Art by MeddygonThere is a fine line \ Between genius and madness. \ It is called timing.

A few years back when Jorenko and I still had the dream of making video games, we came up with the concept of making a music-based platformer that, if you did everything exactly right in the run through, you got a great song by the end of it.

Of course, we gave up on that as we are procrastinators of the highest caliber.

Thankfully, GaijinGames are not procrastinators. I finally got around to buying BIT.TRIP RUNNER yesterday. It is AMAZING.

yep. tasty.

It’s been more than a year since I put those gloves on.

Blue Scout's Mother

inspired by Valve’s “Meet the Spy” video

Pyro’s flare gun done up as a wooden popgun, will do more changes if I feel like it.

blah so tired

May 20 2006
Oh geez, I put a lot of effort into to. I’m really surprised at what I can do now, after spending so much time doing nothing at all.

This is Ba, a troll shaman from World of Warcraft in the dungeon 1 set, “Elements.”

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A couple of our old characters on WoW, Schoolbus and Underground. UG (along with Ba’s counterpart, Mo) were stolen a long while back after Jorenko and I quit WoW. We didn’t find out until a year or more after the fact when we tried to reactivate our accounts. Mine was fine, his was locked. For 6 months, Blizzard did nothing but tell us to send in some forms, including a notarized declaration of ownership of the account (to that I say, “W. T. F.” After buying new accounts and playing for a few months, we realized why we quit in the first place: it’s not that fun. We can grind in other games for free. Also the social aspect of the game sucks. Anyway, doodles.

So at some point, when I was making decent art and didn’t have a job to get in the way of spending 13 hours straight on it, I did commissions. This is Azrael Dregnus, Paladin of Slaughter, done up for an online buddy. This was his D&D 3.5e character for an evil campaign. (The idea was to be running two games, where the players played both the good guys and the bad guys, and eventually they’d meet up.) The outline was done in Illustrator and the coloring and shading in Photoshop.

Progress shots, taken every hour or so: 1 2 3 3.2 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Originally created 1 August 2006

Alright kids, I made these. A year ago. They are vector traces of the shoulder patches on the TF2 classes.

I’ve had people ask for the AI file of these. You can have one when you put the effort into making them.

I’ve had people ask for the larger versions I posted TF2chan a while back. Those are here for the time being.

I’ve seen people claim that the Scout and Spy patches are “beta” or other assumptions even though it says in the original post’s description that I MADE THEM UP. There exist, created by Valve, the REAL Spy and Scout patches. I do not have tracings of those nor do I have any interest in tracing them on request. Spy one can be found on the Spy t-shirt Valve sells. Scout one can be seen on the Scout update page.

I MADE THIS SET. There may be people who have traced their own. There may be other people out there who are using this set without crediting me. They are not stealing my ideas, they are just cheapening my effort. I am not so attached to these things that I’ll deny anyone use of them, but that goes for THESE ONLY. My other tf2 stuff should not be used by other people without asking or crediting me, ESPECIALLY the non-traced stuff.

Character drawing for an NPC in a short-lived D&D game. Tiny gorgon with tiny snakes on her head, and she was black and yellow. She was a fighter class, and one of the three NPCs I made available for hire for the party (though they never got around to hiring anyone, the people I expected to quit did so in the middle of the dungeon instead of before it). I had a nice little town any everything made up for this game, and the majority of the players left before they could learn anything. It’s a little disheartening to put so much effort into setup only to have people bail. That’s what I get for playing online, I guess. 

As usual, click for larger.

There is now half-life 2 dedicated server software on harrenhall. It’s currently hosting two servers — Kingspyre Tower (TF2), and Wailing Tower (L4D). The latter is an official DGH server so that you can get around the matchmaking BS and get right on it if you’ve joined DGH. So far it looks like the L4D server uses around 15-25% of the CPU when in use. Depending on how much strain a full TF2 match entails, I may set up another soon.

I am enjoying this point-n-click adventure with combat system reminiscent of Chrono Trigger with a hint of Wario Ware.

On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode One: great game or greatest game?
(hint: neither)

Good game. Certainly hilarious at times, and enjoyable to play, but I don’t see playing it again and again like I’d do with older adventure games of the sort. Maybe it’s just because I have more games now I don’t have to re-play old ones repeatedly for mild entertainment.

While playing TF2 tonight, my Virtually Indestructible Keyboard decided to give out again. As it did, it caused TF2 to crash, right in the middle of a CTF_Well match. I had 55 uses of my teleporter, and since the map didn’t finish properly, my client didn’t record that for my stats. 55 uses! The teleporter use counter on the top left of the hud had rolled back to 0 several times! It was cool! And it didn’t count.

