Ragnarok: Gods And Giants

About how it goes every time I face a new monster.

           

Playing Ragnarok is a process of repeatedly convincing yourself that your character is getting stronger and you're getting better and then suddenly getting torn apart--quite literally--by the next level of foe. That's not quite a complaint, but it's inescapable that while the main game is about as difficult as NetHack, its worst foes would have the Wizard of Yendor for lunch.

I spent the bulk of this last session finishing up the dungeon beneath the opening forest. The dungeon consisted of 3 levels and 27 screens, and the key plot reason to be there was to obtain Odin's spear, Gungnir, from Vidur. As I closed my last session, I was having no luck even scratching Vidur let alone killing him. I tried it hastened with Potions of Speed; I tried it invisible; I tried it under the influence of a Potion of Phasing, which doubles your armor class. He still kept killing me in one round.
         

Maybe don't eat random mushrooms.

       

I took time to explore the rest of the dungeon to strengthen my character and hopefully find more valuable items. Some notes from that process:

• The levels aren't all randomly generated. Even when they are, there are rules set on some of them to avoid exits on certain sides of the map. The Temple of Vidur on Level 3 is only supposed to be accessible from a hole on Level 2, not any of the other Level 3 maps. However, a Wand of Tunneling or a pick-axe can undo such intentions--sometimes.

• More intrinsics: fire dragons confer fire resistance; "blurs" make you faster (although I think just temporarily); wraiths give you level increases, although at a certain point they stopped working. Through other means that I didn't fully note, I have also acquired resistances to petrification and death rays.

        

This sounds so unappealing.

       

• There's one mushroom that fills you up when you eat it. The others are not worth experimenting with.

• Kalvins are horrid, hateful monsters who swipe one of your eyes out with every hit. It turns out that a blessed potion of curing will regrow an eye, but I was so traumatized by my temporary blindness that the next time I found a Scroll of Extinction, I used it on Kalvins.

• Worse than Kalvins are Zardons. They can send out a piercing wail that hits you for about 50 hit points at a time from anywhere within the dungeon level. Guess what else soon went extinct? 

           

I'm not sure I should have this kind of power.

        

• One damned hit from a werewolf is enough to give you lycanthropy, which requires a blessed Potion of Curing to cure. Scrolls of Blessing aren't so common that I like wasting them on this.

• On the matter of Scrolls of Extinction, I can't be the only roguelike player who has secretly thought that if I just find enough of them, I can genocide every monster in the game. 

• I keep finding Amulets of Quickening, which double my speed and are thus incredibly useful. But they have limited duration, and then they run out, they turn into something called "Eyes of Sertrud." I have no idea if they do anything in their "Sertrud" form.

• A couple of enemy types are capable of reproducing faster than you can kill them. One is these little tiny things called "secitts." The second are tree creatures called "faleryns." I had to abandon a dungeon level to the latter creature when they wouldn't stop multiplying, but I gained about 15 levels trying to kill them all. If I need to grind, I'm going back there.

        

You guys can have this dungeon level. I'm just trying to get to the stairs.

        

• The best spell scroll combination I've found is a Scroll of Blessing with a Scroll of Enhancement. Use the former on the latter and then the latter on a piece of armor or a weapon, and you soon have a +13 (or higher) item. I'm carrying a +14 mirror shield and a +13 silver sword because of that combination.

• Some of the scrolls are "diaries," which give you hints. 

         

Glad I got this hint because I would have thought this was bad.

         

• Something weird happened with my strength. For a long time, it was stuck at 18.99, and I figured that was the highest, but at some point it rolled over to 19-something and has been continuing to grow towards 20 ever since.

• At some point, I acquired the "Psi Blast" power. I have no idea when it happened or why. It doesn't seem to do very much damage.

            

When I hit Level 20, I got the "Fletching" skill, which allows me to make arrows out of woods. Since "Terraforming" allows me to turn any square into woods, I basically have all the arrows I want. Anyway, I took the game's offer to change classes and changed to a conjurer. I spent 20 levels as a conjurer, skipping the first offer to change, because I hardly gained any spells. Even after 20 levels, I can only cast "Set Recall" (which only helps if you have a Scroll of Recall), "Reflect," "Draw Life," and "Illusory Self."
        

