Creepers In The Dark Maze - S01E013 - Super Minecraft Adventure

Something really bad happened down here at some point... kinda begs the question what the heck are we doing down here anyway? Aside from getting lost in a twisty creepy dark maze filled with mobs that is.

Please use the Chipin widget located in the upper right of this site to donate directly to Free The Children and help us keep track of how much we have raised.

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Free The Children's primary goals are to free children from poverty and exploitation, and free young people from the idea they are powerless to bring about positive social change.

The charity had done a lot of good in the world:
~Built more than 650 schools and school rooms in Asia, Africa and Latin America, providing education to more than 55,000 children every day
~Delivered over 207,500 school and health kits to students around the world
~Provided access to health care, clean water and sanitation facilities to one million people
~Implemented alternative income projects helping more than 30,000 families

For more information on Free The Children please visit their website at http://FreeTheChildren.com

Charity Let's Play: Super Minecraft Adventure - 0012 - We Have Wool!

Episode 12 is here, with over 20 minutes of cut content (nobody liked base building and inventory management that much). Also, we now have all the wool! We're not done with the Temple of the Natural Order yet though.

Please use the Chipin widget in the upper right of the site to donate directly to Free The Children and help us keep track of how much we have raised.

-------------

Free The Children's primary goals are to free children from poverty and exploitation, and free young people from the idea they are powerless to bring about positive social change.

The charity had done a lot of good in the world:
~Built more than 650 schools and school rooms in Asia, Africa and Latin America, providing education to more than 55,000 children every day
~Delivered over 207,500 school and health kits to students around the world
~Provided access to health care, clean water and sanitation facilities to one million people
~Implemented alternative income projects helping more than 30,000 families

For more information on Free The Children please visit their website at http://FreeTheChildren.com

Indie Shot - 005 - Osmos

A most relaxing puzzler that I pretty much played to relax the night I shot this review. Since I enjoyed playing it, I decided to do a review on it. I got more traditional gamer fare coming down the pipeline, don't worry :)

Let me know in the comments if there's an indie game you want me to get my hands on and give a shot. I already have a long list and I have a ton to go through already but I am always looking for more recommendations and I will try to get to all the suggestions eventually.

The game is available on Steam here: http://store.steampowered.com/app/29180/

The title screen music for IndieShot is 'Counting Sheep 01' by steve and is licensed under the Creative Commons license (CC BY-SA 3.0 specifically), he can be found here: http://SampleSwap.org/artist/steve

Charity Let's Play: Super Minecraft Adventure - 0011 - Embrace the Sssaviors

Episode 11 is here and with it comes a new challenge, the Temple of the Natural Order, a church that I really don't want to belong to or even be in. This is also the first episode of the series since Minecraft 1.2 came out and we are not at all happy about zombies banging on doors.

Please use the Chipin widget in the upper right of the site to donate directly to Free The Children and help us keep track of how much we have raised.

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Free The Children's primary goals are to free children from poverty and exploitation, and free young people from the idea they are powerless to bring about positive social change.

The charity had done a lot of good in the world:
~Built more than 650 schools and school rooms in Asia, Africa and Latin America, providing education to more than 55,000 children every day
~Delivered over 207,500 school and health kits to students around the world
~Provided access to health care, clean water and sanitation facilities to one million people
~Implemented alternative income projects helping more than 30,000 families

For more information on Free The Children please visit their website at http://FreeTheChildren.com

Minecraft: Chamber of the Creators - 006 - Binary Potions

Episode 6 finds me dealing with my horrible math skills and binary. I feel like I'm back in school.

Check out the thread for Chamber of the Creators on MinecraftForum.net: http://bit.ly/HIw7Iy

Texture Pack is Jolicraft (without MC patcher since I like the default water/lava). Get it at http://Jolicraft.com

Charity Let's Play: Super Minecraft Adventure - 0010 - Leaving the Pyramid For Good

Hooray, we've reached episode 10! We also finally say goodbye to the Pyramid and head back to the main base to recoup before we head off to where we believe the final ruin in Super Docile is, hopefully with the wool we require. After that, Super Hostile here we come (shudder).

