Modern post-Cold War MBTs, from left to right: M1A2 Abrams, Leopard 2A6, Merkava Mark IV, Challenger II, Leclerc, K1A1, K2 Black Panther, C1 Ariete, T-90S, PT-91 Twardy, M-95 Degman, T-84, TR-85, M-2001, Al-Khalid, Arjun, Zulfiqar, Type 90, Type 96, and Type 99.

• 12Oct 08

  Random blog

  So I wanted to blog, but had nothing to blog about. The solution? Blog about random crap:

  First some games. Not too long ago I raided the used game section at Gamestop and bought three used Xbox games: Jade Empire, Splinter Cell, and Full Spectrum Warrior: Ten Hammers.

  I just beat Jade Empire earlier today. I'll admit...I never played through this game before. I played it at a friend's house, but never owned it. Not the best BioWare has ever done, but still solid. My main complaint is that the story speeds up a tad too much in the later chapters; I ended up beating the game in just over 31 hours. The early chapters, from the point where you are still training under Master Li up to the point where you visit the Palace for the first time, took seemingly forever, but never really dragged. It is mostly because there were so many side quests, while the later chapters have none. Still, I guess it is pretty good that the game is moderately lengthy without overstaying its welcome.

  I'd certainly like to see BioWare try again and make a second Jade Empire game. Tons of potential, and it is a great game, just could have used an extra layer of polish in the later chapters.

  I decided to also give Splinter Cell another shot because I found it for $1.99. I wasn't a big fan back when I tried it when it first came out, but I figured that it deserves a second chance. Before I start Full Spectrum Warrior: Ten Hammers I want to go look around other stores and see if I can find the first game.

  Blizzard recently disappointed me. If you haven't heard, they announced two things that just ooze greed. First they tell us that StarCraft II will be split into three games, each priced as a full game: Wings of Liberty (Terran campaign), Heart of the Swarm (Zerg campaign), and Legacy of the Void (Protoss campaign). I must now spend $150 to get the full StarCraft II experience! It is just pure greed to come up with a marketing model like that. I don't care that the campaigns are long. I was somewhat okay with it at first, but the more I think about it, the less I like it.

  Secondly, Blizzard wants to charge a fee for Battle.net, a service that has been free since 1997. 19-bloody-97! There is no reason to start charging for it now besides the greed factor. They looked at their WoW profits and said "Christ...Imagine how much more we could make off of Battle.net users!"

  Meh...I'm starting to question whether or not I want to be in the industry anymore. It is just changing so much lately, and all the companies are getting more and more greedy at the expense of consumers. Making a profit is one thing. Nickle and dimming everyone to see just how much money you can squeeze out of them is another.

  Now, onto movies. I recently picked up a few new DVDs. I bought Iron Man when it came out, and found copies of Platoon, Full Metal Jacket, and Apocalypse Now on DVD. I actually have Platoon and Full Metal Jacket on VHS, I just never bought the DVDs. Apocalypse Now is a movie that I have never seen before, and have wanted to see for some time now. By luck I was finally able to find a copy of the "complete" collection at Best Buy. It contains both the original 1979 version and the 2001 Redux version. I watched the 1979 original first, and will watch the Redux version some other time. It is still a good movie, even after all this time. The special effects have held up decently well over all these years, and now that I have finally seen it, I agree that it truly is a classic Vietnam film. Even still...I must say that my favorite Vietnam film remains Full Metal Jacket.

  Finally, I learned two interesting things about upcoming movies in the next few years. First, the (In my opinion) bad news. John Woo is directing the Rainbow Six movie. Don't get me wrong, he is a good director but...His typical style of action movies just won't fit with Rainbow Six, and I worry that he will ruin what could have been a good movie with excessive slo-mo, Rainbow operatives dual-wielding MP5s, and other way over-the-top and unrealistic fight scenes. I have pictured what a Rainbow Six movie by John Woo might look like in my head...and it ain't pretty.

  Secondly, one of my favorite cult classic movies is getting a remake. I speak of Red Dawn. Funny, I might sound like a hypocrite now. I went on a rant about how John Woo might ruin Rainbow Six with lack of realism, then mention that I love the movie Red Dawn. In any case, the two situations are totally different because Red Dawn was designed to be a grossly unrealistic and cheesy war film. What I'm nervous about is that they specifically mention that they are "keeping the Post-9/11 America in mind" while doing the remake...

  Political correctness...Dear God I'm unsure if I should be excited for a Red Dawn remake or weep for it.

  • Posted Oct 12, 2008 1:10 pm PT
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• 7Oct 08

  ...Now I remember why I hate betas...

  The EndWar boards were so nice and clean...Now we have about five pages of topics saying "I CAN HAS CODE NOW PLZ?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?" and three pages of "OMG WHERE MY CODE?!?!?!?!?! WHY CANT DONWLOAD BETA YET?!?!!???! I HATE UBISOFT THEY IS SATAN!!!!!!!!"

  It also brings out a lot of random trolls or otherwise idiots spamming the boards trying to figure out what genre the game is instead of looking it up.

  God I hate pre-release betas.

  • Posted Oct 7, 2008 3:20 pm PT
  • Category: Rant
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• 29Sep 08

  Raven's Military News, Vol. 3

  I know, sorta soon, but I felt like doing another already. Again, sources are mostly from Military.com and some of their affiliates.

