Space Potato

More guitar

2009-04-29T17:10:00.003-04:00

I feel like I've advanced enough in guitar to consider myself an intermediate now, or at least close to it. Barre chords are finally starting to come around which has been a six week struggle or so and my song library has opened up to a significant amount of new playable tunes right along with them. My left hand is insanely strong. I feel like I could go rock climbing with it or something.

I know everyone who's reading this probably reads the forum as well, but I've gotten a couple videos up on YouTube, if you're interested.

Also, Seth and I are doing Reute 66. Which you should check out.

Numb fingers

2009-02-10T18:51:00.005-05:00

Oh, hello there.

Those of you who know me personally know that I've recently been trying/struggling to learn how to play the guitar. I've been pretty deeply into it for a month or so, and I wanted to write about it, so here goes.

I picked up an acoustic guitar about a year and a half ago after a bad breakup. I can't possibly see how anything could be more cliche than that, but in all seriousness I'd wanted to learn how to play for the longest time. Breakups are unusual times in that you often find the courage to attempt something that seemed out or reach before. This wasn't my first guitar though, I begged my mom to buy me a guitar off of eBay in my early teens, wary of my excitement about such things in the beginning tending to wane over time, she consented to buy a cheap learner's guitar. I learned absolutely nothing on it and promptly gave up playing altogether. Aric 0, Guitar 1

Guitar and I again crossed paths near the end of high school. I started hanging out with some of the local punk rock kids and suddenly had access to a whole lot of instruments which were foreign and confusing to me. At about that time my best friend started learning to play and I'm convinced I would have had an 8-year head start if he had been right handed. Unfortunately playing lefty was out of the question. I never asked any of my other friends to teach me; I was too shy to ask. Aric 0, Guitar 2

Then, as I said above, I went and bought myself a nice acoustic guitar, determined to learn how to play it. My friend and roommate at the time, Justin, was just picking up the instrument again after a hiatus and another friend, Amber, was nurturing a budding interest as well. It seemed like the perfect storm for me to learn. Able to make mistakes in front of Amber, who was at the same level I was, while also learning from someone who knew considerably more than myself, Justin.

So I sat down and, over the course of a few weeks, I awkwardly grasped the basics of how to play. Justin showed me new chords, and I watched a series of videos on YouTube by Justin Sandercoe, which I cannot recommend enough. I learned how to play a song or two and a handful of chords. Then, due to the start of a new relationship, problems at work, and life in general, I didn't play guitar for about 8 months. I would stroll past my Epiphone, pick it up maybe and strum a few notes on occasion, but nothing more than that from March through the end of last year. Aric 0, Guitar 3

So now, I'm sitting here wondering why I've started on this quest again. I'm struggling to pay bills, which doesn't leave me a lot of money to spend on leisure activities. Guitar only really required an initial cash investment (which I had already paid) and also time to sit and practice (which is free). I think another big reason is that I've really truly fallen in love with the Mountain Goats discography over the past year or so. I've always been a huge fan, but never felt like I had the grasp on his library the way I do now. John Darnielle performs with such intensity that I kinda want that moment, if only it's ever by myself in this room. Learning songs that I know/love has been a huge help in my current practice.

The real reason for this post is that I practiced for about 45 minutes tonight. Well, that's not really a big deal, but I'm sick and home from work tonight, very tired and a little depressed and I didn't want to play. I walked past the Epiphone and sort of scowled at it. I picked it up and reluctantly played a D chord (the first chord I learned and the automatic one I form when I pick up a guitar). Then I halfheartedly strummed out the tune to "Weekend in Western Illinois" and hummed the lyrics quietly.

By the end of the song I was full throat into it and banging on my guitar the way that Darnielle often does. I'm going to go ahead and pat myself on the back. I had had a miserable night, play-wise, the night before. I couldn't get strumming right, strings were buzzing, and it was overall just very nonproductive and disappointing. So practicing at all tonight was a major step for me, in terms of the big picture of LEARNING TO PLAY GUITAR™.

I don't know if I'll be able to update as I keep learning, but it's entirely possible I can feel bad about not updating, so you have that to look forward to.

Mutli-gaming

2008-11-30T12:53:00.005-05:00

We're all busy. Who has time to play two different web games? Nobody, that's who. That's why PongOut is the future of gaming. Ok, not really, but it's pretty interesting.

