The Microsoft of the Gaming Industry

Its a very, very sad day when I would rather work for Microsoft than another software company, but EA currently "deserves" this distinction.

First came the whole EA Spouse thing, basically stating that the working conditions at EA were not only inhumane, but illegal to boot. Not to mention the fact that they are being sued over this. That was disapointing, but EA is still a company.

Then came the "EA buys exclusive NFL license" thing. Anyone who doubts the negative impact a monopoly has on quality should only look to the deterioration of the Windows OS prior to XP. When there are no other options avaiable on the market, the monopoly-controlling company doesn't have to try nearly as hard with their development. Why work extremely hard on a product when half-assing it will get nearly the same amount of revenue?

Its not that bleak, however. Midway will continue to develop their Blitz football series without the license, and I doubt that Sega is going to give up on Football with their ESPN license still alive. But I doubt that EA is going to have a huge amount of competition next year in the Football department.

Then we get to the recent events.

Currently there is an offer by EA to aquire Digital Illusions CE, or DICE, the makers of the excellent Battlefield series of games (Battlefield 1942, Battlefield Vietnam). Currently DICE makes the best Mass Military Shooters, and has made the best Vietnam game to date. The phrase Genre-Defining Title shows up a lot here.

Then, in an act that could easily be termed Hostile, EA has purchased nearly 20% of the shares of French game maker Ubisoft. Ubisoft is well known for the recently revived Prince of Persia series, but thier biggest claim to fame has been their Tom Clancy Trio: Ghost Recon (squad-based military shooter), Rainbow Six (squad-based counter-terrorism shooter), and Splinter Cell (Stealth Espionage/Action). All three series have been consistently excellent, and now EA owns 20% of the company. The only group with more shares is the founders themselves.

This sounds a little familiar...

Bunny!

Wha? Oh, yeah, I'm home.

BUNNY!

Finals: Day Three

Or: Eric Miller's Guide to Living Through Finals.

Note: Living is a relative term.

Another note: Yes, the poem was Day One. I was asleep for Day Two, okay? Not like I had a final then...

Yet another note: Yes, I am planning on doing two more of these, after my next two finals.

Lets just run down a list of what to know about finals.

Clothing:

Good clothing is optional. Lets just get one thing straight about finals: Unless you're going out on a study break with your friends, the only time you'll really need clothing is for the final periods. Pretty much, all you're on campus for is to take a test and get out. Go to class in pajama bottoms and an old t-shirt. Wear the same pants you've been wearing for the last several days (lord knows I have). Its finals week: Expectations are as low as they could possibly be on a fashion front. Just wear something that's comfortable.

Grooming:

Showers are usually a good idea, if only to ward off the smell. Other than that, and by "that" I mean shaving or makeup, your own discretion. Same rules apply, basically, for clothing. No one is really concerned about personal appearance.

Schedule:

Here's how it works at UCI, and most places elsewhere. All classes on finals week meet once, at times designated by your lecture time. All discussions, labs, and lectures are not held. Usually you won't have two finals next to each other, and even then you'll have a half-hour break between them if you're terminally unlucky.

Sleep:

Get it when you can. Sleep at day, sleep at night, just get some sleep. The odds of you actually getting an average of 8 hours of sleep a night are ludicrous, however, so don't expect miracles. Make sure, though, that either you are wide awake for your finals or at least hopped up on caffine and sugar.

All-nighters:

Don't. I know this goes pretty much against any kind of expectations for finals week, but avoid all-nighters at all possible. The only time you should even consider one is if you have a paper, not a test, due during the final period. When I do an all nighter, the following day I don't remember a thing from the times between 1 AM to about 4-5 AM. Its this giant blank spot. Studying at these hours is pretty much pointless. This is why I have yet to do an all-nighter before a test this quarter.

That said, the schedule does favor all-nighters. What were early morning classes (9 AM) can become even earlier (8 AM). And since you don't have as many class periods, you can pretty much afford to just collapse in exhaustion after a final. Still, all-nighters are a last resort. If you didn't go to class during the quarter, and you have a comprehensive exam tomorrow morning, you've really got no choice. But it won't go very well.

Entertainment:

Excluding outings with friends as study breaks, gaming is going to be a very fun way of relaxing your mind. But may I make a suggestion: No online games. Nothing addictive. Nothing with a story for god sakes. Just mindless fun. Reason is: Any of the previous elements that usually spell "excellent game" also mean "addictive as hell". What you want for a study break is something you can pour 30-45 minutes in, AT MOST, and get out of no problem. This, strangely enough, is when mediocre games are useful: they aren't good enough to pull you in indefinitely.

If you want to play a good game, though, play portable games. These games are usually built around the "play for a couple of minutes" aspect. Metroid Zero Mission is great. If you can contain your self and only do a few battles, Fire Emblem or Final Fantasy Tactics Advance are good Tactical RPG's that will excercise your mind, keeping it sharp, and also allow you to jump out if neccessary.

Oh, and don't ask how I know these games are good, seeing as how I don't actually OWN a GBA. And for god sakes don't tell Nintendo or Square!

