2014 - The year 20 years after what I consider the greatest year of my life - is now coming to an end. It had some highs and lows, triumphs and tragedies, but it was an overall decent year.
I've met some awesome people in person - and got to know a few others starting late in the previous - for the first time, particularly during TFC. Adon (Shadow/Earlee), Blackmoon, HajinShinobi, Madian, BlackberryChaos, BlankOctober,MeaganMassacre, and Brightgamer, among a few. Though I had my insecurities, It was great hanging out with them. I like to give special thanks to JDE and Fred Campbell for making the trip to North Carolina and back entertaining, for I would've otherwise fell asleep on the wheel. And finally, I gotta give props to NuJin, who I finally got to meet locally after months of delay.
But while I met some awesome people for the first time, I've lost one a bit earlier this year... my landlord. I only knew him for a solid year, but in that time we've done so much even though he was going through dialysis treatment in order to walk again. Whether it was watching WWE, Ring of Honor, anime, heading out to visit his family, or even discussing future career or business movements, we were always there for each other, and he looked to me as the son he never had. Since his passing on late November, it's been less lively around the house. But thanks to the time I spent with him, it's strengthened me as a person in different ways. I'm not only working to strengthen the bond I have with my mother as I did this Christmas... I am also able to see options for my future I never bothered to look.
Gamergate controversy aside, 2014 in gaming overall seemed to progress a lot better later in the year, particularly with Nintendo. While Sony is content with giving us juiced-up ports from previous-gen to ther current-gen console, the PS4, Nintendo has been delivering with a steady stream of truly great games, such as Bravely Default, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Mario Kart 10, Bayonetta 2, and most notably, Super Smash Bros for WiiU/3DS.
Not to say that Sony wasn't totally about ports... some Vita titles worth mentioning were Toukiden, Child of Light, Neptunia Re:Birth, the Danganronpa series, and the Project Diva F series to name a few. And while their PS4 hasn't really garnered a major console-exclusive killer app at this time, perhaps the most exciting news of all is that a long-neglected sequel to an underrated RPG series from Konami is finally making an affordable digital debut on PSN. That game... was Suikoden 2.
Meanwhile, Microsoft has not been doing so hot, what with the DRM scare to consumers taking a serious blow to them. It was only until recently on Black Friday that they surprisingly managed to sell their Xbox Ones. But with few console exclusives, lacking third party support, and numerous multiplatform titles you could buy on a PC or even the PS4, the only thing that's really been keeping the console afloat to stay relevant are your run-of-the-mill AAA FPS games, and of course, the excellent 2.5D fighting game, Killer Instinct. And speaking of multiplatform titles, there have been some rather interesting ones. Shovel Knight, Dark Souls 2, and Strider were three particular titles that were excellent.
Movies this year were quite fascinating. The Marvel Cinematic Universe movies in particular seem to have nowhere to go but up in the quality department, even going so far as to take a huge risk in making a once-obscure franchise such as "Guardians of the Galaxy" to mainstream success. Days of Future Past - while not connected to the other Marvel movies - was also another surprise hit among dud after dud in previous iterations, now I'm looking forward to X-Men: Apocalypse. My favorite movies of the year, however, have to go to:
1) Edge of Tomorrow (Groundhog Day with sci-fi action, based on the manga "All You Need is Kill)
2) Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (the excellent sequel to the surprise critically-acclaimed hit "Rise of the Planet of the Apes)
3) Get on Up (an autobiography on James Brown, with Chadwick Boseman taking on the role of the Godfather of Soul)
4) Big Hero 6 (another hit CGI movie by Disney that's based on the comic of the same name)
And above all...
5) Interstellar (An incredible sci-fi drama spanning time and space as a select group of astronauts search the known universe for a new planet for mankind, suffering in a decaying Earth)
Last but not least, there's the anime department. This is the first in a long time I've been compelled to get back into watching more than two anime series in full swing, and I owe much of the compelling factor to not only the resurgence of Sailor Moon and its more manga-accurate reboot which aired the summer of this year (with exceedingly massive hype, might I add), but the likes of excellent new titles such as Kill La Kill, Akame Ga Kill, Terraformars, Tokyo Ghoul, and above all, Gundam: Reconguista in G. Oh, and we can't forget about the Fate/Stay-Night remake... that wasn't half-bad either.