PongOut combines Breakout and Pong in one application, where you play the games simultaneously. If you're feeling particularly smart, this will knock you down a few pegs.

EDIT: My top score is 12,640. Let me know what yours is.

33.35 Minutes

2008-11-28T18:46:00.002-05:00

Thanks for this one, julia.

I just finished watching 2001 Seconds, a 2001: A Space Odyssey recut down to, you guessed it, 2001 seconds.

I wouldn't characterize myself as a fan of 2001, more that I accepted it for what it was and moved on. I didn't particularly like it, I wouldn't buy the DVD, but I was happy to have watched it and appreciated it for breaking some film barriers.

2001 Seconds is, in a word, amazing. Not only recut, it has a new soundtrack which just kinda works. Definitely worth the download and a half hour of your time.

Happy Poultry Day

2008-11-27T10:51:00.002-05:00

Be sure to give thanks for all of the delicious football that's on TV today.

Still Nilein'

2008-11-15T17:49:00.006-05:00

It's rare that a browser game captures my complete attention for more than a few days. It's even rarer when it so completely grabs onto so many others in the forum.

As we all delve a little deeper into the game Nile Online starts to open up and you can see how challenging and fun it truly is. The market in the game is brilliantly done, keeping many different economies active, with a difference in price and availability of goods as you move around the world. The availability of items becomes strategy as you form alliances and try to plan your next move.

Another neat thing about playing, especially right now, is that this is a work in progress and it shows. I think this is a very positive way to play a game. Sometimes things don't work right, there are items in the game that have no context yet, and there is much that doesn't make sense. What's so great about that? The developers over at Tilted Mill Entertainment are working on this stuff right before your very eyes.

Features are coming into play every day that change the game in subtle and more user friendly ways. These guys are taking feedback from their forums and implementing it on a daily basis.

This game is a lot of fun. If you aren't playing yet, you should be. Don't forget to join us in the forum and let us know where you are!

Slaves have never been so much fun

2008-11-08T23:51:00.006-05:00

Ok, so maybe Travian isn't for you. How about giving Nile Online a try?

Currently in beta testing, Nile online attempts to remove some of the tedious troop building in Travian and instead focuses on a rich user run economy. This is a resource gathering game at heart, but there are enough neat twists to keep you interested.

This is not a game that you sit down and play over the course of an afternoon. It's one of the new brand of perpetual browser games where resources keep piling up in your city even when you aren't playing.

Basically everyone starts out with a small plot of land on the Nile. You then send people to work in one of the three basic resource areas (wheat, reeds, and clay) and a special resource area which is unique to your area of the world (gold, emeralds, leather, etc.). As you gather these resources and expand your town you'll eventually have to visit the open market for certain items. This is where the game is currently lacking, but where the broad goals of a user created and controlled economy really come into play. Unfortunately it's going to be a while before this area of the game picks up, but it's definitely worth getting in on the ground floor.

You can sign up for a free beta account at the website. Feel free to seek out my village "Fun Happy Land Smile" in the nome of Osirisduat.

EDIT: Don't for get to stop into the forums thread and let us know where your town is!

More like Chargelawl

2008-10-30T11:16:00.006-04:00

Sorry I haven't updated in a while I've (insert lame excuse) .

The last game we had from Crazy Monkey Games was their fun disease the world game Pandemic II. I popped over to their site this morning and found another fun one.

Chargeball is a nice spin on an old block breaker concept. Give it a few levels and it really takes off and gets interesting.

Traviowned

2008-08-21T20:39:00.002-04:00

Ok, I'm a bit torn.

On one hand, Travian isn't very fun or engaging. It's teeming with jackasses and 13 year olds... and 13 year old jackasses. And it practically annoys you to the point of exhaustion.

On the other hand, I can't really seem to stop compulsively checking any of my three villiages.

Here's the catch with Travian. You play it so slowly. While the game keeps you at an arms length, you hunger to play it more. In reality, you're only taking an important turn every 24 hours or so. The rest is humdrum waiting around for resources to pool or armies to return.

Travian is similar to Civilization, without all those pesky graphics. The game takes a few weeks to really get a handle on, which definitely adds to the addictive nature. You're in your own little world for a week or so until other players are added to the mix. Then you might find your little town being pilliaged regularly by the hamlet of 'Batman Rulez!!1' which is one sqaure over.

