jdodson | Cheerful Ghost

New Site Features: Steam Login, New Ghost & Activity Feed

I wanted to let everyone know about a slew of new features that I added to the site over the last few weeks that I can finally talk about. I've wanted to add this stuff for quite some time and have been really happy with how it turned out. Let me know how the new features work out for you and if you run into any issues with them.

Steam Login

Most of us use and love Steam. Steam is constructed such that the Desktop and web client are pretty much the same. One cool part of Steam on the web is that you can authenticate to a website like Cheerful Ghost through Steam. Facebook, Google and Steam have provided websites like Cheerful Ghost with the ability to authenticate for quite sometime so you don't have to manage yet another set of login credentials. I've liked this approach to authentication and recently added the ability for people to login to Cheerful Ghost using Steam. If you have an existing Cheerful Ghost account start by linking your Steam account before you authenticate to Cheerful Ghost with Steam. You can link your Facebook, Google and Steam accounts to your Cheerful Ghost account by following the link below.

http://cheerfulghost.com/user/link

After your Steam account is linked to your existing Cheerful Ghost account you can login to the site with Steam.

Enhanced Avatar Integration

Since we launched Cheerful Ghost we have only supported avatars using the Gravatar service. Since we require people to authenticate with Steam, Facebook or Google we now automagically import your avatars from those sites. So starting with the next time you authenticate or when you link your accounts you can select any of your Avatars from the Google, Facebook or Steam accounts you've linked. I recommend people link up their accounts and select an avatar from Steam, Google or Facebook.

We still support Gravatar but it is now officially deprecated. We will be removing it in a few months so I recommend selecting one of your avatars from Steam, Google or Facebook to use on the site.

Recent Activity

I've been hearing from people that when you come to the site people notice there is a lot of discussion happening but don't know where to find it. To allow people the ability to see the latest chatter on the site i've added the recent activity stream on the right column on Desktop and certain tablet orientations.

Spright Gets A New Look

I spent some time integrating the new Cheerful Ghost look into the site and I am really happy with how it turned out. Over the years Spright the Cheerful Ghost has evolved and i've taken some time to catalog that. If you are interested in look at how the Cheerful Ghost came to look the way it does over the years you should check out the link below.

http://cheerfulghost.com/spright

I want to thank everyone for making Cheerful Ghost a great community to be part of. Let me know what you think of the new features and if you run into any issues let me know.

Interview w Gabe Newell and Erik Johnson About Valve

I enjoy reading every bit of interesting information I can about people doing interesting stuff in gaming. Recently Geoff Keighley sat down with Gabe Newell and Erik Johnson of Valve to talk about some behind the scenes stuff with Valves recent reveals. Gabe addresses people that look to creators to create sequels, massively hinting at peoples desire to see a Half-life 3. He doesn't say much other than he understands where people are coming from and as fans they want more of the things they love too.

"Geoff Keighley sits down with Gabe Newell and Erik Johnson from Valve to discuss the state of one of the most respected video game companies in the world. Hear Gabe and Erik discuss Steam VR, Steam Machines, Source 2, and the future direction of Valve."

Blizzard Released The Hearthstone Soundtrack For Free

I just recently found out that Blizzard is giving away the Hearthstone soundtrack for free. If you are interested in owning the music of the game, check out the link below.

http://us.blizzard.com/en-us/games/music/hearthstone.html

Diablo III - The Road To Redemption

Diablo III has had a pretty interesting journey from it's early design days to it's eventual reveal, launch, loot 2.0 and most recently with the Reaper of Souls expansion. As a fan of the original games I pre-ordered the Diablo III Collectors Edition and had high hopes for the game. I enjoyed the final released game but felt it didn't have quite a long tail that the original games seemed to have. When they released loot 2.0, a patch that fundamentally changed how the reward system worked, I was pleased as were many other people. If you wanted to know more about this process and the reasoning and history behind Blizzards early version of Diablo III to Reaper of Souls Josh Mosqueira had a great GDC talk about I suggest you check out.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 03/23/2015 at 01:04am

I just found out that there's a "+100% bonus gold" and EXP event going on this week starting tomorrow to celebrate the Reaper of Souls birthday.

http://us.battle.net/d3/en/blog/18388260?utm_content=external-sso&utm_medium=other&utm_source=App#comments

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/23/2015 at 01:50am

Aweesome. That would be a good time to play if you wanted to level a bunch.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 03/23/2015 at 02:44am

I agree, but I wish the new update was ready during that time.