Casting spells. I thought I'd have cooler spells.

        

At Level 40, I changed to a blacksmith. Somewhere along the way, I read a couple of Scrolls of Knowledge and obtained the "Fennling" skill, an extremely useful skill that lets you combine the charges of two wands of the same type. I also got "Relocation," which lets me teleport on demand, "Ironworking," and "Taming." I haven't really experimented yet with the latter two. 

When I was done exploring, I went back to the Temple of Vidur. He still killed me instantly, but this time I had one new item: a Wand of Death. It only had two charges, but one of them took care of Vidur nicely (unfortunately, not before he killed my new companion, whose release so enraged Vidur in the first place). Gungnir was on his body, and apparently I'm too weak to wield it.
         

The first god falls.

       

I headed back to the surface and found the forest absolutely swarming with monsters. They're low level, and no danger, but they're so thick that I can barely move. Thankfully, my teleportation abilities get me through. They seem to respawn as fast as I kill them. I wondered if Ragnarok had started while I was in the dungeon or whether carrying Gungnir brings them to me.
            

My reputation must have taken a hit while I was underground.

          

While I was in the forest, I happened to note an icon I hadn't seen before. I (L)ooked at it and the game told me it was Thokk, the giantess who refused to cry for Baldur, meaning I'd have to bring her soul to Hela to get Baldur out of hell. I slipped on my Ring of Soul Trapping and killed her with a single blow. I made the mistake of not taking off the ring afterwards, and her soul was immediately replaced by the new slain enemies'. That required me to reload a significantly older game and replay Vidur's temple again. The second time, I found Thokk in the same area and took off the ring after capturing her soul.
        

Part of one quest down!

        

Lacking guidance on exactly where to go, I escaped the monster horde by jumping through a portal. It took me to Slaeter's Sea and some other outdoor maps that kind of wrap around the opening forest, including the River Vid and the River Gioll. I can just stroll across the water because I have Skidbladnir (the magic boat) in my pocket.
           

The River Vid is mostly water.

        
I soon found out that if you go the wrong way out of these areas, you wind up in the open ocean and you immediately get attacked by Jormungand. The first time I found him, he damaged me for -60302 hit points. (I had a maximum of 452 at the time.) I tried the Wand of Death on him but it didn't work. He's also inescapable. I suspect you're just not meant to go into these areas.
          

I suppose if I could kill Jormungand, I wouldn't need to do anything else.

        
But there's an enemy that roams the rivers and lakes of this "outer rim" that's almost as deadly as Jormungand: the lorkesth. He gets like 5 attacks per round and does massive damage. He's the reason I can't just blithely stroll through the areas (the other enemies are relatively easy at my level). I have to watch very carefully for their appearance and use my teleportation ability to get to a safe square of land. There's no outrunning them, since they can move three times for every move I make. If I stand one square away from the water, I can defeat them with throwing weapons and wands, but like any monster they may auto-generate at any time. If I get another Scroll of Extinction, they're going to be strong candidates.
         

I like to think I'm skipping these shurikens along the water.

          
To the west, the world ended at the Bifrost. (Which I have been unable to take seriously since I discovered it's properly pronounced "beef roast," although I think it's cool that the Norse conceived it as a rainbow. So many things in mythology are dark and dreary.) I figured it was too soon to go to Asgard, so I went the other way. Mapping in this game is complicated; I'll explain more thoroughly in my next entry. Suffice to say that the particular section of maps I was in ended to the west at the Bifrost and east at the River Gioll. The Gioll map had some patches covered in fog and a river swarming with lorkesths, but oddly no other enemies or items on the map. For some reason, my Ring of Locus Mastery doesn't work, meaning when I teleport, I just teleport to a random place. Something is also causing me to teleport frequently even if I take off my Ring of Relocation.

In the middle of a patch of fog on the east side, I ran into a character named Harbard. He was rooted in place and didn't pursue me, but if I walked up to him, he killed me in a couple of blows. So I stood a couple squares away from him and hit him with the second and last charge in my Wand of Death. His body disappeared in the fog, but when I walked and stood upon it, the game told me that there was a staircase. Taking it led me to Niflheim.
          

