Wingless – There was a Hole Here

Since I mentioned yesterday that one of my supreme video game loves is Silent Hill, I figured it was appropriate that the inaugural game remix post be a Silent Hill remix.

For those of you who have played Silent Hill, the original song for this remix comes from the second in the series. It is called “True” although it is more affectionately known as “Room 312″ which is an absolutely incredible scene. For those of you who don’t know, it is the scene in which the entire story unravels, somewhat akin to the hotel scene in Fight Club. In fact, this also occurs in a hotel.

The name of the remix gives me some joy, too. It’s taken from some writing scrawled on the wall at Bar Neely’s and is one of my favorite game phrases (alongside “the master of unlocking” and “Will you take the crowbar?”). I often say this phrase in passing, and friends who know me well tend to finish it with me.

The Wingless – There was a Hole Here

As per Silent Hill, it’s a softer song, played with an alternating legato and staccato piano. They overlaid some haunting synth choir, and I love how they drag the pitch down like that. The cello is a great touch. I’d argue the necessity of the percussion, but they affect it so little, just a little brush, so I’m not bothered. The song has kept very true to the original, but branched out enough to be a remix that I usually enjoy listening to more than the original.

Silent Hill: Homecoming

Now, what I haven’t gotten into on this blog is how big of a Silent Hill fan I am.

Suffice to say, I could bore you with my knowledge of this game. Were I slightly more insane and less afraid of needles (I say with my seven piercings) I would get myself a tattoo. Two, specifically. Seal of Metatron on the left forearm and Halo of the Sun on my right forearm (both on the inside).

I also wish to get the Muse bars tattooed on my back, just over my C7. But that’s another story.

The newest installment is titled Silent Hill: Homecoming and is scheduled for release in September, which adds to the fact that apparently September is the best month ever. We can add to this the alleged release of Spore, the release of Force Unleashed, and a new Neil Gaiman book. Jesus Tapdancing Christ. Wrath of the Lich King better not come out that month or I’m just going to have to call in sick to work forever.

The title, as I mentioned, is Homecoming, which drops the “V” it once had in its name, perhaps detaching it from the series and making it part of a larger world. I for one am actually somewhat hopeful of this title and certainly do hope it is a homecoming. What I have noticed about this series is that the further away from Silent Hill you are, the more it sucks, thusly making The Room the worst of the series.

A homecoming would be a wonderful change of pace. We understand it may be frightening for designers to stay in Silent Hill, worrying that it will get too stale. But just remember: nobody celebrates your game based on its combat. They love it for the story and the location. Think on it, will you?

For those of you unfamiliar with the series, here’s an excellent rundown:

It’s far too nice about Silent Hill 4: The Room. I have a 20 page rambling dissertation about this installment in the series, dissecting everything from the sound effects (Belching nurses? Come on…) to textures (the red walls in the apartment complex were very grating) to the unkillable enemies (You did this once, flawlessly. His name was Pyramidhead. It’s okay to take cribsheets from your old games.). It wasn’t pretty.

I won’t discuss the movie in too much detail as, while it is visually and aurally Silent Hill, it entirely misses the rich world that has been developed in this series. I forgive it, though, because at least the movie proved to be internally consistent, and at least leaned heavily on the mother theme that the designers seemed to have a huge thing for in 3 and 4.

I’ve yet to play Origins. I was waiting for it on the PS2 and now I just need some free time.

Portal Remix

I’m going to share another of my loves: video game music remixes.

Download.

I may just start sharing these on a weekly basis. Normal music on Fridays, and gaming music on… Tuesdays.

Tuesday is the nerd’s day, after all.

Birthday Massacre

I was told they’re “like Shiny Toy Guns, but darker.” Obviously, I was intrigued.

I’ve been addicted to their 2007 CD “Walking With Strangers.” I also need more synth in my life.

Chicken Salad Has Chicken

Today was a Dollar Day. This has nothing to do with the post at hand, but I’m tracking this for posterity.

In 2002, when I was but a senior in high school, I had what I have now termed a “Dollar Day.” It is a day in which a stream of small things go wrong, one after the other, until you’re overwhelmed. The most memorable day of this happening was that fateful March 2002 day, which began with my locking my keys in my still-running car and ended with me running out of gas in the middle of rush-hour traffic (in Los Angeles) and landing my car in the one stretch of freeway that required I walk through traffic to get to a call box. On my way to said call box, I found a dollar. Hence, Dollar Day.

Today was one of those days. And, indeed, it actually ended with me finding a dollar. But that’s not what this post is about.

The third sandwich shop I found (because the other two were closed) was barren, with naught but a surly Asian man standing behind a row of bread. He rushes me to order but I ignore him, staring at the menu, contemplating.

On the menu is one of my standard favorites: chicken salad. However, people are wont to put strange things in chicken salad, like nuts, which I detest.

MD: What’s in your chicken salad?

SammichMan: Chicken.

I stare at him. Perhaps he’s building up the list in his mind? Perhaps he didn’t hear what I asked?

MD: And… what else?

SammichMan: Mayonnaise.

MD: Uh-huh.

Things were going well.

SammichMan: Celery.

I fiddle with my lip ring and return to the menu.

SammichMan: Chicken, mayonnaise, celery, salt, and pepper.

He rattles this off as if he only now understood that when I asked what was in the chicken salad I was asking for, yes, all the ingredients.

I proceed in my sandwich selection, undeterred.

MD: What’s in your Polish sandwich?

I’m Polish. Sometimes you have to kick back to your roots. Plus, sauerkraut sounded really good at the time.

SammichMan: Bread.

He points emphatically at the bread, to make sure I knew.

MD: Er. Yes. Typically. What else? Sauerkraut?

SammichMan: Sausage.

I sigh. I mean, really?

