What I read on reader

Trends on Google Reader, who checks them? I did recently and in doing so was pleasantly surprised. I found out that since September 27, 2007 I read close to 12.000 items.


Who do I read most? This is also provided in a neat schedule that can be filtered based on various indicators. Topping the charts in the last 30 days are Massively, TAGN, Bio Break, Tobold and Hardcore Casual.


What you is difficult to interpret reading behavior, apart from the %Read column. For example I hardly read the full article of Massively. Partly due to the fact these are snippets to attract attention. More so because a lot of the topics interest me less. Why do I keep Massively? It gives me a nice overview what is going on in Games land. Bio Break is a bit high on the chart then I would normally place it. I expect this is due to my current interest in RIFT information.

An odd duck in the Trend is Productive Flourishing. This is part of my Food for Thought category of Blogs that I read out of personal interest in the topics and professional development where I go through a batch every odd week. Another blog I follow on this category is People Skills Decoded.

So what does your Trend look like?

My Extended 10/01/10 CUBE (October 1, 2010)

This project was born after accidently reading up on a local initiative this week when subscribing for my local M11 pre-release draft tournament. Apparently, The Cube is a draft format with the best cards around as 1 offs. As I am somewhat of a collector in nature and want to have at least 1 copy of each card in a set this is perfect for me (These are of course neatly stored in separate 3x3pocket card holders !). Besides that a CUBE is re-usable whenever you want, no need to buy boosters! A "boxed" off-the-shelf and ready-to-play game. And the best of it.. you can design it yourself!

So I started googling for further info to get the design rolling. Below are the first design choices for my CUBE.

Size

Objective is to get an 8 player Cube going, which requires at minimum 360 cards. So initial objective is to get it to 400 cards – 50 each color, 50 artifacts, 50 multicolor, 50 lands (the 8 “colors”).

Sets

I chose to start with the Extended sets as of October 1, 2010 as I started playing Magic again when M10 came around. Besides that I own a (net decked) Jund and love all the Alara cycle Multicolor cards (both art and what they bring to the table). Then I also wanted some additional variety and thus expanded to the extended format. I am a long way there for each set starting at M10, with M10, ZEN, WWK and M11 mostly complete and only ROE lagging behind. Everything before will come out of need from the CUBE (if I don’t have them from my Esper Artifact and Jund deck). This should allow me to get most cards through trade and doesn’t include unattainable or expensive cards like the power 9. However, I won’t shun from creating proxies to get the CUBE ready for play testing.
Thus sets included are:

• Lorwyn
• Morningtide
• Shadowmoor
• Eventide
• Shards of Alara
• Conflux
• Alara Reborn
• Magic 2010
• Zendikar
• Worldwake
• Rise of the Eldrazi
• Magic 2011 (effective July 16, 2010)
• Scars of Mirrodin (effective October 1, 2010)

Sets will be added as and when they come out.

Cards
Basicly, the most powerful from each color, while supporting a variety of types and archtypes (e.g. UW(B) Control, R/B aggro, Jund, Rock, G/x Ramp etc.). The Cube should be a well functioning draft set. When building I’ll keep curve in mind. To help me I use various internet sources as the site of Tom Lapille (playmagicwith.tomlapille.com). Base distribution creatures vs spells will be 50/50 for the 5 base colors with exception of blue and green, which will be split approximately 40/60 and 60/40 respectively. Minor variations may occur in the design process.

Start building
I start with some known CUBE list on the net and identify the cards applicable to my set limitation. From there I sort them in colors, split by creatures and spells (exception is multicolor, which will be split by mana combinations). Reference is Tom’s Cube Design Handoff Document and the Ultimate Cube resource thread on MTG Salvation.
Cube lists to start with scrutinizing are:

• 2009 CUBE power ranking by the MTGS community
• Tap into the Cube of Thom Krone
• BennyDJazz modern Cube
• Cube drafting by Evan
• The GMU Cube of Happy Gilmore

Users and using the Extended (10.01.10) CUBE
It’s always good to know who the intended users will be, right?! To be fair with you this is mostly me. I don't have any close friends that play MTG. If I play it is either with my brother or at drafts (release or weeknights afairs)

At this point I have not been able to convince him to join this new project. Actually, he isn’t all that excited about playing it! So I have to build this the most appealing CUBE for him to so that at a minimum he will love playing it with me. Target is to get him to beg me to bring the CUBE along whenever I visit him.

Once I have something more to report on you can expect an update!

EVE Online - Planetary Production Chains

EVE Online will soon introduce Planetary Interaction (PI). PI is new game element that allows players to extract resources from planets (before players could "only" extract resources from Asteroid belts). From the planets resources you can manufacture processed materials. These processed materials can in turn be used to manufacture refined commodities. Next in line in the production chain are specialized and advanced commodities. Each additional manufacturing level or Tiers requires more harvested resources and commodities. Of course each tier also requires more and more time from the player. To be efficient and have the least waste a player needs to set-up a smart Production Chain on his/her planets. Various other choices have to be made to become a planet-bound captain of industry. Interested? Read more here.

