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Day 06 – My workplace

by edo on March 7, 2012

<< Day 05 - Favorite item(s) in game Day 07 –The reason behind my blog's name >>

(This is the sixth post in my 21-entry daily series: 21 Days of Blogging)

If a cluttered desk signs a cluttered mind, Of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?

- Albert Einstein

My home (and now only) office is a 10' x 10' room on the second floor of my home.  It has a small closet where I store my games, office supplies, and miscellaneous items.

One wall is lined with bookshelves (made about 1.5 years ago in my workshop) and a Steelcase filing cabinet where I keep all my records, drafts of writing and idea, plus various other miscellaneous papers.

The other side of the office is dominated by a 6-foot wide sit/stand desk supporting my primary workstation, an MBP laptop, dual-screens, and miscellaneous other items.  Also on this side of my office is a self-build computer cabinet with cooling vents that can be connected to the window during the summer to vent hot air out of the office.

Sometimes I wish for a larger office, but it is sufficient and holds all the materials I need.  Also, it isn't a cubicle or an open lab station (like my last job) and that makes is awesome.

Easter Egg Notes

Yes, if you look closely at the above photos you may notice a few things, such as:

  • Framed Map from Ultima V - As you now know, this is one of my favorite games.  I managed to get ahold of a well preserved boxed copy some years ago and decided to mount and frame the map.  You know, those where the days.  Sure, the game cost about $50 back then, but you got good stuff in the box: Fabric map, a coin, a beautifully illustrated and designed manual, etc.  Nowadays, most of my games are electronically delivered and those that are not merely come with a box and a DVD.  Boring!
  • A bag with "Ben Garney" written on it? - Hey Ben!  I still have those books for you.  Let's do lunch some time and I promise I'll bring them this time.  :-)
  • Something Missing in "My other other office" photo - Yes, I did remove something rather large from the area above my right arm and head.  Can you tell I cloned in all those trees, stones, and bricks?  Maybe I should get a side job editing supermodel pictures to give them those unrealistic figures and perfect skin...or not.
  • More?  You tell me.
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Day 05 – Favorite items(s) in game

by edo on March 6, 2012

<< Day 04 - My best gaming memories Day 06 – My workplace >>

(This is the fifth post in my 21-entry daily series: 21 Days of Blogging)

Even though there are a number of RPGs on my favorite games list, I don't really recall that many favorite items.  I guess when I play RPGs, story, quests, and puzzles are more interesting to me than specific items.  That said, I can name at least a few items from non-RPGs:

  • Favorite Weapons
    • Tribes 2: Spinfusor - In truth, I was useless with this weapon except at close range.  However the distinctive sound and action of this disc firing weapon made it one of my favorites anyways.
    • Fallout 1 & 2: "Rockwell CZ53 personal minigun" - This wasn't the most powerful weapon in Fallout, but it was up there for damage and great for fighting big parties.  Additionally, the animations associated with this weapon were (if disturbing) always satisfying.  You didn't just kill the bad guys, you demolished them.
  • Non-Weapons
    • Unreal Tournament GOTY: Translocator - This item can actually be used as  a weapon, but its primary purpose is movement.  With this 'gun' you shoot a disk across a short to middling distance and the press the alt-fire key to teleport to the current location of the disk.  This powerful game item allows you to access any location you can shoot the disk to.  If you're skilled you can even stair step up to a location which can't be reached on a single teleport jump.  However, you retain all of your momentum when teleporting.  So, teleporting upward too many times usual equates to a splattered squishy death when you finally land.
    • Enchanted Realms / Wizard Wars: Castle Bottle - I don't have an official name for this item.  It is an item that I implemented in the Enchanted Realms MUD many years ago.  It was based on a magical item described in the book "Wizard War (Chronicles of an Age of Darkness 1)" by Hugh Cook.  The item itself is an indestructible bottle with  two magical rings on the rim.  If you place one of these rings on your finger and twist it, you are instantly teleported to a castle.  The castle is linked to the bottle and is designed to be impenetrable and inescapable.  You can use the castle to store loot and food, as well as a place to rest or recover from battle.  Twisting the ring a second time teleports you back to the current location of the bottle.  This feature made it great for solving puzzles.  i.e. Drop the bottle to the bottom of a otherwise unsurvivable fall or toss it through the grates of a locked room, then twist the ring twice and poof you have bypassed an obstacle.  The object is further made useful by the fact that there are two rings, so two users can make use of the bottle in tandem.  This made for an interesting number of interactions and puzzle solutions.

I'm sure if I strained my brain, I could come up with a few more, but I'm afraid that I'm over-busy today and need to get rolling on some game work.

<< Day 04 - My best gaming memories Day 06 – My workplace >>

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Day 04 – My best gaming memories

March 5, 2012

<< Day 03 – My first day playing WoW/MMO Day 05 – Favorite items(s) in game >> (This is the fourth post in my 21-entry daily series: 21 Days of Blogging) A short survival guide to life in Wasteland 1. Buy an AK-97 assault rifle. 2. If there’s someone hanging around your neighborhood you don’t know, [...]

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