Zel-kun’s Words

I just watched a commercial for united airlines, and I’m confused. The commercial started out normally enough. The typical businessman leaves his home, spots a tire swing in his front yard, and then returns to tuck in his kid. This is normal, this I understand.

Then, whoever is writing the commercial’s drugs kick in. The man leaps into the air, landing on what seems to be a giant swan. As he’s riding the swan, his suit changes into a suit of armor. He leaps from the swan and arrives at an ancient table in the middle of a forest where several other armored men are waiting, reminiscent of Elrond’s council. Then, a dragon attacks. The man slices the table into six triangular sections with his sword, which become shields for his charging army. They defeat the dragon, and some women crown the man king, and all the other armored men bow before him. Then man is then walking home in his suit and tie, and presents his son with a statuette of a dragon.

Gentlemen, I ask you… WTF?

Not that I can’t see the vague symbolism between that and an actual business trip, mind you. Commercials are just growing more and more convoluted. Its only a matter of time before I see a commercial featuring a dinosaur eating a caveman, and it being a commercial for McDonalds.

In other news, I’m playing La Pucelle Tactics for the PS2. Its the first Japanese game I’ve played in awhile, so it was a nice change of pace. I’m thinking I’ll finish this up and actually play Star Ocean: Till the End of Time after I’m done. I bought that game the day it came out, and never finished it. Not because it wasn’t good (quite the contrary), but because I got preoccupied with other things.

Well, Mythbusters is on, so I’m going to go.

Zel-kun out.

I just watched the movie ‘Waiting.’  Its about a bunch of people working in a restaurant.  As a 5-year veteran of retail service, I can relate.  I strongly recomend this movie to anyone who isn’t easily grossed out.

Also, I updated both the Hall of Fame and Hall of Shame.

Holy crap in a hat, where the hell have I been?

I’ve been playing Neverwinter Nights, which is cybernetic crack, I can’t get enough of it. I’m playing it before work, after work, and I’m pretty sure I’m playing it my sleep. The fact that such an exquisite game as this has gone under my notice for this long is a crime against nature.

I picked up the Diamond edition, which comes with the original Neverwinter and all the expansions, for $30. And I will say, it is the best $30 I’ve ever spent. After being jerked around by PC game companies releasing half-finished pieces of crap, I thought I’d never buy a game again. Neverwinter Nights has made an impression on this skeptical mind. Bioware, I thank you for making such an outstanding game. And here’s why:

The Plot

The plot is very good, with lots of freedom, and just enough linearity to keep me interested. There’s a few twists and turns, but no true surprises if you talk to everybody and learn of the back plot. The subtleties of the characters and their emotions. It truly makes me feel like I’m playing a pen and paper RPG.

The Mechanics

The mechanics are almost flawless. Utilizing a somewhat tweaked 3rd edition ruleset. Stat management is simple, allowing you to focus more on strategy and battle. The downsides? You can’t equip your henchman, leading to some odd things. Like a rogue with 26 DEX (+9 Modifier) equipped with studded leather armor (Max +4 modifier), which means he actually decreases his AC by having the armor.

The Graphics

The graphics aren’t fantastic, but they’re not bad. Using crafting to change the appearance of your weapons and armor is nice, even if the crafting system has little actual utility.

Epic Feel

This is a phrase coined by my good friend Pete. This is integral for any RPG that seeks greatness. The plot just can’t be good, it needs to be epic. You need to feel compelled to finish, you WANT to save the world. You need to feel like you’re doing something big and important, something no one else can do. Very few games succeed in this. Here’s a short list of games I feel achieve this:

Final Fantasy IV (II US)
Final Fantasy VI (III US)
Breath of Fire
Chrono Trigger
Final Fantasy Tactics

There may be more, but these are the four that come immediately to mind. One may note that all five of those carry the Squaresoft label.

While we’re on the subject of PC Games, I’d like to introduce you to the newest features of Zelkun.com, the Hall of Fame and the Hall of Shame.

Well, that’s all for now.

Zel-kun out.

I went to employee orientation today, and I must say, it was pretty boring.  It was the first orientation I’ve been to since I worked at Wal-Mart, and I am astounded by the striking similarities and differences.

Setting:

Wal-Mart: A dingy back office with folding chairs and dirty folding tables.

Sentinel Technologies: A conference room with plush high-backed chairs and a humongous wooden table.

Administrator:

WM: An older woman who runs through a routine she’s done a thousand times before.

ST: An oder woman who runs through a routine she’s done a thousand times before.

Content:

WM:  Corporate presentation about the company history and policies, break with a tour, then return to discuss benefits. We’re handed giant packets of information we’ll probably never use, and we’re given the standard legal forms.
ST: Corporate presentation about the company history and policies, break with a tour, then return to discuss benefits. We’re handed giant packets of information we’ll probably never use, and we’re given the standard legal forms.

