All posts by Newt

Games Designer, Publisher, Web Developer, Dad.

Man killed by flying toilet

OMG! Notched up another point on the geek rating last night. Got the recently released Half-life 2 Death Match working on my PC, after said pc crashing mid install (grr), and after 30 minutes of playing managed to achieve what I set out to do.

Kill some one with a toilet!

A short explaination perhaps is required. HL2 is a 3D first person shooter. You maybe familiar with them. Corridors, rooms, lots of guns and monsters to shoot at. Well one of the ground breaking features, is that you can pick up (and often break) objects, such as bottles, breize blocks, planks, tables etc. Since HL2 also uses a physics engine to model things such as falling and thrown objects, you can throw things as well. Of course you can’t pick up unaided things like tables and breize blocks, but there is a wonderful weapon called the Gravity gun. This lets you pick up objects and throw them at high velocity at your opponents. The map I was playing on had a ruined shower block, there was lose toilets hanging off the wall. You see where this is going…….

They spent six years of game development on HL2, a budget of millions and this is what tickles my fancy.

HL2 the good times are here again 🙂

Heavy fuckin Metal

A spot of good sleep last night really helped my spirits to go up. Even when I got up this morning, and events started to proceed  as yesterday (late out, half awake zombie fighting through the train station,  just missed train etc) there was that slight “things are better today” up swing feeling to it all.

Got into work and have managed to sort out 200% more than I did yesterday, so things are looking up on that front as well.

Still feeling a tad drained, so I’m skipping tai-chi tonight (which frankly near killed me last week, seeing as our teacher had just come back from China, and trained us like they do over there eck!!). Nope more early nights and lavender baths for Mr Newt.

My Rawk oddyssey continued. If yesterday was the nice stuff, today I physically tracked down the stuff I came across on T’internet yesterday.

In Manchester’s friendly independent record shop the aptly named Roadkill records I picked up two releases that are definatly making it onto my top ten this year.

Mastodon’s Leviathan- a chugging heavy metal viking trip, loosely based upon the novel “Moby Dick”. How metal is that?!? Plus they are mates with Neurosis and Clutch (both whose singers guest on the album) which is an indication of quality in my book.  It was the video for Iron Tusk that sold me on them. Juvenile I know (but hey thats metal to a T), but people suspended by hooks and ugly men with beards and bad hair doing James Hetfield impressions how metal is that!!

The Dillinger Escape Plan– Miss Machine, was next on my hit list. Been keen on this one after listening to the preview tracks when it first came out, and the EP they did with Mike Patton on lead vocals. However was put off by the price, which the clowns at HMV are selling for 18 quid!!. However got both this and Mastodon’s masterpiece for the princely sum of 11 quid, and they are both the deluxe versions with the extra DVD !! Very smug I am I. Music wise other people can be more eloquent than I. All I can say its Jazz and Thrash in a car crash, put back together by a Nobel prize winner in Quantum physics.

Cracking stuff.

Must stop buying stuff now. Off to London this weekend……so the chances of that happening???

Lost?

I’m feeling more than a little lost. At a time when I should be getting it together, I feel distanced from myself.  This made lunch distinctly odd, walking around Manchester City centre (which definatly has a large dollup of the futuristic in its new buildings which dominates the skyscape, City 17 anyone??).

However pulled it together to go in search of some guitar rawk in response to keefybabe’s top 10 entry. I realised that appart from Auf der Maur’s and Helmet’s new albums I haven’t come across any good Metal/Rock releases this year.

Did the two for twenty quid job and got two 2004 releases that I’m hoping should become much loved classics.

Biffy Clyco– Infinity Land. Imagine the genetically enhanced offspring of Rush and Fugazi, mind blowing stuff.

Breed 77-Cultura. This is what happens if Iron Maiden learnt flamenco rythms and spent too much time in Arabia.

Looking to check out Mastodon next in this 2004 rock voyage.

Right time to pack up and f**k off home.

Today

Well today has suddenly picked up in the second half. Spent this morning feeling nausous from the back strain I suffered last Friday morning (oh the joy of being overweight), Then it cleared up miraclously after lunch and wayhey off we go. Got lots of work done and a really clear picture of what needs to be done next. This job (www.manchester.ac.uk/nursing) is the biggest task I have ever had and since my boss is very hands off (which is a relief) I sometimes get overwhelmed by it.

It certainly helped that I rediscovered LJ, the wonderful bright orange look of my journal really brightens up my day 🙂 Its a good start for all manner of webnonsense I’ve got lined up

Just had a nice journey home and I’m back in time to play some HL2 and do some Roleplaying writing. Which is just as well since I’m running a GURPS 4th Ed this saturday at Dragonmeet in London.

Pie Time!!!

I’ve just realised I’ve been sat here fiddling about with the custom settings (ooooo I do love this orange theme!!) that I’ve forgotten completely about lunch.
Fortunatly Gregs is just down the stairs:)

Red Baron #1

Well I’ve changed my picture to the rather splendid one of me at my wedding.

That was my only regret* about the wedding that I didn’t get to keep the rather nice red crushed velvet jacket I got to wear.

*(apart from not pummeling an obnoxious student barman who was rude to me & my guests)

Killed by boredom

Ok after the School Away Day on Friday which was all about QAA (Quality Assurance Audit) I am now officially bored by it.

So sitting through a nit picking one and a half hour meeting (which was an hour late) was mind numbing to say the least.

When I become omnipotent and reorganise reality, I’m removing QAA!