brominated - know the bro (click for expanded view)

Hey, did you all know what the word, “Brominated” means? It’s a type of preparation for beverages. It’s pretty funny. When I first read the word on he side of a soft drink, I laughed out loud because it sounds like, “BRO – minated” you know what I’m sayin’ bro?

Bromination is used to make beverages more citrusy-delicious and easier to preserve or something.

Speaking of being totally bro’d out, have you heard the latest Oribital song yet?

Check this out slice.

This song is so awesome. I love the cats and how they’re totally brominated.

Speaking of cats, there are cats in my neighborhood. Sometimes they seriously block my way when I’m trying to get back to my apt. But I don’t mind. It’s like an “extra layer of security” (cat-style).

-Tyler

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The transfer of data and all core backups went successfully.

-Tyler

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This controller was verified/tested/soldered by Overidon - NES CONTROLLER - Works on your computer

This controller is for sale on Ebay. It was soldered and tested by Overidon (Tyler) it is an NES controller which works on your computer (PC Laptop or Desktop). There are many 3rd party pieces of tech out there which say they give the authentic feel for retro gaming…but the 3rd party tech is not very good.

I made this piece of technology by using a mint condition NES Controller which I had in storage and then I used a “Retro USB” kit for the controller. It was a chip/kit which I got from RetroUSB.com and I soldered the project and confirmed that it works.

This device works on PC computers and you can play any game which is compatible with a USB Gamepad. So things like Super Meat Boy and also Public Domain roms on emulators should work great.

Check out the video to find out more! Or click HERE to visit the Ebay listing directly!

-Tyler

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These Keepers would not be able to get this much work done without Starbucks' on every corner...JEZ SAYIN'!

In the game, “Mass Effect” there is a compelling concept of an advanced Citadel which houses technology both ancient and powerful…

The species which exist on the Citadel work for the betterment of the Galaxy, although the council members and their affiliates don’t always agree on the best course of action in which to ensure this betterment.

In the Mass Effect, “Codex” a player can learn about the rich history of the Citadel and its astounding technology. Both the architecture and the conceptual systems which support the Citadel make sense and are rooted in accepted near-future space technology modes of thinking. Yet there is one lingering issue which makes the Citadel an incomplete vision of the future.

The Citadel is supposed to house millions of life-forms which carry out their lives. Also, the Citadel is the home for a race of beings called, “The Keepers” which maintain the plethora of Citadel systems. These Keepers work tirelessly to keep the space station up and running…

But there isn’t a single Starbucks on the ENTIRE SPACE STATION!

Do you expect me to believe you can maintain this many interconnected systems without having an occasional latte? Imean, the council is probably so lazy not to investigate Saren because they’re all droopy cuz they ain’t got their iced coffee.

Saren was like, “I didn’t drop that one foo.”

And then my character, Solaria Shepard said, “Yeah right bro.”

Then the council was like, “What’evz, I can barely stay awake right now. Is that hologram girl goona start playing netflix…nevermind too tired..zzz.”

But yeah, that’s when Solaria (she’s actually a descendant of Helixia from my Skyrim RPG fan universe…or perhaps she is an ancestor from an adjacent timeline? ) decided to talk to this homeboy with eyeballs and help him out with his scan project for the Keepers. He’s trying to find out where they come from and if they’re manufactured or if they are living inside the station itself. He is curious about the world he lives in and Solaria was into finding out more as well.

If you do that side quest, you get 30 credits and 10XP every-time you successfully scan a Keeper. This money comes in handy early in the game because you can use it to purchase 100 credit licensees from vendors. I have a feeling these licensees are going to come in handy when I give them to the requisitions officer. Hopefully he can find me some good gear so we can get to the bottom of this Saren mystery.

-Tyler

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The Universe and the Self may be illusions...but does that need to affect one's actions?

Due to current advancements in technology such as holography, solid state hard drives and laser technology the nature of the universe is coming into question. Is this universe real or is it an illusion?

Although science and spirituality seem to constantly attempt to deal with this question in their own ways, philosophy is the best equipped piece of technology to handle this issue. The question has to do with fundamental truth and morality. And this philosophical approach handles both with relative ease.

First and foremost, one must recognize that knowing to an absolute degree is not necessary for a successful philosophical construct to do its work.

With that said, let us begin:

(The key-term: experiencer refers to an entity whom engages with a reality – yet does not have irrefutable proof that the reality whom he or she is engaged in is completely real)

If the world we live in is absolutely real, then the consequences for our actions would be real as well.

We see evidence of this on a daily basis. If one does not show up for work, he or she may be fired from a job. If one sincerely expresses to a family member that he or she loves that family member, he or she may experience connection and a state of happiness. The five senses are quite convincing in their argument that the world we live in is real.

On the other hand…

If the world we live in is an illusion, there would be discrepancies and contradictions inherent to the reality which would constantly cast doubt upon an experiencer who has an affinity for recognizing patterns.

We see evidence of this on a daily basis as well. If one goes to deep sleep, the consciousness of that person loses track of time. External stimuli like clocks, sunlight and constellations are required to reconvince the experiencer that he or she is no longer in a dream-state. After one participates in enough daily actions, responsibilities and other sense stimuli…the experiencer considers the current state to be the real one.