Hell looks a lot like Maine in April.

         
I immediately had one of those moments that I described in the opening. I had been killing fire dragons and frost dragons in single blows, so I wasn't bothered by the "hel dragon" heading in my direction--not, at least, before he killed me in one attack that left me with -1,006 hit points.
             

My brief foray into hell.

         
Upon reloading, I tried again, taking pains to avoid the dragon, and I did come across some luck when I stumbled on a Wand of Wishing with three charges. I immediately wished for another Wand of Death, and while it worked fine against the next hel dragon, it did nothing against the unique enemies of the area, including Konr Rig and Plog. I reluctantly returned to the surface and decided to try again when I was stronger, although given the fact that I've already maxed in most of the game's classes and I have incredibly powerful equipment and near-max strength (I assume, since it's now going up by decimals instead of integers), I don't know what "stronger" is going to look like.

Still, I moved north from the River Gioll to what turned out to be the mountainous realm of Jotenheim. I expected to meet a lot of giants but mostly found the same creatures from previous areas, including a lot of faleryns, who fortunately didn't seem to be as interested as replicating as they were in the dungeon. Teleport control still doesn't work, which makes it hard to explore systematically.
        

The transition to Jotenheim.

       
After I cleared most of the map, there remained an impenetrable rectangle of mountains and trees. Figuring it must hold something interesting, I used my "Terraforming" ability to change a tree into regular ground. Inside the rectangle was a small building populated by a large foe named Gymir. He had the decency not to kill me in a single blow, but his attacks were capable of doing more than 100 damage each. I quaffed a Potion of Speed and a Potion of Curing and proceeded to kill him in legitimate combat. He left behind Mimming, Freyr's sword. I'm too weak to wield it.
          

My character doesn't just chop down trees; he changes the very nature of the landscape.

          
Jotenheim continued for two maps to the north. To the north of that was "Mimer's Realm," a map of mountains, lava pools, and fog. A new monster called "iridorns" were introduced. They can kill in a single hit by ripping off your head, although they die pretty easily if you can strike them first.
          
With Mimer's Realm, I found Mimer's Well, mentioned in the backstory as the residence of the serpent Aspenth, the transformed version of Gjall, Heimdall's horn. But I need the "Swimming" ability to navigate there and I don't have it yet.
           

My character at the end of this session.

          
At some point, while exploring Jotenheim, Heimdall's voice bellowed from the sky:
              

O great heroes of the world! I must have Gjall to rally the forces of good. Time begins to grow short. The sea rages with the anger of Jormungand. The earth quakes mightily. Loki seems ready to burst his bonds. The moon and sun shall soon be swallowed by the mighty wolves Fenrir and Garm. Surtr is honing his sword of destruction. The evil ones are gathering their forces.

To speed you in your quest, I will use my powers over nature. The lesser creatures of the realm shall grow weary and despair. They shall no longer wish to battle against your might.

              
This announcement suggests the game has a time limit (and also that Heimdall just removed my ability to easily grind). I'm going to explore to the north a little further, but if nothing pans out, I'll use my Wand of Wishes for Scrolls of Knowledge and see if I can pick up the swimming ability. At this point, I have three of the six quest items. If I can get one more, it might be worth heading to Asgard.

Time so far: 15 hours

*****

B.A.T. II: The Koshan Conspiracy was going to be next, but I'm not sure how it got on my list in the first place. None of my sources call it an RPG, not even a hybrid. I can't find evidence that any commenter defended it as an RPG. I'm dumping it unless someone can make a persuasive case. The Adventure Gamer already covered it if you really need to read about it.

That means we get to our first random roll for the next game on the list! Pulling up the list, adding a "Random" column, filtering out games I've already played or rejected, we get . . . Xenus II: White Gold (2008). But of course I'm not going to play a game before its predecessor, which in this case is Boiling Point: Road to Hell (2005). That's also the first game on my list from Ukraine. I can't find mention of any other necessary precursors. But I'm just kidding because I'm not going to let myself jump that far ahead in one go. The actual next game needs to be in the next year I have not yet played, and a random selection from that year brings us to Shadowkeep 1: The Search by the same author as the Bandor series. Meanwhile, Planet's Edge gets moved up a notch to Game 358, but I'm having trouble with that one. DOSBox crashes every time I try to leave the intro screen. So the real next game might be Ishar while I try to solve that problem.

