#campaign 2 i miss so many things about you but not the video quality

[otterlyart]

The evolution of PC crime

#Stealing from grumpy people < Stealing in general because anyone is “grumpy if you work hard enough.” #cr spoilers #cr 3 spoilers #cr2 spoilers #cr 2 spoilers #critical role spoilers #critical role #otterlyart gifs #laudna #ashton greymoore #chetney pock o'pea #nott the brave #mollymauk tealeaf #I miss them #campaign 2 i miss so many things about you but not the video quality #Grumpy people and tals characters a match made in heaven #cr3 #cr3 spoilers

[bookishtheaterlover7]

👸- Ok lets get things straught

Unless someone held a newspaperup like a kidnapping to show proof of date the photo could be as o as old as 2017 he got dodger in 2015(possible 2016 idk when gifted stoped filming but they started in oct 2015 and he has more black kn his nose when he was younger) this shows minus someone, not necessarily a man, with a white kneee, thowrtically the person could be Latinx or Asian etc. 

THEY ARE DOING THIS TO GET FANS ATTENTION. They know we love dodger we've said leave dodger alone so another dodger oic and people are up in arms... they're troll dont go for it. At least he isn't speared in half again by a leg.

B) dodger going to doggy day care... wow. Sound the alarm. Now i dont know much about the video ive seen the photo and honestly it may not be dodger. His coloring isn't THAT unique. The quality is also bad too. I mean i could sqear that was my friends dog in the corner too. But i imagine Chris went out of his way to make sure dodger was well socialized because hed be around kids and in thr video with aly rushmans dog it showed dodger can be unknowingly a little rambunctious with small dodgs but who wouldnt get excited with a cute new puppy  playmate even though dodger givrs off the:  im not an animal im a human vibe. 

Who says that also isnt where a lot of cast and crew put thier dogs? Yes Im assuming its for a film and based on the placement of the tiles and the way they are a diffrent color it seems like it is purposely a diffrent type of tile... why? I dont know but its awfully evenly spaced and copied a couple feet down.

Ive seen people even claim that chris uses dodger for people to like him.  Hes now Will and Jada acting like theyre still a thing 6 years after they seperate. Its a man and his dog do you see the way Chris looks at him? If chris was that good of an actor we'd all be thinking he was really in love  with little miss nazi and no mstter what they do now i wont believe  it just cause he hasnt looked happy in 2 years UNLESS Dodger was the subject... 

You also see too many people talking too many nce things about dodger and chris with dodger

When this whatever shit started we saw a lot of orgs and fellow celebs pull away from chris a lot less birthday wishises publically  one of chris reoccuring costars (not scarjo or A.D.A.) had a very heartwarming and touching birrhday with with a few examples of how nice he is. There are also reports thst he lets people use his houses etc. when hes not in town. Now people ahve pulled away from him publically. We all know chris isnt a golden boy but when companies and charities stop working with someone suddenly (many stopped after the first pap walk) despite other issues it to me sayshe was nice enough to want to be associated with before.  I think its a fine line of what people will and wont tolerate and yes theres trolls and clout chasers but when ebolas associations and beliefs came out many broke away when a cetain company recived complaints things were dropped we all know a campaign was fropped and they mostly use OBJ and one of the founders dog whose has very VERY similar collerings to dodger. They also seemed to not get the enagwment they wanted on the cintest as it was like they were shoving it down people's throat. I do believe once things are over (whatever the truth is-theres do dobut its toxic otherwise chris wouldnt be looking like he does) there will magically be another campaign. 

Now people turn in seb for what a movie that is supposed to be really good? Because hes friend with someone who doesnt look like a typical movie star. 

Leave fans and their looks out of it. Be nice. Little miss nazi on the otherhand we finally saw what her soul looks like and I can actually look at these photos without wanting to puke - have no sympathy for nazis and those who hate others like that

Lastly another reminde rb/c ppl r still talking about it- 

STOP TALKING ABOUT the INTERVIEW  how many times do people have to tell you they want you to talk. Your playing into thier hands and being a pawn Nothing new was said and frankly it makes her look foolish. I relize I'm talking about it but its just to tell you all to stop talking about it because they've had to change strategies. They held back the "kiss" we all know that would've been released day off a year ago. So now they release something that like others said would not have been seen outside her country normally its been over a week. And Yes shes stupid forgetting where she is but The only thing ur doing is making their ship stay relevent.  And in peoples mouths. 

Also just an fyi to Ebola check which account you post things on... normally im.not a conspiracy theorist like that but this is getting way too stupid that fan sites are publishing things that the actors page would normally post. 

P.s. bookie lets see some of the wonderful exs chris has had gimmie some mink and jessica and Jenny to attach to Chris' tag. 

ANOTHER ONE IN THE BAG, 👸

I seriously don't know how you do it, girl...

But seriously, I'm thankful for your PSAs. And look forward to reading and posting every single one 😁

Oh, and I most certainly will! It's all in good fun 🙃

#An🫶n asks #👸 asks #👸 PSA #👸 PSA for the Fandom #booky reacts #booky answers #chris evans #chris evans fandom #I think we should definitely make using gifs of the Society of Chris' Ex-Girlfriends a thing #and I will be happy to keep doing that 😉

[englishgates37]

chomikuj movavi screen recorder

The Toshiba D-R410 DVD Recorder has lots of good features that make it a must have piece of equipment for your video production needs. It's a regular DVD recorder that is appropriate for DVD+-RW discs. Involved with similar to the majority of DVD recorders available. Aside from some misses in the features, the LG GT540 Optimus provides a top-notch performance with how it is got. The calls make crisp and clear. Internet surfing is smooth. Battery can last about 4 days straight with full phone tinkering, including calling, browsing, taking photos, texts. As with most gadgets, when the storage overloads (or plenty of photos or files are saved), it causes a few lags every now and then. However, when movavi screen recorder Cracked is due to limit, the LG GT540 Optimus poses no lags at all, instead, it delivers an outstanding performance. Except when used outdoors, device legibility is poor. One more thing that drags the Magnavox unit down down is during it records movies or programs in wide screen format. Conditions . picture look distorted after it converts wide screen formats in order to some 3 x 4 pic. You can resolve this by manually tweaking image quality on your TV by switching it to vast screen mode. Samsung U800 sports a 3.2MP camera With 2048x1536 pixels and LED flash which provides panorama shots, frame shots, single shots, mosaic shots and multi shots with photo results of watercolor, grey, antique, sepia and pessimistic Movavi Screen Recorder . This decent camera also comes with support for video recording at 15 fps. You can keep in touch with your family, as well as family other contact anywhere and anytime through messaging services are included such as email (IMAP4, POP3 and SMTP) as well as predictive text, MMS and SMS with cell broadcast and vCalendar/vCard. You offer high speed connectivity here with Internet HTML browser, WAP, PC Sync application, and Bluetooth technology. So you can for faster Internet. The video component using this product will probably be great. Volume two and half inch LCD display that can deliver top dogs pictures automobiles clarity. Along with the too is commensurate although display and give great results if designed for up a new 100m scanning radius; though the specs say it is capable of holding up a couple of hundred yards. The camera also has infra red LEDs for night view. GLaDOS the robot dictator of Aperture Labs has returned with a more role for the story in Portal a few. Portal 2's story is consistent throughout if you can player campaign and finishes with an awe inspiring ending. I cannot spoil the story so I am going to keep how to handle it spoiler free of cost. The main premise of Portal 2 is similar to Web site. Chell must live to escape Aperture Science Enrichment Center by completing puzzles using the portal pistol. A few new characters are added to Portal 2's story it will help keep create a visceral enthralling single player campaign. You have Wheatley (the hilarious quirky eyebot) played by Stephen Merchant. The 2.8 inch screen is large and the $44 price tag might appear to be a great purchase. However, many consumers reported broken devices and a lack of customer support for your product. In other words, you sometimes do get exactly what you pay on.

#MOVAVI SCREEN RECORDER

[podcastcoach]

Helping You Avoid Podcasting Mistakes

Today I look at some things using my experience and share them with you so you can avoid those pitfalls. 