These two perspectives seem contradictory and can cause confusion or self-doubt. It is disturbing to think one who puts in tremendous effort in one’s existence is part of some unreal simulation. It is equally disturbing to think that this world and universe is so real and adamantine that no spiritual or unseen forces could exist. Yet this doubt is the fuel for a philosophical freedom.

If the experiencer is able to admit that he or she does not know whether the universe, world or self is completely real or unreal, a logical underpinning can support further constructs.

One such construct is the concept of simulated best.

In daily life, one is constantly encouraged by authority figures, external media influences and one’s own inner desire for self-growth to do his or her best. Yet with the advent of simulation technology such as virtual reality and the ever-increasingly graphically convincing computer-generated worlds, people in this modern era have the option to live out a percentage of their daily lives within simulated online and off-line worlds. In those worlds, the experiencer gets to either engage with the simulation as if it is a fantasy world where the experiencer can act out his or her darkest or most awe-inspiring dreams…or else the experiencer can treat the virtual environment as a training simulator where the illusion is accepted as a sort of setting, thus the experiencer put him or herself in virtual environment and technological limitations of hardware and software can be shrugged-off with minimal effort. The experincer makes a choice to accept the illusory simulation in order to get the most out of the experience. The “most” could be different for every experiencer who engages in the virtual world, some may be more interested in visually pleasing images, while others may be interested in combat and tactics. The exact same simulated world could generate completely different self-insights to different experincers.

To go into further detail, some simulations allow for interactivity which give experiencers choices and ways to directly affect their path. While it is possible to make a ridiculous mess out of a simulation by exploiting coding errors, it is also possible to achieve one’s personal best in many facets which may be impossible or illegal to express in one’s daily life.

For example: some simulations allow for experiencers to fly a helicopter. Although helicopter training is available to basically anyone, that does not necessarily mean everyone has the access to the financial resources and free-time required to engage in helicopter training. The end result is that those who have the resources to purchase a helicopter simulation may be able to get access to an experience which may have been out of his or her grasp. To take this one step further, those who choose to pay close attention during the helicopter simulation and enjoy the process, have potential to comprehend, respect and appreciate the helicopter and its intricacies. When one has the resources and time to actually train on a helicopter in his or her daily life, there is potential for the training to either be more enjoyable or else proceed at a more rapid rate than if no simulated training took place.

Just how the simulation can prepare one for the daily life, so can daily life prepare one for simulations. The process of experience is interchangeable and the only bottlenecks are technological limitations of the simulations and one’s own resistance to experiential immersion.

Yet our daily reality has no limitations to its thoroughness. If one want’s to look inside the leaf of a flower with a microscope, he or she can choose to do so. One will find the wonders of nature within each piece of plant tissue. There are no limits to how far one can look into this daily reality. There are no simulated framerate issues or pixelation problems from looking too closely at things with our naked eyes. And quite conversely, the universe of our daily lives is large enough to offer countless people to talk with and environments to explore. There are no conversation limits aside from the personal preferences of the two parties which decide to talk with each other.

Therefore, the concept of simulated best can be applied to even our daily reality. Just how one can temporarily suspend disbelief in a simulation in order to get the most out of it, one can temporarily suspend the requirements of complete knowledge of our daily reality in order to maximize the experience. Do you need to know how ice cream works in order to enjoy ice cream?

Another construct is the concept of simulated morality:

Knowing what is right from wrong is a core aspect to our upbringing and has tremendous value in our daily lives. This knowledge can make several experiences such as work, family life and education more enriching and less cumbersome than if one had no concept of morality. Whether or not morality is given by one’s family or by one’s society…it definitely can be trained, and experimented with in a simulated environment. By having the ability to choose a course of action in a simulation, one is able to see not only the consequences for the decisions in that very simulation, but an experiencer whom is aware of patterns can also gain an insight into the moral dispositions of the individual or teams who designed the simulation.

For example: If a simulation presents the experiencer with a choice and then patterns emerge from those choices, an experiencer can still engage in the simulation but occasionaly glean the moral biases or judgements of the individual or team who created the simulation. This may seem redundant, but it is important to understand the simulation is being discussed at this time – not the daily reality.

Imagine one is in a simulation with a choice. One can either build a can opener out of smaller parts, one can either drink a glass of water which was sitting in the refridgerator, or else one can do neither actions and the experiencer is forced to engage in an automatic cutscene video where the experiencer is handed a unopened bottle of water by another character in the simulation.

If the experiencer is faced with choices like this on a consistent basis and her or she is always punished for building a can opener with bruised fingers, invigorated by drinking the water from the refridgerator, or else is stimulated by the conversation from the character handing the bottle of water…an experiencer who has awareness of patterns can understand which actions are being cultivated by the creator or team of creators who designed the simulation itself.

This concept of simulated morality can be applied to our daily reality. The moral understandings between right and wrong which we glean within daily life can be applied and remembered for future use in simulations and the reflexive is also true. By making note of body language and intonation one can understand a great deal about another being and that knowledge has value in both simulation and reality alike.

Yet simulated morality goes far beyond simple knowledge. By combining simulated morality with simulated best, the complete factual truth about whether or not our universe is real loses value. The true value for our existence has to do with how we engage our reality, and how we proceed through our experiences. If one is living both daily life and simulated existence with the goal of experiencing to the fullest and expanding moral and knowledge awareness, the lines of distinction and walls of concern can become equipment for something greater.