Please use the Chipin widget in the upper right of the site to donate directly to Free The Children and help us keep track of how much we have raised.

-------------

Free The Children's primary goals are to free children from poverty and exploitation, and free young people from the idea they are powerless to bring about positive social change.

The charity had done a lot of good in the world:
~Built more than 650 schools and school rooms in Asia, Africa and Latin America, providing education to more than 55,000 children every day
~Delivered over 207,500 school and health kits to students around the world
~Provided access to health care, clean water and sanitation facilities to one million people
~Implemented alternative income projects helping more than 30,000 families

For more information on Free The Children please visit their website at http://FreeTheChildren.com

Minecraft: Chamber of the Creators - 005 - The Psychic Sign and The Underground Cathedral

Episode 5 finds me discovering a psychic sign in the last puzzle room, and after a quick ride through the nether and some caves it's off to an underground cathedral.

Check out the thread for Chamber of the Creators on MinecraftForum.net: http://bit.ly/HIw7Iy

Texture Pack is Jolicraft (without MC patcher since I like the default water/lava). Get it at http://Jolicraft.com

Also check out my other Minecraft series, Creeper Lord's Super Minecraft Adventure here: http://bit.ly/H3mC9B

Mass Effect Trilogy: From The Beginning - 0007 - Have Ship, Will Travel

We take off on our own ship bound for adventure and kicking traitorous Turian backside.

The music used in the title card is 'Benbient' by Canton Becker and is released under the Creative Commons license (specifically CC BY-SA 3.0). You can find more of his work here: http://cantonbecker.com

Charity Let's Play: Super Minecraft Adventure - 0009 - Moving on from the Pyramid Ruins

Episode 9 finally has us finishing the main body of the Pyramid Ruins before we delve into a side hall and discover a large cavern area and an abandoned mineshaft.

Please use the Chipin Widget located in the upper right of the site to donate directly to Free The Children and help us keep track of how much we have raised.

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Free The Children's primary goals are to free children from poverty and exploitation, and free young people from the idea they are powerless to bring about positive social change.

The charity had done a lot of good in the world:
~Built more than 650 schools and school rooms in Asia, Africa and Latin America, providing education to more than 55,000 children every day
~Delivered over 207,500 school and health kits to students around the world
~Provided access to health care, clean water and sanitation facilities to one million people
~Implemented alternative income projects helping more than 30,000 families

For more information on Free The Children please visit their website at http://FreeTheChildren.com

Charity Let's Play: Super Minecraft Adventure - 0008 - Bringing Light to the Dark Side

Episode 8 brings light to the dark side of the ruins, which seems to be more Jester's doing than mine. I really should be more adventurous and less cautious I think. We are still trying to cut down the episodes to skip the more boring parts (long crafting or base building times). Also we're trying to work on limiting our swearing, we're supposed to be kid friendly.

Please use the chipin widget in the upper right of this site to donate directly to Free The Children and help us keep track of how much we have raised.

-------------

Free The Children's primary goals are to free children from poverty and exploitation, and free young people from the idea they are powerless to bring about positive social change.

The charity had done a lot of good in the world:
~Built more than 650 schools and school rooms in Asia, Africa and Latin America, providing education to more than 55,000 children every day
~Delivered over 207,500 school and health kits to students around the world
~Provided access to health care, clean water and sanitation facilities to one million people
~Implemented alternative income projects helping more than 30,000 families

For more information on Free The Children please visit their website at http://FreeTheChildren.com

Indie Shot - 004 - Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP

I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I got this game, and it played out exactly like the intro to this video.

Let me know in the comments if there's an indie game you want me to get my hands on and give a shot. I have a ton to go through already but I am always looking for more recommendations and I will try to get to all the suggestions eventually.

The game is available on Steam here: http://store.steampowered.com/app/204060/

The title screen music for IndieShot is 'Counting Sheep 01' by steve and is licensed under the Creative Commons license (CC BY-SA 3.0 specifically), he can be found here: http://SampleSwap.org/artist/steve

Charity Let's Play: Super Minecraft Adventure - 0007 - Making the Library a Base

Episode 7 has us fixing up the library making it a safe area within the underground ruins. We also try cutting down the episode length to 20-25 minutes and trying to skip the more boring parts (long crafting or base building times).

