The Art of (Real-Time) War: Using Sun Tzu's principles for real-time strategy games.

• 2Jun 09

  Don't Need Any More Months Like That, Thanks

  Once upon a time, I mentioned that I had very bad luck with cars. Unfortunately, that trend doesn't seem like it'll end any day soon.

  Last year, while on my way back from a job interview, the tread on my tire decided it was bored and parted from the tire itself. While I was driving the car. At 70 MPH.

  My first impression was, "****, that's loud." Next thought was, "I had better pull over, because it's really hard to steer."

  When I pulled the car over, I was shocked at the damage. The side marker light assembly was shattered, along with the lens. The tire was a total loss, and since I was leery of all tires at the time, I just replaced all four. Because I was still several miles from home and had no way of letting anyone know what had happened, I also got a cell phone for future emergencies.

  Immediate cost: $250.

  Fast forward one year...

  New York requires that you bring your car to an inspection station once a year so someone can slap on a sticker that basically says "My car is safe to drive." I always thought it was a completely stupid rule: if a car is unsafe, I simply won't drive it, and I resent the $25 (it used to be $10 until emissions tests were required with the inspection) you have to pay for the "service."

  In order to pass the inspection, you need all the lights and lenses intact. That meant I had to bring my car to an auto body shop to have them replace the damaged side marker light.

  Cost: $40.

  I picked up the car, and drove it home... and discovered, much to my dismay, that I was having a problem stopping. I had to jam my foot all the way to the floor in order to come to a stop.

  Not good. Not good at all.

  I waited until later that night (no traffic) and drove it across the street to the brake shop, and left it there along with a note to check the brakes, change the oil, and slap a sticker on to make me legal. I'm thinking it'll be a day (at most), about $1000 and NYS will be happy.

  They called the next afternoon with really bad news:

  That blowout? Turns out it did a number on the wheel bearing and spring on that side of the car. The broken spring cost me a strut on that side, too. Since the wheel bearing was wobbly, it caused to rotor to warp on that side and knock out the caliper as well.

  In order to get me legal again, they had to (essentially) replace my entire front suspension and brakes. They also slapped on the "I'm safe, so bite me" sticker as well.

  Cost: $2100.

  That brings the total to about $2350... all for one blown tire.

  I blame this on Seth Brundle. If he'd been smart enough to sweep for bugs, none of this would be necessary.

  It would have been easier to swallow if my PC didn't decide to get flaky on me at the same time: the cooling fan on my video card locked up (fortunately, I caught the problem before it fried the GPU) and XP decided it no longer likes my wireless mouse ("Fatal Error While Installing," even though it has worked perfectly since Super Bowl Sunday). I had to dredge up an old optical mouse to fill in while I puzzle out how to get the laser mouse to work (it might be a conflict with the wireless router; since I can't find the frequency data for the mouse, though, I can't be 100% sure on that).

  (Oh... no, it's not the mouse itself. I have it running fine on my laptop.)

  It wasn't all bad. I did manage to pry myself away from everything long enough to hit up a local CD store and pick up the latest Testament album (The Formation of Damnation is excellent; I've been listening to it a lot, and it refuses to get stale), a couple of older Testament albums (Souls of Black to replace my cursed cassette copy... long story... and First Strike Still Deadly) and replacements for two old Flotsam and Jetsam tapes (When The Storm Comes Down and Cuatro). Nothing will cheer me up like a good solid metal infusion.

  In all the confusion and chaos, my idea for my next editorial has flown off to Brazil. Hopefully, it sends a postcard.

  So... here's to a much, much much better June. It can't *nope, stopping right there before I jinx it*.

  • Posted Jun 2, 2009 5:47 am PT
  • Category: Cars
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• 9May 09

  Fallout Alert! and American Soldier Review

  Last night, I was out doing a bit of shopping and stumbled on something I hadn't expected: a "Fallout Trilogy" pack. It has Fallout, Fallout 2, and Fallout Tactics on one DVD for $20.

  Since I didn't have any of those (one of those weird oversights... I had plenty of opportunities to buy the first two games, and somehow never bothered), I jumped on it.

  I haven't installed it yet, so I don't know if there are any technical problems. I'm not in a big hurry to play it, either: after years of RTSs, turn-based anything bores me to tears.

  (Yes, yes, I know... I can recite the mantra: "Fallout should be turn-based and isometric"... and it is a cIassic... so I'll have to get over it.)

  "...and people sometimes lose their vision of where it all came from. They're sitting in the lap of luxury in a country built on three and a half million deaths..." Soldier's interview recording on "Unafraid."

  

  American Soldier- If you've listened to earlier Queensrÿche albums, it may be a bit of a letdown; taken on it's own merits, "American Soldier" is a powerful and musically-solid album.

  The styIe here is more progressive rock than progressive metal: slower tempos, down-key melodies, and easily-understood lyrics. This is probably a conscious choice considering the concept: songs that tell the story of a soldier, from his viewpoint. The most increble part of the album, though, is its lack of a stand on the current and past conflicts: it simply tells soldier's stories and lets the listener come to their own conclusions.