-Tyler

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Flashmobs are now being used as a form of group shoplifting - This could affect our freedom to assembly if it continues

Flashmobs, they were and still are interesting aspects to our ever growing society. Last year, we saw how flashmobs could be used as a form of group expression. Sometimes this expression took the form of organized dancing, and in some rare cases…it took the form of group violence. But now, flashmobs are being used as a way for youngsters to engage in rapid shoplifting.

Groups of young people are wearing concealing clothing and are shoplifting at convenience stores, and now even at retail department stores. This is a serious problem, not because of the clothing used or the age groups involved…but because of the effectiveness of group crime. Increased numbers of perpetrators means that more loss prevention staff will be required to prevent such group shoplifting. This raises the cost of doing business, because store-owners have to worry more about security. I

But aside from the financial implications, there are societal implications for this development in flashmob evolution. Up until now, flashmobs have been in a gray societal area. They weren’t considered gangs because they can be used for good or bad things. They weren’t considered charities for the exact same reason. But with flashmobs being activated for the sole purpose of shoplifting, a new concern must be addressed. That concern is how flashmobs used for shoplifting directly affect property rights and how this could be used as a way to affect freedom of assembly rights.

Do you remember the film Robocop from the 1980′s? There was a scene at the last third of the film where Robocop tried to arrest a senior member of the OCP corporation. Do you remember what happened? Since Robocop had his 4th “Directive” which said he couldn’t arrest and OCP executive and also since he had the 2nd directive to uphold the law…he suffered a sort of seizure or systems malfunction. Directives in that film can be analogous to our freedoms which are protected by the Bill of Rights.

The two conflicting rights I see here in this case are the First and Fifth Amendments. The first deals with the freedom of assembly and the second amendment deals with general property rights. And although someone might say, “Well the 1st amendment is first so it must be the best!” that doesn’t necessarily mean it overrides all the facts in this flashmob issue. Most importantly, one must understand that the United States of America is a business. And as a business, it’s primary objective is to create wealth and prosperity. That’s why petty theft and rioting is dealt with so harshly here, it is just too expensive to have security watching every window and guarding every bookcase. Every guard, every police officer, every weary employee who has to be “on the lookout” for thieves is diverting resources away from customer service opportunities and other money-making job duties.

Groups of young people may enjoy the “thrill” of shoplifting, but what they don’t realize is that they are affecting the system far more deeply than just “pwning” a local business. Society today observes everything and if flashmobs are used as an effective tool for systematic shoplifting, new levels of scrutiny may be exacted on people who travel in groups. This could create a more tense atmosphere for everyone involved, authority figures and customers alike. Imagine if any group of young people of 5 or more could potentially be a hostile flashmob ready to steal a companies products? The level of tension could directly affect businesses and this usually translates to more security, more tense shopping experiences where you need to wear fancy clothes just to buy a pair of shoes. Eventually, the end result of this type of societal tension escalation is usually greater separation between social groups. But in an environment where the economy is still struggling to get back on its feet, everyone should be treated as a potentially excellent customer. Therefore these flashmobs which are doing group shoplifting should reconsider their actions and community resources should be implemented to create fun and engaging opportunities for young people to feel fulfilled and also acquire status items which make them feel good as a consumer in a very competitive world.

-Tyler

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codecademy fizzbuzz++ 1.7 - (This exercise seems to run better on Safari for some reason)

Many people including myself have been having a problem with an exercise in Codecademy called, “One more function” in the section of “The Method” within the module of “FizzBuzz++: Return of the Modulus” – There is a simple trick which can make this process go much faster.

The trick is to use multiple browsers. I use Firefox as my primary browser and I was getting this strange error on several of the “Projects.” The error said something like “SandBox error” or “Sandboss is undefined” or something to that sort. I’ve found that switching between Internet Explorer and Safari browser can help with that strange error.

If you need help with 1.7 here’s my answer to the first half, and then I borrowed the code from another dude who made a phenomenal ternary code for the final segment.

Here’s some code which gives a successful “Next Exercise” operation:

//begin code

var comedy = {

schadenfreude: function() {
userResponse = prompt(“How was your day?”);
autoResponse = (“Oh, well it’s a good thing that “) + userResponse + (” happened. Let me make cakes made out of ice cream.”);
return autoResponse;
},

irony: function() {
userResponse = prompt(“Do you like to be a hero?”);
autoResponse = (“Your path will cause you to eat cheese.”);
return autoResponse;
},

// comment code – deletable
// begin code from the dude who I borrowed from
// note how excellent his ternary operator/statements are
// I love how he used the || to make the “or” side perfect
// end comment code
slapstick: function(n) {
return(n == “Murdoch” || n == “Gates”) ? “Pie!”:(n == “Hollande”) ? “Flour”: “Make Up!”; }

};

console.log(comedy.slapstick(“dig”));

//end

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Time Capsules can take many forms

Time Capsules can take many forms. Just today I found in my wallet a Starbucks card and a $25 gift card for Albertson’s and other stores which I got on my birthday a little less than a year ago. At the time, the card was cool but I didn’t know of any Albertson’s in my immediate area. So I just kept it in my wallet…not thinking about it.