Please use the chipin widget in the upper right of this site to donate directly to Free The Children and help us keep track of how much we have raised.

-------------

Free The Children's primary goals are to free children from poverty and exploitation, and free young people from the idea they are powerless to bring about positive social change.

The charity had done a lot of good in the world:
~Built more than 650 schools and school rooms in Asia, Africa and Latin America, providing education to more than 55,000 children every day
~Delivered over 207,500 school and health kits to students around the world
~Provided access to health care, clean water and sanitation facilities to one million people
~Implemented alternative income projects helping more than 30,000 families

Jester and I think this is a worthwhile investment of our time and resources as well as a fun project. We hope you enjoy the series and please donate.

For more information on Free The Children please visit their website at http://FreeTheChildren.com

Minecraft: Chamber of the Creators - 004 - Making Lazy People Pay

The fourth episode of Chamber of the Creators has me trying to complete a series of rooms, two of which have explosions and/or lava. I might have also broken the rule of not breaking blocks, but I'm not 100% sure. The puzzles I feel so far have an decent feel to them (tile puzzle from episode 2 being the exception), and aren't blatantly obvious (hit a button above the door to open it) but also aren't frustrating either. Don't know if that will remain the case, but we'll find out.

Check out the thread for Chamber of the Creators on MinecraftForum.net: http://bit.ly/HIw7Iy
Texture Pack is Jolicraft (without MC patcher since I like the default water/lava). Get it at http://Jolicraft.com

Charity Let's Play: Super Minecraft Adventure - 0006 - The Woes of Breaking Beds

Episode 6 begins with us fighting our 'friend' from the end of last episode. We quickly find that Jester breaking our beds last episode causes some issues when mobs get the better of us. We're also going to have to take better care to not record the boring things like base expansion as much (or the ill timed bathroom breaks, though those are easier to edit out).

Use the shipin widget in the upper right of this site to donate directly to Free The Children and help us keep track of how much we have raised.

-------------

Free The Children's primary goals are to free children from poverty and exploitation, and free young people from the idea they are powerless to bring about positive social change.

The charity had done a lot of good in the world:
~Built more than 650 schools and school rooms in Asia, Africa and Latin America, providing education to more than 55,000 children every day
~Delivered over 207,500 school and health kits to students around the world
~Provided access to health care, clean water and sanitation facilities to one million people
~Implemented alternative income projects helping more than 30,000 families

Jester and I think this is a worthwhile investment of our time and resources as well as a fun project. We hope you enjoy the series and please donate.

For more information on Free The Children please visit their website at http://FreeTheChildren.com

Indie Shot - 003 - Hydrophobia: Prophecy

Episode 3 was a tough one for me as the game in question has acts which play differently. That did affect my review and made necessary an entire re-shoot and edit of the review.

Let me know in the comments if there's an indie game you want me to get my hands on and give a shot. I have a ton to go through already but I am always looking for more recommendations and I will try to get to all the suggestions eventually.

The game is available on Steam here: http://store.steampowered.com/app/92000/

The title screen music for IndieShot is 'Counting Sheep 01' by steve and is licensed under the Creative Commons license (CC BY-SA 3.0 specifically), he can be found here: http://SampleSwap.org/artist/steve

Charity Let's Play: Super Minecraft Adventure - 0005 - Gathering Resources

Episode 5 finds us gathering resources and expanding on one of our bases before delving back into the ruins under the pyramid. We also begin the layout of a trap that will provide us with all the food and leather we could want.

Use the chipin widget located in the upper right of the site to donate directly to Free The Children and help us keep track of how much we have raised.

-------------

Free The Children's primary goals are to free children from poverty and exploitation, and free young people from the idea they are powerless to bring about positive social change.

The charity had done a lot of good in the world:
~Built more than 650 schools and school rooms in Asia, Africa and Latin America, providing education to more than 55,000 children every day
~Delivered over 207,500 school and health kits to students around the world
~Provided access to health care, clean water and sanitation facilities to one million people
~Implemented alternative income projects helping more than 30,000 families

Jester and I think this is a worthwhile investment of our time and resources as well as a fun project. We hope you enjoy the series and please donate.

