Internal Affairs

I don’t usually mess around with things that goes on the inside.  I’m not much of a people person when it comes to dealing with certain rules, views, and such.  But oddly enough, I am seeing two major conflicts that ended horribly and it’s only the 3rd month of 2009.

One of the conflicts involves an individual who happens to be caught with a cheat sitting on that person’s hard drive, through the use of PunkBuster, an anti-cheat system developed by EvenBalance.  That individual now handles duties for managing a part of the gaming league for the Call of Duty: World at War game, despite having not just one but two entries on PunksBusted’s MBL.  At first it was kept under the rug, until it was thrown out into the open when an individual challenged how the rules are set up for a dying game.  Everything with regards to that challenge spiraled out of control and it ended with the removal of the thread containing the said challenge as well as the removal of 3 separate individual accounts, two of which had absolutely no involvement on the situation and was inactive from the forums for many weeks.

Deleting a thread over the incident is practically wrong, and does nothing to improve the relations between the players, who are the ones to support the organization.  Deleting a thread does nothing to support the organization as the organization then has the power to dictate on what they say is absolute, the truth, and that all decisions and judgements are final.  Locking or closing the thread would have been the most sensible thing to do, given that the thread can then be used as reference as to why things are the way they are now.  However, very little can help that organization now...

Should an individual with thread administrative power be caught with something as filthy as this, the most honorable and sensible action would have been to resign and pass the duties on to someone else.  That would have been the best option.  Except, the person is instead shuffled off to manage a different game league within that organization.  Ugh...

The other incident came at the hands of an individual’s unusual joke with regards to the selling of Guild Wars account.  People who play a variety of MMO games as well as some first-person shooter games will know that the EULA says you cannot do this.  Yet this is often a gray area.  How so?  Well, let’s say for instance that the individual does not want to play the game any more and wish to sell the game to an interested buyer.  That person should have every right to sell the game in order to recuperate the amount of money, if not time and effort, spent on the game itself.  Sure the developers and publishers won’t see a single penny of it.  But that’s because the first sale has already been made.  There is no loss, as the only part being changed here is the ownership.  Much like how used CDs can be purchased, games can be too.

As I cannot vouch for being present during the time of the incident, the issue I have is how the situation was handled.  A few threads were created in order to discuss on what to do and how to handle this.  Yet many where calling for the removal of said person from the guild that he belongs to, akin to a lynch mob coming together to force a resident out of town.  This is downright sad and it gets worse than that.

When I logged on, I found that certain details were different.  We were no longer part of the alliance that we have been in for a while and a note was posted on the guild message in order to bring people up to date on what’s going on.  Yet when I went to read the details, I find that I cannot add any input to the matter because the forum thread it points to is closed/locked.

What irritates me more is the fact that I was not aware of anything going on that would have an affect with the guild itself.  The thread mentioned very little details and nothing was posted in order to provide information as to what happened during that time.  When I directly asked my guild leader about this, I found that everything that has happened was due to a poor joke on another individual’s part.  And now the entire guild are being punished for “lack of leadership” or the lack of action.

I have discussed a variety of things with another officer who voiced similar feelings about the entire mess.  The situation was handled poorly and regrettably we’re no longer a part of the alliance.  But what happened has happened.  It’s time to move on.  I, though, will hold a grudge and a vendetta against them.  It’s not because I am unable to let go.  It is because I despise how they are and how they are set up.  So here are my parting words for those few who are so uptight and stingy about their rules.

First off, the alliance chat rule needs fixing, or removed altogether.  For such simple words like ‘suck’ or ‘hell’, you are being more retarded in trying to limit such simple words just to provide a clean channel.  Using the game’s built-in chat filter should not be a reference tool to what can and cannot be said in the game.  Some words will be censored out naturally due to the limitations on how the filter is set up.  This is an obvious problem.  But don’t throw a hissy fit over some dumb shit where people can’t say certain words just because it’s commonly used in everyday language.  Vacuums suck and wind blows.  I raise hell when I have to fight Nazi Zombies in a different game.  And I certainly can say a shitload of worse thing to make your damn head explode.

Not having contacted about the ongoing situation not only hurts me as an officer of the guild that I am with but it also pisses me off as well.  You judge not just me but the entire guild based on the action of one individual who happens to be throwing a joke.  You’d think that you fucktards would have a sense of humor when it comes to small things like that but I guess I was wrong to assume such a thing.  Fuck!

Granted, this was all discussed on a variety of medium but I have heard nothing about this and there was no thread on the forums to indicate that there is an issue at hand which needs to be resolved.  Every thread that was brought up were closed almost instantly and nobody else can add anything more to this.  It’s not just that it has to be those involved who need to be present.  It’s because you assholes are deciding the fate of an entire guild based on a small incident.  You spit in my face for some of the dumbest shit that happened and you try to force your rule down on me when I rather have no part of it.  Rules may be rules but some rules are meant to be broken.