Presentation:

WM: We watch an old VHS movie about the company.

ST: One word: Powerpoint.  *shudder*

Conclusion:

WM:  We’re sent on our way and told to direct further questions to someone else who isn’t in the building at the time.

ST: The HR person answers any questions and helps fill out the proper forms.

So there it is, from Wally World to the Corporate world, its mainly the same.  A bit more polished, but the exact same thing. Now, just because its more polished, doesn’t mean its any less stupid.  Au contraire!

During the Powerpoint presentation, one slide stated the year they opened up an Arizona office.  To the side of this statement was a picture of a state.  Which state?  Missouri.

I’ll give you a moment to let that sink in.

I call the presentor on it, “Excuse me, I can’t help but notice, but is that Missouri?”  She is silent for a few seconds, then says, “I’ve been giving this presentation for seven years, and you’re the first person to notice that.”

I’m not sure whether I’m pleased at myself, or mournful of the hundreds of people who either didn’t realize or ignored the mistake.

So then, we watch a tape, two tapes.  The first is, “The Diversity Diner.”

I’ll let you dwell on that a moment.

Picture the corniest after school special imaginable.  Complete with all-too-happy people who enunciate way too clearly.  Now, set it in a diner.  A bunch of people talking about diversity.  And, get this, actually justifying HR surveys with questions like “If you were a tree, what tree would you be?”  Yes, this is an actual quote.

The second was a stock film about sexual harrasment.  Shot in this bizarre talk show format.  Which, in very nice words, declared, “You may not mean it, but there’s a lot of stupid people out there, so be careful.  Because a jury will believe them, not you.”

Here’s the actual quote: “Remember, its not the intent of the accused that is evaluated in court, but rather the perception of the accusor.”

Wow.

There was actually a section on how if you hug a co-worker who likes to be hugged, a third-party may feel uncomfortable and file a harrassment charge.  Am I being overly insensitive when I think that’s going just a tad too far?

Ahh, corporate films, good stuff.  Well, that’s all for me.

Zel-kun out.

Well, my first week at at the new company is coming to a close.  Its definitely a busy job, and this week has thrown me some surprises.  Most of it is learning the proceedures for various problems.  Here everything is remote, and we are advised against asking the user to do anything.  So it can be confusing, problems I could solve in a few minutes at home could take much longer, being as I must find out how to deal with that issue from my desk.

It doesn’t mean the job is especially hard, it just means there’s a lot to learn, though this does not come as a surprise to me.  But the days fly by and I can’t believe its already Friday.  Compare this to an easy job where I stare at a clock waiting to go home, and I find I am much better off.

The job dos consist of more driving than I thought it would.  I’ve already driven more than 400 miles this week.  This isn’t bad, I like driving if the traffic is light.  Nothing better than cruising to some tunes on the road.

On the subject of tunes, one of my co-workers actually mixes his own techno, trance I believe.   So I may have some cool new tunes to do all this travelling with.

Well, my blackberry is telling me that someone’s computer is busted.  Gotta go fix it.

Zel-kun out.

Well, today was my first day working with this new company, and I must say I have thoroughly enjoyed it. Work didn’t start until 9:00, so I got to sleep in later than usual. I got in, talked to some guys, then spent the morning preparing some PC’s for rollout. I then took a ride to Libertyville to set up a laptop and run some cables. I must say, it felt damn good to get back onto the technical side of things.

In other news, I bought Guild Wars. Guild Wars is like World of Warcraft in the sense that they’re both MMORPG’s, but there’s where the similarities end. The focus seems to be on killing things, getting loot, and quests, rather than levelling. In fact, there’s only 20 levels, and from what I can gather, that can be achieved in a week or so. Also, except for the cities, the entire map is instanced. This means that the game generates your own little personal copy of the world, that no one else can get to. This, of course, will prevent other players from interfering and bothering you. Conversely, this will prevent you from recruiting help while on your missions.

Comparing Guild Wars to World of Warcraft really isn’t fair, being as the focus is different for both.
WoW:
Monthly Fee
Team Of Developers Working to Fix Bugs
Tweaks and Balances are Commonplace
World Events for Holidays
Immersive Gameplay over 60 Levels, requiring a larger time investment
Lots of Endgame Raiding Content

Guild Wars:

One Price, no monthly fee
Patches are not regular
No world events
Only 20 Levels, which allows for a casual player base
Focus on plot, rather than levelling

The best way I can summarize Guild Wars is that its an RPG with an immersive online feature.  Whereas WoW focuses on a community of players, being as there are countless quests and items that can only be completed with other players.  The gameplay in Guild Wars is more customized for single player, and the game can be played without any interaction if so desired, you can even hire NPC henchmen to fill in your party.