Today, I was like…”Bro, you need some food.”

And I remembered that I had the Starbucks card and also the Albertson’s gift card in my wallet. It was a gift from the beyond.

The time delay increased the value of the card tremendously. Today, I was able to buy several tomatoes, water, even some fried chicken. That’s what I call a chicken dinner. I think the lady at the counter gave me some extra wings…not sure why. Maybe it was because I wore my extra-nice sweater. I’ve been wearing sweaters alot more often lately ever since hoodies have temporarily gone out of fashion. Talk about taking a ding to the wardrobe.

Squirrels save things for the winter. They are smart little wigglers. They save food for a rainy or cold day…sometimes for a prolonged winter season. Very smart those squirrels. Lots of squirrels live in my neighborhood. I don’t pet them because they are supposed to be diseased or something and also they’re too fast anyway. Besides…who wants to pet a squirrel anyway.

There’s racoons in my neighborhood also. The one that lives by my house is significantly large. She stares at me sometimes. She is the guardian of the night.

-Tyler

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Note how Link is carrying a Silver Sword in this picture - It means the "Second Quest" is activated

The Legend of Zelda (Part One) is the most heralded console video game of all time according to many websites and review magazines. If it’s not #1 it’s usually on the top ten. But what many people don’t realize, is that most people who are fans of the game…have only actually played 50% of the adventure.

That’s right, The Legend of Zelda has a “Second Quest” you can tell if you character is ready for the Second Quest by looking at the “- S E L E C T – ” Screen. If your character is holding a silver sword, then you have beaten the game at least once. This means, the next time you play the game, you will be on the Second Quest.

In the Second Quest of Zelda, you play on a very similar “overworld” map. There are only very small cosmetic changes. For example one place which you can find via your raft does not exist any longer etc.

The difference is that the overworld map has many changes in terms of dungeon locations, hidden powerups, the “It’s a Secret to Everybody” coin bonus areas, and of course the guys who rake over your money by playing that dastardly coin guessing game.

When you play the Second Quest, you are actually playing a game which is about 70% harder than the first quest. Only the first dungeon is in the same place…all the rest are tricky to find. You might have to burn a bush here, or blow a whistle there. If you beat the first quest, you’ll be able to get through the second…it’s just that the Second Quest takes much more patience and perseverance.

This is a map which might help you on the last dungeon of Zelda 1 - Second Quest

If you played through the first quest, you didn’t even get to encounter all the monsters. In the Second Quest there are rabbit faces which are pinkish color. And they do a lot of damage. Also, the skeleton dudes can throw their swords in this one. To make things more interesting, the floating bubble things which make you unable to use your sword are back. But in this case, the red ones make it so you can’t use your sword…and the blue ones allow you to use your sword again. Leaving the dungeon doesn’t help. You have to either touch a blue death bubble or else die completely, then start at the beginning again. It is much better to touch the blue bubble.

The dungeons are tremendously more satisfying to beat. There are plenty of invisible walls and ones which need to be destroyed in order to get to the next area. I recommend that you always carry over 100 rupees on you at all times, this is because there are many times you meet old dudes who will give you an upgrade on your gear for 100 coins. Also, you might have to pay money or take a hit to your total heart containers. NEVER TAKE A HIT TO YOUR HEART CONTAINERS. That would just be ridiculous. We’re talking about your life man. Cash can be farmed anytime when you’re in the overworld. There are only a limited number of heart containers in this game for either quest so those are your treasured buddies.

Speaking of the overworld. You need to start thinking like a professional miner to find stuff in this quest. If there is a wall or mountain which looks like it could be bombed in order to find a secret area…DO IT. If there’s a bush, burn it. If there’s a pushable rock, push that bad boy. Also, when you get the whistle, play your latest track every time you visit a new spot in the overworld. There are a couple secrets in the desert which can only be accessed by using the whistle. Also, in the graveyard the whistle unlocks a dungeon. So you use this whistle a lot more in this quest.

Another thing to remember, is that the dungeons may have staircases which act somewhat like subroutines in a computer program. They may take you back to the beginning of the map or to a strange area. The only level which I felt really needed me to draw a map of what was going on was the final stage. I included it to the right, so you can see what I’m talking about. But you might be super visualization-status so you might not need a map.

If you’re a new gamer and you just got Zelda on your Wii virtual console, don’t forget to play the Second Quest! This is what I consider the “ACTUAL” game. The first quest is just like a warm-up to the second one. You need to beat the second quest to say you actually beat the game. If you didn’t beat the second quest, then you haven’t beaten Zelda part 1. Sorry dude.

-Tyler

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Sven, Vigilance and Helixia at High Hrothgar

[This is a fan fiction based on the "Skyrim" (Elder Scrolls) universe] Today was a sad day. While Sven, Vigilance and Helixa were trying to help a traveler who was in dire straits…something terrible happened. This is the story from the perspective of the heroine, Helixia…and embedded below is her song (although I’m a guy so I’m singing her song but you can use your imagination).

The day was ripe with the smell of Tundra Cotton and Red Mountain flowers. Sven and I were on our way to seek out the Silver Hands and their encampment.

But before we could complete our journey, a merchant told us he needed our help. It seems he was on his way to the neighboring town to deliver supplies. But in fact, he was preparing a trap.

