Always Outta Time

There's always one source you forget to change your address for. Driving license, work, doctor, bank, Amazon, eBay... I'm sure there's going to be more than one that I'll forget. I've still got to check and see if I need to pay for a line to be installed so I can then pay for connection from an ISP so I can access the Internet. On top of that I still need to go over to KC Computers and ask that they actually replace my motherboard this time.

In fact it would have been a better idea to get them to do that this week or last week while I'm not home and therefore don't need the computer because I wouldn't be using it anyway. Never mind.

It turns out that some plumbing under the sink leaks quite a lot. That's being seen to on Thursday. On the bright side I have virtually everything moved in now. There are still some things at the old place; DVDs, a pair of shoes, and my panniers to name the ones I can remember right now.

I have a new desk since the old one was small and wobbly. The new one is not as deep, but it is much wider, hopefully allowing me to shove everything computer-related to one side when I want to draw or write by hand. Which reminds me; I need a longer power lead for the PC. Maybe I can find a longer one to swap for mine? I've also got a canvas wardrobe to replace the wooden one which was too big anyway. And a new, smaller, chest of drawers. My mum had this ultra-comfortable chair she was keeping for me, and I got a beanbag. So all that remains is to find another seat or use my bed to GM from when playing Dungeons and Dragons or Dark Heresy or whatever. There is a furniture shop not two minutes from my front door and they have a very, very cool Roman-looking chair complete with tasselled cushion. I might get it.

Disciples of the Dark Gods was supposed to be released by now. Amazon is stating that it is out of copies already. I wonder if Fantasy Flight Games realise how big Dark Heresy is among RPG players out there? I'm also anticipating Creatures Anathema, but that's not out until January.

Speaking of new releases... Prince of Persia! Damn. A horde of new games and no PC to play them on. Not to mention the fact that I'm reading two novels (Eisenhorn, which is actually three novels, and The Last Wish), re-reading the Dark Heresy rulebook to make sure I haven't missed or confused any rules, The Inquisitor's Handbook for all its expansions on Dark Heresy, and I'm not at home anyway. Plus I have the early stages of the Dark Heresy campaign to finalise before I can get to playing. At some point I also promised a bank robbery d20 Modern game which will probably have to be cancelled or postponed because a) I won't have much time or space to play/plan it in and b) I now realise how much the d20 Modern system sucks. In fact, I think (and this is only my opinion) that d20 Modern is worse than Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 and more of a cash cow than a gaming system. Tacking on vehicle rules to an RPG system used for very basic fantasy-medieval kill-and-loot clear-cut-morality games just doesn't work.

I still haven't completed Fallout 3 or The Witcher (because I've not been able to play them); there's Dead Space and Left 4 Dead to get my adrenaline pumping as zombies come out of the walls/void; I'd like to play Mirror's Edge (when it's out for PC) and Gears of War (Die, ground walkers!), and the things I've been hearing about the PC version of GTA IV make me think that perhaps I should just take all the money out of my savings accounts and quit my day job because soon there won't be enough hours in the day. Not so much the PC version of The Force Unleashed.

And speaking of computer games, Sam and I got up to wave twenty on the Horde mode in Gears of War 2. God. Damn. After wave ten, every enemy has double their normal health. Everything from Tickers and Wretches to Boomers and Grinders. The thorn in our collective side was the pressure from Maulers (boomers equipped with bulletproof shields and explosive flails). It took nine sniper rifle rounds to the head (not all of them were from perfect active reloads) to kill one Grinder. The Maulers are much more dangerous thanks to their shields. Fortunately, once you kill one, Boomer-type Locust cannot kick down boomshields that you place on the ground so as long as you don't fight Theron Guard or Kantos or elite Grenadiers, you're fine. When we finally found a method (involving a lot of flamethrowers and tagged grenades) of dealing with Maulers, we ran into BloodMounts. Without a defensible position and a row of boomshields, these things just tore us apart. Literally.

On the bright side, I've been playing Condemned 2: Bloodshot. Although I still think quite a few connections between the two games are for money making purposes only, I see Bloodshot as a big improvement to the original. The big reveal actually made quite a lot of sense and didn't feel tacked on. A great deal of questions were answered. The greater shame, then, was that there weren't enough unanswered questions at the end of Bloodshot the way there were at the end of Criminal Origins.