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Cyberpunk 2077 | Release Date,Trailer, Gameplay, News And More.

Cyberpunk 2077 | Release Date, Trailer, Gameplay, News:

Cyberpunk 2077 is expected to release in 2019 and the publicity is just going to fortify as we take in more about CD Projekt Red's next open-world RPG. Subsequent to taking a profound plunge to discover every one of the points of interest we could in its long gameplay make a big appearance, we discovered that that was only a tip of an iceberg - anticipate that Cyberpunk 2077 will have about the same number of missions as The Witcher 3. Gratefully, you don't need to sit tight for the following enormous information dump from the studio to discover more as  Pro-GamersArena has compiled everything you need know about the game including latest news, trailer, gameplay, release date and more...

Quick Facts :

• Release Date: TBA
• Developer: CD Projekt RED
• Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows
• Engine: REDengine 4

What is Cyberpunk 2077?

On the off chance that you were expecting a science fiction enhanced variant of The Witcher, you might reel at this moment. Cyberpunk 2077 is an all-new IP from CD Projekt Red, trading Geralt's dream setting for one with a brilliant, neon science fiction stylish. Cyberpunk 2077 utilizations the first-individual point of view to put players solidly in the boots of a low-level weapon for-contract on the cutting edge boulevards of Night City, and it likewise functions admirably with the amusement's propensity for quick paced gunplay. So, 2077 is a long way from a straight first-individual shooter: discourse drains flawlessly into the investigation, hacking and designing abilities can get all of you sorts of spots shouldn't be, and there is even a pack of non-deadly (or just non-weapon) alternatives for battling. In addition, there is still a touch of third-individual amid scripted cut scenes and driving around the city. Remember that all that we've seen so far is liable to change, however, it's all extremely encouraging.

Cyberpunk 2077 trailer – How's it?

The second trailer for Cyberpunk 2077 is an obvious contrast to the main: it was made inside the preoccupation engine and shows scenes from the entire route crosswise over Night City, as opposed to the essential trailer which was worked with CGI and happened generally speaking in one super-moderate development minute. We see distinctive scenes of life, spreading over from a cable car auto to a city street to inside a corporate office, and a storyteller instructs us concerning how things kinda suck around here yet people keep sticking in at any rate. Turns out the storyteller is our principal character 'V' which we will play or one possible shape, and things quickly uplift with scenes of colossal weapons, lifted shootouts, and auto seeks after. 

Cyberpunk 2077 Gameplay Preview.

Cd Projekt Red RPGs gave you a really conventional take a gander at the universe of Cyberpunk 2077 amid Microsoft's meeting. While past CD Projekt Red RPGs have constrained you to play as a solitary character, Geralt, who you couldn't tweak in appearance, Cyberpunk will give you finish control of your character. You can be either a male or a female cyberpunk, and you can likewise change more granular highlights, for example, hair compose and shading, and in addition including tattoos. Regardless you'll be called 'V' however, that part doesn't change.

The game is set in 'Night City', Located about somewhere between Los Angeles and San Francisco, a tragic megacity loaded up with flying autos, high rises, and obviously sorted out wrongdoing. 

It appears as though the game will depend on you keeping different groups in this city upbeat as you play. From the get-go in the demo, we have demonstrated a group pioneer called 'Drax', who gave us a vocation finding a stolen bit of military equipment and getting it into his criminal hands. 

In spite of the fact that we got the impression you could pursue the road group yourself, our demonstrator included a corporate specialist in the mission's story with the end goal to get the assets to only buy the bot from the pack. 

We just got a little gander at the gear that is accessible in the diversion, however it would seem that there's a monstrous blend of firearms to purchase, overhauls you can buy for existing weapons, and inserts you can buy to upgrade your very own capacities. 