Focusrite: The Vocaster Series Made For Podcasters

AutoGain - Easily set your levels with the click of a button, with more than enough gain on tap (70dB) – no booster needed

Enhance - Four podcaster-approved voice presets bring out the best in any voice

Mute - Silence the mic with the touch of a button - don’t let unexpected interruptions get in the way of recording

Connect your phone - Record phone calls, high quality music, or other audio from your device, seamlessly 

Record to a camera - Plug in your camera and record directly to its memory card 

Loopback - Stream calls or any other audio you can think of from your computer with two sets of stereo loopback

Included software - Hindenburg Lite to record, three months of SquadCast Pro + Video to bring in your guests, and six months of Acast Influencer to publish, you’re ready to get your show out there

Learn more at: Focusrite.com/Vocaster 

Kudos to Descript

When something motivates me to tell my friends about something, I stop and look at why. Descript did a webinar and to spruce it up, they had a mock customer who kept interrupting the webinar because he couldn't remember his password. At first, it was, "Did that just happen?" By the end, we had all figured out after the third appearance that the "Customer" was a plant, but it was creative and made the webinar (that showcases new video tools) very entertaining as well as educational. 

Give Out Website Addresses that You Control

Instead of sending people to www.patreon.com/davejackson I send people to www.askthepodcastcoach.com/awesome this way if later I change to a different tool, I don't end up with all my past episodes with links that no longer work.

Tool for this are: Pretty Links WordPress Plugin

Podpage has a built-in tool for Pretty Redirects

Rebrandly.com is a cool tracking and redirecting tool

Go Through All The Steps of Your Second Show

Once you start a podcast you often feel like starting an additional show. You know the process, and off you go to start podcast #2. I advise that before you do this DO ALL THE WORK. 

In other words, don't just design it on paper, but go through all the steps of actually creating an episode (even if you don't keep it). I didn't do this with the Podcast Trailer Show and what was (on paper) going to take about 15 minutes per episode is taking me twice that. 

How did I miss this? I did "shallow" investigations into all steps, and it seemed like everything was going work. However, I didn't actually go through and make some test episodes. I didn't do a dress rehearsal. Consequently, it is taking more time, and its cutting into my schedule and causing issues. 

Amazon Rolls Out a Portal

FYI, Amazon has rolled out a portal where you can see how many followers, downloads and more. Go to podcasters.amazon.com 

Choose What To Monitor Before Paying to Promote Your Show

If you are going to pay for a promotion, you need to identify how you will gauge success. I recently played with Buzzsprouot ads where you can advertise on other shows. Halfway through the campaign, I realized I hadn't looked at my numbers before running the campaign so I could see if they went up. 

Portal where you can see subscriber/follower accounts

podcastsconnect.apple.com

podcastsmanager.google.com

podcasters.spotify.com

podcaters.amazon.com 

Put All Of Your Content On Your Website

I have a YouTube channel, and I occasionally write a blog post on Medium. When I looked at my Google Analytics, I saw that one of my top pages was a post that featured one of my YouTube Videos. 

Your website is YOUR MAIN HUB, and it makes it easy for people who enjoy your content to find it in one place. I do spotlight it in my newsletter, but if should be on my website as well

Leave Time On Your Calendar To Learn New Stuff

When you purchase courses, watch webinars, or buy software (Surferseo in my case) you need to leave time on your calendar to go through the learning curve. No matter how easy it is, there WILL BE some amount of time needed to add to your arsenal of skills.

It Doesn't Need to Be Perfect To Start

I have gone through so many different school to manage my learning content. I've been on Thinkific, and almost moved to Teachable (and used Circle for my community), and have now decided (and am 90% moved) to Podia. 

The maddening part is Podia was my original first choice. We all get distracted by bells and whistles. I wasted a lot of time and resources, but in the end, I asked my audience and found that some of the new tools I was going to implement, they more than likely wouldn't use. So when in doubt, ask your audience. 

The Creator of Anchor Said RSS is Holding Podcasting Back.

He is wrong. Everything he wants to do in RSS you can do by implementing to technology from the Podcast Index. People in the industry need to become aware of this great technology as eventually for these great tools to be put into place, the media hosts, the apps and other will need to implement them. 

Check out the new apps that allow you to stream bitcoin to your favorite podcasts at www.newpodcastapps.com 

Check out this episode!

#podcasting #podcast #coaching #new media

[antiloreolympus]

10 Anti LO Asks

1. I don't think LO fans get this but the having to resort to tearing everything else down to prop it up is actually a worse indictment on its quality than not. If LO is truly this great of a piece of work, it should be able to stand on its own, not having harassment/smear campaigns against even remotely similar (or not) pieces of work to make it look "better" in comparison. What happened to H/P Ficlets is probably the most nasty example of LO fans being cruel in the name of making LO look "better"

2. I want to know what Kool-Aid LO fans are on because I've seen so many of them say the art is actually BETTER than it was in the beginning. Like girl what, go check your eyes 💀

3. I saw Overly Sarcastic Production's explanation of the Persephone myth. It started out really good, covering the 'possible' ancient background on the myth, and reiterating how the Homeric Hymn to Demeter is the best version we have in terms of detail. They also don't try and demonize Demeter or try to make the myth seem like some kind of romance epic.

Then the end of the video comes along and ruins the entire thing - they basically encourage people to read Lore Olympus and continue the false narrative that Persephone and Hades are the 'most functional relationship' in mythology.

It's just so frustrating to see even a popular myth youtube channel is falling for the Tumblr false interpretation of the myth that ruined Lore Olympus while completely missing the point of the story. It was always meant to be about the relationship between mother and daughter - not a damn romance. 

4. ive seen so many lo fans condemn zeus (in comic) for being more flamboyant/not being hyper masculine as hades and im like 1) ok so hades is boring while zeus is fun, got it but also 2) considering zeus' myth canon bisexuality and lo's obsession with being very heterosexual that just seems ... wrong. like i dont think they mean to be biphobia/harmful while saying stuff like this but the fact they do zero relfection on it is a big issue.

5. tbh i was willing to give the benefit of a doubt about hades and minthe but then we find out HADES is the one who blurred the lines and chased after HER and started the relationship and made her to have an apartment and stuff all under HIS control so its like?? he went after her, he's the one who wasnt being professional and went after his employe, he controls all her finances and the literal roof over her head, but we're supposed to be on HIS side and see her as ungrateful/evil??? girl what!!

6. im sorry i just cant take the "sexy" panels hades seriously because 1) its always very clearly traced, 2) it just doesnt look right given how bad the anatomy is, but also 3) its just weirdly ooc?? like rachel cant decide if hes this serious brooding king who you dont mess with or an empty headed, horny teenager. im not saying he cant have duality to him but its hard to be like "isnt he cute?" when he owns slaves, neglects children, & takes advantage of vulnerable young women into relationships

7. im begging rachel to pick up an anatomy book or something on her break WHY is hades' head so tiny now??? how did she go from semi ok anatomy to whatever this is?? and you cant go "thats her style!" because it legit doesnt even look good or cohesive or even like what we know she once could do, it just looks like a mess. i dont get how you draw non-stop for years and actually get WORSE at it.

8. i just get sad because i follow a lot of webtoon creators who feel dejected and neglected by WT meanwhile they just throw up more and more promotion for LO and shove it everyones' faces (when it very much does NOT need the help) while these other creators feel so left behind many that many of them don't even want to make another comic again. i cant imagine that feels good that they have to work twice as hard if not more to even get noticed meanwhile rachel just gets everything handed to her.

9.i do not get why rachel went with the "gods dont care/hate mortals" take in LO. even just a skim of any myth will show you the gods, for all their faults, did care about mortals and wanted the best for them. like if they hated them so much, why even let them exist? why care persephone killed so many of them? why provide them with food, water, etc? also most of the male gods have children with mortal women, why would they do that if they hate them? it's such a bad take to go with.