Travis Admin wrote on 03/23/2015 at 09:29pm

Diablo III is one of the best games of the decade, easily. The launch game was fun like you said, but they really listened to people's problems and ended up with a true marvel.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 03/24/2015 at 12:01am

I enjoy it, perhaps more than I thought I would. Now that the Reaper of Souls birthday celebration is going on, it's the perfect time to play again. So, I started up a new character, a Demon Hunter. I think this bonus gold and EXP in-game event may even warrant a Cheerful Ghost event. =)

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/24/2015 at 12:04am

An event sounds like a great idea. The Demon Hunter was going to be the class I rolled when I started the game originally but then I heard about the Witch Doctor.

Setup an event, I might join you for some of it.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 03/24/2015 at 01:00am

=) I'm glad you like it. I'll try, I haven't done one before, so it'll be my first.

I wasn't sure which class to choose for my new character, they all sound pretty cool. I guess ultimately, I just followed the list. I started with a Barbarian and also created a Crusader, so Demon Hunter was next on the list. I played for a while today and I think my new character is level 30, I also just finished the first Act.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 03/24/2015 at 02:13am

I just found out that Diablo III is on sale for 50% off until 3/30/15 at 11:59PM (PDT). I thought I'd share that bit of news in case anyone here reads this post during the time of the sale. This reduces the game's price to just about $20, which is the same price as the Reaper of Souls expansion. I know I paid full price for both some time ago. I also upgraded to the Collector's Edition a few months ago.

I haven't watched the video linked in this post yet, but I may get to that tonight.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/24/2015 at 02:18am

Blizzard Collectors Editions are awesome. So happy I picked up the CE's for the last few games they released I wanted to get. Can't wait to get the Legacy of the Void CE!

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 03/24/2015 at 02:29am

I haven't upgraded Heart of the Swarm, I still have the Standard Edition. I might upgrade it for Legacy of the Void, but I'm not sure. I upgraded Reaper of Souls to the CE, which I thought was beneficial due to the extra character slots. The perks of the Heart of the Swarm CE don't seem to be as important as the RoS CE upgrade.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 03/24/2015 at 06:34pm

That was a great video. It makes me glad that I picked up Diablo III and Reaper of Souls years after they were released. It's good to see that a company, such as Blizzard, learned from mistakes that were made and made a game much better.

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BioShock Infinite Comes to Linux in Time For Massive 2k Sale

http://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/clusters/sale_2k_publisher_weekend/3c26669b628246c893519267/page_bg_english.jpg

BioShock Infinite finally released on Linux/SteamOS in time for for a massive 2K 10 Anniversary sale on Steam. 2K is offering up a 10th Anniversary Bundle for $49.99 that contains: Borderlands 2, Civ V, XCom, Bioshock Infinite, The Bureau, The Darkness II, Spec Ops: The Line, Mafia II, Duke Nukem Forever, Borderlands GOTY, BioShock 2, BioShock, Ace Patrol, Pacific Skies, Civilization IV, Civilization III, Sid Meier's Pirates & Sid Meier's Railroads. If you were looking to play any number of those games this might be worth checking out.

I downloaded BioShock Infinite on Linux and after updating my video card drivers I was able to play the game. BioShock Infinite plays similarly to Borderlands 2 in that it works well but doesn't quite perform as well as on Windows on the same rig with similar settings. The game is very playable and I imagine will work well on any Steam Machine you get. Nice to see more games getting ported and I wonder how long it takes until companies like Blizzard and... EA get on board?

http://store.steampowered.com/sale/2k_publisher_weekend/

Legacy of the Void Closed Beta Coming + New Units Revealed

Blizzard will be opening up the closed beta for Legacy of the Void starting on March 31st. They are adding some really bad-ass looking units starting with the Protoss Disruptor which looks totally over powered in the video. Blizzard is great at balancing so I imagine it won't be quite as destructive but if used properly? Blizzard also added the Cyclone a new unit to the Terrans which is a tank that locks on to an enemy unit and can fire while it moves. I can see the Cyclone being a very important part of Terran harassment in Legacy. Zerg multiplayer finally gets the Lurker back and Blizz added a new Ravager unit that can drop Protoss shields and attacks with a damage over time corrosive bile.

The video focuses primarily on the multiplayer updates but you can image how the new Protoss units may effect the single player campaign. Blizzard still hasn't talked about a release date so hopefully they talk about that at this years Blizzcon in November or sooner.

http://us.battle.net/sc2/en/blog/18291111/legacy-of-the-void-beta-preview-3-18-2015

Star Wars Aftermath Will Bridge Story From Jedi to Awakens

http://a.dilcdn.com/bl/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2015/03/aftermath_new.6.red_-1536x864-986319531640.jpg

As I am a big Star Wars fan I am happy to report on some interesting news out of the new Star Wars-verse. Since the old Star Wars Universe was rebooted in favor of the new Star Wars Universe, Disney is pretty hip to release all manner of new stories that take us from the events of Return of the Jedi to the upcoming The Force Awakens. Today they dropped some news about an upcoming series I found pretty interesting.

