Waiting for my first online virtual tabletop role-playing game experience to begin.
We're playing THE SECRETS OF CATS, a setting for the FATE Core ruleset.
I have a black and white Maine Coon Cat named Slip (because he can "slip" in and out of almost anywhere) who lives in a theater and thus is a wee bit odd. He also sings. "MMmmmrmmrrrrrraaaaaasaaaooooOOOOWWWWW!!!"
Never done this before, might be a way I can get some gaming in from time to time since I almost never have Sunday nights free to go to Great River Gaming Guild.
We're using Roll20.com as the host for our game. I like the site and hope to delve more deeply into what it can do in days to come.
I'll share my thoughts and the experience when we're done.
I will note that if someone wanted to go all-out with the online virtual tabletop experience, they would have a decent webcam, a good headset and mic, and possibly multiple monitors to have more than one window open at a time.
Me, I cannot find my mic ANYWHERE. Last used it to share a TrainSim 2015 Teamspeak get-together last spring, but I've moved since then. I'm sure I'll find it in a box somewhere when I no longer need it.
Off we go, into realms of fantasy... :)
Saturday, October 11, 2014
Friday, October 10, 2014
A Lottle Self-Discipline Is A Good Thing
There's a typo in the title, I know. Bear with me here.
As you can see by the paucity of postings here, I am TERRIBLE at getting my heinie in gear and sitting down and WRITING.
I wander around talking to myself, with countless great and creative ideas spoken to the winds and swept away never to be expanded or utilized, instead of pulling out a pad of paper (or sitting at the computer) and writing the durn things down.
Some self-discipline would be helpful. Some? Pssssh. A LOT!
I suppose the only way to GET it is to DO it. So once again I will resolve to post on a regular basis and I will ask you all to nudge me if I don't say something for a few days.
That is all.
Kevin
PS. Oh yes, the typo. I was going to fix it, then realized that "Lottle" actually fit what I was going to say. I could use a lottle (not a little) helping of the titular dedication and hard work. Meh, it's not the best joke ever, but I don't claim to be a comdian.
As you can see by the paucity of postings here, I am TERRIBLE at getting my heinie in gear and sitting down and WRITING.
I wander around talking to myself, with countless great and creative ideas spoken to the winds and swept away never to be expanded or utilized, instead of pulling out a pad of paper (or sitting at the computer) and writing the durn things down.
Some self-discipline would be helpful. Some? Pssssh. A LOT!
I suppose the only way to GET it is to DO it. So once again I will resolve to post on a regular basis and I will ask you all to nudge me if I don't say something for a few days.
That is all.
Kevin
PS. Oh yes, the typo. I was going to fix it, then realized that "Lottle" actually fit what I was going to say. I could use a lottle (not a little) helping of the titular dedication and hard work. Meh, it's not the best joke ever, but I don't claim to be a comdian.
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Train Simulator 2014
I have been playing train games and train simulators for many years.
The crayon board games Empire Builder and a host of others got played a lot over the years, and during the beginning of my "game madness" I had Avalon Hill's RAIL BARON which was basically railroad Monopoly. I admit I wish I stll had that one! I also had, though not from date of issue, AH's very first game from 1958, DISPATCHER and their reworking of it from the mid 1960a, B&O/C&O. More recently I've had the verious tile laying games, such as 1830 and Steam.
When personal computers evolved to the point there were some rail games, I had to have them. I had three versions of Railroad Tycoon (RT2 was still the best in my book), plus various others such as A-Train (which became Railroad Empire, I believe) and some other transportation games.
Then game the early 2000s and Microsoft Train Simulator. I played the dickens out of that for years. The fan community picked up support after Microsoft canceled the sim, and there was a LOT of payware and freeware addon activity, as well as actual programming to correct physics and make things look better.
But I drifted away for a few years from about 2007 through early 2012. That's when I came back and found Railworks 2, which I got for a song. Why? Because it was an old version (RW came out in 2009 I believe) and once I'd loaded RW2 it automatically updated the Railworks 3! How cool was that?
So I began to play. And play. And play.
RSC, which publishes the sim, has done major updates each year for the last three years. Just in September (that's last month) they upgraded to Train Simulator 2014 (they pitched "Railworks" as a name with the upgrade to TS2012, possibly a bid to get the still spry MSTS market).
There are some issues but for the most part I find the sim runs reasonably well. I did upgrade my system (a dual core AMD of about 2008 vintage) with maxed out RAM and adding a low end GT250 graphics card. I still can't run with all the graphic bells and whistles but I get some mighty pretty simming out of my rig.
The beauty of the various sims is that it allows you to actually do what reailroaders do, at least in part. You can switch cars in and out of your trains, you can haul ffreight from here to there, you can respond to signals, you can operate the train in as real a manner as you prefer--you can even play Gomez Addams and crash those puppies if you like (Yes John Davies, I'm looking at you!)
TS2014 has a while pile of different routes available from RSC, as well as a number of third-party developers. Also rolling stock like you wouldn't believe, including steam, diesel and electric; historic and modern; British, American and German. There is also a pretty active railsim community that makes a lot of freeware, some of which is exceptional.