-----FP Spoilers/Mention-----

10. Eris' head looking like an apple is not a smart design it's a mistake. I still can get over how they massacred my baby ;__;

#anti lo #anti lore olympus #lore olympus critical #lo critical

[nitw]

give us the forbidden mlp fandom lore

the whole twilightlicious thing. it all started when tara strong, VA of twilight, made a tweet saying “i’m the T to the W I L I G H T and ain’t no other pony troll it down like me, i’m twilightlicious” as a parody of fergalicious. she later recorded herself singing this, which a popular musician and animator in the fandom, blackgryph0n, animated with twilight. this spawned SOOOOOO many parodies and even made other voice actors on the show join in

speaking og blackgryph0n: michelle creber, voice of apple bloom, is a friend of him and they’ve collaborated on many different musical projects, including mlp fansongs!

before the first equestria girls movie came out, there was a rumor floating around that flash sentry was gonna be named brad

there’s a scene in s3e2 “the crystal empire part 2″ where shining armor picks up cadance and fucking THROWS HER while standing on his hindlegs. this became a meme for a hot minute and even spawned a parody flash game called “cadance toss”

it was also somewhat of an inside-joke in the fandom that shining armor loved corndogs???? i genuinely don’t know where this started. there was a popular abridged series on youtube called “friendship is witchcraft” that joked about it, but i don’t know if that’s the origin or not

john de lancie, voice of discord, was asked to sign a piece of fanart of discord and celestia at bronycon, but he loudly exclaimed that he thought discord’s blue wing looked like a penis and started laughing

yknow that old series of animated shorts, llamas with hats?? someone made an mlp parody of the first episode with lyra and bonbon. YEARS LATER, in episode 100 of the show “slice of life” that focuses entirely on the background pony cast, lyra says “you know those expensive oats that you saved for a special occasion? i cooked them up and ate them” which is a direct reference to llamas/ponies with hats

probably one of the most well-known and influential animators in the fandom was “jan animations”. he made mlp fan animations that looked even better quality than the show itself, which unfortunately led to almost all of his work getting copyright sniped :( he even collaborated with a bunch of the mlp crew, it’s so unfair and i miss his videos a lot

fallout equestria, a fanfiction which is pretty much the plot of the fallout video games but with ponies, has irl hardcover prints. all of it.

THE #SAVEDERPY CAMPAIGN. i dont even wanna talk abt it

#asks #mlp #ace-of-clovers

[cleverphilosopherbluebird]

ALL ABOUT PINTEREST AND PINTEREST MARKETING

Did you know that Pinterest is one of the fastest-growing social networks in the last decade? According to Sprout Insights, Pinterest’s share of social media referrals soared from .68 percent to a whopping 26 percent in just one year, generating more than 400 percent more revenue per click than Twitter and 27 percent more than Facebook. Do you want to increase the likelihood of a purchase? Well, then you should know that shoppers referred by Pinterest are 10 percent more likely to follow through with a purchase than visitors from other social networking sites. Pure and simple: Pinterest can be the star of your social media sales and marketing efforts.

Pinterest is a social media network aimed at image diffusion. But unlike Instagram, Pinterest is not restricted to a mobile app. Users can share their graphic content, known as “pins” (a photo or any kind of graphics work is shared as a pin), and pins can be grouped in albums, known as “boards”. The names resemble the idea of physical photos, messages, or drawings pinned to a corkboard.

You can link Pinterest together to your Facebook account, but your Pinterest posts will not be reflected on your Facebook timeline; it will show a post with a link to your pin. Pinners can share pins from other users on their boards, so, your pins will be widely spread if they are good enough.

This social media tool can be used in marketing, to advertise the product of your brand. Pinterest offers an advantageous feature: you can pin any image directly from your web store, and a link to the store is created automatically. That’s great for advertising purposes; a smart campaign using Pinterest will amaze your customers.

Take into account that Pinterest's most pinned images are: artistic, vintage, and humorous. You can use that info in your favor to create a complete campaign, using some of these ideas. Frequently, you’ll see in Pinterest a 50’s styled photo, and find it was taken in the present century.

Below, I’ve created a quick resource and how-to guide for Pinterest success. Will start with setting up a business page for the Marketing strategy of Pinterest.

To help you build a strategy for your brand on this channel, I have selected 5 tips below that we use for our customers on this social network:

Create a company page on Pinterest;

Create boards that are related to your business. Fashion e-commerce, for example, can create panels like: looks to work, summer fashion 2015, long skirts, silk shirts, etc ...

Use good images. Be creative and remember that these images can inspire people to buy your products or services. If you have a hotel, how about putting pictures of nearby tourist spots? Or details of the rooms or the restaurant? If you have a restaurant, you can upload photos of the dishes, your beautiful cuisine, recipes, etc.

Don't just talk about your company and products. Create inspirational panels, wishes, advice, ideas, tips, based on what your company believes and your positioning. How about showing your company's culture, with behind-the-scenes photos of your company, your team, work desks, and the company's mascot?

 To increase engagement with your brand, follow other people's panels so they can see that you exist and follow you too. Despite being simple, many brands do not do this.

Now let's discuss the recommendations for using Pinterest for marketing, or to advertise your products:

Recommendations for Pinterest Marketing.

Complete your profile information. This is a common recommendation when signing up for any social media. If people like your pins, surely they will want to know more about you. Hence, be prepared to make all the info you can available. Think of that as your business card.

Organize your boards. Boards offer an excellent method to categorize your products. Customers will find more easily those similar products if all of them are grouped under the same board. In addition, if any of your pins gain the favor of the audience, it will lead people to a lot of products or services in the same style.

Use description captions wisely. Pins can show a caption, but if it is too long, it will be cropped in the thumbnail. This allows you to use a punch-line caption, or instead, write a long caption that leaves the readers in suspense, motivating them to click on the image.

Select provocative images. Pinterest’s main feed shows a huge collection of images, all of them competing for your attention. To catch your customers’ attention, you must show creative, neither boring nor repetitive pins. Evocative, vintage pictures are very appreciated, but you also can show innovative, modern, and breathtaking photos.

Keep your boards up to date. You must have a wide availability of images, showing your products, your services, general info, or news. In that way, you will assure presence in customers’ minds. Pinterest will help you to merchandise your brand, and to raise your sales.

This is all about Pinterest Strategies and Marketing Methods. But Inorder to achieve success just strategies and marketing methods are important. We need to know the possibility of increasing the followers and also need to know the difference between Instagram and Pinterest as both of them work only on Images.

Let's discuss in detail Pinterest Followers and The Magic Of Pinterest City!

Pinterest is a magical discovery and I am not the one saying it, but the millions of Pinterest followers all over the world. This has become one of the most famous social networks that are slowly starting to catch more and more ground over the oldies of the business (Facebook, Twitter). The working concept that lies behind Pinterest is the sharing and exploring of human life and beauty through pinning images and videos on boards. Same as with Instagram, the emphasis is placed on beautiful pictures that can take your breath away and raise awareness on whatever your heart desires.

The difference between Pinterest and Instagram is that on Pinterest you can work with images (and videos) created by others, while on Instagram you’re the one taking the photo. Pinterest is for curators.

Pinterest users can do all these things with the help of pinboards which are boards that host pictures or videos known as pins. It is pretty simple once you have uploaded your first pin. The rest is history. You will simply adore pinning and it will not become an obligation like in many other different cases.

For example, if you own a business and you need to get people interested in what you sell, Pinterest is perfect for this. But first, like on any other social media network you have to add as many Pinterest followers as possible.

But what is the best way to reach maximum potential when it comes to Pinterest followers? Below you will find a list of tricks and tips that might come in handy when you are looking to make your profile visible and loved by all the Pinterest followers in the world.

Pinterest followers. Tips and tricks:

1. Create interesting boards. Since Pinterest is more about pictures than actual content, use these boards to attract people to a specific topic. For example, if you own a gym or if you are a sports instructor and you want to highlight certain aspects of your teaching create a board destined for stretching, one for fitness, one for aerobics, and so on. This way those interested in fitness will go directly to the board specifically created for this purpose, pleasing his or her needs faster.

2. Follow other pinners. Since the entire idea of the Pinterest followers is to be attracted in some way or another, remember the mutuality theory. You follow a profile and that person will reciprocate. But you should know common sense only goes that far. If someone is not interested or doesn’t approve of what you do, you will not receive that vote of confidence that you expected so long. And this way we reach point 3.