One especially gross and dreadful arrangement of foes had a large portion of their appearances missing with the goal that they could introduce a Splinter Cell-style set of sparkling red eyes. 2077 is a grimy and chaotic world, and it's each piece the grown-up focussed experience we've generally expected from an engineer like Projekt Red. 

When we got into the meat of the mission, it exited no doubt as far as we can tell this is a firm mixture among RPG and shooter, as opposed to a shooter with RPG components. which is gonna be F**king cool!!

Cyberpunk 2077 owes a ton to this great science fiction establishment, however the execution of its open world places it in another class completely. So it's entirely evident that everybody is extremely eager to investigate the 'Night City' of Cyberpunk 2077.

That's all we know about Cyberpunk 2077 till now, but as soon as we get any news we will let you know, Till then keep sharing and stay in touch with 'Pro-GamersArena', " THE PRO-BROS ARENA"

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G Fuel Alternative (Monday Musings 83)

When I saw one of my friends stream, she mentioned that she was drinking G Fuel, and felt that it gave her very smooth energy, and no crashes after the effects wore off. She felt too jittery on the other energy drinks. Intrigued, I looked into G Fuel.

The ingredients aren't harmful because of the low dosages, but I hate the Sucralose and Acesulfame after taste, which G Fuel contains, and further, G Fuel is rather expensive at $35.99 for 40 servings, approximately $1 per serving, so I thought I can find a healthier and more cost-effective alternative to G Fuel.

After doing research, I found that the most effective way to improve energy and mental alertness is the tried and true, boring and effortful healthy ways such as:

1. Going to bed and getting up at the same time, i.e. good consistent sleep - most people need 8 hours
2. Exercising around 30 minutes between 55 to 85% (60% makes the most sense) of your max heart rate, at least 3 times/week, calculator here.
3. Fruits and vegetables - at least 5 servings - and whole grains
4. Reduce stress through meditation, problem-solving, and so forth
5. Smokers, QUIT!
6. Limit alcohol use 
7. Diaphragmatic breathing
8. Hydrate
9. Avoid sugars

However, there are going to be days when we can't get the 8 hours of solid sleep, eat nutritious foods, exercise, and smokers may slip due to increased stress and anxiety in their lives, and so on.

As streamers, should we then engage in performance drinks and pills, of which G Fuel is the most recently hyped, as marketing states that it was created by professional gamers? 

Reviewing the ingredients of G Fuel, the first part lists vitamins and minerals. However, it's much more cost-effective to take a generic multivitamin which is dirt cheap, and even free with some insurance plans. 

Even so, almost all research studies note that multivitamins don't really improve upon things and I recall my chemistry professor saying that multivitamins only lead to "expensive urine". So, unless you're literally not eating and at risk of scurvy, there's no need for multivitamins.

But, if you want to replicate G Fuel, you can take a cost-effective multivitamin for the first part of the ingredients.

The next ingredient of G-Fuel is the energy complex which consists of 140 to 150 mg of caffeine. Jet-alert caffeine at 100 mg is dirt cheap at $9.95 for 240 pills here at Amazon! You can take 1 and a half tablets (total 150 mg) for fraction of the G Fuel costs.

G-Fuel's other energy complex ingredients include, in addition to caffeine, Taurine, L-Citrulline Malate, Glucoronolactone, and N-Acetyl-Carnitine HCL. All these ingredients, including caffeine, are merely 1.7 grams.

Merely 1.7 grams, because to obtain the stimulating effects of Citrulline, you need on average 3 to 6 grams of L-Citrulline and 8 grams of Citrulline Malate! That's a lot! However, G-Fuel's concentration of Citrulline is well below the dosage needed for its effects (total of all ingredients at 1.7 grams).

Supplemental dosage of Glucoronolactone are between 500 to 3000 mg, so to be conservative, that's 0.5 grams minimum for this ingredient to be effective. Please note that G Fuel does not say how many mgs are included in their drinks, so I'm assuming they don't want to advertise the sub supplemental dosages. I'm assuming it'll be less than 0.5 grams.

Finally, N-Acetyl-Carnitine's recommended dosage to gain effects is 1500 to 2000 mg, and up to 4000 mg for depression.