But yeah, 2014 was something else. I watched more anime than I thought I would, got past the worst of my financial woes, lost a good friend, but gained a few more valuable ones. Looking back on it helps me to look forward into the future. Here's hoping 2015 gets me to a better start.
Shoutouts to a lot of my favorite celebrities that passed away this year... James Avery, Robin Williams, Bob Hoskins, Casey Kasem, Christine Cavanaugh, Mickey Rooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Shirley Temple, the Ultimate-friggin'-Warrior, and the pioneer of video games himself, Ralph Baer.
And to close out, additional shoutouts to family and the friends I still have. You know who you are.
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
DOA Community Blog #10: Mind Your Mentality
There are many thoughts that run through a new player's mind when learning a fighting game:
"Why am I taking in all this information?"
"What good will it do me in an actual match?"
"If I go to tournaments and still get owned despite what I know, what's the point in even playing?"
"What if I never get famous or popular by getting good at a fighting game?"
"What if I share what I know to teach others, but it backfires because I'm still learning more myself?"
There are many questions that lead to many possibilities of mindsets that drive us to play DOA competitively. Some healthy, some not-so-healthy. From a more general perspective, we'll go over some common reasons people play and want to win or do well:
(NOTE: The following are general, common examples. Some may have a combination of reasons and/or may not reflect everyone.)
1) The Fun Guy. One who plays for fun and just want to support its scene.
2) The Approval-Seeker. One who plays to prove themselves to others.
3) The Self-Sufficient Player. One who plays to prove something to themselves.
4) The Starchaser. One who plays for recognition and fame.
5) The Loyalist. One who plays because of a genuine connection to a fictional character they chose to play.
Each of these are valid reasons to get into a game, don't get me wrong. However, each mindset has a double-edged sword... pros and cons, if you will.
The "Fun Guy" Mentality
Pros: These people are quite the carefree bunch, and quite frankly have nothing to lose as they learn more about the game they wish to get better in. In other words, they just want to have fun. At the end of the day, it's not about winning or losing for them, but about what they can do to spread the fun factor to others about the game they love. The Fun Guy is the front-runner you want to promote your game to the offline scene and make it compelling to tournament organizers. They also seem to draw in people to have a good time with the game they play and not always make it about business.
Cons: When the Fun Guy mentality is not applied in moderation, it's often distorted to a mindset that refuses to learn something new and adapt to situations they can't get out of or avoid. As a scapegoat, the Fun Guy can become unsettling for the more competitive gamers who dislike being bound by atrocious, ridiculous rules such as "No Pros", "No Juggling", "No Teabagging"... all for the sake of "fun". At this point, the person with this mentality isn't truly having "fun", especially when the player refuses to learn said strategy which could improve the player's playstyle.
Exercise caution when playing for fun. It is one thing to have fun learning how to play the game better, but it's another when it's at the expense of others due to your own limitations.
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The "Approval-Seeker" Mentality
Pros: These people have the noblest of intentions when playing the game to get better. They may wish to help others, they may wish to support others... anything which will help strengthen the community they're trying to build. The Approval Seekers are selfless at heart, and have a means of being very humble, preferring others to acknowledge their works and accolades rather than mention it to oneself, believing they'd be tooting their own horn if they do.
Cons: While the Approval Seekers are indeed not selfish in their ways, when not applied in moderation, it too can be twisted into something dangerous. They may also incur serious emotional feelings of inferiority when it appears their contributions and accomplishments are inadequate to help and support others. They may even obsess over perfectionism to make ends meet, often resorting to unreasonable extremes. Worse, they could go for prolonged periods of self-loathing if their "imperfections" persist.
However, it doesn't have to be this way for one who plays for others. By acknowledging that perfection is an intangible accomplishment, and is merely an illusion based on a perception by others, they may be able to find perfection in their imperfections and still help others. Why? Because they learned to love themselves. Their strengths, their weaknesses, everything. As long as they have that, they can learn to love others. There are some who will take advantage of you and use that sentiment against you often to toy with your own self-worth. As someone who has gone through this, I beg you, don't listen to those people.
