Game Music

Here's a cool article on composing game music that I found on Apple's website. It's an interview with the guy that did the music for the latest Indiana Jones game. While there is a paragraph or two of plugging the Mac, the rest of the four-page article focuses on the process of developing game music. He talks about how the compositions need to be flexible and the different problems and advantages of dealing with live composition versus sampled composition, etc.

Google.wtf

E-Mail google at comments@google.com and let them know how you feel about their new "interface." To me it feels cold and confusing. Gone are the colored bars. Gone are the tabs.

I never thought a search engine could affect me to the point where I'm actively telling people to voice themselves. I mean, I didn't even vote.

Don't forget though, Google is cool. Check out the Google Labs and try out Personalized Search. It's fun stuff.

Time since conception: 21 years

Happy Birthday to me. All that didn't send gifts -- you are disowned. My birthday was fun, let me give you a tour..

First I went to Dave & Busters for some lunch and video games. Since you have to be 21 to get in without your parents, this was the first official use of my new ID. The man at the door checked it and then, as if perplexed, looked to his watch to check the date (sweat was gathering on my forehead), but then smiled and said "Happy Birthday." I then had lunch, and the waitress brought me out cheesecake and said she had been told it was my birthday (by my girlfriend) and that she was told not to bring out the troops to sing to me. This was very nice.

Next we went shopping for a while. I picked up a Hamtaro plush and a GameBoy Advance carry case for $8 at the KBToys Store Closing sale. Check out the lil' hamster computing.

We then headed to the park where I chased squirrels. I also got my picture taken on this insect-infested stump.

Took a fun picture of Jaclyn too.

All in all, it was a good day. It was 70 degrees out, so that also helped make the day enjoyable. Cool stuff.

Sounds good to me

Mmmmm...

Wario Ware Inc. Mega Party Game$ -- April 4th, 2004
Custom Robo -- May 10th, 2004
The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures -- June 7th, 2004
Pikmin 2 -- July 1st, 2004
Donkey Konga -- July 15th, 2004
Star Fox 2 -- October 15th, 2004
Metroid Prime 2 -- November 18th, 2004
Paper Mario 2 -- December 10th, 2004

Geist -- TBA 2004
Super Mario 128 -- TBA 2004
Stage Debut -- TBA 2004
Kuju Action Nintendo Game -- TBA 2004
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker 2 -- TBA 2004
Animal Crossing 2 -- TBA 2005
Game Zero -- TBA 2005

hot hideaway

Our drier recently stopped working at my house in Ohio. We'd had it for 13 years, so my dad thought it was kaput. However, he did open it up to make sure there was nothing obviously wrong. When he removed the front panel to get at some of the parts, he found what you can see in the pictures below: 13 years of "pocket stuff."

There were keys, pens, receipts, $86.00, a note from one of my old girlfriends, etc. Apparently there is a lip inside the drier that leaves just a tiny crack between it and the front panel. Any item small enough to fit through this gap was gobbled up almost certainly. I'd never thought as a drier as a potential time capsule...but it seems to have done it's job quite well. It essentially picks things at random to steal from you and hide-away until you discover them once more.

As a side note, the part that was busted cost $120 to replace, so no profit was made during this endeavor.

Zeruda!

I picked up 4 swords+ today too...only one word for it: amazing.

Mind you, I don't have many gaming friends, and those that I do don't enjoy Zelda. So I"ll be going through this thing single player. I'm almost through Level 1 (i think) and it's been great so far. I've got about an hour of playtime in, and suspect another 45min - hour of gameplay in the rest of level 1. And there are seven levels? sweet.

I can't think of any complaints so far. The music is all new compositions, done in what sounds like SNES-quality music. I think it was wise to stick to this "sound" as had the music been orchestrated, I think it would have thrown the "feel" off a bit.

As far as the single player control...the game IS easier to play using the GC controller. But then you don't get to use your gba, which is kinda cool. The reason for the GC controller being better is that a flick of the C-Stick in one of 4 directions allows you to control the formation. On the GBA you have to hit "L" and a menu comes up for you to pick a formation.

It being all in japanese is a bit of a setback, but I've gotten through so far ok. It's fun. Hundres of enemies and rupees on the screen at the same time is nuts.

Only @ 2 A.M.

So here we go.

Let's say your mom was a nurse in the military during Vietnam. She's over there healing wounds, etc. However, during her bout in 'nam she gets knocked up by her commander. This conception is you.

Now, l33t thing #1 -- You can say u were in 'nam. And talk about shit like: "ya, man...I remember 'nam...ya.

l33t thing #2 -- You can get eat for free at the Veteran's Pancake Breakfast once a year at the firehouse.

Boo-ya!

random

Today I picked up 3 SNES games to add to my collection:

Illusion of Gaia
Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest
Super Mario RPG

Add this to Balloon Fight (NES) and Sword of Mana (GBA), both of which I got yesterday, and I've got some serious gaming ahead of me. Sword of Mana is supposed to be for my E3 trip, but I find myself playing it already.

In a completely unrelated event, I have to pick up my new driver's license at the BMV tomorrow. They're only open 8:00-12:00 though...great. I'd blow it off, but this is the coveted "gold bar" license -- the one that says "Sell this guy some liquor ASAP" on it (practically). I'd feel slightly old or something, but there are still restrictions on me, so I don't -- rental car, Age: 25; US President, Age:35.

<3

r0ckin' da suburbz

Here's ~2 hours work in GarageBand:

Gerudo Valley

It's not amazing or anything. I need to hook up my expensive pedal so I can get the DSP filtering stuff going on. Makes my guitar sound much cleaner. Enjoy.

Oh, and if you are not a freak Zelda fan, Gerudo Valley is a song from the first Nintendo64 incarnation of Zelda -- the ocarina of time.

California Adventure

It has been confirmed. I will be going to California at the end of the school year for a week to attend two very important events. The first, a concert at the Walt Disney Concert Hall with the LA Philharmonic performing music from Final Fantasy. Second, the Electronic Entertainment Expo via a media pass. I love having stuff to look forward to.

Going to meet a bunch of CMU people out there as well as some peeps from #gamemusic. Should be a fun time.

By the way, thank supakoopa for the extended downtime of my weblog. I think he is trying to sabotage the site so my reader base decreases.

Sleek

Just messing around with my camera tonight. Playing with longer exposure times. Though this is nothing special, it was a product of that. This exposure was 4"

Le sexy.

More later...maybe..