  Airborne Laser Closer to Reality

  More tests were recently completed for the COIL (Chemical Oxygen Iodine Laser) to be mounted in the Boeing Airborne Laser system. The system consists of a COIL laser mounted on a heavily modified 747. The laser was tested in a controlled environment that simulated flight conditions and "atmospheric conditions consistent with those at the altitude at which the aircraft will fly."

  The test results say that the Airborne Laser has sufficient power to destroy a ballistic missile in flight. Boeing says that the project is "on track." A "real" test is scheduled for August 2009, when a completed prototype will shoot down a dummy ballistic missile while in flight.

  Bloody Pirates!

  Somalian pirates seized a Ukrainian vessel Friday. The cargo? Thirty-three T-72 main battle tanks and a large number of spare parts and ammunition. The ship had a crew of 21 sailors, three of which were Russians.

  Ukrainian Defense Minister Yury Yekhanurov says that the ship, the Faina, was carrying the shipment to Kenya. Alfred Mutua, a spokesman from Kenya, confirms that the Kenyan government had bought the 33 tanks and various spare parts and ammunition for the Kenya Army. The T-72 is the country's main battle tank of choice, with some 110 in service.

  Russia has deployed the frigate Neustrashimy to the region, and the US Navy has diverted ships from the 5th Fleet to "monitor the situation." The governments of the US, UK, Russia, Ukraine, and Somalia are working together to see that the issue is resolved.

  It is suggested that the pirates didn't know what the cargo actually was and are now working with what they have. The pirates are now demanding $20 million for the release of the ship, crew, and cargo.

  However, given past responses by Russia and former Soviet Blocs to acts of terrorism, the ransom will most likely not be paid and the situation will probably end with the ship being retaken by force, or the Somalian pirates being convinced to surrender before that happens.

  Female Brits Serving on the Front
  

  For the first time, the British Army is allowing female soldiers to serve in combat units.

  The British Army has not allowed women to serve in combat units since its foundation. Indeed, most modern armies restrict female soldiers to non-combat roles such as artillery, logistics, and so on.

  The decision comes after stories of heroism by female soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. One of which was even awarded the Military Cross, a British military decoration awarded for "exemplary gallantry during active operations against the enemy."

  The British military is already preparing for potential backlash against the decision.

  US-Pakistani Tensions High

  Pakistani government officials warn US troops not to violate their territory Friday. This comes after a brief exchange of fire between American and Pakistani troops several days earlier. The Americans claim they were still in Afghanistan, while Pakistani troops claim the US soldiers were in Pakistan.

  This is nothing new. Pakistan has expressed their displeasure at other recent alleged American strikes against Taliban and al-Qaida hideouts across the border into Pakistan. The Pakistanis claim this is a violation of their sovereignty, and that it could worsen the situation in an already unstable country.

  Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari praised American support for his country's war on terror and attempted to downplay the brief engagement last week, but his opinion is not a popular one amongst Pakistanis, and many see this as just another event that will undermine the already shaky friendship between the two anti-terror allies.

  So Long M4

  In a rather shocking move earlier this month, the US Army has released a statement to the arms industry to submit ideas to replace the M4 (And probably the M16).

  The most shocking part? There are almost NO limitations. The Army calls for a new carbine with improved "accuracy and dispersion...reliability and durability in all environments, modularity and terminal performance." They didn't even put a limit on caliber, meaning they are open to the idea of a new service rifle that doesn't use the standard 5.56mm round that has been in use for decades. It seems that they are finally listening to our soldiers complaining about the 5.56mm's lack of stopping power, especially against enemies with modern body armor.

  All this comes in the wake of numerous tests over the last few years that show many modern alternatives to the M4 performing much better in a wider range of environments and conditions while still being the same size and weight. It also comes after SOCOM announced that they will be replacing their M4s with the new SCAR series of assault rifles.

  So, after all these years, it seems that the M16 and its little brother, the M4, are finally seeing the end of their time as America's weapon of choice.

  XM25 Closer Than Anyone Expected

  The XM25 is a 25mm air-bursting rifle that came from the controversial and now dead Objective Individual Combat Weapon program of the 1990s. Many of the projects from the program never went anywhere, but the program has spawn numerous spin-offs like the XM25.

  The XM25 is a revolutionary weapon that allows troops to kill enemies behind hills, in buildings, or behind other cover without resorting to more destructive weapons like rockets or mortars. It has an advanced laser range finder and various other systems that allow the weapon to put a 25mm grenade through a window and detonate it, resulting in minimal collateral damage while achieving the same effect as some heavier weapons.

  The weapon weighs 12 pounds and is about the size of an M4 carbine. The standard magazine is four grenades, but there are plans in place to increase that to as much as ten. Many different types of rounds are being developed, such as anti-armor rounds, rounds for breaching doors, anti-personnel, and even less-than-lethal. Range is between 16 and 600 meters.
  

  A single XM25 will cost about $25,000, and grenades are about $25 each.

  The prototypes are almost ready for evaluation, and the Army could be fielding limited numbers in the field for testing in March 2009. If all goes according to plan, the weapon could be in full service as early as 2014.

  --------------

  I know, it was a long one this time. There were even more that I wanted to mention, but I felt that I already had a very lengthy blog. As you can see, September was a busy month.

  • Posted Sep 29, 2008 12:57 pm PT
  • Category: News
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