Taking all these ingredients and breaking them down, the energy complex as to why G Fuel works is pure and simple Caffeine 140 to 150 mg. Again, Jet-alert is the cheaper and healthier alternative (i.e. no artificial sugars).

What can be said of the energy complex, the same can be said of G Fuel's focus complex. Again, total listed of the focus complex is a mere 1.2 grams. Like the energy complex, there's no breakdown of dosage of each ingredient in the focus complex. The ingredients here include L-Tyrosine, Choline Bitartrate, and ATP. ATP degrades through the digestion system, so ingesting ATP gets you nothing.

As for Choline Bitartrate, this study shows no acute benefits in healthy, young human adults - since we're using G Fuel for those immediate, acute effects, Choline Bitartrate does not appear to help in that situation. 

L-Tyrosine may be the only ingredient in G Fuel's energy complex that may have effects, even so L-Tyrosine had mixed results in reducing stress and improving focus. Some research showed benefits from taking L-Tyrosine, but at 500 to 2000 mg, but because there's no breakdown in G Fuel label, it's unclear if there's at least 500 mg of this ingredient in G Fuel, which I suspect is not the case. Again the total listed of all three ingredients is a mere 1.2 grams, and there's no breakdown for each ingredient!

Lastly, G Fuel notes the antioxidant complex, consisting of various fruit and vegetable powders and extracts, and given how many are listed, these might be in such small amounts that they don't have any effect. Indeed, they don't list how much of these powders are in the drink.

Let's pretend that G Fuel's combination does add up to having some antioxidant effects. You can quickly consume orange juice, or shove a handful of grapes or blueberries before stream, and have the same, or even higher antioxidant effects with less effort. No need to waste money and spend effort mixing your G Fuel powder and water!

Even so, the fact that G Fuel doesn't list how much powder and extract they use, most likely there's no antioxidant effects.

Therefore, after breaking down these ingredients, it appears that the effects of G Fuel on focus and mental energy are due to caffeine 150 mg and questionable multivitamin (per research studies). Again, you can get these extremely cheap or even free (multivitamin through insurance).

You may ask why my friend didn't feel jittery on G Fuel compared to other energy drinks? I'm suspecting it's because other energy drinks often include Guarana. G Fuel does not contain Guarana, and the other ingredients listed in G Fuel are such low dosages that you won't feel the effects except for caffeine. The combination of Guarana and caffeine in many energy drinks can make you feel jittery. I think in my case, it also caused heart racing.

The tried and true method in the above numbered list is the best way to improve energy and focus. However, if there's a day that you'll be streaming when you couldn't incorporate these healthy but boring strats, and you found G Fuel helpful, taking caffeine at 100 to 150 mg and a multivitamin will work the same. Not only that, this alternative is not only significantly cheaper than G Fuel, but healthier (no artificial sweeteners).

Conclusion: G Fuel is making a lot of money by brilliantly marketing popular Twitch streamers and professional gamers. However, you can get the same effects by taking cheap caffeine tablets (or drinking your favorite coffee beverage!) and any multivitamin. More effective yet, incorporate healthy life style changes. Don't believe the hype and save your dollars!

The How of Happiness Review

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Works In Progress

  A few shots of some of the things on the paint table right now. The giant mammoth man is from the Reaper Bones IV Kickstarter. The Van Saar gangers are from the boxed set by GW. The Pathfinder Goblin pyromaniacs are also Reaper Bones but not from the Kickstarter.

Barely started...

Still a good ways from finished.

Not really happy with the wash I chose so I am going to go back and redo that bit.

Plan to do the tusks last.

Closeup. Going for a black bodystocking with light gray armoured plates.

Energetic items are blue-green (eye lenses, power sources, high tech pony tails, etc.)

Some metals will be bronze, most weapons will be matte black.

Working on these not-really-all-that-little guys I realize how bad my eyes are getting.

A bit sad about that. Oh well, that's why I have a magnifier visor I guess.