VIKs are soft keyboards made by GrandTec. I’d been using one for a while and I loved it. In the past few months, however, the outer silicone part had detached from the inner circuitry. There was a lot of shifting about and the keys would get stuck. I’ve switched to my cheap dell keyboard now. I really want another VIK, though, even though I know it’ll mess up all over again. I’d had it for a couple years, so I know it’ll last a while.

My husband and I wanted to start playing World of Warcraft again, starting tonight. Many people at my new place of employment play, and discussing it at work made me decide that it’s worth playing again. And, since we both have tomorrow off work, it would have been a great way to spend the day.

Did you catch that? Would. Have. Been.

We couldn’t log into our accounts to reactivate them, and we could reset our passwords because we didn’t know the phone numbers we signed up with. (For our protection.) James called Blizzard’s billing department. After much waiting (hold music is various songs from Blizzard games), he learned that his account had been canceled by a GM.  He was told that no information could be given over the phone (for his protection) and that he’d have to email the GMs about it. The gent helping him did forward the email regarding his account cancellation to the email address listed in his account (for his protection).
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My husband had this great idea: let’s get 8 limes, 16 oz of 1800 Silver, 8 oz of Triple Sec, put it in a pitcher with a little bit of sugar and DRINK IT ALL.

those were some strong and yummy margaritas

Then I had this idea: LET’S SEE IF WE CAN STILL PLAY TF2!
result: funny, funny things

I saw Ice Nine’s name was logged in, so I told him what I was about to do, but it turned out to be his son, oh well
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Jet Grind Radio rules.

We moved the PREX machine; it’s facing a different way. The 2nd-player side of the stage is next to the window, so when people look in, they have a better view. I was the first to play on the new setup and it was damned cool. In Another Truth on Doubles, there’s a part where its a bunch of 17 and 39 doubles, and it ends on the 39 of the right side. There was a lady standing right outside the window, watching. When I hit the end step, she flinched.

Toad just reminded me how much I hate Rare for changing Joanna. The image gallery he linked to reminds me of a porn shoot.

—

I loved Perfect Dark. It was the greatest game ever, and that was partially because the main character was not a fucking bimbo. Joanna was a competent agent, short haired, skilled, and forceful. She was NOT someone who’d look good in a playboy bunny suit with anti-gravity breasts. In-game, her figure was normal. Average. But the marketing, and now the redesign, put her more disproportionate than Barbie Dolls.

It really disgusts me. I was going to buy an X-Box because of Perfect Dark, but now . . . Now I don’t want to buy anything from Rare at all.

They’d better change the name of the series, because that thing is not Joanna.

paulsucks.rep

Ettin, you wouldn’t have been saved by your one lurker, nor would you have been saved by your damned devourers.

You left the your based entirely undefended when you launched your attack. My defenses at the main base too out all but your sodding three devourers and three guardians. Then my third base, the second one you attacked, took out what was left of them.

What’s worse, you didn’t even have your expansions as functional. One spawning pool, one spire, etc. Destroy spire, no more mutalisks for you, because you didn’t make use of your expansions beyond resource gathering.

I sent my marines and SCV’s down to the base as you launched your 5th pitiful attack against my remaining base. Every one of those five attacks did no irreparable damage. Instead of building defenses for your base, you threw potshots at me.

Had I known that you were playing like that, I’d have sent my marines into your base instead of down there, and just left the SCVs by themselves.

You were razed by MARINES, Ettin. You should feel ashamed. Very ashamed.

While you were busy destroying what you thought was my only base, I was building the defenses for the other, and ignoring the main one. Main base gone? Who cares, I’ve already got all the upgrades for my marines, and I’ve got barracks elsewhere. :]

Why on earth would you empty your entire base of units when attacking?

I took out five overlords, five to seven smaller units, and four or five structures with one battlecruiser. Two wraiths throwing potshots should not take out several buildings, including a hatchery.

1/ The devourers were never in a location to see the marines and SCV leaving.
2/ I had enough depots at base2 to supply 50 more marines than what I already had. You also left only ONE standing at the main base.
3/ Yes, you’re an idiot for not keeping your base defended.

Your scourges would have only seen the Marines as they arrived. Not much you can do from that.

The one lurker you say cost you the game could have been easily cleared by any of the wraiths remaining wraiths of mine, when sent with the marines and vultures. Your lurker was worthless, just like your attacks – You’d make a dent, not break anything.