This song is our story…

There was a time,
When Sven was just a bard,
But I needed,
A companion here at arms

And so we left,
On a journey led by stars,
Climbing many steps…
Until we reached High Hrothgar!

…Oooh, Vigilance guide us,
With the wind at our backs,
We took on even old Hvnorrak

But we were no match…
For your lending hand

You saw a weary traveller,
And you said, “We should assist him!”

Little did we know…

This man spoke of ‘alse lies,
He was a bandit leader in disguise,
Bandit leader in disguise,

He was…a leader in disguise

You were cut down,
From your body free from breath,
And it was a surprise,

Because…Sven you are the best

Sven you were the best…

companion,

friend,

soldier…till the end,

armourer,

soldier,

adventurer,

friend,

…Sven

*SPOKEN*

“We will always remember you Sven.
…a true Nord.”

-Tyler

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Codecademy has upgraded and streamlined its Javascript Programming Tutorial Resources

The fantastic free programming resource on the internet known as, “Codecademy.com” has thoroughly upgraded its tutorial and achievement tracking environment. I’ve been learning how to program Javascript since Codecademy launched a few months ago. As of yesterday, there have been several bugfixes and software upgrades which make the environment much more conducive for thorough learning of computer programming.

A major bugfix that really made my day was the implementation of smart profile pic changing. I was having trouble changing my profile picture last week and I sent an email to them. It looks like they fixed the profile pic issue and you can upload any major file format picture to adjust your pic. I’m using a pizza cat picture that a friend of mine made. I hope she doesn’t mind…it’s just that those cats really get me in the mood to learn about Boolean true and false statements.

Another awesome bugfix was the “100% Complete” issue. For some reason, if you hadn’t started a lesson or programming project, it would say you had it 100% Complete, which was not true. Now the correct percentages of your progress will show up when you explore your “Learn” coursework tab. Right now I’m 92% done with learning about functions in Javascript and so it’s fun to track the progress.

Aside from Bugfixes, there has been several upgrades to Codecademy over the last day or so. The first addition is an extremely concise and easy-to-navigate programming glossary. Even if you are an expert Javascript programmer, you should bookmark the glossary by clicking HERE. Similar to the rest of the Codecademy website, the glossary is completely free and you can quickly check on operator functions and other terminology in a consolidated resource.

To make things even more awesome, Codecademy has streamlined the process for users to create their own interactive lessons and tutorials for the greater Codecademy community. So this means I was going through the functions lessons and then one day I noticed that I had more coursework to do. That’s because another user created additional lessons for us all to complete. It was so strange because I thought I had finished everything in that section already. That’s the beauty of a living and breathing coding environment. People can make the coursework more robust by adding exercises which stretch the comprehension of the students. It’s very exciting to see new lessons pop up every week or so.

As I said, Codecademy.com is completely free at this time for people to jump on board and learn how to do some Javascript programming, so check it out and hopefully you can break through any barriers and make some fun programs!

-Tyler

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This is a before/after shot of what a companion can look like if you equip him or her with style. An AI friend or two can make the game much for fun.

The game Skyrim is a Role Playing Game (RPG) made by Bethesda Game Studios. It is available for XBOX 360, PS3 and PC. But I recommend playing it on a very fast and powerful computer…preferably with a good video card.

One problem that many of my friends are having with Skyrim is that they are starting the game and then dropping it. They are saying things like, “I just got bored” or, “I couldn’t get exactly into it.”

This problem has to do with the specific genre of game Skyrim actually is. Most RPG’s that have come out in the last few years are Role Playing experiences which guide the player along a series of quests and a core storyline. Similar to First Person Rail Shooters which guide the player along a pre-destined path, most RPG’s are quite linear either in the quest/storylines and the progression through the maps and/or dungeons.

Skyrim is a different type of game which stays true to its Elder Scrolls roots. It is a Completely Immersive RPG Experience. It should not be attempted to be played in a, “Let’s bang these quests out” type of manner. Skyrim is a type of game where you simply put yourself in the shoes of the character you create, and experience the beautiful and vast world which Bethesda so painstakingly created.

All gaming philosophical standpoints aside, there are some quick tips which can greatly enhance someone’s Skyrim experience which can help make it so you don’t put the game down after just a few hours or quests.

First, “Power Leveling” in Skyrim doesn’t necessarily benefit your character in any tremendous way. Power Leveling is a technique where players of RPG’s tend to want their characters to be either extremely powerful or to have acquired all the best skills and items.

Yet Skyrim is a single player game. There are no other human-controlled players to compete with. Your character in no way needs to be the maximum level of 80+ in order to finish the game. And you will probably have a much more fun time playing the RPG if you focus on playing the game in a relaxed fashion with lots of breaks to real-life…instead of trying to make some sort of cookie-cutter overpowered character.

In fact, the enemies in Skyrim always level with you. So if you try to power level your way to getting some special perk or ability, your opponents will get much stronger. The combination of skills and perks that you choose will directly affect your success in battle. And there is absolutely no reason to abuse some sort of in-game glitch to level up your “Blocking” or “Light Armor” skills. If you go through the game at a lower level, you will find the enemies very manageable. And if you encounter especially dangerous bosses or monsters, you can do one of two things in order to continue having fun in Skyrim.