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WW2 Italian Bersaglieri Motorcycle Squad

Last month a did a little review and a couple of videos on the excellent 28mm Italian Motorcycles from Dog Tag Miniatures.

https://yarkshiregamer.blogspot.com/2019/02/28mm-dog-tag-miniatures-italian-ww2.html

I have constructed, painted and based the entire squad now ready for their first action in our next Op Compass Campaign Game in a few weeks time.

The first model type in the squad are these rider only solo motorcycles, titled Despatch Riders. I particularly like the scarf covered faces and the dark shades, almost the CHiPs of the desert.

Then we have a motorbike and pillion passenger both in a firing position, not sure who is steering !

Next up are two Sidecar Combos one of which was the "model" for the initial review post. I have had a bit of difficulty with the join between bike and sidecar which I found quite fragile and difficult to bend to the correct angle without breaking it. I ended up putting supports under the sidecar and using grass tufts to hide them.

There was a few queries on the previous post about whether or not the sidecar is on the correct side, it is, I have a photo of an original. The BMW 75 combo used by the German Forces has the side car on the other side as is normal for countries who drive on the right however these are Moto Guzzi bikes made in Lecco on Lake Como in Northern Italy.

My basic research into this discovered that until Mussolini came to power there was no official side of the road to drive on (those who have driven in Italy will vouch that nothing has changed !). Before El Duce proclaimed that people would drive on the right the North tended to favour left hand drive and there is some suggestion that some areas held out as a "lefty" for some time, therefore I can only assume that as Moto Guzzi came from the North their factory was tooled up for this. That's my theory, any Italian friends out there ?

The final model is this trike which I absolutely love. The mini is bought with an open back and I have added an Ammo box I had lying around and sat a figure on it. The figure came as a pillion rider for one of the Sidecar Combos but I preferred him like this.

These are a great addition to my Italian Desert Force and something I have been waiting for, for a long time.

And yes I did give them individual number plates.

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Planet X3 - Review Of A New Real Time Strategy Game For The IBM PC

Title Screen VGA

Retro video game homebrew is an ever maturing market.  Talented coders spend a ton of hours getting their games into a playable state and bugfixed, small teams combine their talents to handle differing workloads (graphics, sound, programming) and the result is hopefully a video game that will sell enough copies to make it worth all the effort.  Homebrew software has become popular with console platforms like the NES, Atari 2600, ColecoVision, Intellivision and Sega Genesis.  Homebrew software for personal computers has not quite taken off as the more popular consoles.  Nonetheless there are talented individuals making homebrew software for the IBM PC compatible  MS-DOS platform.  Today I am going to review the latest homebrew game for the IBM PC and compatibles, 8-bit Guy's Planet X3, identify its strengths and weaknesses, determine how well it met its design goals and postulate on its role in the evolution of PC homebrew.

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You say "obsessed" as if it is a bad thing.

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The Seahorse Trainer, Short Film, Review And Interview

The Seahorse Trainer is a relatable tale for everyone who has pushed or is pushing to accomplish their masterpiece. Here are wonderful visuals of a fantastical setting that is charming and carries a deeper meaning of how many of us are the reason we hold back from making that great accomplishment.

The Seahorse Trainer was screened at the 2019 FilmQuest film festival (website). It was nominated for Best Fantasy Short. It won Best Visual Effects for a short film.

I recommend The Seahorse Trainer as a family friendly film everyone can enjoy.

Synopsis: Seamour is a lonely old man with a passion for training seahorses. Desperate to have his most prized seahorse perform an ambitious trick, the final day of training has come and he must see the stunt come to life. But when the hourglass turns, Seamour realizes he needs to overcome something from his troubled past to achieve his magnum opus.

Babak Bina and Ricardo Bonisoli, co-writers and co-directors of The Seahorse Trainer, were kind enough to talk about their film and other work they are doing. They also talk some about themselves and what inspires them.

What was the inspiration for The Seahorse Trainer?

Babak: The sparks of the idea came from Ricardo's fascination with sea life and our love for the eccentric. Ricardo had the idea of a mockumentary where we would go and interview a lonely man who is training seahorses in his decrepit apartment. That's where it all started, but then through many brainstorming sessions that idea has changed into a narrative short. We wanted to make a film we would have liked to watch if someone else created it. In a world over saturated with superheroes there needed to be something off-beat, odd and symbolic, in other words, a lonely old man with a bizarre obsession!

