EDIT: started work on <a href=archives.php>archive page</a>; it’ll display old posts taken off the main page<p>
EDIT: started work on profiles; will allow you to upload new avatars, change info about yerself, etc. Next up is doing old post display, search functions, etc<p>
Still doing slow work on programming action. Added a stats page to the linker, check it <a href=linker.php?action=stats>here</a>. Rudimentary comments system also added; I’ll continue to update it. Please make note of any bugs or features you want, and post ‘em in the comments for this post. If not, then whatevah, yo. <p>
So, yeah, I finally joined the league of trendy punks and purchased an iPod. I opted to go with the 4 gig mini, due to the mix of storage space and physical size. Turns out that it was a good choice, because the mini fits in my pocket easily, without being bulky. It’s smaller than my (stupidly small) cell phone. The iPod Shuffle is way small, but at $150 for only 1 gig of storage, plus no screen, I figured an extra $50 would be worth it. Apple has a devious pricing plan for their iPods. The next best model is always $50 more. And it’s always WAY better than your current level. It’s easy to get suckered into the neverending “Well, it’s only $50 more!” loop, until you’re buying the top-‘o-the-line iPod. <p>I should have gotten one of these months ago. It’s so awesome to have on the train. I can still study flashcards or whatever, but also listen to music at the same time. When I get back to the states I can use it in my car, too. I’ve really never used a portable music device before, so it’s an interesting experience. The Walkman was before my time, CD players are too bulky to walk around with, and MDs never really caught on in the states. I feel like I have a protective shield around me, somehow. Strange feeling, yet cool because of my reclusive nature. <p> I’m definitely happy that I got it; I think it was a long overdue purchase. The only problem now is that I walk around every day with like $600 worth of electronics in my bag. If I ever lose it (however unlikely that may be) I’ll be out of a wad o’ cash.
I’ve been on an old-school SNES RPG kick recently. For some reason, I had an insatiable craving to play Earthbound, and when I’d finished with that, I moved on to Super Mario RPG. I find it quite amazing that even after almost ten years, games like these can still hold their own. I thought I’d write a bit on why exactly I can play a game like Super Mario RPG and still enjoy it.
One of the main problems with older games is that they become horribly dated due to graphic quality. Something like Final Fantasy II is probably not going to attract any new players, due to the small, blocky graphics. However, towards the end of the SNES's life cycle, developers began to make simulated 3D computer-generated graphics; the most famous example of this is probably Donkey Kong Country. Super Mario RPG takes advantage of this graphical trick, and the result is a game that doesn't show its age quite so much. Ironically, although we may say that a game's graphics are superficial, in older games I think they are quite a large part of whether a new player will enjoy the game or not.
Of course, with any RPG, the plot and dialogue determine a large part of the quality of the game. The main plot of Super Mario RPG will be nothing new for fans of the Mario series: it involves collecting stars. However, many subplots and strange situations arise throughout the game, and are superbly scripted. Add entirely new areas in the Mario universe, new characters, and viola! You get a game that is actually story driven.
Another area that propels SMRPG to high levels of replayability is the gameplay itself. The game mixes action and RPG elements quite adroitly. Most of the game takes place in a 3/4 perspective, and plays just like a Mario platformer. Holding Y makes Mario run, and B jumps. However, in this game, if Mario jumps on a baddie, a RPG-style battle starts, bringing fans of the genre into more familiar territory. Super Mario RPG also introduces the concept of "timed hits," where pressing the A button at specific times will cause a character to deal more or take less damage in battle. While mastering timed hits is not essential for completing the game, it gives the player a large advantage. SMRPG is also chock-full of interesting mini-games, which, unlike those in other games, are actually fun to play. There are so many of these games that it is almost impossible to list them all here.
Super Mario RPG also made strides ahead in the RPG genre that other games have yet to copy. One such feature is the fact that experience is given to all characters after a battle, even those not in the active party. This significantly reduces the most tedious part of RPGS: leveling up. Some of the tedium still exists, but is reduced because of this excellent idea. In addition, the maximum character level is 30, and after playing through the game normally, the average level is 25. This makes SMRPG much less tedious than most RPGs.
Of course, no game is without problems. SMRPG is the most flawed in regards to character balance. With a little work, your party can be literally invincible, even to the most difficult enemies in the game. The characters Geno and the Princess are particularly overpowered. There is also a particular area of the game which allows the player to infinitely level up and get infinite coins very quickly; this wouldn't be so bad, except that it's about half-way through the game, making the rest way too easy.
However, when it comes right down to it, these problems are rather small and trivial. Overall, the game remains extremely playable, and is one of my favorite RPGs. There have been various "spiritual" sequels to this game (such as Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga), and I would definitely recommend every to play the game that started it all.
My telnet sessions time out after about one minute of inactivity. I’m not sure if this is because of my worthless port-blocking router or not. I tried the UPnP (or whatever it’s called) option which is supposed to automatically forward ports, but it doesn’t work. I tried giving myself a static IP and manually forwarding ports, but that didn’t work either. In any case, nothing is more annoying than hitting a programming problem, finding the answer, then returning to the terminal, only to discover that it’s not responding. Lame!