Mass Effect and Days Off

Mass Effect BoxW00t! I'm happy to report that after a couple months of casually playing on and off, I've beaten Mass Effect on PC! I bought it back in September, and I scared my roommate when I cursed loudly while trying to install the game. The SecuROM DRM prevented me from launching the game until I could activate with the internet. It wasn't until a month later that I actually got personal internet and was able to start playing. (Does EA really expect me to have an internet connection in the middle of the desert?) I'll also say that it's a system hog; my new laptop, built specifically to play modern games decently, is barely able to handle the game.

Having voiced those gripes, I'm very happy with the game. It's an original IP and storyline, and the backstory and plot are excellent! I was drawn into a galaxy of interesting alien races, clashing politics, and intense combat. Commander Shepard is a great lead character. The plot forces the player to make some tough decisions, something I haven't seen in a lot of recent games. Sure, there are the Good vs. Evil choices that only affect the side plots, but then there are harder decisions, beyond Good and Evil, that actually affect how the main game plays. It's more than what I've come to expect from BioWare RPGs. Just brilliant.

I finished the last bit of the game most of yesterday. While Sgt. Rhino has been on leave, Sgt. Antonio decided to flex his new sergeant stripes and implement one day off per week. Yesterday was my second day off since... getting to Iraq, really. Our fearless leader has been less stringent about people taking reset days, and many sections have taken advantage of the new policy. All I can say is, hallelujah!

Things are still relatively quiet. We've completed a couple of projects, and we're enjoying the time away from Sgt. Rhino. He's a great leader, but he does like things done his way, to the letter. It's a little easier to work without being micromanaged. Spc. Bonita is still with us, but we're starting to understand why she had personality issues at her home unit. She tends to be controlling, and a bit bi-polar. Still, she's friendly and outgoing, and she didn't deserve the treatment she was supposedly getting at her own unit. She'll be re-integrating with them soon, as they're scheduled to leave in a few months. I don't know what she'll do when she gets back home, but she'll be out of our workplace, and perhaps we'll have a little less drama.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

HL2!!!!!!

Image
So I ended up staying up until about 1 AM on Monday night to try and wait for Half-Life 2 to unlock, but 1) I didn't realize that to unlock it I'd need to restart the update program, and 2) I think I left about 5 minutes before it actually did unlock. But that's ok, because I had class the next morning. So Tuesday morning I turned on the computer and let HL2 unlock while I was in class. Then I raced home (as fast as the speed limit would allow, of course) and sat down and got my first taste of the finished product. The anticipation was definitely worth it! Aside from eating and class, it's been almost my sole activity for the past 2 days! Let me just add, I HATE HEAD-CRAB ZOMBIES! But its still cool. Oh yeah, I got a B on my last Spanish test that I took Monday, but I still feel pretty comfortable. I've been keeping my overall grade high enough that I should be OK. FRCC finally released their spring schedule yesterday, and aren't starting registration until the...
Read more

Tired

Getting sleepy, but I had to inform everyone that I start at Transportation Services on Monday. Cool, huh? Oh yeah, and my car died at school, so now I have to get up early and acutally take the bus. And I had a brilliant idea, and now I have to find/make web badges for CU, if not a couple of other schools. Woo! Go me and my little fads. G'night everyone, gotta get up early and run in the morning.
Read more

Electronics for beginners: choosing a brain

I work with high schoolers and their teachers, and I often come across questions about how to get started with physical computing. This post is meant to compare some of the most well-known platforms. To begin, understand that the space is broadly separated into microcontrollers and single-board computers, with different strengths and weaknesses. Microcontrollers (MCUs) Microcontrollers are basic, general-purpose processors with limited capabilities compared to single board computers (SBCs). They offer slower processing speeds, smaller storage capacity, and fewer communication options. Unlike SBCs, which run full operating systems, microcontrollers typically execute only one program at a time. Despite these limitations, microcontrollers have several advantages. They are generally more affordable than SBCs, and their simpler architecture makes it easier to understand and control their behavior. Additionally, microcontrollers can begin executing their programs almost immediately after pow...
Read more