What project(s) do you have coming up you're excited about?

We are cooking up a couple of different ideas, one is an experimental music video for an emerging artist. Another idea Ricardo is cooking up is for a short film called The Ostrich. Babak is also in the writing stages of a story revolving around, a tree and a man gone missing. A story exploring the psychological process of individuation.

 

What was your early inspiration for pursuing a career in film?

We both started working in the film industry as visual effects artists. Film has always been a passion for us. As fun as it is to be a part of making a high budget blockbuster film, which helped us polish our craft, we find much satisfaction in telling our own stories.

What would be your dream project?

Our hope is to continue on creating worlds that create opportunities for exploration. New stories, new ideas. Fresh and unique are keywords for us. As visual effects artists working day jobs, we are helping to create blockbuster superhero films, and let's put it this way, that is the last kind of film we are interested in making as our personal project. There must be enough people in this world interested in seeing something a little different.

 

What are some of your favorite pastimes when not working on a movie?

Babak: Sculpting, reading, drawing, playing drums and going for long walks.

Ricardo: Illustration, jamming, traveling.

What is one of your favorite movies and why?

Ricardo: I was moved when I first saw The Wall, I realized a film can be very experimental and still being able to express a powerful feeling. I also love Pink Floyd's music.

Babak: David Lynch's Lost Highway was a film that got me into watching challenging films that require effort and multiple watches to decode. Lynch is an absolute master at creating such worlds and I love getting lost in them.

You can find out more about The Seahorse Trainer on IMDb (link).

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Brave Browser voted the best privacy-focused product of 2019

Out of all the privacy-focused products and apps available on the market, Brave has been voted the best. Other winners of Product Hunt's Golden Kitty awards showed that there was a huge interest in privacy-enhancing products and apps such as chats, maps, and other collaboration tools.

An extremely productive year for Brave

Last year has been a pivotal one for the crypto industry, but few companies managed to see the kind of success Brave did. Almost every day of the year has been packed witch action, as the company managed to officially launch its browser, get its Basic Attention Token out, and onboard hundreds of thousands of verified publishers on its rewards platform.

Luckily, the effort Brave has been putting into its product hasn't gone unnoticed.

The company's revolutionary browser has been voted the best privacy-focused product of 2019, for which it received a Golden Kitty award. The awards, hosted by Product Hunt, were given to the most popular products across 23 different product categories.

Ryan Hoover, the founder of Product Hunt said:

"Our annual Golden Kitty awards celebrate all the great products that makers have launched throughout the year"

Brave's win is important for the company—with this year seeing the most user votes ever, it's a clear indicator of the browser's rapidly rising popularity.

Privacy and blockchain are the strongest forces in tech right now

If reaching 10 million monthly active users in December was Brave's crown achievement, then the Product Hunt award was the cherry on top.

The recognition Brave got from Product Hunt users shows that a market for privacy-focused apps is thriving. All of the apps and products that got a Golden Kitty award from Product Hunt users focused heavily on data protection. Everything from automatic investment apps and remote collaboration tools to smart home products emphasized their privacy.

AI and machine learning rose as another note-worthy trend, but blockchain seemed to be the most dominating force in app development. Blockchain-based messaging apps and maps were hugely popular with Product Hunt users, who seem to value innovation and security.

For those users, Brave is a perfect platform. The company's research and development team has recently debuted its privacy-preserving distributed VPN, which could potentially bring even more security to the user than its already existing Tor extension.

Brave's effort to revolutionize the advertising industry has also been recognized by some of the biggest names in publishing—major publications such as The Washington Post, The Guardian, NDTV, NPR, and Qz have all joined the platform. Some of the highest-ranking websites in the world, including Wikipedia, WikiHow, Vimeo, Internet Archive, and DuckDuckGo, are also among Brave's 390,000 verified publishers.

Earn Basic Attention Token (BAT) with Brave Web Browser

Try Brave Browser

Get $5 in free BAT to donate to the websites of your choice.

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