3. Tutorials. Pinterest followers will only come if your information is worth following. Give them something interesting and they will follow you immediately. The best way to do this is to teach something. Bring to the attention tutorials that will make them learn something useful related to the topic of your business. Tutorials are the best way to accumulate new information because they combine pictures with instructions and they don’t require a difficult process of thinking. Do this and you will get a large number of Pinterest followers quickly!

4. Pinterest features. Who wouldn’t want to become Pinterest followers when the buttons that lead them to the page are right there. Incorporate the Pinterest button on blog posts, Facebook profiles, pages, Twitter profiles, etc. Make people see what they are missing out on. And remember that now Pinterest comes with “Pinterest for business”, a special page where you can enter the community, share your story and make your business count.

5. Value your Pinterest followers. Offer good products and pictures that have a high definition quality. Try to keep your pinning process daily so that you can maintain people updated. And last but not least, appreciate the advice received and try to transform bad criticism into positive and flourishing results.

 Have you started experimenting with Pinterest for marketing? Are you still in dilemma to excute the pinterest Marketing, then take the help of BUYFORONE Social Media Experts and they provide wide range of pinterest management services.

#pinterest #pins #pinterest traffic #pinterest marketing #pinterest board #pinterest manager

[2bstudioblog]

Konami’s wheels are turning... slowly

Lot’s of interesting news heading to our heads this Monday from what I heard from Yong Yea’s video about Konami wanting to outsource their IP’s to 3rd parties.

Obviously, Akira Yamaoka has kinda given away a strong hint that he’s working on a project with Bloober which in this case would be the long awaited SH remake or the direction they had with PT before it got cancelled. Akira Yamaoka also decided that (too late) he wanted to amend the article from his interview and release it later down the line. It’s very unusual that these news happen, but we all know Yamaoka is most famous for his music in Silent Hill.

Which brings me to a funny story about my own involvement of a Silent Hill game. I mentioned this on a podcast that I was part of 2 Konami-owned IP’s that went into another direction and killing off their franchises which have been like dead bodies in a morgue for the last 7 years.

I got the request to write industrial-metal music for a Silent Hill (of course at this time I only knew the IP and their most famous version of the game has been Silent Hill 2.) game. First I was of course very excited to be part of the series, but I jumped to early until I found out it was a Pachinko-machine (A japanese style pinball-game mixed with a touch-screen and a one-armed bandit and a slot-machine in one.), and my heart sank a little. I think I produced 4-5 cues for the machine, but I’m glad that nobody will be able to hear my “mediocre” masterpieces because all you would hear are metal-balls falling into a tray. But the thing about this machine, it had taken cut-scenes from Silent Hill 2, upscaled or even re-mastered/remade the graphics which would have looked great if it was its own game. But it was the same thing they’ve done with all their other IPs when those transfer over to this kind of entertainment. All what was left of it, Jim Sterling turned the game into a Meme and all I can hear is the -”HIT THE LEVER!” and the effects overpowering the music behind it. But I’m glad it didn’t go further then that. Technically here, Silent Hill(s) died with the arrival of the pachinko-slot machine and the series have tried to re-establish itself ever since.

Another game I was a part of was a Castlevania (Dracula in Japan) themed Pachinko-slot machine, with the revolutionary phrase “Erotic Violence” in it’s PR material and video-commercial. I mean, they took the music production part of this machine very seriously because I wasn’t aware of the “EV” part. I just thought it would be a machine praising the history of Castlevania. I was assigned to re-write and re-orchestrate a few songs from Neo-classical Metal music into more Progressive Metal style, and I was super-proud of this one because they had the sheet-music already available for me. All I had to do was re-arrange some parts for a string-quartet (1 cello, 2 violins and 1 viola) and I believe it was engineered and recorded by famed engineer Kenji Nakai who was under and working with famed engineer Mr Bruce Swedien (Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones).

From that moment me and Mr. Nakai stroke a friendship because he has a passion for Progressive Metal and he asked me if I could send more songs his way. From this we both have been incredibly busy on both of our ends, but I hope we can be able to work on something in the future. I have a feeling that might be soon.

So a long story short, Konami spent a lot of money for recording, they approved everything and we were done. But when it turned out to be a pachinko-machine and not a world-wide videogame release, I just had to facepalm myself, asking the question why they keep doing so many poor decisions. Why leaving all those fans out in the cold and really start making Castlevania mean something. This void of “lots of fancy things, but no substance” started right here...

Konami are turning their wheels a little bit too late and too slow until now. After they got rid of Hideo Kojima (Who I believe was thinking of the international-market rather than the domestic one), Konami had only one thing on their minds: Making money quick and domestically. No more wasted time on translations, straight for the gambling crowd. No need to write interesting stories. No need to introduce kids to this adult material. They wanted to earn it back as fast as possible. But we all see their decisions put them on the map as a “black-company”, who mistreat their staff, shaming them out in the office for overstaying their lunch-breaks. Moving staff from one business to another, from a programmer to a Konami-fitness Center-staff, or as a toilet-cleaner at a Konami-owned pachinko-slot gambling hall. The management of the company has been horrendous for the full-time employee. I’m glad I was not part of these later projects and only wrote stuff for them for Pro Evolution Soccer series from 2009-2012. (My work on 2010-2012 was unfortunately un-credited work. :(

Metal Gear Solid V - The Phantom Pain In My Ass

When the playable teaser called Metal Gear Solid - Ground Zeroes, came out on the PS3 and later on the PS4, it was an introduction for the new graphics engine designed by Hideo Kojima’s team, simply called The FOX-Engine. Basically this “game” was more of a demo rather than a full-product. But it looked great and with a fantastic score by Akihiro Honda, Ludvig Forssell and Harry Gregson-Williams, it had everything going for it to become something really awesome. It became a standard approach from Hideo Kojima now to produce “Playable Teasers” to show a great concept while offering a 3-4 hour short campaign, showing off the engine’s graphical capabilities.

Still, the story was under progress and I knew early on that Hideo Kojima really didn’t want to do it after he always felt that Metal Gear Solid 4 was final. But here is the curse of the die-hard fans, and I’m sorry to say it. No matter how many Iron Man movies Marvel crams out, at the 3rd movie, I started to feel “This does not feel like Iron Man anymore”. But that’s what the fans wanted and is a standard in the movie industry. Always produce a trilogy. Indiana Jones has always been the 3 movies from 1981-1989. The 4th one doesn’t really need to be called Indiana Jones at all. It was there I felt, just like with Metal Gear Solid V, they were beating a DEAD RACE HORSE.

I can’t deny the talents on display for Metal Gear Solid - Ground Zeroes. It laid down some really cool foundations for the gameplay, but I still believe the better game-series for stealth was beaten by the likes of Splinter Cell and most recently Thief. Stealth in MGS has always felt a little bit childish and I only really enjoyed MGS 1, MGS 2, tried to play MGS 3 (still have it one my Vita!) and will try to finish it. MGS 3 has felt like the TRUE Zeroes experience, with the inception of the story and lore behind the cloning of Big Boss. MGS 4 finally brought it all to a great finale and I felt, there is NOTHING more to tell. MGS 1, 2 and 4 is the Trilogy, MGS 3 serves as the Prequel and I see nothing wrong with that.

Mission - Erase Kojima’s Legacy

The making of MGS V - The Phantom Pain is kinda true to it’s title. Can you feel the nostalgia? Or are we just imagining the sensation of a Metal Gear Solid game past it’s prime? The missing link? The missing limb? And with the worlds biggest cop-out  of everything that had to do with story was completely missing.

Each mission is playing out every time the same, with an intro to a TV-show, giving away massive spoilers to who would appear in the mission, you do your thing (not so much of story, just a “go-here, do that approach, sneak back out, head to pick-up) rinse and repeat. I wonder how much of this was Kojima’s fault? I don’t think he was up to it. I’m sure he fought for more story but the big heads didn’t want to listen to what makes a MGS game a MGS game. The new management had now already played the hand to disown the man who put Konami on the map for games since the mid 80s.

