Jobs of the past: cartographer

Jobs of the past: cartographer

My favourite job from the medieval times has got to be the cartographer, from a very awkward story I had.

The story is that once we went back from rainy day, and I was simply enjoying the warmth of the house, then I decided to play Ocarina of Time (virtual console). And you know when I play Zelda I totally forget about the world, even feeling cold is not there (does anyone else feel that numb when they play Zelda?) Then I was entering a dungeon, and found a map.
 For some reason whenever it is raining and cold I feel everything is a life lesson. So then i thought, "Who is this person who goes on an adventure, draws the entire building, and leaves it in a chest? Why? Is he dead? Or did he intentionally do it to help troubled travellers who are way inside the dungeon?"

 lava! yaay!

I started thinking that this person is a sort of life saver. Later in Majora's Mask when maps are sold it made sense. But in phantom hourglass, drawing was so convienient. Even in Spirit Tracks there were rooms dark and had empty maps. I enjoyed drawing it all up until the last torch.

 "until the last torch" hahahaha

hardcore mode

hardcore mode again

Link's awakening DX and Minish cap had some less sense maps. They just appeared when you discovered the region (in the overworld) although you do get maps in Minish cap to an extent..

But enough comparing maps in Zelda games! I can really go on forever if i had the chance.

A cartographer is a person with the arts of drawing a map. Nowadays if you want to draw a map you have to colour code the altitude ranges (in geographical maps), everything is scale drawing, and there are a lot of colour codes. I can draw maps to an extent, not always can i connect the interior of two buildings by a street. Anyhoo the altitude is the hardest part about modern-day cartographing, that is why i stick to the traditional methods. Maps are true masterpeices and we should all cherish that mental image we have of every building. It makes life look like a top-down RPG game.

same game

 different map

The other reason is because it lets our imagination draw some interesting stuff, when I turned the map of the school into the temple of the ocean king it was halarious! Oh and the spikes, miniboss traps, switches. It was the funniest day. You should really try that! I want to turn the map of the school (posted in every floor pretty much) into the forest haven next, although the school is more phantom hourglass-esque dungeon style than any other zelda game.
The only next step is making the electronic map with the GPS to use location. The phantom's location should also be included because it will also add some funny adventures.

 higher places are darker

 isometric plane showing the "higher places"

However although Zelda boosted my love for this honorable job, it is etrian odyssey series that really expresses the hobby in a rather weird way. When you first think about it, everything in boxes sound horrible. When you actually start playing the game and beautifying the map, it becomes so much more interesting. Like when you have to guess how many squares in this path is left by turning your view back and forth because a FOE is there and you need to plan a strategy to run through quickly is TONS of excitement. It is just amazing how you can find a passageway in the place that you drew a wall in, and undiscpvered acres can have quite a lot of treasure loot. Also, in etrian oddyssey YOU are the only one to decide the level of detail, YOU are the person who colour codes and puts the icons as you please, coding the icons with whatever you wish. There is even notes in the game if the icons arent satisfying enough.

scribble scirbble

 i am here!

 eek enemies!

Amazing right? I am really doing a good job by holding myself until the exams finish so that I can play this game. (However the FOEs are a little too punishing and grinding in this game is extremely hard, way more than any Zelda game). I really want to review the game but when I get further in the story hopefully.

 same map

 can be drawn

 with different levels of detail

So there you have it. True games also need some sense of important side jobs, as map making may not seal away ganondorf but it sure will direct the adventurers to the boss room. The same as how the boss in the pokemon company made you feel some idealism in this world, side jobs should not be ignored.
 (Except tingle in the wind waker. Too much Ruppees he needs, how the hell am I supposed to get more than my wallet. He makes you run in circles)
Play More Zelda!

 finished reading this? reward yourself with a wallpaper! LOL

This Week's Spotlight Games: Fighting games (SF2 & SOS)

This Week's Spotlight: Street Fighter 2 and Spirit Of the Sword

Hey Gamers, we have planned to add some games weekly to entertain our viewers. We are very busy planning to add some makeover to this blog and we will appreciate if you help too; so, just leave a comment and if you are interested with the idea of adding games, mark it as interesting. Here are some games; make sure you come back every mean time to check for updates and for the games. Happy gaming!





-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Street Fighter II (Fighting game)

Welcome AmyMina

Welcome AmyMina

This is the new admin, and she is AWESOME. She will be doing her posts and you will recognize that is is not me (says so at the end of post). Now say a big round of Applause to her!

I is not often I get short posts, but be sure to subscribe to her youtube, because she concentrates most of her traffic there.