I did so too and thereafter read more player produced materials and ultimately started experimenting with PIs options myself. One needs to be prepared before sailing out, right? So I wanted to try and set up a specicific production chain that would require several different planet types. Next to that requirement I wanted to have a go at a product that is likely required in more than one marketable commodity. My eye fel on Data Chips. Data Chips are used for the production of Broadcaset Nodes, which are required for Player Owned Stations (POS). POS are used by every selfrespecting corporation and alliance in this game. This is because a POS is an E-penis....and besides that a strategic "landmarks" in territorial warefare and a private floating labratory in space. A bit like the ISS.
Data Chips are also used for Nanite Repair Paste, which can be used to repair damaged equipment (modules) on the spaceships in this game. As people in this game like to shoot at things with their spaceships, preferably with as much damage as possible, they will overload their weapon modules. These will in turn need to be repaired with paste. They like shooting at POSs even more, which the owners will want to defend. More shooting and blowing up bits and bytes will ensue. Good for the manufacturing tycoons of the game don't you think so too!?

So after a couple of hours figuring out how PI will work (the rules of engagement) I wasted some more time messing around on the new powerpoint version I had not used before. This is the end result.


Final production stage on a Temperate planet. Here the other resources and commodities from the Ice and Lava planets are combined to produce the Tier 3 Data Chips:


Producing Tier 2 refined commodity on an Ice planet:


Obtaining required Tier 1 processed materials on a Lava planet:



POS Fuels are another commodity I expect will be in demand. The commodities that are used as POS fuel are:

• T1 Oxygen (G/I/S)
• T2 Coolent (O/T/G/B/I/S)
• T2 Enriched Uranium (L/P/B/I)
• T3 Robotics (L/G/P/B/I/S)

With just a Storm and Plasma planet anyone should be able to produce the fuel. If they can extract the required raw materials.

I present to you my POS Fuels Production Chain Schematics:






If you find them useful feel free to leave a passing comment or donate ISK to ingame character Malenfer.

Fly save!


Edit: minor update, the individual planets in the chain show Refined Commodities that can be produced and monatized without using Processed Materials required for the Data Chips production chain.
Edit2: I combined the two seperate posts on the topic into one.

Typing Speed Test

Update for a second attempt 2 days later.. were in the first attempt I had 3 mistakes. Couldn't let that go ofcourse.

"You reached 318 points, so you achieved position 8231 of 152919 on the ranking list"

You type 422 characters per minute
You have 79 correct words and
you have 0 wrong words

79 words

Typing Test

First attempt... "You reached 305 points, so you achieved position 1544 of 24753 on the ranking list".


75 words

Typing Test

WAR NDA dropped

The floodgates are open! Be ready to check out the big WAR bloggers for BETA information. Tobold starts of with a generous question to the public on what the most pressing topics are. My advice is to keep an eye out for his blog. This would also be a good time to set up a reader. I use Google reader, but any other would do.

Tobold's MMORPG Blog: WAR NDA is lifted - Any questions?

NDA is now officially lifted. Expect an explosion of WAR related articles all over the MMO blogosphere. I have a lot to say about that game, but I'll take it slow, there are still over 4 weeks until release to fill with posts. But if you have any questions or suggestions what you think I should be writing about first, feel free to ask in the comment section of this post.

Other recommended blogger sites are: Keen and Graev, Waaagh Blog. Special mention goes to Warhammer Alliance, which has been my favorite forum since I found out WAR was in development.

To all; have fun reading all the news and impressions of fellow gamers in the next month.

Massively Pre-NDA look at the Elves of WAR

While many WAR Beta bloggers are waiting for the NDA (Non-disclosure agreement) to drop to be able to hit the fans with juicy information on the upcoming WAR game. It is the game site Massively which has the scoop on pre-NDA information, being allowed to write about BETA information while others are not yet allowed. Reactions to the lasting NDA differ from blogger to blogger.

Syp over at Waaagh Blog goes as far as "treathening" Mythic with hostage actions! Keen over at KeenandGraev is preparing for the NDA drop and is gathering footage on WAR BETA in amounts and quality that will us take a sicky. Tobold remains his calm self (?), although from the increase in WAR topics and responses in comments it is crystal clear also he is awaiting the "go" from Mythic.

All things considered I wonder whether the Massively exclusive is part of the reason the NDA has not yet been lifted by Mythic. What other reasons can there be? Join me in musing other reasons besides boosting Massively's site traffic?


For those interested in reading the pieces written by Kyle Horner and Dan O'Halloran at Massively read on. Kyle and Dan released a number short articles on several of the playable Elf classes in WAR. The articles give an idea of the first few levels of the character, what abilities they have and how they can be used.

• Archmage - Alliance Healer - mirror of Shaman
  
• White Lion - Alliance DPS - melee pet class
• Witch Elf - Horde DPS - roguish dual wielder - level 6 - 10
• Sorceress - Horde DPS - caster class
• Swordmaster - Alliance Tank - melee class
  

Myself, well I am still in doubt between the pure Dark Elf caster (Sorcerer) or one of the Healer-casters (Archmage/Shaman). Regardless of the final choice I'll take my time discovering the game once released in about 1 month.