The game is no longer marketed like before. The tagline “A Hideo Kojima Game” no longer exists and will never be part of Konami’s mission of erasing the person who gave them their fame and the recognition that a game carrying the name Konami was a brand of quality for any gamer out there. Me myself, personally only played PES because of the stellar animations, but its recently since 2012, I stopped playing the series. FIFA had already cheapened itself, PES likewise. Updating the graphics, but the same old animations have been recycled back to the PES3 days. Maybe there’s been an update in the collision engine, but otherwise everything stayed the same, with the huge amount of data collected from previous years of motion-capture, why do it all over when its all about the brand recognition? Saving money on processes wherever possible. Simple Math. And here it is. MGS V is not a MGS game.

We already knew it was going to be a massive budget behind the game of MGS V. But what can Konami do to save money on MGS V? They already have the Fox Engine running from Ground Zeroes. The assets for “Snake” (I’ll let you know why I put quotation-marks around it) and standard models will extend somewhat. Oh, yes, let’s save money on a character that doesn’t speak (Quiet), over-sexualize the character to start a fan-base of people who just dig character design, animated a sexy “shower” routine for the character for boys to go nuts over. What about voice? Let’s not really try to sync the voices to the mouths. Let’s have the guy from “24″ record his performances onto tape-logs. Kiefer Sutherland would have been a good “Snake”, but I understand now that you are not “SNAKE”. The game explains pretty soon at the end that you are just a Medic and all the tapes you’ve been listening to is the original Big Boss. You never where the character of Snake. Even though this all could have been handled better, Konami wanted to save money wherever possible. We also knew David Hayter was not asked or put forward to return as “The Voice of Snake”. But in this case I start to wonder myself, David Hayter might have dodged the biggest bullet in the most expensive, commercial and very controversial game of all time once Konami decided to kill everything that built up their reputation.

Even during production Kojima managed to start working on PT. The game Konami “silenced” after it was released on the PS-store. Guillermo Del Toro and his friendship with Hideo Kojima’s dream-game was put on ice. All because Kojima was about to get frozen out of the company that was according to Konami “Wasting too much bloody money”. I might get blacklisted for saying this, but once the new management started to mess with the other IPs for just domestic/gambling market, that’s where everything went sideways. Konami wasn’t treating their heritage with respect.

It took them 7 years to realize their mistake! And now, for those who wants to be part of 3rd party developers who would get a crack at a new Castlevania, a new Metal Gear Solid (remake I hope), Konami has realized that the only way they will survive (Yeah, Metal Gear Solid Survive killed them HARD) is to let other’s take over. Maybe my dream of scoring a Metal Gear Solid game would be somewhat more possible now rather than working in the confined space of limitations posed by the higher ups at Konami. Let 3rd party developers breathe life into the IPs because I know there are smarter ways to tell a story and I would gladly like to see the return of David Hayter in the seat, without having to deal with the blank-face approach that he was faced with every time he had to audition for Snake in MGS 2, 3 and 4! David Hayter is a fantastic writer, actor and voice-actor. He has the chops and I think we are all ready for either a re-make or a better follow up to MGS 2 and the time between that one and MGS 4.

#Metal Gear Solid V #the phantom pain #Konami #Hideo Kojima #Akira Yamaoka #Yong Yea #Castlevania #Pachinko #Silent Hill #PT #Ground Zeroes #harry gregson williams #ludvig forssell #3rd Party #Bloober team #remake #Metal Gear Solid Remake

[that-shamrock-vibe]

Movie Review: Sonic the Hedgehog (Spoilers)

Spoiler Warning: I am posting this review the day the movie is first released in the U.K, so if you haven’t yet seen the movie do not read on until you have.

General Reaction:

It's difficult with today's movie going audience to predict how movies like Sonic are going to perform and be received. Especially when the ad campaign did absolutely no favours for this movie other than convince Paramount that Sonic needed a more truthful redesign than what they originally put out.

Here's the thing. Sonic the Hedgehog to me is trying to be 2020's Detective Pikachu capitalising on that nostalgia of a beloved classic franchise.

However, I do feel that the haters and internet trolls out there are not going to be able to get past the comparisons this movie draws to 2011's Hop, which was a live-action/CGI-hybrid movie starring James Marsden who becomes the companion of a somewhat overbearing CG creature.

But, I encourage all movie goers, including the haters, to go into this with an open mind...particularly if you have any history with Sonic because you will get some enjoyment and walk away afterwards feeling happy overall.

My personal history with Sonic is slightly less-so than I would like. I played the original 2 SEGA games countless times and did watch some episodes of the earlier animated shows.

Having said that, my main Sonic fandom actually comes from the mid-noughties series Sonic X, which I feel this movie could have adapted but alas. Also I played the Shadow the Hedgehog spinoff game and more recently Smash Bros where I actually won as Sonic recently.

Now this movie reminds me of those shows and games practically in no way. I mean there is that opening sequence where you see Sonic running around and looping like he does in the SEGA games, I do also feel like James Marsden's character could easily be an older version of Chris, the boy from Sonic X, but aside from that, the gold rings and Robotnik...there's not a lot for the Sonic fans to spot.

I can't say this is a perfect movie, because it really is not. There are a lot of super speed gags and some of them do stick but some just fall flat and at times feel repetitive.

The worst crime this movie commits in my opinion is stealing Quicksilver's gimmick of speed scenes. By which I mean there are not one but two occasions when time is slowed down to almost a halt and we see Sonic running around still. They even have songs specific for these scenes.

Also, because I'm not fully aware of every Sonic incarnation, I did not understand why Sonic is effectively The Flash with being able to generate lightning. I mean I understand the laws of physics of generating enough friction can create static but I have never known Sonic to have any electric attacks.

I did like how the static electricity was preserved in his quills when they fell off though. In animation and the games you don’t think about Sonic’s realistic hedgehog qualities such as having quills so it was a nice touch.

I am also aware that Sonic has turned Super Saigen before with the help of the Chaos Emeralds I believe, so the fact we see a similar transformation here is quite good to see for that reason.

In terms of story I do think this is a simple plot that has been done numerous times, Hop is definitely one example that comes to mind, but I feel it’s also a very accessible story for non-Sonic fans.

I don’t know if Longclaw the Owl is an original character or one from Sonic mythology but I did not really vest much interest in her. Baby Sonic I thought was cute, but I refuse to accept anyone saying he is cuter than Baby Yoda as no one is cuter than Baby Yoda.

On the subject of age, it was good to see them acknowledging Sonic’s age for a change as opposed to just presuming because up until now I did always think he was some sort of teenager but this confirms it. If Baby Sonic is around 5-9 years old then Sonic in present day is late teens which makes sense with his temperament.

The gold rings being used as teleportation devices, I don’t know if they’re meant to be in the games but loved their use here.

I enjoyed the use of technology in this movie and particularly Robotnik’s commentary on how technology is more reliable than people which ties into his ultimate fate of being stranded alone without another soul on the planet he is sent to which forces him further into insanity.

The fact Sonic’s story is about fitting into society while James Marsden’s character is about figuring out what’s right in front of him are great parallels and do balance each other out rather well.

Also where he ends up with effectively being part of a family as well as a town hero was a nice way to wrap things up.

However, that mid-credits scene showing the arrival of Sonic’s faithful protege Tails to the real world looking for his friend screams for a sequel, especially if this means that more of Sonic’s companions could be introduced in the future like Knuckles, Shadow or even Rouge the Bat.

Characters:

Dr. Robotnik:

I don’t want to say he is the best character because I feel all four of the main cast members do a great job, but my favourite definitely is Jim Carrey as Robotnik. This is Carrey back on form and there were so many great shades of back when he was at the top of his game in the 90s with work such as Ace Ventura, The Mask and The Grinch.

From his first scene he stole every scene he was in. You could tell that he was taking the role seriously while also having the time of his life with it and this is why, back in the day, he was on such high form.

He may not have been the overweight bald megalomaniac, at least with the latter two not until the end of the movie, but he was the evil genius and mad scientist and almost every line he delivered he nailed.