I dare you to create a town and not care about it's welfare.

Fart on, sweet prince

2008-08-10T13:03:00.004-04:00

Do you think farts are funny? Of course you do. That's one of the reasons Puzzle Farter is so endearing. If you have the sound on and you aren't at least chuckling by the end of level 3, then just go back to your knitting or whatever you were doing.

There are definitely some things wrong with the game. The lack of a save feature or checkpoint system really hurts the replay value. It's incredibly difficult to get to the end with very limited lives, but it is fun trying to get there. Puzzle Farter gave me a really strong Mario vs. Donkey Kong vibe, which I think is a concept that works pretty well. The fact that it's "too hard" shouldn't keep you from playing it over and over.

The developers of Puzzle Farter are also available for suggestions on their forum, so you can get a front row seat for future updates and level packs for the game. Go let one rip.

Where's Smokey when you need him?

2008-08-05T19:40:00.005-04:00

We all can appreciate a good brush fire, which is why Scorching Earth makes for a pretty fun, if not frustrating, puzzle game.

I'm not going to lie to you. This game can and will kick your ass at some point. I described the first level of Scorching Earth to a friend like this: "This game does not hold your fucking hand." It's true folks, I got stuck on the first level and had to play it 6 or 7 times in order to win. This is partly to do with a lack of any coherent instructions and partly because Scorching Earth actively hates you and your family.

In gameplay, you spread a brush fire around a piece of land divided into squares. Fires burn a certain amount of time depending on what kind of area you land on. Trees burn long lengths, dirt for shorter. You can spread or jump your fire, rain on enemy fires, and call down a meteor depending on how many points you've accrued from your active fires. I know it's weird in text, but just play around with it and you'll start to get it.

I've enjoyed Scorching Earth, but let me tell you it's not a game for the weak of will. Oh and the music is fucking terrible. Turn it off.

Burn the bodies!

2008-08-03T12:51:00.003-04:00

Well all know one simple truth, destroying humanity is an awful lot of fun. This fact is the reason I'm excited to say that Pandemic II has finally been released by Crazy Monkey Games. Don't worry if you haven't played the first one, you'll catch on fast.

Let me talk about the good first: lots of upgrades to customize your disease, great looking interface and menus, and a fair amount of actual strategy make this game a whole lot of fun. The bad is that the game is essentially broken in one key aspect: Madagascar.

There are enough people that have been derailed by Madagascar to warrant the creation of this. It is possible to infect the island nation and I know that the game shouldn't be a cakewalk, but making it so that infecting Madagascar is nothing but dumb luck definitely takes away from the fun of mass genocide.

Go kill some people.

Reinventing ourselves more than Madonna

2008-08-01T08:54:00.002-04:00

Hello and welcome to the grand re-opening of Space Potato! As many of you already know, the focus of the site has once again shifted to the world of independent video games. Though I will also be blogging about general pop culture and possible (dun dun dun) politics, I hope that Space Potato can be a place where you can come every few days to find a new fun or interesting game to play.

I'm also looking into restarting the Space Potato BBS! For those not in the know, a few years ago I ran a very successful old school telnet BBS with games such as Legend of the Red Dragon, Barron Realms Elite, and Usurper. I'm going to begin raising money for a new server computer very soon. The nature of these games means the computer does not have to be very good, so if anybody has an old Windows PC that's gathering dust, contact me on the forums. If I don't get a response in the next month or so, I'll start up a donation pool. I should be able to find something that will work for us for under $200.

I'm always on the lookout for new games to feature on the site. If you are a game designer and would like me to host a home site for your game contact me, once again, on the forums. Playing any interesting games? Send the link to me either on the forum or on PMOG. If it's the latter I'll make sure it's worth your while with some in game currency.

We're also playing our own game on the forums. The first game, of my creation, is called 6 Rooms. It borrows heavily from a lot of other flash based "get out of the room" games on the Internet, with some fun Space Potato twists. 6 Rooms has been a successful test run of a concept that I've been thinking about for months. It's also not too late to play! Based on the excitement and interest that it has generated I foresee more of this type of game in the future not only from me, but other users as well.

Get involved! Sign up on Blogger to comment on blogs, register for the forums and post some timewasters. Thanks for visiting and I hope you stay tuned to check out what's on the way!

