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A Blast From The Past, and Other Things
Mar. 21st, 2011 12:29 amAs regular readers of my journal know, I recently bought a new PC and went slinking back to the Evil Empire in Redmond. I have to say that Windows 7 has been a better experience than I feared. And I told myself that one of the advantages of going back to Windows was being able to play games again. Computer games.
Not I repeat not CONSOLE games. COMPUTER games. I hate console gaming. More specifically, I hate those damn handheld controllers that I can't work worth a damn. I want to use a keyboard and a mouse to move my guy and aim my weapons, the way god intended. So now that I had a Windows machine again, I could that. First thing I did was join Steam and download XCOM: UFO Defense. They provide a version of this nineties game that will run under Win7. I've been having fun with it.
But I wanted more. And the other day, while at the mall, I popped into Gamestop. I remember when that store was mostly computer games, with a few console games available. Over the years it has mutated until the PC games are relegated a single floor stand in the back. Everything else is endless racks of games for Nintendo, Playstation, Wii, Xbox and the like. But among the PC games on that sad lonely stand was a collector's pack of the Battlefield 1942 series. The original, Road to Rome, Secret Weapons of WWII, and Battlefield Vietnam. Plus the map editor and mod kit for those who want to roll their own. All for $10.
I've bought the game before, lo these many years ago (long before I took a multi-year detour into Linux. But god alone knows where the game disks are, and whether I still have the boxes with the CD keys. Plus, I never got Secret Weapons or BF Vietnam anyhow. And the whole thing was only $10, so I wanted it.
I didn't buy it immediately, though. I went home and checked online to be sure it would run under Windows 7. And lo it will. So I went back to the mall today and bought it. Installed it. And I've been playing it. I love it! That stupid handheld controller is such a lame interface compared to keyboard and mouse. I can't believe so many people prefer that*. I've only been playing the single-player game against bots so far** and may or may not venture out into the world again. I checked and there are still active BF1942 servers out there, but I'd probably have to download updates and patches before I could join them, and I'm not sure it's worth it. We'll see.
In other news, I've spent several enjoyable hours reading old Stargate: SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis fic. I've discovered that the TV Tropes website often has links to really god fanfic sites. Even if the stories they recommend don't grab me, they usually lead me to stories that do interest me. And so it was this weekend. I've read some very good stuff.
Speaking of good stuff, I've finished the first Marla Mason novel (Blood Engines) by T. A. (Tim) Pratt. I enjoyed it very much, so I bought the second one (Poison Sleep) and I'm reading that now too. I really, really like these. It's urban fantasy--our heroine Marla is the chief sorceror of the fictional city of Felsport--but utterly lacking in angst or romance. Just lots of imaginative magic and butt-kicking action. I highly recommend this series.
*Okay, i realize that mostly what they prefer is not having to constantly play catch-up on the cutting edge machines necessary to play the latest games. You buy an Xbox and you just play until, eventually, you buy a new one. No endless chase for more CPU, more RAM, better graphics card, etc. But man, the interface just SUCKS! Would it kill Microsoft or Nintendo or whoever to allow people to use keyboard and mouse as an option?
**Even using keyboard and mouse, I'm only a mediocre player at best. My online handle when I was active in online multi-player BF1942 gaming, was Bullet Sponge for a very good reason.
Not I repeat not CONSOLE games. COMPUTER games. I hate console gaming. More specifically, I hate those damn handheld controllers that I can't work worth a damn. I want to use a keyboard and a mouse to move my guy and aim my weapons, the way god intended. So now that I had a Windows machine again, I could that. First thing I did was join Steam and download XCOM: UFO Defense. They provide a version of this nineties game that will run under Win7. I've been having fun with it.
But I wanted more. And the other day, while at the mall, I popped into Gamestop. I remember when that store was mostly computer games, with a few console games available. Over the years it has mutated until the PC games are relegated a single floor stand in the back. Everything else is endless racks of games for Nintendo, Playstation, Wii, Xbox and the like. But among the PC games on that sad lonely stand was a collector's pack of the Battlefield 1942 series. The original, Road to Rome, Secret Weapons of WWII, and Battlefield Vietnam. Plus the map editor and mod kit for those who want to roll their own. All for $10.
I've bought the game before, lo these many years ago (long before I took a multi-year detour into Linux. But god alone knows where the game disks are, and whether I still have the boxes with the CD keys. Plus, I never got Secret Weapons or BF Vietnam anyhow. And the whole thing was only $10, so I wanted it.
I didn't buy it immediately, though. I went home and checked online to be sure it would run under Windows 7. And lo it will. So I went back to the mall today and bought it. Installed it. And I've been playing it. I love it! That stupid handheld controller is such a lame interface compared to keyboard and mouse. I can't believe so many people prefer that*. I've only been playing the single-player game against bots so far** and may or may not venture out into the world again. I checked and there are still active BF1942 servers out there, but I'd probably have to download updates and patches before I could join them, and I'm not sure it's worth it. We'll see.
In other news, I've spent several enjoyable hours reading old Stargate: SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis fic. I've discovered that the TV Tropes website often has links to really god fanfic sites. Even if the stories they recommend don't grab me, they usually lead me to stories that do interest me. And so it was this weekend. I've read some very good stuff.
Speaking of good stuff, I've finished the first Marla Mason novel (Blood Engines) by T. A. (Tim) Pratt. I enjoyed it very much, so I bought the second one (Poison Sleep) and I'm reading that now too. I really, really like these. It's urban fantasy--our heroine Marla is the chief sorceror of the fictional city of Felsport--but utterly lacking in angst or romance. Just lots of imaginative magic and butt-kicking action. I highly recommend this series.
*Okay, i realize that mostly what they prefer is not having to constantly play catch-up on the cutting edge machines necessary to play the latest games. You buy an Xbox and you just play until, eventually, you buy a new one. No endless chase for more CPU, more RAM, better graphics card, etc. But man, the interface just SUCKS! Would it kill Microsoft or Nintendo or whoever to allow people to use keyboard and mouse as an option?
**Even using keyboard and mouse, I'm only a mediocre player at best. My online handle when I was active in online multi-player BF1942 gaming, was Bullet Sponge for a very good reason.