You bitches are too uptight and need to get your heads out of your asses and start thinking for a change.  I don’t care what kind of upbringing you have.  Start thinking on your own instead of relying on someone else’s guidelines to steer you in a direction.  This is not a single road that everyone takes.  I walk the path where I am free to say whatever the fuck I want to say and to use whatever fucking word I want to use.  If you want clean chatter, I am happy to oblige for as long as you do not harass me over some little shit like saying “what the hell...?” and “this sucks.”

I don’t need your fucking forgiveness and I don’t need your damn blessings.  I know fucking well enough of the teachings that you guys received because I have been through it before, endured through it before, and I am still my own self thinking on my own.  You assholes are hypocrites in what you believe in and you should be ashamed for doing so.  Ever heard of “Forgive and forget?”  Yes, that classic phrase that you bitches should have been taught and know by heart.  You guys speak so proudly of forgiveness and shit.  But when it comes to this, there is none.  You think that this is for the good of the alliance?  I hate to admit it but I’ll agree to that for once!  Because I’m glad we’re no longer part of your hypocritical crew.  Ever since you raised a hissy fit over the words that I used, I have NEVER once felt comfortable chatting on that channel.  Not ONCE have I ever had the feeling that I felt “at home.”  Not ONCE have I ever felt that where we’re at was a comfortable environment.  I guess you can say that this separation was bound to happen eventually.  Needless to say, I am glad we’re no longer bound to your dumbass chat rules and your retarded way of handling minor issues.  So long, bitches.  I hope my words of wisdom made your head explode and your eyes/ears bleed.

Battlefield Zeroes

A long, long time ago on a server far, far away... Well, it does feel like it was a long time ago.  When the morons at DICE/EA announced that they will be making a new Battlefield game that will be free to play, I became interested in how this will turn out.  What seem to have complicated the matter is that they were probably riding on top of the other game that uses a similar art style: Team Fortress 2.  Ever since feeling burned from the shit support for the Battlefield franchise, I opted to not bother to buy any future games from them.  This also includes the odd eye-opener Battlefield 1943 which uses the same 3D engine from Bad Company.

When it was announced that the bitches at DICE will be handing out beta keys to a select bunch of people, I figure I’d throw my hat into the ring and try my luck.  I did not score.  However, time went on and their projected release date slipped away.  This is of no surprise, as the retards over there have no sense of priority.  Many months has passed since people tried to sign up for the limited beta access.  It wasn’t until recently that the assholes there actually made progress on the matter, to the point where they actually have reworked their backend and the game is being made more available to those who tried to sign up for the beta.

Last week, I got an email in regards to the Battlefield Heroes beta.  Turns out that I finally got a key to use.  So I quickly signed on and hopped aboard.  After playing around for a while, I do find that the game has some entertainment value.  But there isn’t enough to really keep me in unless I have buddies playing the game as well.

Like any game that is going to be made readily available for free, there are caveats and pitfalls.  A free game is, of course, attractive to those who do not wish to spend cash on games that they may not like or ever play again after a few months.  It also attracts players of almost all kinds, ranging from mature and adult players (like me) to annoying and whiney kiddie players who do nothing but bitch and whine about everything.  Unfortunately, I ran into one not too long ago.

In the game, there are 3 vehicle types: a jeep, a tank, and an airplane.  Each of those vehicle type has its own purpose and its role in the overall playing field.  Nearly everyone can understand that a tank will be destructive against infantry ground forces and can also go up against other tanks.  I’ve done some flying before when Battlefield 2 was around.  And what I have learned is that one of the ways to keep a pilot from messing up ground forces is to keep the pilot busy.  And that’s either by chasing it around trying to shoot it down or making sure it never gets off the ground.  Suppression tactics are common and I will use them if it means my team will win in the end.

So a plane is available and nobody has jumped into the pilot seat.  If that’s the case, I’ll give flying a few tries and see how well I can fly around shooting up ground targets and shooting down enemy planes.  A guy starts complaining about being chased around.  This continued on for a few round and for many minutes.  But this tactic has helped my side to win a couple of rounds.  Sure it’s hard trying to shoot the enemy down but that’s the tradeoff for being in the air most of the time.

The guy complains more until I actually managed to shoot the stolen plane down before it gets off the ground.  He then knows that it was I doing the chasing.  He tries to tell me off but of course, I don’t pay much attention.  I only say that I do this in order to keep enemy pilots busy.  If it means it frees up the worry of incoming fire from the skies, then that’s good for me and my team.

Nothing annoys me more than retards who cannot look at the bigger picture when factoring in all the elements of the game together.  When there are tanks and planes, I do expect that there will be some people who use the same tactics as I have: seek out other enemy pilots and kill them.  If not, then they are free to disrupt enemy ground forces.  Even worse are the gutless pilots who bails out of a plane when it’s about to be destroyed, especially when being chased down by an enemy.  If they are that scared of dying, then they should be playing something else, like Super Mario Bros.