"The second Death Star has been destroyed. Rumors are flying that the Emperor and his enforcer, Darth Vader, are dead. A new government is forming to replace the Empire. But the galaxy is a big place, and the fallout of this cataclysm will affect different worlds in different ways. Does everyone accept the fall of Imperial rule? Has everyone even heard the life-altering news? What rushes in to fill the vacuum the Empire has left? And who will try to stop them? Those are some of the themes we’ll be exploring in Aftermath, and as a lifelong Star Wars fan, just writing those words gives me chills. I can’t wait for our first canon glimpse into the state of the galaxy after the Battle of Endor."

Star Wars Aftermath drops September 9th and I am fairly certain I will pick it up on release. I've really enjoyed many Star Wars books including Timothy Zahns Thrawn trilogy as well as Star Wars Bounty Hunters and hope this is just as good.

Are you interested in filling in the backstory for the new Star Wars Universe up to the new film?

http://www.starwars.com/news/what-happened-after-endor-find-out-in-star-wars-aftermath

JaBo wrote on 03/18/2015 at 03:53pm

Oh, I'll definitely be grabbing it... So this book is supposed to be canon? The first non-movie canon material? I suppose they had the material for what took place after Ep6 and what is taking place in ep7 and they give all those guidelines to an author and say this is your before picture, this is your after picture, these things have to happen during this 30 years and these things can't happen.... go.

I've been stuck reading the Jedi Academy books, I think that's what they are called. I'm on the 2nd one. Just not keeping me engaged right now. So many Star Wars books to read. I hope it's all good, I just love Star Wars so much!

Timogorgon Member wrote on 03/18/2015 at 04:30pm

It's been a long time since I read any Star Wars books, but I might pick this one up. Especially in preparation for the new movie. :D

I guess technically the first non-movie cannon was the Rebels cartoon show. There's some new Star Wars comics out too, but I don't know if those are considered cannon.

JaBo wrote on 03/18/2015 at 04:55pm

Oh yeah, the cartoons. Rebels isn't the first canon cartoon I think. There's Clone Wars too

Timogorgon Member wrote on 03/18/2015 at 05:51pm

Is clone wars considered canon still? This whole expanded universe thing is very confusing, lol. It came out before Disney bought all the Lucas properties. I suppose it could still be canon since it takes place between episodes II and III.

JaBo wrote on 03/18/2015 at 06:57pm

""On April 25, 2014, Lucasfilm and Disney revised the franchise's canon. They announced that the existing six films and The Clone Wars television series are the "immovable objects" of Star Wars storytelling. Previously published material has been relabeled under a "Legends" label, and future content will present a different vision of people, places and events after Return of the Jedi. They also announced that all future Star Wars stories will be connected, with guidance coming from the Star Wars story group. Additionally, it was announced that the films of the sequel trilogy will not follow the same story as that of the Expanded Universe works taking place after the events of Return of the Jedi.""

Timogorgon Member wrote on 03/18/2015 at 09:33pm

Cool! I'm glad Ahsoka Tano is still canon then. She is an awesome character.

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Should The Legend of Zelda Franchise Feature Zelda?

In this recent episode of Game/Show Jamin asks "Why can't Link be a girl?" And whereas that's not a bad question, i'd rather flip it to ask why Zelda can't be the hero of a game named after her? She seems capable and I bet Link could use a vacation. Jamin asks the question if people may be turned off by Link being a female and as I thought about it I imagine some would be. That said those people are more rare these days and getting a great Zelda game featuring Zelda or Femlink would be too interesting to avoid.

I was talking about this the other day with friends and one of them mentioned Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon as a game that features Zelda as the main character. I mentioned that terrible games shouldn't count for much AND that it wasn't made by Nintendo anyway. Not to say it doesn't officially count in the Zelda-verse cannon, I would just prefer a good game to come out of Zelda as the star.

What do you think, should Zelda or Femlink star in her own game or should we keep getting everyone favorite Kokiri?

New To Me: The GDC 2012 Portal 2 Post Mortem

If you love Portal 2 and by some chance missed the writers of Portal 2, Chet and Erik do a post mortem of Portal 2 at GDC I highly recommend you watch it. They cover the original designs of what Portal 2 was supposed to be and how it became the game we all love. They give some hints at some secret mechanics of a future Valve title called "F Stop."

FTL Kestrel Adventures Is A Cool New FTL Fan Show

YouTuber Andrew Colunga recently created a new series of FTL cartoon shorts called FTL Kestrel Adventures. They mix up some original pixel art and in game FTL game captures to propel the story. It's a bit of a mixture of Machinima and original art, which is really neat to watch.

Episodes 1 and 2 are available to watch right now. Episode one is linked above, you can watch episode two by clicking below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7lZi-39UQ8

jdodson1

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