She also wants to "socialize" the blog. I am not exactly so sure how it will be but she sure has only done good stuff until now, so be sure to be expecting cool stuff!

First thought of New Zelda

First thought of New Zelda

he just passed that window LIKE A BOSS

Here are my opinion about this new game that was just announced in the latest Nintendo Direct.
First, YAAY more zelda news! Looks like We will all get busy. Secound, I watched the videos and got shocked, in a good and bad way.

The good is almost everything. I really like the terrains, the structures, Link, and especially the new mechanisms and new "powerups?" Like "paper link" and the springs. I can already fortell some interesting dungeon puzzles.

There is a lot of reasons to be excited about this, partly because the Link to the Past world is already fascinating in dimensional depth (like animal crossing) when it was on its original console release. The artstyle was also very RPG-esque, a little different, and having the right kind of flavour for a unique top down Zelda game, different from the oracles and link's awakening. It also has an epic beginning and funny town residents. But since we are only referring to the world of Link to the Past, Kakariko village is there (yaay).

old is cute, but the new one is bringing it back to life

However now here comes the dissappointment things. When I first saw the grassy hills, I liked it. But then when you see Link hitting enemies, something feels off. The first thing is that it is too top down for a 3D game. The problem here rests in the camera angle. Ofcourse it wouldn't be good if it was the DS' view because phantom hourglass and spirit tracks use toon link, while LttP uses child link (who is shorter than toon link).

shorter people can fly more

The only solution I can think of in this problem that I've taken the liberty of identifying is: to use an isometric camera angle.
Now isometric PLANES are not a suitable Zelda element, but an isometric camera ANGLE makes a lot of sense. Trees can now look more 3D, some height can be given to characters (like animal crossing new leaf compared to other ACs) and etc.
This solution gives rise to another problem, which is having similar graphics to animal crossing new leaf. This will not be the case with some careful planning. For example, the camera is at a fixed height (Z) above the ground, at a fixed angle towards the player from these specific (x,y) co-ordinates (since it faces the player) with the default being an angles similar to the default of harvest moon 64. Then, with the circle pad or whatever the camera can be turned around the player 180° (from right to left OF THE START POSTION not position that the player is facing) around the player. Remember that the camera will keep a constant distance around Link as if it is fixed on a circle.

one connot ignore the awesomeness in this dungeon

The fact that it is isometric is acheived by not allowing the direction of the camera to change by the direction that the player is facing, else this will be like any 3D zelda game. The dungeons however remind me of four swords adventures so isometry is definetly the best thing for a good engine like the 3DS. Fire emblem proved that this can possibly be achieved. Now remember, although I mentioned harvest moon 64, the circle pad is definetly more flexible in the transitions, allowing for example 2° in every left or right on the circle pad. This way will the game be extremely unique and fit in the world better than ever.

the game looks finished though, and I am really excited about playing this game

Then we come to my next complaint about this trailer that I watched; The sprite theme of the enemies looks like early beta stages. The chutlus (or chuchus) in the video shown look like they are 2D sprites with the illusion of depth. Even the crows had the shadowing a little off. I really think this must be fixed. They already did awesome job in many zelda games, but i really hope to see improvements and I believe there will be. Link is really well made in the videos and they are just not showing it, although we can see it at some points.

them particles <3

So overall I am really excited as the dungeons seem super exciting and full of new hardcore ideas, even from the Mario series (Paper and Galaxy) and it is extremely unique in everything, from Link's behaviour and looks, to the houses' exterior, and to the dungeons and beautiful overworld. I really can't wait for it and I would love to own this cute Zelda game and beautiful dungeon style, as well as the particles. I also love the old sound effects.

This is awesome view

Lastly I would like to have your opinions on this. I really don't hate the artstyle at all, especially the structures, but the enemy sprites are disturbing. What about you? If I could translate these few paragraphs above to japanese I would've sent them, but I fear it would be too rude.
Tell us your ideas and opinions in the comments below. And Play More Zelda!

Goodbye, Wii

Goodbye, Wii

The Nintendo Wii is not dead yet, but the online services will be shut down soon.  Although this is sad news, it makes one begin to wonder why this console was so popular in the first place.