I think “rockonnaissance” is going to be the new “joygasm” for him but it worked for The Riddler and it works for Robotnik.

I’m also happy he was nicknamed Eggman in the movie by Sonic because of the shape of his drones, I thought it was fitting. I can’t wait for Sonic to see the new bald version.

Sonic:

Yes Sonic is second but I said it before, there were times when he was overbearing.

Ben Schwartz by the way does a fantastic job voicing the character, I know he voices Dewey in the new Ducktales series and also for some reason voices BB-8 in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, but this is my favourite role of his voice is so realistic for a wide-eyed and somewhat innocent “alien” hedgehog.

I enjoyed how when he first came to Earth he was this urban legend around Green Hills who spent those 10 years people watching and either making up nicknames for the citizens while also longing to fit in with them but knowing not to.

Also the movie’s comedy was never as vulgar as Ryan Reynolds or immature as Russell Brand. I think they had one fart joke in the movie but the rest was generic comedy movie material which was hit and miss in comedy.

It was quite touching also that he was so protective of Green Hills and the status quo so much so that when Tom said he was planning on leaving to move to San Francisco, he was so offended and I thought it was going to be that trope of “Oh now they’re going to separate only to discover they need each other later” but instead it was a few digs and then they got over it.

I am so happy they did redesign the character because the movie’s original look for him was horrendous and did make Cats look reasonable whereas this is more like the Sonic everyone knows and I did not realise he didn’t have his traditional running shoes until Jojo, the niece of Tika Sumpter’s character, replaced them for him.

I will keep saying I want a sequel just because I am interested to see where Sonic’s story takes him next, especially with Tails now on Earth and the potentiality that others could join.

The Wachowskis

Again I thought James Marsden and Tika Sumpter did very pleasant jobs. This is my favourite James Marsden performance to date. Up until now his roles have been either corny or simply bland for me but here, yes there were a couple of dodgy jokes and moments but overall I thought Tom was a very likeable character and at the very least a driven character.

His wife Maddie, first of all props to the movie writers for having a mixed-race couple front and centre in the movie. But also, Maddie, who is also an accomplished career woman alongside her accomplished career husband, did not weigh Tom down or the story down as simply being “just the wife”.

I also enjoyed Maddie’s sister and niece, Jojo is quite cute and for the little screentime that she has does well with it for a child her age. While Natasha Rothwell continues to grow in my estimations after her fabulous turn in Love, Simon as the very sassy teacher.

Others:

As for the rest of the cast, this was a great who’s who for spotting the great jobbing actors as Lee Majdoub, Neal McDonough, Michael Hogan and Adam Pally all have minor supporting roles that do not go unnoticed.

Meanwhile Colleen Villard (née O'Shaughnessey), who voices Tails in the video games as well as voicing Wasp in The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes series and Sora in the Digimon franchise, reprises her role as the anthropomorphic fox in an uncredited mid-credits scene. I am hoping she returns for the sequel because it is good to hear her acting again.

Recommendation:

I do see a future for this movie in terms of a franchise. I do not quite see it crossing over with Detective Pikachu as I know there were rumblings of some sort of Super Smash Bros. movie cinematic universe.

However, if the movie does warrant a sequel, and with a current Rotten Tomatoes score of 64%, considering this seems to be a deciding factor for some cinema goers, I don’t see why not. I am hoping the future of this franchise does see the introductions of Knuckles, Shadow, Rouge and even Amy.

Potentially also spinning off from this franchise, there could be Donkey Kong, Mega Man and maybe even Mario to create that Super Smash Bros. universe.

Overall I rate the movie 8/10, it’s a great movie and definitely has some rewatchability to it.

Having said that I can see where some cinema snobs or even haters may come from as they inevitably target the movie but I encourage everyone not to be taken in by other people’s opinions, not even mine, make up your own minds and see it for yourself.

So that’s my review of Sonic the Hedgehog, what did you guys think? Post your comments and check out more Movie Reviews as well as other posts.

#sonic #sonic the hedgehog #sonic the hedghog movie #sonic movie #sonic 2020 #sonic the hedgehog movie #sonic the hedgehog 2020 #sonic the movie #sonic the movie 2020 #sega #super smash bros #smash bros #tails the fox #james marsden #jim carrey #tika sumpter #neal mcdonough #michael hogan #shadow the hedgehog #rouge the bat #knuckles #knuckles the echidna #detective pikachu #hop #sonic x

[girl4music]

My review of the XBOX Series X

So I’ve had nearly a full week with the XBOX Series X and here is my honest opinion on my experience with it and this is my initial review of it. I’m not gonna talk about the technology or go into anything about the console’s hardware too deeply. I will talk about the features and benefits it offers. Going into some things that work and don’t work as well as promised by Microsoft and XBOX. Finally, I will talk about all the bugs and issues that I experienced and found most annoying. Most of which have already been identified and reported. 

First up, be aware that I am coming from an XBOX 360 as my last XBOX console experience so I may say stuff that applies to the XBOX One as well.

1. BACKWARDS COMPATIBILITY AND AUTO HDR: Microsoft promised that the XBOX Series X and S would work right out of the box with 1000’s of gaming titles across 4 generations. This promise holds up… However, they do not run anywhere half as well as they also promised they would. They do run better than their native platform, that is true. But it’s not a groundbreaking difference. And AUTO HDR doesn’t really work with most games that never had it to begin with. It makes the colours and textures look really odd and you don’t get that nostalgic feeling of playing an old legacy title because of the “updates”. Which is something I was very much looking forward to. It’s pick your poison I guess. You can either have a legacy game running better and looking greater on a platform that can take the graphical fidelity and framerate boosts, or have a full reunion with your beloved legacy games from your childhood. You can turn AUTO HDR off via the main console settings, but this still doesn’t really give you the latter. Not in my personal opinion anyway. It’s not disappointing as it’s not something I really expected. I just would have liked to have it. Nostalgia >>> Shiny any day.

2. QUICK RESUME AND LOADING TIMES: The XBOX Series X (can’t speak for the S) has significantly improved on speed thanks to the custom lightning fast and functional SSD. So much so that you can now travel between multiple games fully loaded up on the SSD within the time of a few seconds. However, quick resume is not only useful to be able to play between 3 or 4 games (more according to YouTube influencers who have tried and tested this out far more than me) in one sitting. You can also effectively use it to save your game. Or rather… Replace save states IN a game. What quick resume allows you to do is keep your game saved at ANY point, and completely SHUT the console down and UNPLUG it for several days (or longer, again, never tested it that far) and then PLUG it in and switch it ON again, and come back to exactly where you left off in the game. And I do mean EXACTLY WHERE YOU LEFT OFF!

For example; you could be in an all-important boss fight in ‘Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla’ and be so frustrated with not being able to beat this boss after trying many times. You could indeed just pause the game, come out to the dashboard, turn the console off and walk away from it all…. And when you came back to have another go at it, you would not have to restart the boss fight and just carry on with where you left off in chopping down their health. I did this several times because I suck at boss fights… And every time, this worked and it was the strategy that got me through them all. So a little cool off time is more than affordable with the XBOX Series X. And if you hate boss fights, suddenly you won’t hate boss fights as much anymore if you do the same. It makes a world of a difference to your experience. Believe me, quick resume is a literal life-saver.

To add to that, you also benefit from much quicker load times both with booting up the games and in-game fast-travelling or level-entering. Instead of 5 minutes waiting for a game to boot up into the main campaign or wherever,… It will take at most up to 50 seconds for the most power-taxing of games. 'Grand Theft Auto 5' for instance, known for it’s notoriously long boot into story or online mode… Now only takes 10 seconds from the company title advertisements to get into the area of the game you want to play. It is so fast that you do not have the time to read the tips and tricks dialogue that takes up the screen during the initial loading. It’s honestly a quality of life you never even knew you needed or was missing until you had it.