  According to the band, they conducted dozens of interviews with soldiers from World War II all the way up to Afghanistan and Iraq; they used recordings of the interviews in many of the songs. This gives the songs a sort of weight to the message that they otherwise wouldn't have.

  The album starts with "Sliver," a view of boot camp that had me flashing back over 20 ago to Navy basic training; the song is slow (boot camp is not slow) but intense (which they did get right). It's followed by the first of several stand-out tracks, "Unafraid:" the lyrics of the song are segments of two recorded interviews, one with a Vietnam veteran, and another from a Recon Marine from Somalia; the only singing is in the chorus. The contrasting views give the song an incredible power.

  "Hundred Mile Stare" is a bit too downbeat, but seems to be about pre-combat jitters (unless I'm listening to it wrong). "At 30,000 Feet" starts with a pilot's interview, and the slow-to-mid-tempo pace matches the tale of a bombing mission. "A Dead Man's Words" (standout #2) is slow-paced, but a unique, almost serpentine riff drives the song and sucks the listener in. "The Killer" (standout #3) is an odd-tempo song, but the almost-chaotic rhythm matches the inner conflict of a soldier asked to pull the trigger on another human being. "Middle of Hell" jars badly with it, however: almost too contemplative and dreamy to follow "The Killer."

  "If I Were King" (standout #4) has an incredible emotional impact from the outset: an interview with a Marine telling the story of a friend getting killed in combat. The song itself is about dealing with losing a friend in combat: contemplative, sad, and intense. You can't listen to this song without tearing up.

  "Man Down!" (standout #5) uses a variation of the sinuous riff in "A Dead Man's Words" to open, but changes to a more frantic, metalllic riff to tell the story of a soldier after he's back in "the world." "Remember Me" uses a simple melody and rhythm to tell the story of a soldier trying to hold together a marriage across thousands of miles and a war; it's not a great song, but holds its place regardless.

  The final standout is "Home Again," an emotionally-stirring duet with Tate and his daughter about missing your children when you're in combat. Although Emily Tate's voice seems to be a bit robotic in spots, the overall performance is incredible.

  ...and then you have "The Voice." I'm not sure how it fits into the album, and unsure what it's really about. It ends the album on a sort of "wtf?" moment.

  Rating: * * * ½ (song-by-song, it would be * * ½, but the whole is greater than the sum of it's parts)

  I'm currently contemplating a massive editorial, so keep an eye peeled. Cheers for now!

  • Posted May 9, 2009 12:47 pm PT
  • Category: General
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• 3May 09

  Musically Inclined: Mindcrime I and II

  "I remember now..."

  It was the spring of 1988. High school was fast becoming a distant memory. In another month or so, I would be shuffling off to Orlando, FL for basic training in the Navy (that boot camp no longer exists... it's a bit spooky if I think about it too much).

  I had purchased Queensrÿche's first 3 albums the year before, after hearing "Gonna Get Close To You" on MTV (when it still played music ) and liking the creepy vibe to it. Their styIe was unique: not quite metal, not quite... er... not metal? They referred to it as "avant-garde;" today, it's called "progressive metal."

  In '88, though, they released an album that changed the rules. It was deep, both musically and emotionally. It was socially and politically relevant (and remains so today). Most of all, it had a profound impact on me: having spent half of my life at the time living across the street from a prime nuclear target had left me a bit weary of the Cold War, and the move to the suburbs hadn't changed that.

  last.fm Queensrÿche page (Note: while Operation: Mindcrime is available in full, Mindcrime II isn't.)

  

  Operation: Mindcrime- This is the album that redefines progressive metal, and tells a deeply moving (and disturbing) story in the process.

  ***STORY SPOILERS FOLLOW***

  The story is one of misguided rebellion, damnation without redemption, and betrayal. The central figure is Nikki, a young heroin addict who is recruited into a secretive revolutionary organization (who's goals remain hazy throughout this album) run by Dr. X. He is given a gun, put in an apartment and called on to perform assassinations. Every once in a while, he is visited by a prostitute-turned-nun named Mary, and they fall in love.

  When he is ordered to kill Mary, he refuses, sparking his split from the organization. He tries to save Mary, but is unsuccessful; when he tries to run, he is caught by police.

  ***SPOILERS END***

  You know from the outset that there's no happy ending: "I Remember Now" is not a song, but an introduction to Nikki in a mental hospital (I assume; that point isn't made clear, but can be figured from the context). "Anarchy X" is a short instrumental that serves as an introduction to the album. "Revolution Calling" introduces us to Nikki, and is a powerful song of disillusionment with the system. "Operation: Mindcrime" inducts him in the order, weaving some rap elements with jazz and metal, with an overall slow tempo to give the listener a darker feel. "Speak" picks up the pace to almost frantic, panicky levels to reflect the street-preaching tone of the song. "Spreading the Disease" maintains the tempo, while intoducing us to Sister Mary, Nikki's "outlet." "The Mission" is an interlude: Nikki is between "contracts" and brooding about his next assignment, while waiting for Mary; it sets up the possibility that Nikki is conflicted about his role in the organization, as well as his obsession with Mary.