First, you can always leave an area and come back to the monster or problem later. Certain enemies may be simply too strong for your current item and skill set up. So leaving the area and doing some other tasks can help you train and become stronger to face the monster or boss.

Secondly, you can simply change the difficulty setting by pressing “escape” and then navigating to the “gameplay” tab. From there you can change the difficulty on the fly in case there’s a boss you don’t want to come back to later. This comes in real handy in the beginning of the game when you may not have very good items or if you’re still getting used to combat and find yourself in a sticky situation where you need to fight a boss to complete a quest. A good rule of thumb is that if you lower the difficulty to the easiest setting temporarily, you basically do double damage versus enemies.

Stamina, Stamina, Stamina:

As you level in the game, you will be presented with a choice. You can either boost your Magic, Health or Stamina stats. In the beginning of the game, it is extremely important to boost your stamina and health first. This is because your stamina will directly add 5 pounds of carry weight capacity to your character.

Since the game of Skyrim has so many encounters, many items drop in dungeons. Lots of these items such as swords and armor have tremendous resale value to vendors in different cities and towns withing Skyrim. And since you can use money to purchase ingredients and components for crafting, smithing, and enchantment…cash on hand is always a good thing. So level up your stamina ability and you will have plenty of carrying capacity in combination with your ally or companion buddy to loot a dungeon quite thoroughly. This brings us to our next section on allies…

The ambiance of Skyrim is greatly enhanced by having cool allies

Friends and family are what make life fun:

In Skyrim, you will encounter many characters which need your help with something. If you help them out and complete their specific side-quests, they may be willing to become your ally. But you can only have one humanoid ally at a time, so don’t be discouraged if someone refuses to join you. It probably means you have a companion with you already. The game designers probably didn’t want you rolling around towns with small armies of NPC’s like in Syndicate or other games.

On the plus side, you can enlist the help of a horse and a dog as well. So that means you can have 3 Non Player Character (NPC) helpers in total.

If you have a humanoid ally, you can equip that person with weapons and armor that are appropriate to that NPC’s specific character attributes and abilities.

For example, in one of the beginning towns, I met up with an ally named, “Sven” who joined me after I helped him get a girlfriend. (Sounds just like real-life, I know) At first I thought Sven was going to be a complete butterball in combat because he was a bard in the local tavern and his songs weren’t particularly memorable. But I thought he was friendly and that he might make a good meat shield in combat. What turned out actually blew my mind…

Similarly to the character I created, Sven focused on Two-Handed Weapons and Heavy Armor. That means he was able to equip any weapons and armor that I could use. On top of that, he was highly proficient in using a bow and arrow, which my character does not use. So this makes fighting dragons very interesting because Sven can weaken the dragon at range when I run out of magic.

Having a humanoid ally is great if you craft items because you can seriously decide what your ally will look like with all the gear. If your ally is capable of wearing heavy armor like Dwarven Armor, you will have this huge, tank-looking hero following you around. It is seriously awesome.

As mentioned earlier, your ally can carry over 200-300 pounds worth of items. So this comes in handy in dungeons when you’re picking up a lot of armor which you’d like to sell back in town.

If you ever get blocked in a doorway by your ally or dog here’s a quick tip. Either dash toward your ally by pressing the “Sprint” button on your keyboard, or start to “Sneak” around the door. By sprinting or sneaking, your dog and humanoid ally will either get pushed away or else they will simply move out the way. This quick tip can save you several minutes of frustration.

If you choose “Smithing” as one of your skill paths, you will have the potential to craft the best weapons and armor of your choice for you and you ally. The next section discusses multiplier effects of the crafting skills and how these seemingly superfluous skills can make your character powerful beyond belief…without requiring you to power-level and get bored.

Craft your way to victory:

Regardless of whether or not your character uses a bow and arrow, mage robes, a two-handed greatsword or punches people to death with heavy gauntlets…your character can benefit from the 3 branches of crafting.

The three branches of crafting are: Smithing, Enchanting, and Alchemy.

Smithing allows your character to create weapons and armor…but it also allows you to upgrade weapons and armor. That means there are two primary steps to smithing: First build the item, then either sharpen the sword on a grind-stone or else upgrade the armor on a workbench.

Your smithing skill level and “perks” determine what kind of weapons and armor you can build. But your current “level” of smithing skill directly correlates to bonus damage or bonus armor rating which is added to your upgraded weapons and armor after you hone them. Since this skill is augmented by drinking Alchemy potions known as “Potion of Fortify Smithing” and also by Gauntlets, Chest Armor, Rings and Necklaces that are enchanted with the bonus called “Fortify Smithing” you can make extremely powerful weapons and armor if you mentally plan your crafting techniques. What is most important is the moment when you use the grindstone and/or workbench. That’s when you need to throw on your smithing armor and drink your fortify smithing potion. I need to give my landlord credit here because he really opened my eyes to this conjunction of skills and equipment. And I’ve had tons of fun trying to come up with uber gear for me and Sven to use in combat.

Seriously, there is nothing more satisfying then seeing your ally use your crafted equipment to finish off a dangerous enemy or boss when you’re weakened and blocking to save your life. It adds a level of depth and satisfaction to the game which is unmatched for a single player experience. I haven’t had this kind of fun since I played Fallout 1 and 2.

