jdodson | Cheerful Ghost

Terraria 1.2 Drops: Cheerful Ghost Server Opens

Last night the Terraria 1.2 update hit and after playing it for a few hours I can say that it is a great update. A few stand out elements of the patch are the new map system, tier 1 armor, snow and cactus crafting. Plus there are just a ton of other little changes that make the update really awesome for long time Terraria fans. I haven't seen anything quite like this in terms of a free content update and Re-Logic is really showing its focus on the game community here.

As such @Travis and I spent some time last night setting up the new Cheerful Ghost server and it is ready for people to play. If you haven't already, check out the event and join up. We will be co-ordinating all aspects of the games run from the event so make sure to stop by from time to time to see how things are going.

http://cheerfulghost.com/jdodson/events/39

You can update the game to the latest version by opening up Steam and having it do it's auto-update magic. While you are waiting, check out the list of changes to the game.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nubZZSGBoUiuKFKzWT7raMrPI35MQtDWSsL-MbHFgqs/preview?sle=true

Little Inferno: Magical Fun With a Fireplace!

I recently wanted to play a new game from my Steam catalog so I picked a game from the Humble Bundle 8: Little Inferno. I knew a bit about the game before I started, the basic premise is that you burn things in your fireplace. I thought that sounded interesting enough and so I installed it on my Mac and gave it a go. For the next three hours and twelve minutes I was hooked to my computer until I finally completed the game. My experience with the game was nothing short of magical and I seriously recommend you beat this game. It's not enough to simply play the the game halfway, this game needs you to finish it. I'll try and explain why without spoiling it, but really, to experience the full majesty of Little Inferno you really ought to complete it.

the tone

This game's universe and story are strange. But strange in a very dystopian, future telling, environmental, fun and magical way. The game isn't preachy but it does have something to say about combustion and consumerism. Again, the game never really comes out and states one way or the other about it, but it paints a picture of a world where people consume things to destroy them and shows off what that may actually look like. In a way, Little Inferno is even a bit meta about gaming in what you are doing and how you progress. I am leaving out some key details, but I am trying to keep this all spoiler free.

That all said, the games tone is really unique and is somewhere between one of the best Tim Burton films coupled with some magical dystopian future.

what this game is all about

The majority of Little Inferno has you burning things to make money, find combos to unlock the ability to buy and burn more things. During your search for combos and making money you are sent letters by your neighbor and messages from The Weatherman. The game has a very compelling story but this is where I stop talking about it, because again, it should be experienced all the way to the end, spoiler free.

the music

Kyle Gabler wrote the music for Little Inferno and because of his efforts he just went on my list of game composers to follow. The score to Little Inferno really helps the magical tone of the game come to light in a way that makes everything it is trying to do click. Coupled with the lush and beautiful art direction, the score accentuates the games flavor. Since I picked up Little Inferno in the Humble Bundle 8, it came with the score and it even up outside the game too.

final thoughts

For me, Little Inferno ranks as high as some of the most magical movies I have seen in terms of its power to captivate my imagination. It does so much with so little and that is a real accomplishment given many large studios march to huge budget shooter titles. Little Inferno also shows me just how imaginative and awesome the Indie Game revolution really is. Where many Indie Games are repeating beats from the past, Little Inferno takes us in a new direction that feels familiar and then spins the game around and ends on such a beautiful and touching note.

I'll end with a quote from the games end as best as I can remember it, because it has stuck with me ever since.

"But what happens when you have achieved your dreams? Well, then it's time to get bigger dreams."

I hope Tomorrow Corporation, the developers of Little Inferno keep dreaming.

http://tomorrowcorporation.com/

Blue_Element wrote on 09/30/2013 at 01:27am

I played through that game too, and it is an amazing game. It has one of the most strangest but awesomest themes/tones of any game I've played. And as a bonus, playing it on my 2GB memory, GeForce 7300 graphics card, and snow leopard running computer from 2007, it ran better than any game I've played on that piece of crap. :D

Blue_Element wrote on 09/30/2013 at 01:27am

I have a better computer now by the way.

beansmyname Supporter wrote on 09/30/2013 at 06:25pm

This is one of those games that sucks you in before you realize it did it. The concept is so simple, the graphics are surreal and it's fun to try different combinations of items, either looking for actual in-game combos or just to see what happens.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 10/02/2013 at 06:51am

Wow, this did suck me in for 3 hours... then another half hour after I beat it, trying to get all the combos! I haven't gotten them all yet, but I will likely be back for more.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 10/02/2013 at 07:05am

Awesome, glad you liked it! What did you think of the ending?

