Author: Andy Scheffler

So, an entry evaporated into the aether that I sent while I was on the road. I sent a picture of the nifty travel Skittles that I cut my hand on. I also ranted a bit about drivers not understanding what it means when you flash their brights at them. I didn’t, however, go into depth about the guy who’s lights were off, going really slow in the fast lane. When I flashed my brights at him, he turned his lights on, thinking that’s what I meant. When I passed him on the right, he flashed his brights at me to thank him for reminding to turn on his lights. *slaps forehead*

I only hit a little bit of traffic, only saw one pair of riceboys weaving through traffic racing each other. (Then again, I saw a pair of pickup trucks doing the same…)

I also saw one of the biggest understatements in traffic history: a sign on I-5 saying “Expect delays Sunday 11/30 Northbound I-5.” Hah! There is a reason why I’m driving back on Monday.

Quickly: Still working. Went to RECCAcon (staffed karaoke). Finally gave in and bought an iPod (to be shipped shortly). Saw Matrix: Revolutions and was disappointed. Bought and finished one game on my backlog (Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy) and am awaiting Final Fantasy X-2 tomorrow. Planning on driving down to L.A. for Thanksgiving.

In more depth, I’m one more notch closer to getting turned off of Final Fantasy XI (or just MMORPGs in general). I’ve been getting frustrated at the lack of progress, so today I just sat at the entrance to the next area and just cured and cast Protect on passers-by. After a while I was invited to a group and went off to parts unknown. I wasn’t getting much experience because of the limiting formula (I was 7 levels below the party leader), but there was very little risk involved. It took us about 45 minutes and we got to our destination. After one close battle, we were resting for the next, when my connection stalled. I tried logging back in, but it wouldn’t. I finally got back in, only to find my dead body lying on the ground, and a lost level due to the experience loss.

To their credit, my party members tried to find a White Mage with Raise, but no one was around. And also, it only took one monster to get back to Level 11. But this whole incident makes me less enthusiastic about the whole process.

This is just me testing post by email again.

So, yesterday I gained access to the full solutions to Planetarium. Man, was I ever disappointed. I had somehow managed to figure out at the eleventh hour how to use all the minor puzzle solutions to solve the major puzzle, but it didn’t make sense. Now I know why. I managed to get only two thirds of the minor puzzles correct. Because of the nature of the solution, if any of the three answers (one number, one word and one either-or) are wrong, then what you do on that part is wrong. I managed to get all three correct on only three of the twelve steps.

Of the twelve numerical puzzles, I got 10 right, 1 wrong and 1 I didn’t know and just guessed. The one I got wrong was because I read the problem wrong and assumed something that was pretty stupid to assume.

Of the twelve word puzzles, I got seven right, two wrong, and had to leave three blank. The two I got wrong I wasn’t really too sure of anyway, and, of the three I left blank, I was oh so very close to getting one of them. Due to the nature of these, though, if you got the solution to the riddle, it just “works,” and you know it’s right.

The real kicker was with the either-or puzzles. I managed to only get seven of them right. Yes, that’s right, I only managed to do slightly better than if I had been flipping coins. These suckers were hard. Of the five I got wrong, three of them were marked on my little spreadsheet I was keeping as “I am 100% sure this is right.” Then when I saw the solution, I slapped my forehead and realized I had been duped. These suckers require some of the most oddball and non-linear thinking of any of the puzzles.

By pure luck, I managed to almost understand what the major puzzle’s solution was, but it wasn’t enough. Oh well, three months of off-and-on mental torment is now over.

I seems that I’m not the only one who’s gotten their ass kicked by a bunny on Final Fantasy XI.

Also, it seems that choosing the username “Hamusutaa” may not have been the smartest of moves, because I think everyone is assuming I’m some snooty Japanese player. Last night, I healed someone, and they responded “ありがとう^^”. Then right after that, I healed another person and they responded “ありがとう〜（^＿^)”. I suppose if you’re Japanese, you can’t just say “thank you,” you have to put a smiley after it.

So I’ve had to put “I am not Japanese” in my comment field. It still doesn’t help, though.

I just know that pyee is going to mock me for this. If you don’t want to hear whining about video games, you can skip this entry, I’ll write about “real” stuff some other time.

I am reminded as to the reason why I never wanted to play an MMORPG. In addition to the fact that they’re addictive and slow-paced and suck your time, there is no real “end”, or if there is, then it takes hundreds of hours to get to. This is in contrast to the 20-40 (or even 60-80 for some long RPGs) that it takes to finish a typical game.

There are a large number of games that are out already or that are coming out, just within the next week, that I want to play. The problem is that I told myself after the last holiday season that I wouldn’t buy a new console game until I had finished the last one I was playing. This season could turn into a long chain of games, except for the fact that I really want to play Final Fantasy XI. I suppose I can split my time, but it’s going to take a lot of time.

For reference, here’s my wishlist, using IGN’s very nice user pages. You can see, if you sort by release date, the issues surrounding the period from now until next Tuesday. There are even a few games of note that have been out for a while and I haven’t gotten yet.

Also, I’ll most likely be buying Mario & Luigi, Mario Party 5, and/or Mario Kart: Double Dash right away, for a very specific reason.

HAMSTER SMASH PLANETARIUM!

I am on the final week and I cannot figure out how it all fits together! ARGH! By hook or by crook, in seven days, the solutions will be shown to me, but I want to solve the damn thing!

So, yes, I got Final Fantasy XI, and I’ve been playing it. It’s been slow going, as I imagine most MMORPGs are. Here’s a little pictorial representation of a typical day in the life of a level 7 White Mage. (Or course, I’ve since made level 8, but here goes anyway.)

Screenshot time!

Spoken by glue at the Jelly Belly factory gift shop when I was running around excitedly looking at all the merchandise and candy:

“The funny thing is, he’s actually in a candy store.”

So this year is one of the years where as a birthday present, I get an extra hour of sleep.

Yes, you’re all welcome.

Tomorrow is a group trip to the Jelly Belly factory. Then again, almost all of the people who are going are around this journal somewhere, so that’s no news to anyone, I’m sure. I’ll be sure to take pictures, it’s been a while since I’ve actually used my camera. *walks away briefly to make sure battery is charged*

One of the new features in the heralded Apple iTunes Music Store is Celebrity Playlists. I only mention this because I think it’s rather cool that most of the songs on Michelle Branch’s playlist I’m familiar with, and quite a few I actually own. Just goes to explain why I like her music so much.

Speaking of Apple, I haven’t gotten Panther yet, but I will. Still undecided on the whole iPod thing, though.

I’ve been furiously trying to finish a bunch of games in anticipation for the arrival of a new batch. I’m currently trying to finish Final Fantasy Tactics Advance and .hack//OUTBREAK. Soon, I’ll have Super Mario Advance 4 as a birthday present, and of course, Final Fantasy XI, which could easily take up all my free time, as MMORPGs are known to do. Then there’s Castlevania: Lament of Innocence, which is being put on purchasing hold until I can get clear of some of these other games…

So many games, so little time. Speaking of games… I don’t know where I originally heard about it, but I’m 10 weeks into Planetarium, an online “puzzle-story in twelve weekly installments.” It’s starting to come together, but I feel with 10 weeks of involvement, if I don’t manage to solve the dang thing, I’m going to be awfully let down. I’d suggest it to people who like logic-type puzzles and are willing to wait three months for the thing to play out.