Well, that’s all the info I have on Guild Wars at the moment, I just got it, and will post more important info as it arises.

Zel-kun out.

Yesterday was my last day at my job.  As happy as I am to move on, I can’t help but feel a very slight pang of sadness.  Its very slight, I assure you, but its there.  I think its because its the first time I left a job on good terms.  I shook hands with my bosses, was offered a job to come back to if I ever needed it, and was even taken out to lunch. In other words, I’m leaving a job where I have established myself as a competent worker, and am going to a completely different job, so I guess I’m a little nervous.

When I say this is the first time I left a job on good terms, I don’t mean I was always fired.  In actuality, I was only fired once, from Blockbuster Video, from mouthing off to the manager.  In my defense, she really had it coming, and I had only been working there for two weeks during high school, so I didn’t have any job loyalty or any real need for the money.

But, other than list last job, every other job has left a sour taste in my mouth.

Things Remembered - This was my first job, I worked here mainly during the Christmas and wedding seasons as an engraver during high school and my first year of college.  The job itself was actually pretty cool, I often worked with a salesperson on the floor, no manager hanging over my neck, and I liked that.  The Technical Manager (the engraving service end, basically) was fired for stealing, and for the better part of a month, I acted in this role.  All my associates thought I would get the position.  And instead, they bring in a woman with no experience in the department.  I felt snubbed, so I quit on the spot, didn’t even have my next job lined up.

Wal-Mart - I don’t even really need to explain this one, do I?  I worked this for three years, enduring stupidity, until I finally moved on.

Automotive Development Corporation - I loved this job immensely.  My boss was an intelligent man who taught me quite a bit of what I now know about IT.  Unfortunately, the company was bought out and I was laid off.

Atek Solutions - I worked here for about three weeks.  I set up the Lombard office and set up a network in Iowa for them.  I was paid for about half the hours I worked during this time, and was not reimbursed for any of my travel.  Minus my travel costs, I came up roughly even.  There’s a sour taste here a tad worse than Wal-Mart.  I mean, at least I was paid.

So its good to leave on good terms, makes me feel like I ended a stage of my life with disjointed jobs, and have finally embarked upon a career.

In other news, I saw Underworld: Evolution today.  It was okay, nothing special.  Better than the first movie, though that’s honestly not saying that much.  Personally, I think the tale of the modern vampire has been played out.  Its all just black costumes and blood, without any innovative plot.

Its almost always this: Vampires themselves are not really evil, just a few of them are.  There’s always one really evil one that seeks power.  And always a good one (almost always half-something) going against him.  The story will be set against an urban landscape, or in the tunnels below a city.  They all wear black leather.  Okay, you’re cool and gothic and spooky, and I bet you write morbid poetry and everything.  If they drink blood, even if it is from a glass, they will dribble it down their chin. Yes, you drink blood, red blood.  I get it, now wipe your damn chin you retard.

Why not have a vampire movie like this set in medieval Europe?  Ancient China?  Hell, even colonial or old west, just give me something new to look at other than dark skyscrapers and sewers.  Old West vampires… that would be so lame, and yet kick so much ass at the same time.

Well, that’s all for the moment.

Zel-kun out.

Well, only two days left at my job.  Its honestly the hardest I’ve worked there in awhile.  I’ve been trying to show my replacement every nuance of the job, so we’ve been tackling everything in sight.  I actually didn’t realize the complexity of the job until I started teaching it to another.  I think he’ll catch on fine, once he’s out and on his own.

In other news, World of Warcraft continues to frustrate me with its slow loads and lagging gameplay.  At first it was inconvenient,  which progressed into being annoying, and now it just makes me want to shoot something.  I keep seeing releases for the new expansion, and all I can think is, “Why don’t you focus on getting what you have NOW working correctly?”

I’m looking forward to the release of Dungeons and Dragons online, its my hope that it will succeed where Blizzard has failed.  Granted, WoW has been the best MMORPG I’ve played, but there’s still loads of room for improvement, their poor technical skills notwithstanding.  I don’t really feel the increased level cap will add much to the game.  In fact, it may definitely take away, if those last ten levels are nothing but ever-increasing raids.  Raids can be fun, but I find it very difficult to sit in front of my computer for three or more hours (bare minimum for a raid) without interruption.  Not to mention the individual benefit seems lacking to me.  You can spend three hours somewhere, and not find anything worthwhile.  And while sure, its fun to go and kill something powerful with a group of friends, if you don’t get anything out of it, it seems a mite empty.

Well, its late and I’m tired, more to come.

Zel-kun out.