WaoW

While in Paris for a language course (a topic for another post) I visited FNAC (great store concept) as I most often do when there. At the bande dessinée section I found a WoW BD (comic): WaoW - 1. Les Crèvemines.

Those who play WOW will find great fun in the story. I lol-ed and rofl-ed quite a bit. I played the english version and as such am not familiar with all french names and references to ingame NPC's, locations, Quests, Dungeons etc. depicted in the BD. However they where drawn and situated in such a manner that even a 1 week newb (no pun intended) will recognise quite a few.

The story unfolds .. well like a newb starting off for the first time. The reader follows the story of the experienced character Badorin, who has received the Quest to take care for the young newb Darkill. They set out in Razemoth (Azeroth) to level up young Darkill and find him an instance (dungeon) to XP in. Overconfident and eager to gain XP Darkill finds his first death at level 2 against a neutral NPC he wildly charges. His first graveyard experience is very recognisable for those that played WOW as their first MMORPG (lol!). Skipping several DINGS of Darkill by courier Quests Badorin uses a walky talky to request quests available for level 10 to everybody in the zone (cleverly found way of explaining general chat). As you may already expect their journey brings them to Westfall and Sentinel Hill, where they que up (lol!) to receive the Quest chain to kill Devias scum. It all goes horribly wrong when the two find a group to enter Les Crèvemines (The Deadmines) and face the final boss.

A scene from within Stormwind:
a group of xp hungry players running to the Stockades

Road-to-WAR

Mythic, the developer of the hit MMORPG title Dark Age of Camelot (2001) is about to release their newest game (announced release date of September 18). Warhammer: Age of Reckoning or WAR for short. Previously succesful with it's Realm versus Realm concept in DAoC Mythic hopes to gain the masses by combining their RvR concept with the IP of the Warhammer Fantasy miniature model tabletop game of Games Workshop.

Early in the design phase (2005) of the game Mythic has started to reach for their target audience and beyond in an attempt to create hype. With appearence of enthusiastic Mythic representatives calling for "WAAAGH" in games shows in recent months all over the world, they have succeeded in just doing that. The hype is there. Captivating game trailers (see below), monthly news letters and website(s) keep the future customers coming back; wanting more.

With WAR Beta applications of 800.000+ and counting the question arrises whether Mythic will rival World of Warcraft (the leading running MMORPG with a current estimated account base over 10.000.000). That WAR will be a success seems almost certain, whether it will rival and more importantly can rival WOW is to be seen. Will WAR fans care? No. As long as Mythic will be able to deliver the game in line with (hyped) expecations the Road to WAR will be open for fast profits.

You will be able to find me on that open road marching on the forces of Order. See you there?


Sorcerer of Destruction

EVE Personality

Industrialist with teeth
Take The EvE Personality Test today!
Created with Rum and Monkey's Personality Test Generator.

You enjoy Eve's economic model and you find that the greatest challenge of the game lies in mastering the market. System security status is a matter of profit/no profit for you, and you always factor in the possibility/probability of PvP in your estimates. To you, Eve isn't a PvP or a PvE game. It's a simulation of capitalizm in its purest form, and a place where the savvy wins the day.

Does this EVE Personality test fit into MBTI (see previous post). Anyone? Some more known bloggers took the test too: TAGN, Morphisat and Godlesswanderer. What personality type would fit them? TAGN is an ESFP, The Performer or also ESTP like me? What personality types do play EVE? Would there be a mix of personalities that matches Real Life? I wonder..

Mozaik

Mozaik comes in many colors and materials. I had not yet come accross a Superhero wall of fame in Mozaik. It's pretty neat. It has heroes and characters from Marvel, DC, Disney, Pixar and many more on it.

Lisboa (Portugal) close to the Art's Hotel - Avenida D Joao II Lote 1 18

I ran into the wall by coincedence at a Hotel I was lodged at with a couple of my colleagues for work in Lisboa. The Hotel itself has a decent quality for it's price (I think I had corporate rates). One major caveat for me as a YCP is the lack of a water cooker and iron in the rooms. Luckily the iron can be requested (have Euro 20,- in your wallet for a deposit!). The location is convenient. It is close to a large shopping mall and a promenade at the riverside with some restaurants and bars. A train station is on walking distance just accross the mall. The airport is just a 5 to 10 minute dirt-cheap taxi ride away.

People in Lisbon are quite friendly. Received a grand tour of the coast area from a Lisboa based colleague. She showed us the seaside at Estoril and Cascais . Thank you Sofia!

Again I didn't have time to visit Lisboa itself. Flew back on Friday evening with TAP.

First Post!

I’d like to write a meaningful introduction in the first entry on my blog. But I won’t. Instead I want to take this opportunity to get something in the clear.

There is a tradition among forum trolls and generally “funny” people. To get that tradition out of the way, once and for all, I bring you:

First Post!


Naturally there are always some stubborn epeens. For them:

Second, Third!


With that cleared I would like to point you to the disclaimer on the bottom of my shiny new blog. Read it? It probably has no legal merit and some may find it over the top, however I think a disclaimer makes my blog look nice and finished.