Bear + Umbrella =

2008-07-30T20:41:00.003-04:00

Anybody who knows me knows that there are two things that I love in this world, bears and umbrellas. Well, now there's a home for my passion.

Sunny Day Sky has you kiting your little bear friend through oncoming traffic and rogue ducks for huge combos. The more cars you pass in a single flight, the more points you get. Let me tell you, it becomes pretty fucking scary when you're working on a 200,000 point combo knowing that if you fall, you get nothing and the game resets.

Grand re-opening in a few days... see you there.

Real life sucks, but my Internet life is awesome.

2008-07-25T19:49:00.002-04:00

Hey, sorry for those of you who read this blog that I haven't updated in the last few days. I'm really trying to post up new stuff at least every other day.

I've been playing a ton of games, but I've decided to take this blog a little more seriously in how I discuss games. I think that a rating system where I assign an arbitrary number to a game which is coded by one or two people is a little unfair. A lot of the stuff I want this blog to ultimately be about is experimental games. These games are often in various stages of being unfinished due to the fact that, as stated above, there are only a few people working and perfecting them. Most of stuff in this category is a labor of love for the creators.

So, long story short I've really been PLAYING the games a lot that I'm going to discuss. I think that far too many people are willing to give a game a rating after only a short time playing. I'm not going to take this shortcut.

That being said, this site relaunches on August 1st and I'll be talking a lot more about the focus of Space Potato.

Now, go play Fantastic Contraption.

Click faster, bitch!

2008-07-20T19:17:00.002-04:00

Got a great timewaster for ya. Click 10!

Warning: This will break your fucking clicker finger off.

Hats Off

2008-07-19T17:47:00.001-04:00

(click image for big)

Time wasters

2008-07-14T12:00:00.001-04:00

Just wanted to share a couple simple flash games that my friends and I call timewasters. Just because they're timewasters doesn't mean they're not fun.

The first is by one of the goons on the Somet hing Awful forums.

Go play People Bucket.

The second is Fruit Mystery. Fucking Fruit Mystery.

Know your dealer

2008-07-13T13:17:00.003-04:00

(click image for big)

Grow, baby, grow!

2008-07-09T16:24:00.004-04:00

Phyta expands the concept of games as art. That was the sentence that has been bouncing around in my head in the days since I played it. It's just such a beautiful game, and yes, I use the word game pretty lightly.

The concept is simple. You control a black sun which coaxes dark vines to grow in a certain direction. Your goal as you move through the five short levels is to capture orange bugs with your vines. As you progress through the levels, your sun gets bigger and the plant yields more vines for you to capture with. Also, with the progression come stronger bugs, some of which can chew through your thinner vines. Phyta has no ending which seems like an odd choice, but I would love to see some sort of continuation or sequel come out.

This game is absolutely gorgeous and set to a light acoustic guitar track which loops slightly too frequently, but doesn't take away from Phyta at all.

tl;dr

Concept: A work of art that you can play. Capture the bugs with your vines.
Controls: Mouse and button only. Easy enough.
Sound: Light acoustic guitar which is great, but needed to be longer to avoid loop annoyance.
Graphics: Just amazing. Black on white contrast.

Overall: 9/10

ESSENTIAL LINKS
http://www.cambriangames.com/current.html
http://www.cambriangames.com/Phyta.zip

Run Dino, Run

2008-07-08T14:44:00.005-04:00

I fell in love with a little flash game today called Dino Run from Pixeljam, where players take control of a little dinosaur and attempt to stave off extinction. There are seven main levels, with some speed runs available as extras. In other words, enough to keep you busy for an afternoon.

You maneuver your dino from left to right attempting to escape a wall of doom (which we can only assume to be extinction). Along the way you'll encounter other dinosaurs on the escape route as well as smaller animals, which you can eat for extra points. There exists just enough frustration to keep the game from being a cakewalk, but easy enough as to keep you moving through the levels.

The kick ass 8-bit sound compliments the lo-fi graphics amazingly well. I really recommend this game for a lazy afternoon.

tl;dr

Concept: A hectic escape from doom has you running for your life.
Controls: Arrow keys, anyone?
Sound: Awesome retro 8-bit.
Graphics: Beautifully rendered lo-fi.

