Thursday, January 30, 2014

Choose your death: Google’s WWIII

Choose your death: Google’s WWIII
Google's motto deciphers into the exact opposite

      Google is opening the double doors to Hell, also known to optimists as the Future. Why is that? Sure, there is enough evidence for every other tech company to have the potential to become the next Shinra. However, we cannot live in fantasy forever, and we should update our vision of the future, because the future is shaping right in front of us.
it won't remain an innocent carriage donkey for long

    First, and most apparent, the eight robotics that Google purchased by the end of 2013. Why? Google, the dominant search engine that has an open-source smartphone software and can potentially professionalize any computer-related industry, is not trying to make robots replace humans’ jobs. This theory is over-used, and while yes, it is beginning to surface in Japan, might not be as radical and pivotal in hanging the weight of all humanity as military robots might be. People like us don’t even have a say in these things. It’s disgusting as to how our race don’t even learn from our mistakes, we are taught history in school and don’t comprehend the logic that made wars arise. One simple thing we should know is that it’s one person’s discrimination and misunderstanding that led to both World Wars.

   I am not against robots at all: in fact I am very progressive and open-minded, but military robots are a different thing. Usually, I’d fake braveness, but I am not stupid enough to go stand in front of a gundam or a nightmare like Princess Euphemia just because I’d assume the person inside would have any morals left. That is, if there is anyone inside in the first place. See, the biggest problem is, we aren’t going for gundam, but we are going for a group of giant automated arthropod-like buggies that can aim and shoot all on their own, not without connecting to your smartphone and auto targeting based on what your brain is looking at, that don’t require a person inside to operate. That’s the biggest mistake right there. No, I will not go and explain how robots might have a mind of their own because that’s far-fetched, but I am saying that even when obeying orders, military robots are just what they are: mass-murdering machines.
at least this one has a human inside, for now. The reason why I think that they'll be automated is because of artificial intelligence and genetic engineering. Anything is possible, and what made the leap in our current day technology is the WWII, as necessity is the mother of invention.


Despite what she looks like now, she's actually a good character... I understand if you never believe me again though.

     Now, why copying insects, arachnids, and myriapods will be all the rage in the future? Simple: Boston Dynamics is copying mammalians right now but what is the most dominant class on the planet? Insects. These not always detritivores are very successful in a countless number of features, but they are often joined with other arthropods in their detritophage niche. In our case, robots never feed, and insects never had shortage of food as a problem, and being the most successful beings they are, I don’t see why aliens would talk to us rather than talk to the real ones governing the planet.
arachnid, but all the same.

      But most insects are herbivores. So there might be shortage of food for them sometimes. That’s why you should take a look at what is happening all around you: metamorphosis. Not only inclusive to insects, this amazing process allows changes in diet, type of locomotion used (Wings!), and etc. Combined with insects’ co-evolution with plants, the future will simply be a lot deadlier if beetles suddenly became titanic and started eating humans. It's like upgrading hardware of you desktop PC, except on a bigger scale.
not a predator.. yet

    But this is not a scientific research on why cats aren’t as cool as bugs, but rather that the way science mimics animals, which are way more successful than us in adaptation just the way they are. Now mirroring them while adding really hard metal alloys and featuring a human size, and then the rest of humanity has but to say its prayers.
worst part of the whole story is, that the idea is already used in real life.

   Just kidding. Or am I? I’ll leave you judge. But it’s not like these 750+ words will change the future anyway. Next thing we should be doing to counter this is building towns that look like anthills or something instead of burying underground to hide from planes (or in our case dragonplanes or aeroflies) or living in giant ships that have the exterior representing other animals. This may seem like rant to you, but after 80 years it might not be so. Until then, Play More Zelda!
ants are chemists!

Here's some non-violence related but potentially creepy robots.
This might be a series. But if you don't like it, at least head by the souvenir freebies before you leave the blog.