For more information on Free The Children please visit their website at http://FreeTheChildren.com

Mass Effect Trilogy: From The Beginning - 0006 - Spectre Status Get

Finally we're after Saren on an even plane as Shepard is made the first human Spectre

The music used in the title card is 'Benbient' by Canton Becker and is released under the Creative Commons license (specifically CC BY-SA 3.0). You can find more of his work here: http://cantonbecker.com

Minecraft: Chamber of the Creators - 003 - From Lava Falls to Rain

Third episode of Chamber of the Creators he me journeying through the Nether (which is always so enjoyable) to a new location, I wonder what challenges await me there.

Check out the thread for Chamber of the Creators on MinecraftForum.net: http://bit.ly/HIw7Iy

Texture Pack is Jolicraft (without MC patcher since I like the default water/lava). Get it at http://Jolicraft.com

Charity Let's Play: Super Minecraft Adventure - 0004 - Running Out of the Pyramid

Episode 4 has us dealing with many mobs under the pyramid before we run out in shame to take a breather back at the base.

Use the chipin widget in the upper right to donate directly to Free The Children and help us keep track of how much we have raised.

-------------

Free The Children's primary goals are to free children from poverty and exploitation, and free young people from the idea they are powerless to bring about positive social change.

The charity had done a lot of good in the world:
~Built more than 650 schools and school rooms in Asia, Africa and Latin America, providing education to more than 55,000 children every day
~Delivered over 207,500 school and health kits to students around the world
~Provided access to health care, clean water and sanitation facilities to one million people
~Implemented alternative income projects helping more than 30,000 families

Jester and I think this is a worthwhile investment of our time and resources as well as a fun project. We hope you enjoy the series and please donate.

For more information on Free The Children please visit their website at http://FreeTheChildren.com

Mass Effect Trilogy: From The Beginning - 0004 - New Allies and a Raid

This episode brings some changes, most notably a series title card (done by yours truly, only thing I downloaded was the font. Even the planet was done from scratch) and I've also done away with the same copy-paste description each video on youtube.

Episode 4 of our journey through the Mass Effect trilogy has us gaining two new allies, Garrus Vakarian and Urdnot Wrex. We then go and raid Chora's Den, but we don't quite get to Fist.

The music used in the title card is 'Benbient' by Canton Becker and is released under the Creative Commons license (specifically CC BY-SA 3.0). You can find more of his work here: http://cantonbecker.com

Minecraft: Chamber of the Creators - 02 - Indiana Mystic and the Room of Tiles

Second episode of Chamber of the Creators, Indiana Mystic and the Room of Tiles (strange title I'll admit), finds me dealing with puzzles and tests inside the ruins south of the town of Hamnen, including one very annoying tile based puzzle that reminds me of Goldeneye.

Check out the thread for Chamber of the Creators on MinecraftForum.net: http://bit.ly/HIw7Iy

Texture Pack is Jolicraft (without MC patcher since I like the default water/lava). Get it at http://Jolicraft.com

Mass Effect Trilogy: From The Beginning - 003 - The Burden of Proof

If you missed the first episode catch that here: http://bit.ly/HyxDON
Missed the Second one? You can find that one here: http://bit.ly/HIn3sC

Episode 3 has us going through Saren's trial, and then finding further proof of his deeds becomes a true priority. We also make some alien allies here before going on a raid in a bar.

Charity Let's Play: Super Minecraft Adventure - 003 - Mob Party In The Pyramid Ruins

Episode 3 finds us exploring the pyramid we found last time and delving into the ruins underneath. We face many deaths and lack of resources in our quest for the wool. I would also like to apologize for the weird aspect ratio, we figured it out in our second recording session (which is like 3 hours into our adventure so maybe around Episode 5 or 6).
Use the chipin widget in the upper right of the site to donate directly to Free The Children and help us keep track of how much we, as a group, have raised.

-------------

Free The Children's primary goals are to free children from poverty and exploitation, and free young people from the idea they are powerless to bring about positive social change.

