this doesn’t seem like the kind of game where you are destined to become a multi-millionaire like you could in the last two games. There is enough cash to be made to keep yourself well armed and well dressed, but that’s about it. Even in that sense you can burn through what you can make pretty quickly if you’re not careful.
Anyway, I doubled my money doing the Most Wanted missions. The only trick to these is to get a cop car, and that is hardly a trick at all. The guides talk about hitting up a police station parking lot or calling 911 to get one, but neither of those is really necessary. There is one a block away from your starting hideout. It’s always there (although it may not be from the beginning of the game, it certainly appears early on). During the day there will be a couple of cops nearby standing on the sidewalk and talking, and if you jack the car then you will get a wanted level. If you do it at night, however, they are not there and you can take it with impunity as long as there are no patrols nearby. It’s an easy jack regardless though, as all you have to do to dump your wanted level is typically go to the end of the street, turn the corner and within a few seconds you’re clear. These lone cop cars are scattered around town. No need to put yourself into harm’s way by stealing one from a police station!
Here’s something I discovered that sucks: Some of the missions are not repeatable if failed. So far, all the procedural missions have been “re-doable”, but I failed one story mission and it didn’t let me try again. It was the one where you have to chase the bike ganger who is dating the Russian mob boss’ daughter. I got a little squirrely on the bike (Hint: Focus on steering, not on shooting!) and lost the guy when I missed a turn. I failed the mission and when I called Faustin he told me what a nugget I am (he actually used language of a more colorful nature…). I was a pretty sure this was bad, so I rebooted my game, which cost me a few procedural missions which I had to play through again. So there you go.
Another warning: It is easy to feel pretty invincible in the early game. None of the fights are too tough – you can pretty much bully your way through with little/no skill. That changes some while you are still on the first island, and you end up really having to rely on the cover mechanic while on foot, and on being a darn good shooter while in a vehicle (no easy task while driving). As with all the previous GTA games, you will find yourself occasionally having to repeat missions, sometimes multiple times before being able to complete them.
Here’s something good to know about gun combat: When you score a hit with a firearm, the target reacts to it. This generally keeps him from firing back for a bit, often several seconds depending on how hard you hit him. Knowing this, you can cycle between targets to dramatically reduce the number of shots you are taking from the bad(der) guys. So far, it appears the most dramatic effect is gotten by the shotguns. Not only will they cause guys to flinch and duck for cover, they will often knock them off their feet for a quick, easy and free-from-reprisal follow-up shot. Good times!
As with all the GTA series, you are continually spoiled for choice of vehicle. I often find myself abandoning my current ride to jack a new vehicle I hadn’t seen spawn before. Last night I found the dump truck, and took it for a joy ride. As with previous iterations of the series, it’s pretty much good for plowing through any vehicle/bystander in your way.
The real trick in GTA is finding the best vehicles to get around with. Sure, the dump truck is fine, but it is super-slow, and it doesn’t corner well. Some of the faster, muscle-style cars have tons of acceleration, but require a real delicate touch when it comes to steering. The sports cars like the Infernus are a lot of fun, but are also very fragile. The bikes are handy for getting through traffic and into tight spots, but they can be hard to control and any collision typically results in you flying off the handlebars and flying through the air to take some damage. Word to the wise: If you get a flat on your bike, abandon that sucker right away. A bike without two inflated tires is begging for a trip to the hospital.
Regardless, there is something for everyone, vehicle-wise. Heck, even the Vespa-clone was fun to tool around on… only in GTA!
Posted in Gaming, Grand Theft Auto IV 
2 Comments »
May 12, 2008
The beta version of Visual Studio 2008 and the .NET 3.5 framework was released today. Microsoft .NET development guru Scott Guthrie has written a great article about some of the new service pack features, along with some key installation notes. You can review the post here.