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Happy Wars Random Diary

Happy Wars Random Diary

    I play a lot of Happy Wars (I'm BluecometZola), and it could be the only reason I buy Gold every year. But with the updates and then the Season 2, there have been a lot of changes, but not just in the game itself. People act a lot differently as well, in response. Trying to put that in chronological order is very funny. So here goes nothing:
DLC shield

The No0b Era
    The update that brought 3 characters in every class came with a big no0b identification system: clothes. Prior to the update any new player would come with the only character in each class wearing the only set they ever have, but thanks to the update, I began seeing people without even weapons playing a quick match! That was really frustrating since the game depends on teamwork, but thankfully there is a good way to spread out the newbs in each team, except that they weren’t newbs. They were actually enjoying ruining the game by not co-operating. So it’s either you’re on the lucky team or everything is on your shoulders. The only good thing is that they’re easy to kill, however the bots did not assist at all. 
Minecraft pickaxe

Team Skill Era
  Ragequitting at its finest. The lobbies were empty of real players, only containing what’s worse than no0bs and hackers: EXP grinders. Not the stereotypical hardcore gamers of the classical JRPG genre, but ones that remain in the castle the whole match just to use team skills (Y commands). It was from both teams as well. As if a peace treaty was formed, they all remained in their respective castles to keep people like me from ending the match before the 15 minute mark, so they can summon tornados to break their ballistae as soon as they are formed while the next meteor storm charges up. Despite all that, they were easy to destroy, but there’s no fun in being MVP every match, so I stopped playing Happy Wars for a while too.
flag?

Decline Era
   The update before before the Season Two returned the 15 people policy, and there were hackers on the servers, Quite annoying ones actually. After that update, servers were kind of laggy as well. I felt discouraged to play, especially that hackers are spoil sports, except that the only thing that was fun is hearing them yell in the lobby after the match when I actually defeat them, and that wasn’t an easy feat.
"spartan"

Co-op Era
    Finally everybody like Co-op again! Minecraft and chicken mode have been special additions to Co-op mode and it was a great time. I miss the chicken legs tower defense mode, and the Hard mode was really tough. If someone from the Happy Wars team is reading this, add it forever as a separate mode!
warrior. I only play for missions

Berserk Era
  Three words: I hate berserks. But now I am used to them. I think this is to the fact that Season Two was reviewed positively and had a great amount of improvements. It gained a lot of popularity and usually I choose the cleric, but I found myself getting MVP a lot with the new Engineer class. The new classes also encouraged me to try the Mage class, with my previously salvaged creeper helmet for the wizard, to destroy the Gatling guns above the enemy castle. I think in general Season Two utilised the abilities of every class and gave them distinctive skills to excel in their own field.
old magician. Still use the creeper hat

Guild Era
   Also known as parties, without the clan tags in Call of Duty, some people actually dedicate their Gamertag to their clan, which feels funny, like a series of Gundam models. Series like BrzT and Elite are all very funny and enjoyable to play with or against, as these people show distinctive unity and special techniques that rival Naruto’s ninja style. For a long time, I’ve wished to have that too. I would’ve liked to be the cleric and have a magician by my side to destroy the ballistae above while I build a ladder, and not some AI who helps the enemy destroy the wall enclosure which I build. As my avatar would say: “Formidable foes indeed!”
   
engineer class: wind waker eyes and deku leaf shield

   These are just some misadventures of Happy Wars, and I really like it that I even recorded some random time of me playing it a long while ago. I may even share it one day.
hooray for full lobbies.

   If there is any suggestions that I’d like to have for Happy Wars, it’s to add bonus time to other modes as well, and count the loot as bonus time even if we started 1 minute before bonus time (if bonus time started when we are in the middle of the match), also not to make all the headgear covering the hair (Even though the train set looks good) because that’s just ugly. My warrior looks really unattractive with a helmet covering the whole head. My third cleric deliberately has a weak hat… because when equipped with the flag it’s fun to look at the contrast of colours when I change the view to top-down at the desert stage. Likewise, as mentioned above, add the tower defense mode as a separate mode.
you can be on the losing team and still be MVP

    Sorry that this is such a short article, but I want to prepare for something bigger. It could be anything that I have or haven’t promised you, thus I have to keep my promises. Read a random article about Xbox here, and read the previous article here. Play More Zelda!

