Jaded Grinder

Fallout 3 Companions

2008-12-10T11:31:00.000-08:00

Hey, I love Fallout 3 so don't get me wrong when I start bitching about how the companion system in it leaves a little to be desired. There are about seven different characters you can pick up to join your party, some of which require certain karma levels or choosing/succeeding in the right dialog options. The problem is that it doesn't seem like the companions level-up along with you nor is

Moved into New House

2008-10-31T21:49:00.001-07:00

So I have moved into my new home that I purchased with my wife with the help of her father, little sisters, and friend. While I really loathe moving, especially with all the crap we have accumulated over the years, I love the fact that I do not plan on moving again with the next couple of years (*crossing fingers*). The new digs have that "new house smell" that's vaguely of sawdust or

First look at Windows 7

2008-10-28T23:05:00.001-07:00

Microsoft has given us a first glimpse as Windows 7. The taskbar has changed significantly, and there are a number of other changes we have screenshots of.read more | digg story

Artsy Space Invaders T-Shirt

2008-01-28T17:20:00.001-08:00

Saw this neat T-Shirt on Threadless, but I kinda wish they had kept the original green color: :)

Yes, I do like Hip-Hop

2007-06-27T08:41:00.001-07:00

"Good news, everyone!" New WoW Flightpaths & Graveyards

2007-04-16T16:42:00.000-07:00

For the new upcoming 2.1 patch: Two new graveyards have been added to Blade's Edge Mountains.New FlypathsNew flight points:Felwood, Emerald Sanctuary (Both)Ashenvale, Forest Song (Alliance)New flight paths:Stormwind <-> Thorium PointGrom'gol Base Camp <-> Flame CrestRatchet <-> Gadgetzan, Astranaar, Brackenwall VillageBrackenwall Village <-> Ratchet, Camp Taurajo, Freewind PostThunderbluff <->

NWN2 Expansion Announced: "Mask of the Betrayer"

2007-04-12T13:07:00.000-07:00

Let's take a look at the press release that Atari has announced today:In Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer, players are transportedback to the Forgotten Realms shortly after the events detailed in theoriginal Neverwinter Nights 2. Following the climactic battle against theKing of Shadows, the player awakens alone and stranded deep beneath theearth. Surrounded by a horde of evil spirits,

STALKER ate my balls!

2007-03-30T10:17:00.000-07:00

Just want to say that I've been playing S.T.A.L.K.E.R. (Man, that's annoying to type!) like crazy lately, although without the recent patch. Unfortunately the new patch destroys compatibility with your old save-games, which is totally lame. I didn't want to restart since I've made some serious headway already. Regardless, there are a couple threads on QT3 for the game:STALKER Game Help (Made

1 Terabyte Hard Drive from Hitachi

2007-03-23T08:35:00.000-07:00

Just think how much por^H^H^HOblivion mods you can store on this 1TB monster from Hitachi!

The Near and Far Future of WoW Patch Content

2007-03-22T11:36:00.000-07:00

Some information was compiled on the European forums about all the confirmed fixes for 2.1:3.1 Compiled list (Patch 2.1)GeneralTalents, Skills & Classes * Feign Death fix * New Rogue Stealth animation * More Humanoid Succubus CCDungeons, Battlegrounds & PvP * PvP Matching system * The Black Temple (aka the Black Citadel) * Gruul’s Lair changesProfessions & Items * Golden Hare

Mods for WoW Post 2.0

2007-03-20T09:57:00.000-07:00

The lay of the land as far as mods goes has changed quite a bit after 2.0, and with the Ace 2 mod framework becoming very polished there are many more high quality mods to choose from. A thread on QT3 has been going on for a little while discussing what people's favorite mods are, and I have also contributed my two cents.Most of these mods can either be found on the Ace mods download page (or

2 Hours to Learn (almost) Everything about Chess AI

2007-03-14T14:56:00.000-07:00

This is an awesome video with some very distinguished panelists who pioneered modern AI, at a talk at the computer history museum. If you pay attention you can learn pretty much everything you need to know to have a good understanding of how Chess AI works, and by extension any other board game. If you're still with me:Most other types of games have similar problems that require state-space

BioShock developer to helm next X-Com title?

2007-02-21T11:42:00.000-08:00

An investigative search, found courtesy of the QT3 forum posting three or four threads regarding a Shacknews article, seems to have dug up some information regarding what Irrational (developer of the upcoming console and PC title BioShock, spiritual sequel to the System Shock series) is up to next. I'll give you a hint, it involves flying Skyrangers around and shooting little grey men!