If you can't *cough* aquire *cough* any of those games, play some of the Yahoo Games games. They're simple, easy, and rather fun, and aren't involving enough to drag you in and not let go.

If I feel like more after I wake up in a few hours, I'll add it. Other than that, I need a 30 hour nap...

Finals, in the form of Poetry

I swear, my best ideas come when I'm half tired or sick.

ICS Test
Horribly ripped off from Jabberwocky

---

'Twas chilly, and the geeky boy,
did tire and stumble through the rain.
All tired was the little boy,
For ICO was to truly dread.

"Beware the Comp. Sci. Test, my son,
The logic that bites, the gates that catch!
Beware the Assembly Code, and shun
The frumious Binary math."

He took his Graphite tool in hand,
Long time the lecture hall he sought.
So rested he in the comfy seat,
and sat a while in thought.

And as in weary thought he sat,
The Comp Sci Test, with sheets a many,
Came rushing up the crowded aisle,
And curses heralded its pain.

One-Oh, One-Oh, And True and True!
His Graphite Tool went Clicker-Clack!
He solved it dead, and with it in hand,
He went galumphing back.

"And has thou solved the Comp Sci Test?
Come to my arms, my brilliant boy!
Of fragious day, Good Game Good Game!"
He chortled in his joy.

'Twas chilly, and the geeky boy,
did tire and stumble through the rain.
All happy was the little boy,
For ICO was truly dead.

---

Please don't sue me, Lewis Carrol. I have no money...

Star Trek: Enterprise

Or: F*** Continuity! Who needs continuity?

First off, let me vent about Archer. I hope he dies.

This isn't anything malicious, but he isn't a consistent character, and he has so much potential. Usually, he's like the ideal captain: Perfect in every way, always does the right thing, never leaves a man behind, etcetera, etcetera. The usual. Kinda boring, if you think about it.

But when Vulcans come up, he can become interesting. Cause, ya know, he really don't like the Vulcans. Except that that vicious dislike of vulcans only comes up when its pretty gosh darn clear that the Vulcans are up to no good. So its kinda mute.

Then again, I did like how he got a one-night stand in the third episode this season :).

Still, his character is rather shallow, while the best Star Trek Captain character, Sisko, had layers and layers of depth.

Ah, but T'Pol and Trip are so awesome. Trip could be the captain easily. Just kill off Archer, in some heroic fashion, and let that be the end of him!

Second, they are totally ****ing with the Star Trek timeline. This was obviously the only way they could make the series somewhat unpredictable, but still, its a cop out. You make a Star Trek show take place before TOS, then don't start throwing around Romulans and photon torpedoes, when those don't show up UNTIL TOS! Oh, and the Xindi storyline? Could've been a lot better. For example: Just end last season's finale before the whole "oh noe, we got transported back into the past! The timeline is totally fuxxored up! Yeah, we said we killed off Archer, but guess what, we didn't!"

This comic seems to sum up my feelings on that episode quite succinctly

All I'm saying is that if they want to change elements of a Star Trek society, like they are with the Vulcan's society right now, then they should've made a series set post Voyager.

What I am sort of liking is how they are making longer storylines. The Xindi arc was very interesting, the three multi-episode stories this season have been very interesting, but they could be so much better.

Other grievances:

They've done some good development of Trip and T'Pol, as well as some decent, although not good enough, character development of Archer and Malcom, but Travis and Hoshi are totally unknown nowadays, with their only development going on in the first season. However, this might be because they're running into some of the standard problems with large numbers of major characters.

If you have three characters, you need to have four sets of character interactions: Chars A and B together, B and C together, C and A together, and A, B, and C together. Four characters means nine sets: AB, BC, CD, DA, ABC, BCD, CDA, BDA, ABCD. So, they concentrate on Archer, Trip, and T'Pol. But that leaves three other characters out in the dark. Its the easy way out, one that isn't neccessary. DS9 managed to deal with Sisko, Kira, Odo, Bashir, Miles, Dax, Worf, and Quark by only focusing on two or three of them in any particular episode. Switching out the major characters was a very effective way of balancing out the character development.

Stop the one-shots. I know they're fun, and can lead to some very fun episodes, but if you're going to bother making an episode, make it have some kind of lasting impact!

Gah!

ICS vending machines

Okay, I'm at ICS. I've got a lab due tomorrow and I need it to start freaking working.

Anyway, I'm entering the building when I see the vending machine.

The Energy Drink vending machine.

For $2.00, you can buy one of three different energy drinks...

...

I love this place :).

Sugarhigh!

Woooooooo!

Its 3:45, and I'm hyper as a school boy on speed!

And, yes, that's AM.

I got a rough draft of a 6-8 page paper due in, oh, 5 hours. Plenty o' time.

1 frappachino, and 2 Sobe Adrenaline Rush(tm)es down, and I'm wiiiiide awake!

Oh, and Sugarhigh (the song), is playing right now!

In a few minutes, I'm gonna wind down, but right now, I can't stop moving!

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!1!!!ONE!!!!2!!