This has motivated me to try out VS 2008 again. I used the 60-day trial late last year, but had to maintain so many projects using VS 2005 that I never gave the new version a fair shake. My goal for the end of this week is to find compelling reasons to start my next big marketing project using the .NET 3.5 framework.
I also need to install and test the new framework in our existing .NET 1.1 and 2.0 environments. We have had trouble in the past with the inability to select a framework version for SQL Server 2005. It will always use the latest installed version of the framework. I want to review any errors first-hand and document my resolutions this time around.
I will post updates on my research and conclude with a strong case to move our future development to the new framework.
Posted in .NET, Development No Comments »
May 12, 2008
May 9, 2008
News about the next expansion to World of Warcraft (titled “Wrath of the Lich King”) broke last night: Details on Death Knights, videos of the new zones, and the continuation of the token reward system. One particular item has my appetite for the expansion completely wet though: all raids in the expansion will be tuned and made available to both groups of 10 and 25 players. Worldofwar.net reported about this after their presentation at Blizzard headquarters with Blizzard’s Jeff Kaplan:
At this point, Kaplan revealed the massive news that Blizzard are changing the way raids are done in Northrend, and making them similar to the 5 man instances, whereby they can be played on two levels of difficulty. All 25 man raids will also be available as 10 man raids. The loot tables will be completely different, the 25 man raids will have better and/or more loot, but this means that most players will get to see the end game content in the 10 man version, if not the 25 man one. He went on to explain the reasons behind this; Karazhan, the 10 man instance in the Burning Crusade, was the most popular instance in the game by far. The 10 man dungeons are obviously popular due to the fewer amount of players needed, and the easier difficulty level. Secondly, a lot of 25 man raiding guilds did not like to have to go through the 10 man raids to get access to the 25 man raids. This new system should please everybody (but I’m certain there will be the usual QQers!). Another interesting fact is that the 10 man raids and the 25 man raids will be on totally separate cool downs. This means that once a guild has completed the 25 man Naxxramas for example, they could go back and complete the 10 man version of it on the same day if they wish.
Hearing this has totally enhanced my anticipation for the expansion! How cool will it be to be able to experience all the game has to offer with groups of 5 (quests/dungeons/heroics) and 10 people (raids)? I’ve been reading about the arguments for “epic” raids, where certain bosses (like the Lich King) shouldn’t be made available for only 10 people. My thoughts are just the opposite: defeating a boss or completing a difficult quest chain with a smaller group feels more epic to me.
In a group of 25 (or think back to 40-person groups), your role and class is one of many. There are typically 2-4 tanks, 5-6 healers, many DPSers, etc. Yes, what you are attempting to defeat has a higher number of HPs, but it doesn’t feel more difficult or epic than a challenging objective with fewer people.
I’m so excited after reading this! It’s a great solution that caters to people that want to group up in large numbers or small. Great job, Blizzard! 
Posted in Gaming, World of Warcraft 3 Comments »
May 6, 2008
May 1, 2008
Recently, I have been annoyed by individuals who don’t know how to properly use the elevator. Common courtesy for fellow riders seems to be ignored in this day and age, so here’s my personal guide to practicing good elevator etiquette.
Finding an Appropriate Elevator
When you enter a building with an elevator, it is important to think about whether this elevator (or bank of elevators) is appropriate for you. Not every elevator can reach the floor you desire, so be sure to check for signs that point you in the correct direction.
Your Arrival
Upon your arrival at the inviting up and/or down buttons, first check around to see if anyone is already waiting. If they are, give them their personal space and stand away from them. Never stand between people who are waiting and the elevator doors. This is the same as telling the other person that you are more important than they are.
Calling the Elevator
There is no need to push a call button that has already been lit, it won’t make the elevator show up on your floor any faster. It also gives off two impressions: That the person who originally pressed the call button somehow called the elevator incorrectly, and that you’re not able to comprehend how elevators really work.
Ding!