They’re not heroes.  They’re zeroes.  Damn pricks...

Super Bowl Bullshit

Frankly, I don’t like the Steelers.  It would have been great had the Cardinals won the game.  And they were close to doing it as well.  But fuck, I can’t believe Steelers pulled that one out.  Well, another year, another game, another season gone.  Next up, NBA and baseball.  On second thought… screw baseball.  With the fucking Yankees spending cash out of their asses, I don’t think I even want to care any more.

So February 2nd is Groundhog Day.  Only recently did I watch the classic movie starring Bill Murray.  And like the movie’s settings, the place to see the Groundhog Day in action is at Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.  At 7:30AM EST, they brought him out.  The sky was cloudy and not a sun in the sky at the time.  Yet still, they proclaim that he saw his shadow.

I’m sorry but I call bullshit on that one.  And with the pricks there plugging the Pittsburgh Steelers’ last second win over the Cardinals, they have the fucking balls to say that the groundhog saw his shadow.  It’s already freezing up here and I’m tired of the freezing weather.  Global warming my ass.

So while the prediction is just for fun, I really wish they’d consider the fact that there’s no fucking sun out there to cast a damn shadow.

Looking Ahead

So after spending a good chunk to get replacement ear pads that I thought would be universally compatible with all sorts of Audio Technica headphones, it turns out the ones I got is a tad too small for mine.  But I guess that is a risk that I took when I blindly ordered it with next to little detail on whether or not it will fit.  I suppose because of this, I have dinged myself a good chunk.  So much for the most comfortable headphones idea.

Guild Wars is currently hosting a festival celebration, referencing to the Chinese New Year.  Unfortunately this event lasts only for a weekend, a 3-day period.  While for many this is enough time for an event such as this, I find that the timeframe to be quite small given the number of characters that I have on the account now (11 PvE characters instead of 8 from last year).

From the start, I knew what I was getting myself into.  Planning every step of the way, I made sure I have enough inventory room to house a lot of items as well as ensure that I have enough to hold them in storage for the time being.  After going through all of my characters, I have amassed so many festival-related items and gained extra due to natural loot drops.  But the minimum was clearly met.  I expect to get a lot of a particular item by the time the event is finally over.

On a different side of things, I placed an order for some RAM (8GB worth) that will eventually make its way into my system at some point.  However, I fear it will be months before I can finally get my hands on the actual product itself.  Microsoft’s next version of Windows, Windows 7, is already released in beta form.  However, I only have proper ownership of Windows Vista Business in 32bit form.  Microsoft does have a method of upgrading from 32bit to 64bit.  But it’s costly and I do not wish to spring a good chunk of cash to get it.  It’s unfortunate that the CD/license keys that Microsoft generates only work with a particular version and build.  I do not mind that the key is recognized for a version such as Business or Ultimate.  But it’s terrible that I cannot use the same key for a 64bit build of Vista.  It would have made transitioning from 32bit to 64bit a lot easier and less costly.  The OS is the same and the only thing being removed is the limitation of addressing up to 4GB of RAM.

And finally, while it’s a bit late, Happy New Year… Again!

Rocking New Cans

Years ago, I bought my first big headphones.  At least during that time, the phones themselves were expensive.  Why would one bother to go with headphones that costs so much?  That’s a trivial matter.  For some, it is to hear every detail out of the audio that they listen to.  To others, it is to hear the extra detail instead of the poor audio quality that comes with cheap headphones.  This is especially true when one tries to use the headphones that came with your music player.  But if your hearing is poor, then perhaps any old headphones will do.

Why go through the extra lengths to hear more?  The pair that I have, while still functional, is showing a lot of signs of being worn out.  Electronically, it still works.  But once you see how it appears, I doubt anyone would want to try it now.

Today I put on the Audio Technica ATH-A900 headphones.  I broke down and gave it a test run.  And the audio difference is noticeable but not drastic.  Granted, it takes time for new phones to produce its best audio, a process known as burn-in.  What such a process require is numerous hours of audio.  But not all at one time, though.  The A900 headphones feels immensely different from the old Sony MDR-7506.  The design is so different that it takes getting used to how it sits on my head.  But one thing I am starting to feel is comfort.  Some headphones have heavier materials, and thus the support is mostly on the top headband that sits right on you.  This can cause some discomfort in long sessions.

So far, the A900 rests comfortably on my head and I do not feel any signs of discomfort that the Sony headphones produce.  This is good news for the time being.  The true test is how well it’ll do in the long run.

Well, for now, using the headphones like this will have to do, as I have additional components coming in soon.  They are specifically replacement ear pads for the ATH-W11JPN headphones but from what this video showed, they are compatible and can be done.  Surprisingly, this is an amazing piece of work, as it means that the headphones now have a complete lifespan that will enable people to use it until the day it literally dies.  For as long as Audio Technica designs their headphones around this idea, it will become a possible purchasing factor for me.