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Smartwatch 2 Review

Smartwatch 2 Review

    

  As mentioned earlier, smart watches are cool. I’ve bought the Sony Smartwatch 2 for four days now, and I have received mixed reactions from anyone who first saw it. Nevertheless, the end of every conversation was, “I want to buy it. Is it worth it?” The reason they failed to judge it themselves was that ALL reactions followed this flow chart:

     Therefore, I hope to answer everyone’s questions. What can the SW2 do and cannot do, what the others can do that the SW2 cannot, etc., shall all be covered. First, my personal experience, and an important note:


I gave up on LG forever
This is a sadistic bastard, but he isn't actually bad at performance.

  Ever since a vital update in the SW2 app extension in the app store, no LG user can connect to the watch, and I searched high and low for the older apk version but with no luck. If you are a just person, and have a readily available server nearby, host an HONEST website WITH NO SURVEYS to archive all the apks on the Play Store. Back on track, this is the last straw with my LG. Ever since the software update, I have to restart my phone weekly, else the RAM will clog up to 84% used up. The memory reading hasn’t improved to the point of the first few months I bought it, and the Home is now ruined. I use Mobo live for its RAM booster just to avoid opening the settings. The worst part of this whole story is that the reason I updated was because 4.0.3 had a dreadfully revolting bug, which I’d not even mention its name. On a side note, after countless days of searching the internet, 4.3 is ominous, which gives me the conclusion that the number 3 is cursed. More proof: Divide by 3, or any multiple of three, and most of the time you’ll get irrational numbers (unless you are in primary school, still unaware of the malicious schemes of sadistic mathematicians).
Oh the horror! This is so stupid though, because they inverted all what they did except adding 6 and dividing it by 2.

    Sorry, and I love math. I am aware that this has no relation to the title, so I’ll stop here (was about to explain error margins in languages). After connecting my Smartwatch 2 to the Samsung – finally - the baby behemoth was running. Running apps from the phone, that is. Which means, most apps you will find in the play store will require you to connect to your smartphone to be able to use them, but if you keep looking, there are good apps out there that don’t require connection. There is also a method to emulate a full smartphone on the Gear, which, in theory, should work with most of the others too, but I’ll keep you updated if I actually try it. It’s important to note that the only method of notification from the watch is vibration and light, so tighten the strap if you want to differentiate between an insignificant Facebook comment “lol” and the fact that your phone is out of range, because there is a significant difference in vibration, which is very practical. I’ve literally had a period of paranoia over objects in my bag getting stolen. You can never be too careful. Imagine the possibilities a smartwatch in general can save.
image from here

      But the smartwatch 2, whats so special about it specifically? NFC? LCD display? 5:4? I like the fact that it is for all android devices 4.0+ , the fact that it is waterproof, wouldn’t spy on my words, wouldn’t suddenly go loudspeaker, has great battery life, and is small. I do want to be notified of important notifications, but at the same time, mobile phones are sometimes too precious to be taken out. I also don’t want to have an expensive delicacy that can be easily identifiable and theft, which is why I decided not to get the Galaxy Gear. However, my mother will get it with the Note 3, so I might review it too. Sadly, I didn’t try connecting successfully via NFC, but I will soon.
image from here

  The battery lives for really long! Being the power-consumption obsessed person I am, to get to hear this from me is something. The unit is a little too big to perfectly fit on the sides of my wrist (OMG my wrist isn’t a cylinder at all! I’ve been deceived!) but they’re easy to get used to, and I’m guessing that all smartwatches will be as comfortable as ordinary watches. I’ve found myself using the smartwatch a lot too, saving many situations where I needed to open the phone, such as checking someone’s phone number, checking the recent SMS of what to buy from the groceries, Setting a timer of when to stop playing Xbox and play on 3DS (you think I study? Ha!) In addition, viewing events from the calendar. The only reason I’d open my phone then would be to make a call. Even the music player is taken care of (but I find myself going back to the phone for that one, SW2 only for I/O toggle).
before the Gear?