  "Suite Sister Mary" is the magnum opus of the album, though: after Nikki is given his mission, it starts with introspection, and becomes a duet between vocalist Geoff Tate and guest vocalist Pamela Moore (in the role of Mary). Since it takes place in a church, a choir is played in places in the background, which gives the whole song a very spiritual feel. Overall, the effect is very powerful.

  After that, though, the album takes a very slight dip: the second half is hard to listen to after the climax of the story is reached, and only bad things happen to the protagonist from that point on. However, the songs are important to the whole album, and are very good in their own right.

  "The Needle Lies" is frantic and angry, reflecting Nikki's feeling of betrayal and need to get away from Dr. X. "Electric Requiem" starts Nikki's slide into darkness, and is very spare, downbeat, and... short. "Breaking the Silence" tries to be sad and angry at the same time, but seems to come across as more defiant than either. "I Don't Believe In Love" (one of the singles from the album) is even more defiant: a long denial of Nikki's feelings for Mary; "Waiting for 22" acts as a sort of outro, and an intro to the next short track; "My Empty Room" is finally an acceptance of Mary's fate (3 songs too late).

  The payoff for getting through all that conflict is "Eyes of A Stranger." Even though it, too, was released as a single, it fully deserves its "best of" status: powerful, vocally brilliant, and a masterpiece technically. It stands alone very well; as the finale of the album, it's a true cIassic.

  Rating: * * * * (as a whole; taken song-by-song, I'd have to say * * * ½)

  I thought Mindcrime stood well on its own, but when Mindcrime II was announced, I have to admit that I was psyched for it. The first album was a lot to live up to, though...

  

  Operation: Mindcrime II-It's 18 years later, and although the band is mostly intact (the only change is the departure of Chris DeGarmo), the music isn't quite the same as the first album.

  ***STORY SPOILERS FOLLOW***

  Nikki has been locked up for 18 years, and is set for release. During that time, he has seen Dr. X in commercials for Xcide Pharmaceuticals, and realizes that his (admittedly warped) ideals were being used (abused, really) for profit, not real change.

  It's time for revenge. For himself, and for Mary.

  Long story short: he tracks down D. X, drags him into the church where Mary used to live, and kills him. Then, he kills himself.

  ***SPOILERS END***

  Much of the problem with Mindcrime II is in the plot. It's hard to believe an ex-convict is able to get away with what Nikki does in the course of the album; it's even harder to believe that the story can be wrapped up as neatly as it is in the CD. Suspension of disbelief is difficult to achieve and maintain, and the album suffers quite a bit for it.

  Another issue is Geoff Tate's vocals: the strain of singing full-out with Queensrÿche has definitely affected his voice, and the lack of his usual upper range is distracting.

  Nevertheless, the album is pretty good. Not great, though.

  "Freiheit Overture" and "Convict" are merely short introductory tracks. "I'm American" takes up the tempo early, a frantic look at how the world now seems in Nikki's mind upon his release. "One Foot in Hell" puts him back in the slums he started from, and the music reflects his anger and coming full-circle. "Hostage" and "The Hands" are annoyingly vague: they seem to chronicle a run-in with the law and a subsequent escape (though how a convicted murderer is allowed to escape from jail without a problem is way beyond me). "Speed of Light" reflects Nikki's confusion at the pace things are taking, or perhaps the pace at which events are unfolding (though, oddly enough, the song itself is down-tempo). "Signs Say Go" and "Re-Arrange You" start to move towards the confrontation with Nikki's nemesis.

  And then, finally, pay off. "The Chase" acts as a kind of counterpoint to "Suite Sister Mary:" although it is significantly shorter, it takes place in the same church, and is a duet (this time with Dr. X, played by Ronnie James Dio). The song itself is rapidly paced (almost panicky), and the differing viewpoints of Dr. X and Nikki act as mirrors to each other. Tense, powerful, and dramatic, "The Chase" is both a (sort of) satisfying climax and stand-out track.

  Sort of satisfying, because it's frustratingly unclear whether or not Nikki kills Dr. X without referring to the Wikipedia spoilers. "Murderer?" makes this even more confusing by refusing to spell out what happened (although the song itself is very well done; it seems like the rest of the album is just a warm-up and cool-down for those two songs). "Circles" segues out of the confrontation, and into how Nikki deals with it.

  ...or, really, how he deals poorly with it.

  The last third of the album feels slapped on. Although it's okay musically, it doesn't have the emotional impact of the last half of Mindcrime. The listener can actually skip to "All The Promises" and hear another stirring duet with Pamela Moore (reprising her role as Mary), and be done.

  Rating: * * ½ (it had big shoes to fill, and couldn't quite do it)

  Right now, I'm still deciding how I'll approach American Soldier. It's a very good album, and many of the songs are incredible (watch the video for "If I Were King"... the song is phenomenal), but I've been addicted to Mindcrime for about a week and a half and can't really give Soldier a proper listen.When I do, I'll post a review of it on it's own.

  • Posted May 3, 2009 12:15 pm PT
  • Category: Music
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