The charity had done a lot of good in the world:
~Built more than 650 schools and school rooms in Asia, Africa and Latin America, providing education to more than 55,000 children every day
~Delivered over 207,500 school and health kits to students around the world
~Provided access to health care, clean water and sanitation facilities to one million people
~Implemented alternative income projects helping more than 30,000 families

Jester and I think this is a worthwhile investment of our time and resources as well as a fun project. We hope you enjoy the series and please donate.

For more information on Free The Children please visit their website at http://FreeTheChildren.com

Indie Shot - 002 - ARES: Extinction Agenda

Episode 2 is all about ARES: Extinction Agenda which is a game that some people may find familiar. While it's gameplay may be something we've all seen before, the art style and music do increase enjoyment of the game in my opinion, as does the level re-playability.
The game is available on Steam here: http://store.steampowered.com/app/92300
Intro music is 'Counting Sheep 01' by steve and is licensed under the Creative Commons license (CC BY-SA 3.0 specifically), he can be found here: http://SampleSwap.org/artist/steve

Of Mass Effect and Myst - What Is So Hard About Endings?

So by now, if you are a gamer, you have heard of the ending controversy surrounding Mass Effect 3.  My thoughts on the ending are that it really really needs work.  I'm not here to go into all the details on why that is,  there's no point in repeating the thousands of others who have voiced their opinion on Little Lord Fauntleroy Starkid.

Instead I want to know why is it so hard to write the ending to a series?  Mass Effect 3 obviously has this issue.  I already know someone out there is saying "They are making a Mass Effect 4, so it's not the end to the series." In my mind the first game is the establishing episode where characters and lore aren't fully developed yet, but Mass Effect 2 and 3 are all about Shepard and this was the ending to his/her series.

Bioware knew we were attached to the character and yet the endings did not give people the ending they expected for the character after so long.  And it may be the end of Shepards arc, but it's also the end for so many other supporting characters that there is a lack of closure (which it seems Bioware is hopefully addressing).

So Mass Effect bit off more than it could chew, but what about another series?  Anyone here remember Myst?  It is without a doubt one of my favorite gaming universes (though I must admit it because that thorough reading of the first book, The Book of Atrus).  They made it up through 6 games (Myst, Riven: The Sequel to Myst, Myst III: Exile, Uru: Ages Beyond Myst, Myst IV: Revelation, and Myst V: End of Ages) and yet the final chapter kinda fell flat by introducing a new gameplay mechanic and a strange subplot that was supposed to answer questions people had but instead left many more.

Heck, you want a more mainstream example?  Take a look at Star Trek.  True, many of the individual series had decent endings, Next Generation had an amazing series finale with All Good Things, but the ending to the final series really didn't feel right.  It left many questions unanswered and honestly just felt off (the inclusion of a slightly overweight Will Riker being the most jarring).  Now I realize here that the finale to Enterprise was not meant to be the series finale, but rather a season finale that just happened to become a series finale when the next season never happened.

I understand there's a commercialization to the industries I'm talking about here, and they there's always the chance the next game or season won't happen.  I'm not arguing that producers should bleed money for artistic integrity, and it certainly wasn't the problem with Mass Effect.  I just want to know why so many people, when writing an ending, try way, way too hard.

We didn't need the Bahro in Myst, we didn't need the tablet writing, and honestly I found Yeesha to be annoying almost every time she was in a game (Myst III not counted as she was an infant and not crying :P).What was wrong with the mysteries of D'Ni writing being a mystery to the player the whole time?  Mass Effect did not need a magical entity to control the reapers and give the reapers a purpose, they were perfectly fine as shadowy bad guys.  Why does everything need to be explained so exactly and indepth?

It could be argued they want to leave no questions but I don't think anyone was asking for either of the twists Myst V or Mass Effect 3 brought to their respective storylines.

The funny thing is I'm designing a game series now and it's possible I may fall into the same trap.  I hope not though, we need better endings to our game series these days.

Charity Let's Play: Super Minecraft Adventure - 0002 - Who Wants To Go In The Creepy Pyramid?