3. BUGS AND ISSUES: Being that I bought the XBOX Series X at Launch (November 10th), I very much expected it to come with a plethora of bugs and issues to discover and be witness to as a consumer and user of newly developed and released hardware and software. And these bugs and issues have already been identified and reported to Microsoft and the respective console and game developers. Bugs where you cannot play games that offer 4K at 120 hertz (4K/120fps) without visual and audial distortions or even without turning the game off altogether. I particularly had trouble with this in trying to play ‘Rise Of The Tomb Raider' 20 Year Celebration edition. Once I downloaded it from the XBOX Store fully, (which took a LONG FUCKING TIME, we’ll get on to that in a bit), I immediately tried to play it and because my display settings were set at 4K/120 because I have a TV that supports that setting, it was having all sorts of problems in booting up. There was all this distortion happening on screen both visually and audially that I thought my ultra high speed HDMI cable that came with the console was broken or faulty. I also remember specifically that it kept turning my Game Mode on and off rapidly and I didn’t know how to stop it avoiding a full reset of the console. This game was the worst for it but it also happened in other games I tried to play too. Including those I had as physical disks.

Speaking of… I did not encounter the “black/blank screen of death” issue other next-gen XBOX consumers and users did where you would enter a game disk and be met with a black or blank screen. BUT I did have trouble with downloading the “updates” for the games I had bought physically. I expected the games I downloaded digitally to take a long time to download fully, but I figured that it would be much quicker for the “updates” for physical games. This was not the case, and for some games, it actually took LONGER. I don’t know why this happens or if it can even be fixed in a firmware update, but it has put me off buying games physically for it, which is certainly not a good thing for store game retailers. And I’m someone who actually cares about that and would want to help them out as much as possible since they are a dying breed. But if it takes longer to download physical games than to download digital games, I’m not sure I can hold up that promise. The time it takes to download is a major frustration for me. I’ll be leaving my console on for long periods of time doing nothing but downloading that I otherwise wouldn’t. And I’ve got to say right now that I am glad I do not have an OLED TV where this would be much more of a problem due to burn-in risks. I would highly suggest anyone who is buying a new TV for their XBOX Series X or S with all the bells and whistles to not buy an OLED for this reason. Leaving an OLED TV on with a display picture that never moves for hours at a time would severely decrease it’s life and usage capacity. I recommend a Samsung QLED TV instead. That’s what I’ve got. I bought their Q95T 55inch 4K TV for gaming alone and it has not disappointed in the slightest. But I won’t go into why it’s the better TV to buy for next-gen gaming since this is not a TV review. You can look that up for yourselves at your leisure.

Another issue the XBOX Series X has is with its sharing image snapshots and video clips feature. The new controller for the console has a dedicated share button and that works really well. I’ve had no problems with it capturing the content that I want to share. But sharing to social media and to XBOX Live itself is the issue. And this happens with video clips more so than image snapshots. For some reason, when I go to share a video clip to Twitter, the load bar moves forward partly but then it immediately stops and gives me a black/blank screen. And sure enough, when I go to check my Twitter on my phone, it has not posted the video clip. And trying to share it to XBOX Live first and then share it to Twitter from my phone via the XBOX app doesn’t work either. The same issue applies here too. Black/blank screen when trying to share it to XBOX Live. Snapshot images also has this issue but every once in awhile it will allow you to share to both XBOX Live and social media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Twitch ect…) whereas it will not allow you to share video clips at all. This is an issue Microsoft are aware of and are apparently fixing in a November firmware update at the end of the month. To what degree they fix it though is the real question because this feature is buggy as hell. So much for promoting and hyping up that dedicated share button on the controller, eh Phil Spencer and Co?

Well, that’s it. That’s been my experience with the XBOX Series X so far. Of course the pros of quick resume and loading times cut in half far outweigh the cons of faulty 4K resolution at 120 hertz gameplay and buggy sharing content features. I say do not let that put you off buying this fantastic piece of hardware because those bugs and issues can be fixed easily. The extremely long downloading for digital and physical games might not though and you might want to reconsider buying a next-gen XBOX console if you have an OLED TV. Or if you have the console already but not the TV to get the most advantages out of the console, consider buying a Samsung QLED instead. Thank you.

#xbox series x #microsoft #next-gen gaming #phil spencer #review #backwards compatibility #auto hdr #quick resume #loading times #bugs and issues #downloading #digital #physical #games

[epochxp]

Epoch Xperience Interviews Nordic Weasel Founder, Ivan Sorensen

Mr. Sorensen needs no real introduction to many miniature wargamers. His company, Nordic Weasel Games, has taken the historical miniatures gaming world by storm, and he’s become the force on Wargames Vault. His formula of “substance over flash” has produced good games for a very reasonable price, and he has taken full advantage of PDF technology to produce a quality product one can buy and have in your (virtual hands) the next day. 

Without further ado, I give you Ivan Sorensen:

Biography

My name is Ivan Sorensen, and I am a game designer and self-publishing writer of miniatures games, as well as the odd role-playing game. Under the moniker of Nordic Weasel Games, I have worked as a game writer for close to 7 years. 

I am an avid player of board games, miniatures games, role-playing games, video games, and anything else I can get my hands on. I have spent half my life on this planet in Denmark, where I was born, and half in the United States, where I currently reside. I am married, have one kid and two cats named Scruffy and Lancelot. 

Unlike a lot of historical games writers, many of my formative miniatures gaming experiences actually came from science fiction games, so I suppose that has given me a little bit of a different perspective.

So, how did you get started in writing rules? Was there an “aha” moment, or did you fall into it?

At the risk of sounding cheesy, I have basically always created little dice and board games for myself, using Lego pieces or other things that we had available, usually based on video games I had read about in magazines or other ideas like that.

When I was 12 or so, I remember getting a copy of White Dwarf magazine from a local gaming club I had joined, and it blew my mind. We had some limited exposure to the idea of space marines and all these things from the Milton Bradley Hero Quest and Space Crusade board games, but the idea of battle games played without a board, using miniatures and dice was too much to resist. I knew I had to get into this, and as I had no money for it, I sat down to write a game I could play with my Space Crusade figures, which would look as much like what I imagined Warhammer 40.000 would be like.

Since then, I had pretty much always been the “rules guy” in the gaming groups I was part of, whether we were playing miniatures games or RPG’s, so it just came naturally over time, I suppose. As I got access to the internet and later got access to ordering things from the UK or US, I devoured every game I could get my hands on and was even remotely interested in. 

The start to writing games that were any good was my own attempt at creating a World War 1 game system (titled Trench Storm). I had shared it online, and to my great surprise, it began catching people’s attention and got a (very) small following, with people even purchasing miniatures to play it. Eventually, I was contacted by the US distributor for IT Miniatures, who offered to print it to promote their 20mm figure range. The rest is, as they say, history. Once in a great while, a copy of that game still pops up on eBay, it seems! 

How did Nordic Weasel Games come to be? 

So that story took place right around the time I moved to the United States. After moving, I had a lengthy period where I did not have my work permit yet, so game writing seemed like an obvious distraction, resulting in Fast and Dirty, a sci-fi rules set that you still see mentioned online here and there.

As the years went on, I kept tinkering and building things but mostly for my own enjoyment. Sometime during the fall of 2013, I started seriously working on a new game system for WW2 skirmish actions that I felt had some real potential to go places. At the time, I worked at a relatively dead-end middle management job at an incredibly toxic information technology company. You know the sort of job, where you have been there for too long, and you hate every minute of it. 

Come the spring, I decided to take a gamble that I could make enough money from game sales to make it worth pursuing and quit. I figured if I could find a way to do it without putting money on the line, then if it all bombed, I could just walk away and find something else to do in life.

Consequently, Five Men in Normandy was released on June 15, 2014, and as of today, we are still here! 

What is in the future for Nordic Weasel?

Hopefully, many big things! The biggest priority for 2021 specifically is to get into print books, though there are a lot of stumbling blocks in terms of layout requirements and so on.

I always keep a list of projects I would like to do, though I try not to talk about them too much in case they fall through. I am the sort of guy who always starts with 20 ideas, so by the time the unworkable ones have been weeded out, there are 2 or 3 left. 

What I can say is that I am actively looking at fantasy miniatures battles, and I would love to do more WW1 and Black Powder era gaming material. 