And if you are REALLY crazy (and I am) you can try your hand at designing your own routes, or learning how to reskin rolling stock, or build 3D virtual models to supply a need for some locomotive or building or whatever that isn't available yet.
As I moted there are some issues. There are some bugs that keep cropping up, and it can sometimes be frustrating trying to run down what is making "Something Bad Has Happened" errors appear as the program shuts down. Oops, they don't call them that anymore. :)
I like playing with trains. I have some N-scale stuff but it's still boxed up over at my mom and dad's, so Train Sim is what I turn to when i want to have some fun on the rails. It's sure a lot safer than playing on the real rails (kids, DON'T do that, ever, trains are big and heavy and you go smoosh real easy).
That's enough for my first hobby posting. Whatever you hobby, I wish you joy of it today. Me, I'm heading back to TS 2014 where I have a Britsh HST train halfway to Guilford waiting for me to get back aboard.
Here's a few more screenshots to conclude my rambling:
Til next time: keep being creative!
KNP
Then game the early 2000s and Microsoft Train Simulator. I played the dickens out of that for years. The fan community picked up support after Microsoft canceled the sim, and there was a LOT of payware and freeware addon activity, as well as actual programming to correct physics and make things look better.
But I drifted away for a few years from about 2007 through early 2012. That's when I came back and found Railworks 2, which I got for a song. Why? Because it was an old version (RW came out in 2009 I believe) and once I'd loaded RW2 it automatically updated the Railworks 3! How cool was that?
So I began to play. And play. And play.
RSC, which publishes the sim, has done major updates each year for the last three years. Just in September (that's last month) they upgraded to Train Simulator 2014 (they pitched "Railworks" as a name with the upgrade to TS2012, possibly a bid to get the still spry MSTS market).
There are some issues but for the most part I find the sim runs reasonably well. I did upgrade my system (a dual core AMD of about 2008 vintage) with maxed out RAM and adding a low end GT250 graphics card. I still can't run with all the graphic bells and whistles but I get some mighty pretty simming out of my rig.
The beauty of the various sims is that it allows you to actually do what reailroaders do, at least in part. You can switch cars in and out of your trains, you can haul ffreight from here to there, you can respond to signals, you can operate the train in as real a manner as you prefer--you can even play Gomez Addams and crash those puppies if you like (Yes John Davies, I'm looking at you!)
TS2014 has a while pile of different routes available from RSC, as well as a number of third-party developers. Also rolling stock like you wouldn't believe, including steam, diesel and electric; historic and modern; British, American and German. There is also a pretty active railsim community that makes a lot of freeware, some of which is exceptional.
And if you are REALLY crazy (and I am) you can try your hand at designing your own routes, or learning how to reskin rolling stock, or build 3D virtual models to supply a need for some locomotive or building or whatever that isn't available yet.
As I moted there are some issues. There are some bugs that keep cropping up, and it can sometimes be frustrating trying to run down what is making "Something Bad Has Happened" errors appear as the program shuts down. Oops, they don't call them that anymore. :)
I like playing with trains. I have some N-scale stuff but it's still boxed up over at my mom and dad's, so Train Sim is what I turn to when i want to have some fun on the rails. It's sure a lot safer than playing on the real rails (kids, DON'T do that, ever, trains are big and heavy and you go smoosh real easy).
That's enough for my first hobby posting. Whatever you hobby, I wish you joy of it today. Me, I'm heading back to TS 2014 where I have a Britsh HST train halfway to Guilford waiting for me to get back aboard.
Here's a few more screenshots to conclude my rambling:
Til next time: keep being creative!
KNP
The Purpose
First, "Hobetus Secretiore" is supposedly Latin for "Esoteric Hobbies".
Second, I have too many hobbies, and some of them are a bit odd. Thus the name.
Among my interests are:
Gaming--board games, war games, card games, miniatures games both historical and non, and computer gaming. Gambling, not so much.
Railfan--I like trains. I like to watch them, take pictures of them, learn things about them, and (surprise) play train simulators on my computer, and various railroad boardgames. I also like to write about them. And here we are.
Bonsai--yes, the little trees. I've killed a few but I have one now that is doing well and I'm carefully training it to be a windswept style bonsai. I also collect suiseki, or viewing stones, which is considered a subset of the bonsai culture.
Music, especially singing--granted, this was my major in college, but I went into radio instead of teaching or performing. But it's a legitimate hobby.
Comics--you know, graphic novels, though I have very specific tastes.
You're likely to see a lot more on gaming and trains than anything else. Consider that fair warning.
So sit back, enjoy your popcorn and soda, and enjoy how badly I muck up this whole "Secret Hobbit" thing.
Errr...sorry. I mean "Esoteric Hobbies" thing.
PS. Why the blue-footed booby at the start? Because that's what I am for getting into this blogging stuff again. We'll see, anyway.
PPS. The train and the ministures are mine. The booby I found on the web, the bonsai as well. The wallpaper of Usagi Yojimbo was created and all rights are reserved by Stan Sakai, whose comic about the rabbit bodyguard is top-notch in storytelling and history (well, if you overlook the anthropomorphic animals). Just to keep the record straight about who did the pics.
KNP
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