Overall: 8/10

ESSENTIAL LINKS
http://www.pixeljam.com/
http://www.pixeljam.com/dinorun/

Kirby Quake

2008-07-05T13:09:00.001-04:00

Today's little number is called Teeworlds. I often describe the game Culdcept or Culdcept Saga as a cross between Monopoly and Magic: The Gathering. If you think that combo is weird, try this on for size. Teeworlds is a cross between Kirby and Quake.

Teeworlds is a cutesy 2D environment set up like a traditional FPS server, including capture the flag and basic deathmatch games. Players move their 'Kirby-esque' characters around maps reminiscent of the Worms series and collect weapons ranging from mallets to rocket launchers. Power ups and armor also exist. All these things with the traditional FPS control scheme give this game a great familiar feel on a new concept.

There is a pretty good established community which means there is always a server to connect to and lots of maps to play on. I personally love capture the flag games with this game and there's a great mix of fun and frustration as you kill and are killed by more experienced players. The only thing that feels a little broken is the aiming scheme and the difficulty knowing if you've hit your opponent in the fast paced gameplay. Trying to aim is about the only learning curve aspect of Teeworlds.

tl;dr

Concept: Kirby + Quake = Cute destructive fun.
Controls: Traditional FPS controls are very comfortable.
Sound: Nothing great, nothing annoying.
Graphics: Cutesy and simple, but cool.

Overall: 8.2/10

ESSENTIAL LINKS
http://www.teeworlds.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teeworlds

Sporting Ed Wood

2008-06-30T16:00:00.000-04:00

I'm sure that everyone viewing my completely awful blog already knows by now, but if you don't you should go to RiffTrax right now and buy everything on the site.

RiffTrax is where old Misties such as myself can get their movie lampooning fix. Mike Nelson, head writer and star of the late great Mystery Science Theater 3000 started up RiffTrax after the cancellation of the show and really picked up where MST left off. Find a movie, download the audio file, and sync it up for a snarky good time.

Mike gathers together some of the old MST3K alums as well as celebrity guest riffers to create some of the best content on the net.

Some of you guys might be surprised to know that there are a shit ton of Mystery Science DVDs available through places like Netflix too. Just sayin'.

First Post!!1!one

2008-06-29T17:26:00.001-04:00

I've decided to start blogging about some of the stuff I hate and love. I'll be discussing cool indie games, TV, and lots of other boring shit. Simple enough?

Today I got involved in MTP Target a free game that picks up where the Super Monkey Ball target mini-game left off.

I started off pretty skeptical, working my way through the newbie levels which play like an exact clone of the aforementioned mini game. However, once you have a grasp of the mechanics additional servers open up and this is where the, dare I say it, fun actually starts.

MTP Target has you rolling a penguin down an icy slope with a ramp at the end. When you gain enough altitude you open your flippers and glide onto, through, or into a target located somewhere on the map. Depending on what the particular goal is, you earn points for yourself or your team. When every player has landed, points are tallied and everyone is transported to the next map in the sequence.

MTP Target servers allow players to vote on maps and have both individual and team challenges. The servers are on a constant cycle and nobody technically "wins". The goal is just to accumulate points which are displayed at the end of each battle. It gives the game a nice competition feel without making it all about team mechanics.

The controls are above average and have an "easy to learn hard to master" quality. The up arrow speeds your penguin up in flight and also causes it to lose altitude, you can probably guess what down does. Sometimes lining your penguin up with a target feels a little clunky and you'll probably end up in the drink more often than not as you get started.

tl;dr

Concept: An expanded Super Monkey Ball Target game.
Controls: Functional and easy to learn.
Sound: A bit annoying, but oddly soothing. (Turn the music cupcupcupcupcupcupcupcup)
Graphics: Very well done for a freeware game.

Overall: 8/10

ESSENTIAL LINKS
http://www.mtp-target.org

Space Potato

More guitar

Numb fingers

Mutli-gaming

33.35 Minutes

Happy Poultry Day

Still Nilein'

Slaves have never been so much fun

More like Chargelawl

Traviowned

Fart on, sweet prince

Where's Smokey when you need him?

Burn the bodies!

Reinventing ourselves more than Madonna

Bear + Umbrella =

Real life sucks, but my Internet life is awesome.

Click faster, bitch!

Hats Off

More questions than answers

Time wasters

Know your dealer

Grow, baby, grow!

Run Dino, Run

Kirby Quake

Sporting Ed Wood

First Post!!1!one