“But what if my character and my ally is a mage? I don’t feel like doing all that smithing stuff!”

That’s totally OK! If your character is a pure magic-user, you’ll probably choose to wear robes and clothing…which cannot be upgraded at the grindstone and/or workbench. But even though you won’t be putting points into the smithing skill tree, you definitely won’t want to miss out on the alchemy and enchanting skill trees.

A mage is able to enchant his or her robes with magical properties. Similarly to how the Two-Handed warrior would want to enchant her sword with a “Shock” enchantment to damage enemies on impact. A mage and enchant his robes or fine clothing with the “Fortify Magika” enhancement. This can give your character additional mana reserves for casting spells. Many other enchantments work in the game which greatly benefit mages. It is rumored that a mage with powerful  “Fortify Enchantment” alchemy potions and a maximum skill level in enchanting can actually create robes and jewelry which can completely nullify the magic costs of casting a specific branch of magic spells. So if you a re a Destruction mage, it is rumored that you’ll be able to enchant clothing which can make it so you can cast dangerous lightning spells indefinitely…without draining your mana reserves. Can you see why the crafting branches of skills are important yet?

Damage Multipliers for the win:

One thing you’ll notice early on when you make your first few level advancements is that most skills have a perk in the beginning which enhances the effectiveness of that specific skill tree. Once you figure out what your primary method for defeating enemies, it is important to max this skill.

Let’s say you use a sword and a shield. Then you would probably want to max your one-handed bonus damage skill and also your blocking effectiveness skill. The bonus damage multiplier added by the one-handed perk is combined with whatever your effectiveness is in honing weapons in the Smithing skill tree. So if you are and excellent smith and add a lot of bonus damage to your crafted weapons, your sword will also reap the benefits of your one-handed sword bonus damage skill.

The same thinking goes for your magic abilities. If you are a destruction spell user, there are several perks that can enhance the damage-dealing capabilities of your magical attacks.

Yet don’t forgot that the skill trees of enchantment and alchemy both have similar effectiveness multipliers. And since all characters can directly benefit from these skill trees there is no reason not to make the best potions and gear enchantments around.

If you love to read, you’ll love Skyrim:

On a final note, the books in Skyrim are extensive and some of them are very short. They can be just a few pages long, but they can add an extra point toward one of your skill trees. But in-game bonuses aren’t the only reason to read the books in Skyrim. They are both entertaining and thought provoking. Some of the histories may seem dry, especially if you don’t like to read histories. But other books on the mythology or fables in the game are excellently written and can go on for volumes.

One particular book series that I’ve read several volumes of is, “The Real Barenziah” series of books. I’m not a huge fan of romantic literature, but the story of Barenziah was simply superb. It dealt with intrigue, love and even moral issues all in a few volumes. The series added context to several of the quests I’ve been on and it overall adds to the ambiance of the game.

If you aren’t a person who likes to read, the books aren’t completely necessary. But if you are an avid reader, this game has enough books to add many extra hours to your gaming experience.

The book on tips for bartering has even helped me negotiate prices in real life. It discusses things which helped me get a good deal on an environmentally friendly laundry hamper at Macy’s the other day. Who knew?

-Tyler

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This HoN Guide Covers Rampage and Assault Tactics

As someone who was new to Dota-style games, the game of Heroes of Newerth (HoN) seemed fun but there was never a character that seemed to match my personality and gaming preferences. I’ve always been drawn to “Crowd-Pleaser” characters in multiplayer games. This could be “King” or “True-Ogre” from the Tekken series. The multithrows of King and the fire breath/snake-arm of True Ogre seem to make people watching the game who may not even be necessarily playing have a great interactive time. It’s kind of like seeing a pro-wrestling match except better.

Well, it turns out Rampage can be a real crowd pleaser as well. This is especially true if you are the kind of person who has a good sense of comedic timing. Rampage can seriously make people rage, and your friends will have a blast.

To build an “Assault-Style” Rampage, you need to understand he is a set-up, gank, and map-control character. Later in the game he becomes a carry which can play ball with the best of them, but that isn’t until very late, so survivability and escape in the beginning is key.

When I first played Rampage, I thought the best item for boots would be steam boots. My thinking was that the additional strength and attack speed would make Rampage a more effective fighter and tank. That never seemed to work.

Then I talked with a friend from Starbucks who is very good at HoN and he recommended for me to purchase “Ghost Marchers” for Rampage. This is for multiple reasons, Ghost Marchers can be activated for additional speed. This extra speed temporarily increases your damage bonus which is passively given by your “2″ skill. But most importantly, the Ghost Marchers are generally very fast and they allow you to walk through creeps and players on command. This “ghost” ability is excellent for both catching up to prey and for escaping.

My starting items are slightly unorthodox because I choose to get minor totems all around and a shield. If there is only one ward being placed in the beginning, I’ll even sacrifice one of my minor totems to purchase a ward even if I’m middle lane. This is because Rampage is a map control character, if you know what’s happening…you’ll be able to better communicate ganks and set up solid plays.

My first skill that I get for Rampage is the passive stun. This stun is on a cooldown timer and it adds bonus damage and stun/knockback similarly to his “1″ skill.