  The answer is very simple; the Wii had a very good gaming experience without entirely relying on internet services. Simultaneously, the Wii still managed to have well-functioning online services, without looking like old comparing to our ever-dependent online world.

check Mii out channel, Wii message board, Everybody votes channel, and such will be disabled in June

  For some reason, the internet has a huge role on our lives, and not being able to connect to them well is in the old generation. That is why the Wii needed things like messaging and voice chat, as well as playing online (like animal crossing) video calling, exchanging data, and so on. But that drifts off from the real purpose of gaming. That is why most of the Wii games were entirely playable without being online. And to balance this, things like wiiconnect24 exsist.

imagine being stuck in the water temple and the internet cuts off. good thing Zelda isn't on xbox

  If you look at the Xbox 360, you will see things like “If you do not update this game you will be logged out from Xbox live” and when you are logged out of xbox live, things like your game save will be inaccessible. From games like Minecraft to games like Happy Wars, without logging in, the console can’t prove you bought the software and it can’t open your save file. How is that a good system in a place with slow internet?

the graphics were astonishing

  However, for the Wii, the internet was an entirely optional tool. I don’t need the internet to buy a blue feather in Harvest Moon, I don’t need the internet to play Super Mario Galaxy (which is the real first game on the console, and it was outstanding) and an update that came with New Super Mario Bro. Wii was pretty much the same as a system update. And to top it all off, the Wii is backward compatible with the Gamecube. That is what a gaming console should be like.

 You don't need to play with friends in order to pay off the mortgage, but you can if you want

  Now the problem stands that the Wii is reaching its final days and will not have some online services anymore. Personally, while I am disturbed by that fact, I think it is just proof that this console can still be outstanding without:

• HD graphics

• Internet

• High Resolution

• American games

game not made by nintendo, still awesome

I hope all game developers learn from Nintendo.

Play more Zelda!

Minecraft 2.0 and my Battle Fortress

Minecraft 2.0 and my Battle Fortress

The weird April fool’s joke is too much. A Minecraft 2.0 is already for download. It starts by looking like a bug, with thunder every few seconds, day and night passing too fast, and everything absurd.

The 3D rotation of the blocks when thrown is no longer a mod. There are “horses” or alien cows and pigs. There is floating sheep, exploding animals, Zelda’s famous Cuccos, the angry ones and the Cojiro (blue) ones. The blue ones drop diamonds and lapis lazuli instead of anything else. They also get involved in the Cucco rage quit. There are pink wither bosses that increase the tall grass and flowers and crop growth. Apparently the three headed ones can give you instant healing spell, but I couldn’t make a three headed. Never the less, everything in this world is crazy fast. I didn’t even get to the point where…

zombie with wool head

"thunder" storm

Zombies in the daylight with full enchanted armor appear! Zombie Pigmen hold signs or something, not to mention this bunch of pictures:

Now I will quickly mention what the rest of the title is talking about. I am always thinking of building a huge tower/castle where I play tower defense in the safety behind these self-generating walls. This fortress is my safe home filled with many redstone contraptions that keep the inhabitants safe and sound by attacking al what is outside; especially on multiplayer servers (I tend to get involoved in fights with PvP people a lot). The multiplayer part of the story presents a problem that I need to use as less resources as possible in order to survive. However this new redstone “bug” can even make me crash the server entirely without hacking. Well, I was joking. It can mine for me, kill other players for me, etc, but not go that far if Notch doesn't control their spawning. They seem to lag my computer in singleplayer.

Other than the fact that I left out the “summon on demand” button, this is the redstone “bug” the only mob I hate in the minecraft world is now summoned by me to help me as my army: The redstone-silverfish.

There are three variants, though there is no difference in behavior. The powered ones (bright red), the unpowered ones (black), and the low-current ones (dark red).

Now here is a close up of one contraption that I made that will fit eventually fit into the battle fortress of mine. My ultimate redstone house is filled with block eating monsters.

just a simple clock

I hate silverfish because once a griefer put a lot of silverfish stone and then they all suddenly ate my summer house and my colour-coded wires were eaten, thus I lost my redstone in the process (if you destroy the block below redstone the dust is thrown) This is worse than fire because at least I have an emergency against fire but these creatures were terrible. They love stone and can form stone bricks even! This is even worse.

However this disgusting sight will help me. The only thing left is the button that activates their summoning or not. Then if this feature is confirmed in the real Minecraft 2.0 I will definetly add this to my fortress. Death to all!

Lastly, I will show you when the pig with a saddle became zombie pigman. These are the last of the absurd screenshots. Don’t watch Youtube if you are using USB flash internet!

the explosion works for the alien pigs as well

 are these "horses" actually alien? scary

look at the "horses"

alien cow? scary

 sheeps can fly! hahaha

eggs can spawn baby animals too

i saw herobrine but again he dissappeared from the screenshot

 the "horse" i was riding just turned into a zombie pigman but the creeper explsion threw him away so i can't tell where is he

Play More Zelda!