Ok, you’ve been waiting long enough. How glorious, the elevator has arrived! Before you step inside, you need to check for two things: Are there other people waiting to get on, and also are there people already inside the elevator ready to walk out.
Wait for the elevator doors to completely open and stand back away from the doors. This will create enough space between you and the people needing to get off the elevator. Once the elevator is empty, you can proceed inside.
Before you enter, you need to remember whether or not other people had been waiting to board prior to your arrival. Let all of those people enter first. If there is still room for you inside the elevator, feel free to move in. Otherwise, happily take a step back and wait for the next one.
Where and How to Stand
As you enter, look in both directions for the elevator’s control panel. This panel holds all of the buttons to direct the elevator to the various floors, as well as buttons for opening and closing the doors, stopping the elevator for an emergency, and possibly other functions. Some elevators have two panels (one on each side of the door), while others have only one.
Find the button that corresponds to your floor. Press it once, and then proceed towards the back of the elevator. Turn around so that you are directly facing the elevator doors. If you are standing on the side of the elevator, you should also face forward, most likely looking at the control panel.
Do not stand with your back to the side of the elevator and face the other passengers. If you do, you’re just creeping them out because you’re staring at them.
Holding the Elevator
If you are just arriving and see the doors starting to close for your elevator just stop and wait for the next one. Your tardiness is not a good enough reason to keep everyone else already inside waiting. Sticking your arm between the doors to keep them from closing is an absolute no-no. If it’s you that does that, it’s a wonder how you even made it through college. Oh, you didn’t go to college? Well, that explains it.
Your safest bet is to slow down and not let the people inside see that you wanted to ride with them. That way, they will not feel guilty if they chose not to hold the door for you. Out of site, out of mind.
If you are inside while the doors are closing and you happen to see someone running towards the door, first check your surroundings. Is there anyone else in here with me? If so, don’t do anything. It’s not up to you to decide for everyone else if it’s worth delaying their arrival. In practice, it’s best just to let the doors close since there are more people inside already waiting than there are outside. If you are alone, it is courteous to press the “door open” button and allow them to board, but not required.
Going Up?
Once you have settled yourself in and are ready for the journey, it’s important to let the elevator do its job. Do not mash the “door close” button to pressuring the elevator to close the door faster than what it’s used to. Technically, the door will close faster if you push the button, but it’s not worth the trouble, and definitely not worth the impression you give to everyone else on the elevator. You appear as impatient and aggressive, and generally not a whole lot of fun to be around. Just stand and relax. You’ll get there soon; the elevator promises.
Talking or Making Other Kinds of Noise
Despite the common misconception, it is ok to speak to another person in an elevator, provided you have some kind of knowledge of or relationship with the individual. If you do not know the person, maintain complete silence. In fact, it’s recommended to not make eye contact at all. If you have gas, it is best that you not allow for any flatulence while inside the elevator. If you can, hold it until you get out, and seek the nearest restroom or open-air location. Snorting is also frowned upon.
You Made it!
Finally. You’re now at your floor. Calling, entering, and riding the elevator shouldn’t be that difficult, right? Now it’s time to exit… or is it? First, make sure that the floor that the elevator stops on is yours. Leaving the elevator for an undesired floor, and then swiftly getting back on just makes you look silly. Your co-workers will wonder if you’re capable of actually doing your job at all.
If another passenger wishes to leave and you are towards the front, it is understandable if you step off the elevator to make room for them to exit. Otherwise, shuffling to the opposite side of the person wanting to leave is appropriate.
If the elevator is actually on your floor and you are ready to disembark from your journey and others are blocking your path, a simple, “excuse me” should suffice. Do not push with your arms, hands, or belongings. Nobody wants to be touched.
Your Experiences
Leave your comments here about your elevator experiences and other tips for elevator etiquette. Riding an elevator should be a fun and exciting event for you. I hope these tips will make your next ride a pleasant one.
Posted in Etiquette 3 Comments »
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