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 10/02/2013 at 05:08pm

I thought it was great, but I wanted it to continue. There are some things I wish I had held onto...

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 10/02/2013 at 11:47pm

This game also has me even more excited now about Mew-Genics lol

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 10/03/2013 at 12:25am

Totally, but I think Mew-genics might have a darker ending, if it has one at all :D

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Edmund Talks: The Binding of Isaac Origins

The folks that made Indie Game: The Movie have released this excerpt from the special edition focusing on Edmund and The Binding of Issac. It's a really great 30 minute doc short on why Edmund decided to make the game and it getting huge in the YouTube Let's Play community.

I really appreciate Edmund's honesty and his though process that went into making this really compelling game. It surprised me to learn that the game only took 3 months start to finish.

I think if the Indie Game: The Movie people keep interviewing and releasing indie game videos the universe would be a little bit better for it.

Stormcloaks VS. Imperials (The Age Old Question)

I booted my PC recently to play some games I don't have access to on my Mac. One of the games I opened was Skyrim. I was walking around and found a random Stormcloak camp. To this point I haven't taken sides yet but I want to either support the Stormcloaks or Imperials. Thing is, I was talking to the Stormcloaks and I wasn't too impressed with them. They were talking a big game about Skyrim being for the Nords only and seriously hinted at slaughtering the Elves. I am not down with that and I am seriously considering backing the Imperials.

Thoughts? I sort of don't want to back "The Empire" but the Stormcloaks seem pretty evil. The Imperials are not much better I guess but at least they are not talking race slaughter.

Travis Admin wrote on 09/28/2013 at 01:05pm

The Stormcloaks are racist, and Ulfric is a power-hungry child who basically murdered the last king of Skyrim. They don't like the Thalmor and will go to war because of it.

However, the Empire is essentially controlled by the Thalmor, and the Empire doesn't like the Thalmor any more than the Stormcloaks do. They're just biding their time.

A few minor spoilers come next so bail if you don't want to see them.

What's the best thing for the Thalmor? A civil war that fractures the empire, especially if it's really bloody and the deaths are high. If the empire can keep the peace and unify Tamriel, they've got a much higher chance at winning in a future war with the Thalmor. You can find letters in the Thalmor Embassy describing why Ulfric is so good for them, because he's hurting the strength of the empire, allowing them to eventually fully take over.

EVEN BIGGER SPOILER BELOW. SERIOUSLY.

If you kill Ulfric, when you meet him in Sovngarde he's very regretful about what he's done, and sees that he was in error the whole time.

NO MORE SPOILERS AFTER THIS POINT:

In terms of short-term liberty, the Stormcloaks are the best choice. As long as you're human. But is it worth the racism and the murdering?

In terms of long-term stability, the Empire is the best choice.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 09/28/2013 at 05:08pm

Huh, thanks for that, spoilers and all.

I want to build a world free of genocide that has some thought to future survival. I dig the rebels from a perspective, but I can't abide by race slaughter.

I saved my game right out side Whiterun, its time to pick my side. Thing is, I am not an Elf, I just don't want them arbitrarily wiped out because some Nords are all upitty about Skyrim. Yes, yes, Skyrim for the Nords... and everyone else. Let's not be crazy here, plenty of Mudcrab infested land for everyone now.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 09/28/2013 at 06:49pm

Playing through both sides, I see the Imperials as more occupiers that were only interested in keeping peace, no matter the cost vs the Stormclocks who were fighting for freedom on the surface, but really for power and freedom was a good excuse.

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Mighty No. 9 Doc. Series Opens Strong -w Episode 0

"Filmed before the launch of the Kickstarter and leading up to its release, Keiji Inafune talks openly about his past and hopes for the future, as well as introducing us to the crack team of veteran developers assembled for Mighty No. 9."