Juicy Details on Warhammer Online from EA Mythic

2007-02-21T11:17:00.000-08:00

An article written by Warhammer Online on Warcry details all of a conference call conversation with EA Mythic regarding their upcoming gritty fantasy MMO, and includes a ton of very juicy details. Check out the full article here. Some choice bits, including details on collision:They also clarified a question on collision. There will definitely be collision in RvR, so that characters can block

How Inventions in City of Heroes/Villains Will Work

2007-02-21T11:09:00.000-08:00

There's a good long post on the official CoH forums summarizing all the known facts about how the new Issue 9 feature "inventions" system will work, with some great meaty stuff like how craftable IOs will never degrade like normal enhancements, set IOs that give bonuses, mobs will drop recipies, and auction houses (or black market sales out of the back of a van for villains). Check it out here.

Fallout 3 Executive Producer plays with Barbies

2007-02-20T16:04:00.000-08:00

Overall though, I still look to other games for gameplay ideas, as it's pretty easy to pick something up that is done and out and mess with it, if it has an idea you are already thinking about. It could be any game. I even played Barbie Horse Adventure to see how their horses worked. Embarrassing, but you get my point.It's enough to make the heads of NMA-ers explode.(From Gamasutra)

Upcoming Changes/Additions in WoW

2007-02-20T10:33:00.000-08:00

Here's the handy thread of upcoming WoW changes and additions (found on WoWInsider) from the European forums. Some highlights include PVP Matching system, Black Temple/Citadel (with Illidan) and Zul'Aman (Forest Trolls) dungeons, engineering profession revamp (which is a LONG time coming, in my mind), and Ravenholdt and the Sunwell (Plateau) are on the to-do list.

DirectX 8.1 Hardware Accelerated Emulation on OS X

2007-02-20T10:08:00.000-08:00

Pretty cool. Virtualization of Windows XP under OS X complete with DirectX 8.1 using a beta VMWare build. DX9 is stated as coming later, which would be great for actually playing all those games that will never come to Mac without having to use Boot Camp.(Found on Engadget)

X-Com and I'76 'Easter Eggs' on GameTap

2007-02-15T16:52:00.000-08:00

X-Com is now on GameTap if you search for the keyword "Skyranger", as is Interstate '76 if you search for "Groove Champion". Both will be launching officially later on. (Found this on Angled Whiteboards, via the Quarter to Three forums.)

NWN2 to get Multiselect

2007-02-15T16:51:00.000-08:00

For 1.05, which will be coming out rather soon, in which they also aim to fix custom content/modules will be this awesome gem: Also going in is Multiselect for the DM Client and in the normal game mode. This will allow you to drag-select any party members not being actively controlled by another player and issue simple commands like move, attack, talk, and even unlock/disarm. The game will pick

Master of the WoWverse

2007-02-14T20:52:00.000-08:00

"This undead guy keeps following me around yelling stuff about a grey skull..."

Minimizing BG Twinks

2007-02-14T20:38:00.000-08:00

Drisc, one of the forum mods on the official WoW boards, mentioned that they are finally adding in some way to alleviate the pains of characters twinked for BG combat (ie level 19 decked out in max blues and very expensive enchants, or 29's in similar but higher outfitted gear, etc). This sounds great to me, because it's a real drag when you just want to play some PvP but every time you run

It's craft-time! (Diss images)

2007-02-14T13:24:00.000-08:00

The new EVE marketing campaign?Please forgiving be grammar.Those mutant-haters sure like to push each other around a lot. Also, are you drinking that fat free milk because you think you're fat?

If Draenei are Greeks in Space...

2007-02-13T21:21:00.000-08:00

... does that mean they are a subtle attempt to poke fun at the "Romans in space" concept that Mythic abandoned (their previously under development MMO titled Imperium)?

The Wii Sports Work-out - because Atkins is lame!

2007-01-17T11:53:00.000-08:00

Have fun and drop some pounds! Work out with Wii Sports instead of doing some lame no carb, all grease diet that will send you to an early heart-attack scenario!This guy dropped 9 pounds *during* the Christmas holidays and still eating turkey and pumpkin pie?? Sounds gravy! (Mmm, gravy.)I wonder if anyone else has had similar or positive results?