The beauty of the passive stun is that it allows you to last-hit with tremendous ease. A shield and a passive stun allows you to get creep kills like a pro. The only real trouble character for middle lane would be Arachna, because her slow and excellent range can really punish you for going in for a last hit.

Early game strategy is to simply stay mentally alert and if you’re mid try and get runes if your opponent is going for them. If your opponent isn’t going for runes, you should probably only leave the lane if you see a Double Damage (DD) rune, or possibly if you see Haste or Regen if you know it will give you guaranteed survivability or if the lane is pushed deeply toward your territory and you can get an easy gank with either top or bottom lane.

The first item to build is your Ghost Marchers (which are often referred to as Phase Boots). Then after that rush Shrunken Head (BKB). The few seconds of magic immunity which BKB offers gives Rampage the perfect vehicle for initiating charges (1-skill) and chaining to his ultimate ability. All you have to do is charge your enemy, throw on BKB when you get close…and then chain your target with your ultimate. Then immediate activate your Ghost Marchers and then drag your chained enemy to your friends. At this time I often hold the “T” button and then tell my allies, “Hit this kid!!!” and other anti-social suggestions in order to wake people up and to use their auto attacks. This techqnique I call, “Drag and Drop” because it works so well.

As for your 3rd big item, that would be FrostBurn or “Sange and Yasha” depending on if you’re a Dota player or not. What is important is that you build the agility “Firesword” first as opposed to the ice sword. This is because the fFiresword gives you extra agility and movement speed which affects your armor rating and bonus damage because of your “2″ skill. Also the extra attack speed doesn’t hurt.

Once FrostBurns are complete, you’ll be able to start doing some fun things. Actually, you don’t need to wait for FrostBurns to do these more advanced tactics but they definitely are made easier by the movement slow which is brought on by the ice sword.

Advanced Tactics with Rampage:

If you don’t have your ultimate ready or if you aren’t even level 6 yet. You can still do some amazing things with Rampage. The first tactic is called, “Rhino Assault” because it uses the “2″ skill to play ping pong with your enemies.

First, charge your opponent using the 1-skill. Then if you have enough mana, use your “2″ skill to call the might of the herd. This slows the enemies in a short radius.

This is the tricky part. You will be tempted to immediately hit your opponent again because you know your passive does so much extra bonus damage. But if you are able to mentally hold back, you can actually use the movement slow of your 2-skill to walk around your opponent. You might have to activate your Ghost Marchers for an additional boost of speed. Make sure to use hotkeys because clicking all these activatable items with your mouse is completely nub-style.

After you walk around your enemy while it is slowed, then hit the target back in the opposite direction that it “wants” to go. This is probably away from your team. If you can consistently pull this off, your enemies will have a very hard time escaping when you and your pals are bringing on the pressure.

The next tactic is called, “Gangsta-scape” because you will be allowed to run from a single or multiple enemies and waste a lot of their time without dying. When I do this escape I usually type something like, “BRBZLZ FROM CLAN CZLZ” and the other team thinks that I’m 10 years old. But I’m not, I’m just immature.

This tactic is pretty easy to do, it just takes some guts. When someone is chasing you, run away and make it look like you’re really scared. This is usually made possible by doing dumb stuff like walking in a straight line. But at a time where you’re coming toward a fork in the road or near some line-of-sight impeding trees or elevation, turn around and hit your enemy with your passive stun. You’ll take your opponent off guard because you’ll knock them back. Then activate your shrunken head and/or Ghost Marcher boots and run away.

The final advanced tactic with Rampage is “Map Control” and although it sounds more like a strategy than a tactic, it works for both. Your “1-skill” charge ability allows you to keep “Perma-Sight” on your target, even if they are on the other side of the map or if they become invisible. This is a great way to help allies finish a gank because sometimes in early game, all your allies need is to know where an opponent is going during a level 3 fight in order to get the kill. If you charge in, they might be able to finish the target before you even get there. And if they don’t, you’ll be running so fast you might be able to finish off the dude before he can run back to tower or base.

One piece of advice which I sometimes blunder with myself, would be the necessity to charge from out of the line-of-sight of your opponents. So if you’re going to gank bottom lane and if you’re middle lane, make sure the opponent doesn’t see you begin your charge. A good idea is to make it look like you’re running back to base to buy something and then charge from in between your forward and middle tower. This way the middle lane might omit informing his teammates that you’re missing. And when you open up shop on bottom lane they will be sad little wigglers.

Late Game Items:

Since your 3 primary items are always going to be Ghost Marchers, BKB and FrostBurns…you’re probably wondering what to fill the last 3 slots with. I recommend getting Runed Axe 4th, Rift Shards 5th and then Savage Mace 6th. This is because Runed Axe and Savage Mace and Rift Shards all stack with your passive stun “3-skill” and your 1-skill charge stun. So if you hit your target and proc you stun, you will also have a chance to do critical damage on that bonus damage. But this happens in a radius because of the Runed Axe. To make things more impressive, the Savage Mace has a bonus damage proc which might go off in an area of effect as well. With these items, your Rampage can seriously just turn on BKB and make short work of extremely strong characters.

Of course, that’s a more carry-style build for late game and should only be used if your team already has a tank. If you’re the only STR hero, then go ahead and get Behemoth’s Heart.

I hope you enjoyed this guide and happy Rampaging!

-Tyler

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