So there was this little Kickstarter that launched a little less than a month ago. Apparently Keiji Inafune had an idea for a new game that bears a striking resemblance to Mega Man. Yeah, well apparently they raised 2.6 million dollars and as part of that they promised to release a documentary covering the entire process. Since the game has been such a smashing success they are releasing the documentary in bits, to everyone. This documentary is beautifully shot and chronicles the game from concept to its Kickstarter launch at PAX East. Can't wait for more game documentary releases, this was fantastic.

The Mighty No. 9 Kickstarter is 3 days away from finishing up and they seem to be going out with a bang. I am super excited for this game to ship and, because they are awesome, the game will ship on Linux, Mac, PC, PS3 & XBox 360. Hopefully this game ships around the same time as when I get my Steam Machine, i'd love to take this game for a spin on the new Valve Controller.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mightyno9/mighty-no-9

Nearly Every Sci-fi Ship Ever

This image is so large(5.1 Megs) that I am just going to link it here for you to checkout. Well worth your time if you are into that sort of thing. Starcraft ships are included!

http://bitcast-a-sm.bitgravity.com/slashfilm/wp/wp-content/images/ZZ0908720A.jpg

Escape Goat: Unique Platforming Concept

"Escape Goat is a puzzle platforming game where you take on the role of a goat who was imprisoned for witchcraft. Take heart, for a friendly magic mouse accompanies you, and he can help in the most unexpected ways. Together you must solve the myriad rooms of the treacherous Prison of Agnus in order to escape."

If I could hand out awards for unique concepts and game names, Escape Goat would be one of those games. Taking the fairly battle tested platforming mechanic and putting it's own spin on things, Escape Goat looks pretty awesome.

You can purchase Escape Goat on GOG right now and the developers are bringing it to Steam very soon.

http://www.gog.com/game/escape_goat

FTL Pairing: Engi -n Drones Part 2

@WhiteboySlim and I finished our FTL pairing session the other night and I wanted to share it with everyone that was curious how it would turn out. It was a good build concept but in the end I think we failed because we just didn't hit the boss hard enough. We could take enough punishment, we just didn't do much in the way of damage.

Looking forward to trying this build if I can get more powerful drones. That said, for my next game I am going to try the boarding mechanic. Seems like a hell of a lot of fun.

Make sure you watch part one first:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYQLSUO7jiE

Angry Video Game Nerd Adventures

If you watch Game Videos online, chances are you've watched The Angry Video Game Nerd. His shows are funny and pretty entertaining. If you haven't seen them, head over to The Nerds site and check them out.

That said, The Nerd recently released The Angry Video Game Nerd Adventures and it looks pretty interesting. Happy to see that he didn't take the parts of games that suck ass and put them in his game. Yeah, it looks pretty hard but many awesome NES games were.

If you picked this up and have given it a try, let me know what you think in the comments.

http://cinemassacre.com/

Cheerful Ghost Roundtable Ep 5: Steam 2 the Future

In this episode of the Cheerful Ghost Roundtable we talk about Valve's new SteamOS and Steam Machines. As always we discuss the games we are playing and dive in to Valve's new console news and what it means for our gaming habits. Is a Steam Machine a good thing or should we just stick with Sony and Microsoft?

show notes

Games we are playing: Card Hunter, Prison Architect, FTL, Cookie Clicker & Star Wars: The Old Republic

Cheerful Ghost will be at Portland Retro Gaming Expo 2013: http://cheerfulghost.com/jdodson/posts/1629

You should join our Terraria 1.2 Server: http://cheerfulghost.com/jdodson/events/39

Enter our Wizardry Contest for a chance to win Wizardry 6, 7 & 8: http://cheerfulghost.com/Travis/posts/1625

Gabe Talk "The Future of Gaming is Linux" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gzn6E2m3otg

SteamOS Announcement: http://cheerfulghost.com/Travis/posts/1630

Steam Machines Announcement: http://cheerfulghost.com/Travis/posts/1635

PC Gamer "The pros and cons of SteamOS" http://www.pcgamer.com/2013/09/24/steamos-the-pros-and-cons/

Blizzard will shut down the D3 Auction House in 2014: http://cheerfulghost.com/jdodson/posts/1618

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