A lesson? For you to not assume that you’re going to win straight off, perhaps. You still play like a newb. >:| You’ve been playing more than I have, and I haven’t played in months. You should have gotten better, but you still play like you did before.

So proud you destroyed my main base, and you lost all your attackers doing so … and then those little shit attacks you pulled afterward …

Bah.

Well, at least Leigh has sense. He didn’t want the flash on the new Rare site. Good on him, too, because it looks like it was done by a first year student. The thing that really bothers me is not the use of imported gifs into the flash, but that the gifs are straight from the old site, and weren’t made to blend into the background of the flash. There’s a gritty, pixelated navy blue outline around each image that really shouldn’t be there.

Schroe Dot Org: New rare layout.
J Jorenko: Is it all green?
Schroe Dot Org: No, it’s all in crap flash. Where the fuck is scribes … Oh fuck no. NO NO NO. NOOOOOO! They say that’s Joanna ;_;
J Jorenko 28:45 PM): :O So maybe it won’t be that great. So they break away from Nintendo, then copy their cartoony phase.
Schroe Dot Org: Jo lookes like JFG+PD
J Jorenko: yah, +Barbie
Schroe Dot Org: Yeah :\
J Jorenko: Look at those proportions! Though, Vela…
Schroe Dot Org: You know, that right there, just that . . . That image of Jo makes me hate the deal. I was fine with it before. “I’ll get an Xbox,” I said, “When they release PD0.” Now I can’t. That’s not Jo. That’s a fucking whore.
J Jorenko: It’s Mr. Gate’s new concubine. I’m already over it though. Ninty has enough good developers now. Microsoft’ll rush Rare’s games out and they won’t be as good. And we’ll be happy with our NCL/Retro/SK games. I don’t know if I’ll be able to bring myself to play SFA, actually I’ll probably get all emotional at the Rare logo, since it’ll be the last one I ever see. Hell, I’ve been worshiping them since 6th grade. Longer than you have me!
Schroe Dot Org: You started my rare obsession :|
J Jorenko: I know ;_; I should write the Stampers a letter letting them know that I’m fine with them leaving for the tyrant, even though I’ve been a loyal fan, and make them regret it. That sort of thing.
Schroe Dot Org: Go for it :|
J Jorenko: I should find the letter I wrote them in 6th grade, for English.
Schroe Dot Org: Seventh. Tong’s class.
J Jorenko: I specifically remember being in Conkle’s room when I got it back.
Schroe Dot Org: I was never in Conkle-Classes, and you showed it to me in class.
J Jorenko: hrm. Maybe I wrote it in 6th and it took a long time for them to get back or something. Do you remember the assignment?
Schroe Dot Org: You wrote it as a class assignment, and they replied in a week, maybe two weeks
J Jorenko: hrm
Schroe Dot Org: I remember you spazzing over it.
J Jorenko: I’ll have to find it anyway.
Schroe Dot Org: I’ve still got the whispa bar wrapper ;_;
J Jorenko: Mail it back to Leigh and tell him you can’t keep it anymore. Make him SAD.
Schroe Dot Org: Heh. The thing is four years old. Well, almost. More like three and a half. I swear, if that Joanna is what their characters are going to look like from now on, I’ll go work for them. I somehow feel cheated that they’re making her like that. I gave up on my dream of working character design for Rare because I just didn’t feel good enough. Now, from that picture, I feel like they’re beneath me.

I get home.

News: Jessie bought her cell phone.
News 2: Candice has purchased CASES of alcohol and has been consuming it all day.

News 3: At the arcade, I started a new craze. Random … on hard mode. I was the first to try it, and I’m still the only one who can do it.
News 4: I tried Beethoven on Hard for the first time today. C.
News 5: I tried Turkey March today. F. OH WELL. At least I tried!
News 6: See 3, but replace Hard with Doubles.

So some guys from the arcade walked me home, ‘cos I kinda passed out on the machine.

J Jorenko: :O

I’m not going back for a while -_-

J Jorenko: You know what that means. You’re starting to run out of fat to burn, or something completely unrelated to that, even!

Troy, one of the regs at the arcade, got me hooked on a new song, so I kept playing it over and over and over.
He was mad at me because I aced the hard part :P
After a while, I took a break, and he asked me if I needed a drink. I’m not one to take freebies, so I said I was fine :|

J Jorenko: And you dehydrated and pooped

Yeah. I didn’t really pass out, I just fell over. People watchin’ caught me so I didn’t hit the floor. I sat in the corner for a half hour, then went home.