I've revamped the news system for this page, Night's Edge: Wet Works, and Scavenger. The change should be almost completely transparent to visitors. All of the posts are now stored in a relational database instead of a separate text file for each message. Mostly, this has been a fun little experiment and a chance to play around with MySQL. Plus I might just be able to add a little more functionality (like last update timestamps).

I'm still trying to find a good IF game subject that I can really get jazzed about. I was really into Scavenger as soon as I conceived it. Unfortunately, every idea I've had since then has gone through a bit of refinement and then stalled. Part of the problem, I think, is that I've started putting too much thought into community reaction. Not how much people enjoy them, but how much they are actively discussed. Risorgimento Represso and Scavenger placed 2nd and 3rd in the comp, but the game that got all the attention was Slouching Towards Bedlam because of its unique concepts and unusual twists. So while an old-fashioned puzzler can do well in comps and even receive high praise, it really won't get discussed and talked about the way an unusual and avant garde piece will. So I think what's happening is that I find myself in a deadlock between working the good-but-mundane game ideas I have and wanting my game to be debated and pondered in a public setting. This puts me into a bit of a quandry because I have a severe lack of original creativity (as anyone who played Scavenger has no doubt realized). The avant garde IF requires, at its core, a new and innovative idea. That's always the tricky part, isn't it?

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR) certainly had the hype. So when I finally got around to starting it this past weekend, I was pretty disappointed initially by some of the controls and some pretty serious instability. Most especially its tendency to crash, hard lock my machine, or experience 30+ second freeze ups while in the save/load menu. For whatever reason, these problems seem to have faded as I've progressed through the game. The interface isn't great, being a console port, and I have some issues with the way it chooses the currently active "target" object in the scene. The most recent saved games should show at the top, not the bottom. And don't get me started on the motherfucking mini-games (the card game in particular... I hated these things in Final Fantasy 8 and I'll continue to hate them in other games.)

However, I can definitely see why it has become so well received by gamers. So far it's been a really good gaming experience. Good graphics, realistic human models and animations, a pretty good capture of the Star Wars universe (even though it is many years before the movies). The plot lines haven't been all that original, but they've been well implemented. Can't wait to finish it.

Okay, thanks to all of you who came to the party on Saturday. Yes, I was terribly surprised, no I did not know in advance, and yes it is a very good thing I wasn't armed! :) The ribs, cake, gifts, and company were all great and I probably couldn't have asked for a better party. Well, maybe one with strippers, but I can't see my wife planning a party like that.