      Therefore, the smartwatch has set aside some of the uses of the phone at the street, but still, it’s a smartphone accessory. Which goes back to the vital question: Is it worth buying? Tech enthusiasts would say that its ahead of its time, but those people should try saying that to the Gear. Unless they are looking for things that can measure blood pressure and best way to give you a trauma – defining the Smart Lens – then they are right. However, it is impossible to ignore how many people own this already. It was sold out thrice in a row at my local shop, and that is why I got it late. I wasn’t careful this time. All the tech geeks I met, on the other side, already owned a smart watch, someone having all Pebble, SW1 and SW2. If you own one already, then welcome to the geek boat. 
image from here, and this is what non-geeks are asking for: weapons.

If you want reasons to repel away from buying it, well I don’t know, look at the price of the Gear. It looks like it’s already trying to compete with Apple’s future watch, before it’s even released. Seriously, we shouldn’t be giving them that kind of expectation. Also, it’s a “new” market, but lets all agree on not having tech gadgets becoming very selective on the devices they pair with. The Gear had that as a big minus, unless you so happen to own two or three interchangeable Note 3 devices in your house. We should decide what they’ll tailor for us, not the other way around. 
good one, Samsung.

   All in all, I don't regret this one bit! It feels like the future already, the dreaded future with robots beheading us and all that. If you are a real geek, you must own one of these things. However, the smart lens do feel scary, even if I support the Google Glass. Lets leave dark theories for another article. Caio.
I promise you a really good series of articles about my predictions of the near and distant future pretty soon.

    Do you plan to buy a wearable accessory? Tell us below in the comments. Read more on smartphones here. Play More Zelda!

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Top 5 game-related Android apps

Top 5 game-related Android Apps

   We all want to have those breaking the fourth wall moments, and with Google Glass, and other items which I have previously mentioned, making its way onto our heads it just might be possible that we are all characters in a game, right?

  Well, maybe not, but instead of utility apps that enhance your smartphone's performance, why not list apps that enhance your life as a gamer? Check the list to find what you need!

it really works

    This is a simple app, free, with no shady conditions like GPS or phone contacts, and is very straightforward. It basically has AR card images, so that you don't need to carry the AR cards for your 3DS whenever you just want to show off in public. I take my 3DS and phone with me wherever I go, so this proves quite useful. But if you want to ask why a minimalist app makes it into the list is because it has the useful brightness setting, and it never lets the screen lock. I find the brightness setting very convenient than the android gallery, because sometimes I need to instantaneously change brightness without leaving the picture when light level around the room changes. The only drawback is that not all the cards work perfectly.


   Want to fill the Pokedex 3D app you got from the 3DS eshop? Well this buddy gives you all the QR codes that you need. Helps for showing off your daily dedication and completion to the eshop app, so don't tell anyone you have this app! A lot of people around me used it too. It isn't really a spoiler.


3- PokeCalc (Calculator for IV training)

  When I think of Pokemon, I think of this app. It calculates the stats of your pokemon so that you can IV at your own method. Many guides that tell you how to IV are not very useful, so its best that you decide your own methods. No spoilers here then!



  For solo, I play the video games, but nothing beats playing with people cards that took you years of collection, in real life. When playing in real life, a paper and pen quickly becomes a habit, but it is growing out of style. Especially if I always forget the pen every time.
  As a result, 3 out of 4 of every match has turned into a "You added 200LP to yourself just now!" and "Since when were my points like this?" and "Did you change our score when I went for a break?" and even pen & paper didn't solve this issue. However this app is very useful, and especially if the phone user locks with a PIN, then nobody gets hurt. Except cheaters. Like me. Whoops!