Episode 2 has us questing for wool to make our beds and ends with a discovery in the desert, what could be contained within the pyramid?
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Free The Children's primary goals are to free children from poverty and exploitation, and free young people from the idea they are powerless to bring about positive social change.
The charity had done a lot of good in the world:
~Built more than 650 schools and school rooms in Asia, Africa and Latin America, providing education to more than 55,000 children every day
~Delivered over 207,500 school and health kits to students around the world
~Provided access to health care, clean water and sanitation facilities to one million people
~Implemented alternative income projects helping more than 30,000 families
Jester and I think it a worthwhile investment of our time and resources, and a fun project. We hope you enjoy the series and please donate.
For more information on Free The Children please visit their website at http://FreeTheChildren.com

Mass Effect Trilogy: From the Beginning - 002 - Finishing Eden Prime and Starting Saren's Trial

If you missed the first episode catch that here: http://bit.ly/HyxDON
In this second episode we find ourselves finishing up the Eden Prime mission, with some complications. We also talk the council into having a Trial for that traitorous SOB Saren.

Indie Shot - 001 - inMomentum

Indie Shot is a new series for me. Each episode is just a quick glance at a decent indie game and my impressions of it.
This particular game is called inMomentum and it's a bit of a cross between parkour and racing. I find the game to be decent enough but it has some flaws that keep me from giving it a high recommendation.
Let me know in the comments if there's an indie game you want me to get my hands on and give a shot. I have a ton to go through already but I am always looking for more recommendations.
The game is available on Steam here: http://store.steampowered.com/app/110400/
Intro music is 'Counting Sheep 01' by steve and is licensed under the Creative Commons license (CC BY-SA 3.0 specifically), he can be found here: http://SampleSwap.org/artist/steve

Minecraft: Chamber of the Creators - 01 - Of Swedish Signs and Jumping In Church

This map was done by two new map makers (Jaever & Gelvin) and even from the little bit I've played it's pretty awesome.
Check out the thread for Chamber of the Creators on MinecraftForum.net: http://bit.ly/HIw7Iy
Texture Pack is Jolicraft (without MC patcher since I like the default water/lava). Get it at http://Jolicraft.com

Mass Effect Trilogy: From the Beginning - 001 - Eden Prime

Episode 1 of my playthrough of the Mass Effect Trilogy from beginning to the end. This episode finds us creating our renegade female Shepard and starting the Eden Prime mission.
This series is there to remind people of the awesome that is 99% of the Mass Effect series, and this will also hopefully distract us all long enough for Bioware to fix the problem with the ending to Mass Effect 3.

Charity Let's Play: Super Minecraft Adventure - 0001 - Through the Creeper Lord's Portal

Sadly this early on we were under the misquided belief that 40 minutes of minecraft, unedited was going to be fun to watch. Around Episode 10 we cut it down to 20 minutes and started heavily removing all the boring footage.
Episode 1 shows our humble beginnings as we venture through Vech's Super Docile/Hostile series after being sent there by a Creeper Deity to fix the monuments. We're still fairly new at Minecraft, hope you enjoy our many deaths and remember, we're doing this for the kids.

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Free The Children's primary goals are to free children from poverty and exploitation, and free young people from the idea they are powerless to bring about positive social change.
The charity had done a lot of good in the world:
~Built more than 650 schools and school rooms in Asia, Africa and Latin America, providing education to more than 55,000 children every day
~Delivered over 207,500 school and health kits to students around the world
~Provided access to health care, clean water and sanitation facilities to one million people
~Implemented alternative income projects helping more than 30,000 families
Jester and I think it a worthwhile investment of our time and resources, and a fun project. We hope you enjoy the series and please donate.
For more information on Free The Children please visit their website at http://FreeTheChildren.com

A Fresh Start (for the blog)

Hello everyone, I've purged all the old posts (Don't worry, I still stand by my agreement with people who donated to the and I am still working on Project: Reborn). I purged the blog mainly because any updates to Project Reborn are going to be through my youtube channel as well as this blog and I figured since I just started on youtube about a month ago I will have to re-explain everything when the time comes. Until then I will also be slowly adding all the videos I've already put on youtube to this blog, one post at a time. All new content should be up here fairly simultaneously as well. Of course, as I said before, I am still working on the game development process and have been making quite a bit of progress on Reborn. However, unless you want to see my massive scripting graphs in uscript I really have nothing to show just yet that would be that interesting.