The real big question is that I am also very much at a point where there are just too many things to do it all alone. I cannot write 4 or 5 new games, support an entire back catalogue, and update old titles all by my lonesome, so I look forward to trying to solve that in the future. I suppose this is a good problem to have, but it is certainly also an intimidating one!

Is there a period of history you want to write rules for but have not?

We have worked extensively with the two world wars and the black powder era in general, as well as 20th century-to-modern era battles, and with Knyghte, Pyke and Sworde we even delved into medieval warfare.

The one that stands out as something that would be fun to do is World War 1 air combat, complete with goggles and scarf flapping in the wind. A little romanticized sure, but great fun, and there is a lot of fantastic models available.

For a historical era I have not touched on at all, I would say that while I have done games that cover it among other 19th century conflicts, a dedicated American Civil War set is something I would be very keen to do.

There are a lot of fantastic rules out there for the period, of course, but I feel like the “Weasel” approach of being solo-friendly and campaign-oriented could carve out a nice space of that market. Plus, I find the era quite fascinating. Growing up in Denmark, I was never really raised with a particular view of the conflict, but having married into a proud Vermont family, it is, of course, unavoidable. 

Can you tell our readers what goes into rules writing?

I think this is something that is intensely personal, and the rationale for writing something can be varied: It may be due to sensing an opening in the hobby space that does not seem to be catered to currently. It may be that I have a personal passion for a given setting or era, or it may simply be that I have a clever game mechanic and want to build a game around it.

The process for me usually starts with sketching out a page or two of keywords, mechanics, and things I’d like to hit on a notepad. Then I work on building it out with simple sketches for the main areas of the mechanics: Activations, movement, shooting, morale, and so forth. Basically, carving out the cornerstones of the game system. At this stage, it is entirely possible it feels like it’s not going anywhere, and it goes in the bin. 

If the core idea seems to have merit in this skeleton form, it’s time to test it out with some generic troops and see if it actually feels fun on the table. From there, you just build out from it: Get other people to read and play it, read it out loud to yourself, etc. Figure out what parts need ironing out and improving and which are good. 

It is really all an iterative process. Once I know the game has legs to stand on, I start writing out the table of contents in advance, so I can “fill in the blanks” as I go. If I know I am going to have a section later for off-map support, I can keep that in mind when I am developing each piece of the mechanics and so forth.

Eventually, any project hits “The Suck (TM).” This is whatever part you hate doing the most, whether it is layout or proofreading or points systems or whatever. For me, it is terrain rules, funny enough. I never read that section of a rulebook, and I never enjoy writing it, but you must. “The Suck” is where your game will probably die because if you let it overcome you, you will put the book down, and every time you click on the word processor, you will immediately be faced with it. The best way to defeat “The Suck” in my experience is caffeine and not letting up: When it starts rearing its ugly head, it is time to keep going and don’t stop until you are through with it. 

Has desktop publishing and PDF only supplements changed the face of the hobby? Has it affected the quality of the product we see today?

Absolutely yeah. It’s not that long ago that a game being available in PDF was a novelty, whereas today, if a game is NOT available in PDF, you are going to lose sales. 

I think the barrier of entry has also dropped dramatically. Even a basic word processing package can churn out a PDF document that you can distribute online or sell. Of course, with proper page layout software, you can achieve much greater results (as some of my friends are rarely missing a chance to tell me), but you need to examine what your skill limit is. Any tool has a skill cap, to borrow a video game term. If you are not currently good enough at what you do to push up against the limitations of your software, burning 200 dollars on new apps will not make your books any better.

It is funny, though, because the wargaming field is so diverse in the type of things we see. You can pick up relatively big-name games that are incredibly plain-looking: Black and white, no art, rudimentary layout. Then right next to it, you see a PDF that is full-color, original artwork, and gorgeous. And the two can be viewed as equal value to the audience. 

Of course, eye candy DOES sell, but I think once you are beyond the Warhammer circles, gamers become a lot more content-focused. 

What are your favorite historical periods and why?

The 19th Century, the two world wars and the Russian Civil War. 

Really, the whole era from circa 1910 to 1925 or so is fascinating to me: It is, of course, the transition of the old, romanticized world to the world of modern warfare, as well as being incredibly diverse in the sort of things you can see. The Russian Civil War sees tanks and armored cars, partisan bands, nationalist militias, Red and White guards, Cossack cavalry armies, Anarchists, and anything else you can shake a stick at. It is really a wargamers heaven for finding odd units to model up on the gaming table.

Honestly, my love of history, in general, comes from one source: “All Quiet on the Western Front.” I think anyone with a passion for history has that moment where they realize that history is not about abstract concepts and kings and dates but is about real people who lived and breathed and had dreams and hopes. “All Quiet” was that for me, and it left a life-long impression on me when I read it as a teenager a few years from the age of the characters in the book.  

What do you see for the future of historical miniature wargaming?

Oof, that is a dangerous question. I think I managed to predict the rise of “Warband” level games (games where you play a small force in skirmish actions and with some level of character progression between games). Right now, that idea has set the fantasy and sci-fi miniatures scenes on fire, with everyone churning out their own version of the concept. 

In historical gaming, there are elements of it, but it has not been embraced to the same extent, possibly due to the grognard bias against skirmish games. I think if I had to put money on something, I would say watch out for historical skirmish games with campaign aspects or character progression in the next year or three.

I also think solo gaming is going to continue to gain in popularity and respectability, with more games developed primarily or even specifically for solo play. I am super excited to see this field because there is a lot of things that can be done here with how enemies arrive on the table, fog of war, and so forth, which is not possible in a conventional opposed game.

Playtesting, how important is it?

Very, but it’s also very misunderstood. I see people post all the time on forums about how they have been testing their game rules for 5 years. That sounds very impressive, but if you are only getting together 3 or 4 times a year in that time frame, you are basically starting over each time. Additionally, just playing the game with your own group is fine to iron out the basic problems of a game, but it will lose its value very quickly. 

To get actual feedback, give the game to people who cannot ask you questions and let them figure it out. Now your text must stand on its own feet and must work without you being there to explain the intentions. That is the real test. I would say three games played by strangers is worth more than ten games with your usual Saturday group. 

Of course, tracking down people who can understand the rules, will play the game, [and] report back to you, AND aren’t crazy is a challenge. If you post online, 50 people will say they would love to, and of those, two will read the book. Once you find reliable people who can give you good feedback, cling to them for dear life. 

 What are the benefits and pitfalls of self-publishing your own wargaming rules?

The biggest advantage is, of course, that you are in charge. What you want in the book goes, if you want a supplement, it will happen, and so forth. Additionally, your game will reflect what you wanted it to be. I think in [self-publishing], you get a lot clearer creative visions and indie gamers tend to gravitate towards that: A game that has something to say on the topic is extremely attractive, even if you disagree with a particular conclusion.

I try to do as much myself as I can, though, of course, I do rely on outside sources for things like artwork, feedback, etc. Part of that is that this way, I know I can support the product down the road: If I want to fix a rule where we came up with a better way of doing it, or I want to add a new section, I can do that. 

The downside, of course, is that you are on your own: Your art is as good as your own wallet can make it, your book looks as good as you can make it (unless you pay for it), and so forth. You also must promote it yourself. If you are writing for something like Osprey, they have marketing power and money to put behind the project. 

Anything else you would like to say to our readers?

Before you write a game, ban yourself from reading any game on the same topic for a few months. If you are writing a WW2 tank game, put all your WW2 games in a box and do not open it. You should be spending that time immersing yourself in the topic in the form of books, music, documentaries, or anything else. Never ever another game.

Also, it cannot hurt to blast some metal albums, at least in my experience. 

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At Epoch Xperience, we specialize in creating compelling narratives and provide research to give your game the kind of details that engage your players and create a resonant world they want to spend time in. If you are interested in learning more about our gaming research services, you can browse Epoch Xperience’s service on our parent site, SJR Research.

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(This article is credited to Jason Weiser. Jason is a long-time wargamer with published works in the Journal of the Society of Twentieth Century Wargamers; Miniature Wargames Magazine; and Wargames, Strategy, and Soldier.)

#Wargame Miscellaneous #interview #wargaming #history #gaming