MD: Fine, I’ll have the Polish sandwich.

SammichMan: Do you want everything on it?

Hang about. We’ve been here before, except last time I was the one driving.

MD: What’s ‘everything’?

He gives me this look as if somehow I’m the idiot in this scenario.

SammichMan: Mayo, mustard, lettuce, tomato, pickles, onions.

MD: Just mayo, mustard, and tomatoes, please.

SammichMan: You want sauerkraut?

MD: Er. Yes. Thank you.

All I have to say is he’s lucky it happened to be an exceptionally good sandwich.

Inspiring Quote

Aim for the moon. Even if you fail, you’ll still be amongst the stars.

No, if you fail, you’ll just find yourself in orbit over the earth, spinning idly until your corpse is pulled down through the atmosphere, burning up like a Roman candle upon re-entry.

Whoever wrote that quote had no concept of astronomy.

Weekend in Colorado

Nothing particularly interesting to share, just some personal nonsense.

I flew out to Denver, Colorado and met up with a friend whom I was introduced to via World of Warcraft (QJ). Yes, I am nerd, hear me roar.

We snowboarded. We drank extensively. We saw three bands: The Forecasts, who were fun and decently talented, a group I would have fallen head-over-heels for about five years ago; Ghost Buffalo, great sound, adorable lead singer; and between those two was some guy who made me think of Colin Farrell trying to sing like Tom Waits, and all he succeeded in doing was making me want to listen to Tom Waits to hear it done right.

The snow was incredible. Fresh powder, long runs, and a mountain devoid of other people. Who could ask for more?

Sometimes you get a weekend that strikes a chord with you, that is just what you needed. This sucked the toxins from my mind. It was so therapeutic that I wound up laying down 3K words in five hours, bringing my novel-in-progress to being one third complete (haven’t typed it all up yet, it’s still handwritten in the notebook).

Today I feel light.

Rob Dougan

Rob Dougan – Clubbed to Death

What the hell else is to be said about a guy who composes beautiful music to an edgy beat and has a voice like he’s channeling Tom Waits?

I’ll tell you what else: Nothing.

Good Coding Practices

I’m fresh to the industry, but I know a thing or two about good coding practices. And one of them saved my sanity today.

I’m learning Qt, as it is something they don’t deign to teach you in school. Moreover, I didn’t even know a tool like this existed until I entered this company. Something that converts UI development into drag-and-drop? Sign me up!

I like UI development. But sometimes you really just want things to be pre-made for you. Like trees and tabs and radio buttons.

In this thing I’m working on, I had to find a way to convert this Tree Widget to go from single-select to multi-select. Try as I might, I couldn’t find the stupid function call I needed.

Eventually, I gave up and guessed.

And I guessed right.

How could I possibly guess right? Consistent naming conventions. It’s something so simple, so basic, but so often ignored. I can’t tell you the nightmares I’ve gone through in the month-and-a-half I’ve been on this team with code that is inconsistent in how things are done, not just across various components, but even internally, within small sub-divisions of the application.

Naming conventions. Learn them. Use them. Enforce them.

Jim Butcher @ B&N in San Mateo

As I’ve mentioned before, somewhere last year, I enjoy the Dresden Files. It’s great for distracting me from the tickling sensation on my neck as my brain leaks out my ears from other books.

I spotted the appearance in the BookTour.com email I get, updating me on authors popping into my area. I decided I would stop in and get a book signed for the friend who introduced me to the series.

On my way to the signing, I decided to give the back of the book a look-see, to find out exactly what Jim Butcher looked like. Perhaps I am a strange duck, but it is not really in my nature to fan over people and obsess. I like what I like, and it takes a great deal for me to push past my shyness and unwillingness to draw attention in order to be the Baptist, speaking of He Who Is To Come. I do this for a select few. (Neil Gaiman is on that list.)

As I said, I wanted to see what Jim Butcher looked like. I came face-to-face with this brooding, serious, head-on-clenched-fist picture. My eyes went heavenward. ‘Oh Lord,‘ I thought. ‘This guy is going to be so full of himself.‘

Imagine my pleasant surprise that no, Jim Butcher was quite the opposite. Funny, charming, self-effacing with an undercurrent of confidence bought solely with success.

“I write popcorn,” he said, “and I aim to write the best damn popcorn I possibly can.”

He struck me as charming, for a nerd. That nerd-charm that brings laughter while you sit around a bucket of dice deciding what your next campaign will be. I felt he was someone I would have gotten along with if I had met on the street, though probably not very closely (as we are different breeds of geek: he the pen-and-paper fantasy nerd, I the console gamer and internet junkie). He played Cthulhu, though, which is major points in my book.

When asked why wizards, why Dresden, he responded “Because My Teacher Made Me.”

Pardon my para-phrasing in quotes.

“My teacher told me, ‘Jim, you like those Laurel K Hamilton books so much. Why don’t you write something like that?’ I said no for about two semesters, then I finally got fed up and did it. I took all her worksheets, filled it all out, made everything as contrived and stereotypical as possible, to show her exactly how formulaic a book I could possibly make. That’s how I wrote Storm Front.”

Which just goes to show that you can follow every cliche in the book and still make something people will want to read. It’s all in execution.

I handed him the battered old copy of Storm Front. He looked at the name on the paper, then at me, curiously.

Jim Butcher: Dr. Alex?

MD: It’s for my friend. He introduced me to the series.

JB: His name is ‘Dr. Alex’?

MD: Er. Yes. It actually says that on his driver’s license.

Jim laughed at this and signed the book. I felt the need to explain further.

MD: Well, his mother told him, “No matter what happens, we now have a doctor in the family.”

JB: (smirking) I suppose that’s true.

MD: Thanks for writing the series.

JB: No problem.

Like I said, a really nice nerd.