  Explaining this app in a few words, it is a calculator, with 2 players, very simple, very easy, and quite handy. Might as well wrap your smartphone inside the rubber band where you put your cards and playing field together!



   I am new to HabitRPG, but it has a lot of features. The first ones you might notice are your EXP and reward system. The very reason we all get addicted to RPGs, just so that we can equip that stronger shield, we keep doing repetitive tasks of destroying the same monsters in a spawn-trapping dungeon.

  And that's exactly what you are doing here. Except that you won't get a shiny Hylian shield at the end of the day, but you will give yourself privileges to watch a movie or etc. Its a self-reward system, but 8-bit. It is somehow like a calendar too.
  
One drawback is that there is something wrong with the android app currently, so you should open from web browser to edit profile or join a party. But the solo campaign of your life is still fully functional from the app. Good luck, young adventurers in your quest to find the Master Sword (or lose weight).


Did you enjoy the list? I was thinking of making Top 5 video game guides on android so that developers can get inspired. One thing I wish for any android developer to make is a tracker for harvest moon Sunshine Islands crops. Maybe that'll be too complex, but sometimes I need it if I stop playing for 2 days, because then I forget what I did in-game. Maybe I'll program it myself. But I am still learning programming from the very BASIC. Get it? On that side note, I don't cheat in Yugioh, well, most of the time. It depends on what we bet before the match. But you don't have to know that. Why not try this for playing online? Play More Zelda!

Sunday, January 5, 2014

Which is Weirder: Zelda Logic or Zelda Fans Logic?

Which is Weirder: Zelda Logic or Zelda Fans Logic?

    I never really understood why Majora's Mask recently became a hot topic, although I did to an extent understand why Ocarina Of Time being regarded as the best game of all time, although I never really connected to it as much. This article tackles the absurdity of Zelda Logic, and especially the logic of Zelda fans.

 First, why was the Ocarina Of Time getting so much attention. Sure it isn't overrated, but sometimes, enough is enough about it. It isn't all that enjoyable. Some parts of the game were slow, and some were expected to happen. But first things first, it is the very first 3D game. At the same time, Final Fantasy 7 became overrated because of being the first 3D on the PS1 as a major title. Zelda is, of course, the same thing.

       But it was far superior in all the Zelda games before it, and it captured even more realistic perspectives than the rest of the series. I mean that literally. The way the camera moves, the whole new battle system that never fails, was an amazing leap in history of gaming forever. In fact, not even Twilight Princess, which is considered to have a similar battle system, was able to capture that. It was revolutionary. Of course, that wasn't all there is to the world, as there are many other things to the game than that.

   My opinion on the Ocarina Of Time is that it isn't overrated, but was too big and not too good for linear adventures. You had to go discovering and grinding in a very complicated sequence which was not really Zelda. Disclaimer: This is just opinion, please do not kill.

   Twilight Princess was empty. A huge world, with so little villages, even the dungeons had resolution issues. The only one which successfully succeeds OOT is Wind Waker, with a free camera, a vast world full of exploration, and while the sea might first feel empty, grinding and discovering feels fun and exciting. But not too exciting.

   What is my favourite Zelda game? Usually, I like to split Zelda games into two categories:
  • Adventure
  • Puzzle
Or rather, 2D and 3D. Adventure, or 3D Zelda games are ones where the camera is located near Link's eyes. Puzzle or 2D is the Top-down view of most RPG games. This is why I didn't play Zelda II, because it falls in neither category. Why split them like this? The Zelda universe is vast, so it's impossible to compare them all with each other. Each game has a theme, but some are puzzle oriented as they focus more on what's around Link, or how to solve each room, but as for the adventuring ones, they focus on Link's perspective. Where is he right now? Can he see the secret room? This man is short, this lady is tall, I can't jump this far, etc. It has forms of parkouring and focuses on the overworld more than the 2D games do. Adventuring games make you connect to Link more, and offers rich tool usage. But puzzle one focus on the gameplay inside dungeons, and tools change the world around you, not you (eg din's fire compared with a boomerang) For a more detailed list:

3D Adventure games:

  • Ocarina Of Time
  • Majora's Mask
  • Twilight Princess
  • Wind Waker
  • Skyward Sword


2D Puzzle games:

  • The Legend Of Zelda
  • Link's Awakening, DX
  • Link to the Past
  • Four Swords, Four sword Adventures
  • Oracle of Seasons, Oracle of Ages
  • Minish Cap
  • Phantom Hourglass
  • Spirit Tracks
  • Link Between Worlds



With that out of the way, My favourite in the 3D category would definitely without a second thought be Skyward Sword. It is equivalent to the rebirth of gaming as a whole. People may think of the item upgrade system as an attempt to jump to MMORPG logic, but these people are just scratching the surface of something huge. The concept of having treasures and insects split into these categories makes exploring the land much fun. The sky is good for getting Ruppees (Lumpy Pumpkin) and a few minigames, but the real survival is all below the clouds. I never felt that happy when grinding, ever. Thanks to the motion controls, the parkouring, and the layout of monsters, there are many ways to kill enemies, and exploring each of them is fun. Especially that some ways seem to drop more treasure than others. Sometimes, I descend to play my own target practice with bats, or I go hardcore and try not to kill a single enemy to catch bugs.
in front of the entrance of the Fire dungeon is a good place to hit fire keese
   What makes it all worth it is the bug medallion, treasure medallion, etc. The item Check is very useful too, and overall this game is has a more full world than any other.

   Now, we all know Zelda Logic is weird, which makes most of us drawn to it, but then again, aren't Zelda fans weirder? All what was said above is just a prologue to this point. Why is Majora's Mask recently popular? Why do people like Ocarina of Time? Why do some people consider Navi as annoying? Why do some people only think of Majora's Mask and Twilight Princess as real Zelda? Why is there so much hate on Wind Waker, that recently subsided? Why does the Zelda cycle exist? Why do people make different versions of the timeline so that they understand it?

  Nobody can answer those questions. I am a Zelda fan myself, and I am aware that many people think that I am too talkative about the series (entire school I am looking at you) and to an extent, annoying, but why would I stop? Zelda is too awesome. Even Google knows the fact about Zelda fans.

   Like said above, the Zelda universe is quite vast. That may explain why there are too many contradicting opinions around the series, but again the issue isn't too significant. I am very biased as well, as all opinions are. The whole point of this is to say that not all Zelda Logic is weird because it is, rather it is that Zelda Fans consider it to be. Navi is not a bad character at all. In fact, it's fun to have someone so active, and so engaged in identifying friend, foe, and important objects. This is just one example. Theories are weird, and they all disprove each other.

   To conclude, instead of explaining that I got Harvest Moon a New Beginning and thinking of adding more animal skins, I will show you a bunch of random pictures to make the page longer. It is a list of just a few of the enjoyment that I like in Skyward Sword. And with that, I'm off to continue Ocarina Of Time 3D. Play More Zelda!


BIC pen timeshaft stones

boundaries of awesome music

but wouldn't the whole rock structure differ too?

Physics

the cactus  doesn't give you danage if you trim it

Zelda Logic: you only enter diving position if you jump from a wooden board, but if you run and jump elsewhere, it's this.

those eyes. Not human.

Zelda Logic: They don't notice Fi or Scrapper but they do know that they exist. It's like when they eventually respond to them the do so as if they break the fourth wall.

medallions are useful

I loved treasures ever since Phantom Hourglass

To do list: wake up remlit and make it follow you

rolling bokoblins doesn't increase the amount of ornament skulls

How to not fight moblins: make them turn around so you can leap this while he is turning back

Trying-to-not-kill-anyone mode
remlits can swim, and can fly in the morning too. They jump good as well. Zelda Logic: teachers have cat fetish