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The "Self-Sufficient" Mentality
Pros: These people have a heart of gold. They won't be shaken by opinions nor statistics, and they believe in making the impossible possible. Self-Sufficient people have a tendency to play for themselves are true go-getters. They'll rush into any challenge, believing something good will come out of it. As long as they have that experience, they can't be dissuaded. They dare to tread where others wouldn't, sure of their own abilities and what they must do to overcome the unknown. Those who play and learn the game for themselves are naturally born with the heart of a champion.
Cons: When not applied in moderation, this can easily turn into recklessness. Facing a challenge head-on without a sense of direction or purpose often leads this type of player into an endless maze of repeated mistakes. They can try all day, every day, but are they truly learning as they go? Do they stop and think of a strategy? Or do they numb their own pain in the most unhealthy way possible, obsessed only with beating the opponent in front of them?
Playing the game and getting better for yourself is perfectly healthy. For some, it's a means of spiritual growth and exploring your own potential and limits as a gamer. But the best results often come from the right guidance and having a good plan to improve. Take the time to look back on your mistakes; don't rush into a fight every time. And remember that if you are given the right guidance, be sure to pass it on to others so that they can be a strong player and supporter of the community.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The "Starchaser" Mentality
Pros: The Starchasers - or those who seek fame and recognition - have a motivation to make it big in the game they enjoy playing, particularly because they have most likely seen someone else become famous for their contributions. The Starchaser player loves their game, but also prefers to find some form of success around it, particularly with money. The Starchaser may have good intentions, such as using their success to give back to its community in a big way, or to write another chapter in their life to pursue future endeavors for something greater. Sometimes, Starchasers don't even have that big of a dream. They probably just want to be noticed as an excellent player by everyone in order to find their own personal satisfaction as a gamer. And sometimes, they want to be known as the top insert-character-here player to really stand out and make their mark in the community they support, so to speak.
Cons: The downside to a Starchaser - when not applied in moderation - is that fame can turn into an obsession for relevancy and recognition. Much like the mentality of those who play for others, they are susceptible to the fear of failure, and what may have began as a feat of good intentions to give back to the community they wanted to support turns into a toxic competition, or rather, a popularity contest. An ego trip. A power struggle. When a Starchaser becomes corrupted, it becomes a big problem, especially when it is the face of the community being represented.
The Starchaser should never get caught up in one's fame that their ego and lust for power overtake their good intentions as they move up the social ladder. One never knows when they could be replaced. At the same time, they should never forget the priceless value of the friends that helped bring them to that height of responsibility.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The "Loyalist" Mentality
Pros: Loyalists - or more specifically, character loyalists - are far from a dying breed in the fighting game community. Many who have been drawn in to playing a fighting game always had that special character that just clicked with them... whether it was the style of the character, the personality, the fighting style, or just because they found the character easy to win with. Many would go so far as to form a special bond with the character just to bring the fire back into dedicating themselves to one character. With this mentality, it becomes easier for players to understand a wide variety of characters in said fighting game, should the experienced player be willing to share what they know.
Cons: Some character loyalists however do miss the point of what it means to truly dedicate yourself to using a character in a fighting game. It's not to say it's a bad thing to have a mutual attraction to a character you like, but when it turns into an unhealthy obsession and it doesn't turn into a means of actively improving, that's when the character loyalty begins to become misplaced.
If you're a character loyalist that still adopts a scrub mentality while having an unhealthy "relationship" with a fictional character on a serious level, this will do nothing but hinder your progress, especially when the character is considered bottom-tier simply for being underused. You could've been that person to make the difference. Never neglect your potential. Don't take your dedication to a character you like in a fighting game for granted. Use any free time you have to learn something new, whether it's an uncommon matchup, or an underused move you never thought was useful. There's always time to admire the awesomeness of the character you like, but never forget, a character isn't as awesome without the player guiding his/her path to victory.
Whether you share one or two of these mentality traits, there is no right or wrong way to get into a game you love. But consider the downsides as well as the positives and be careful not to let despair get the better of you, should you fall below your expectations. Don't get me wrong, we all want to play to win... to succeed and be recognized for our contributions, but sometimes getting caught up in that can be harmful to yourself and to others. I should know, 'cause I'm guilty of that. And that, my friends, is when we should go back and ask ourselves why we picked up the game in the first place, and how different our objectives are now as opposed to then.
Are we truly playing because we love the game as we did when we first picked it up?
Have our desires turned to a lust for fame and fortune?
Do we still enjoy playing the character we like all the same, despite patches putting them to shame?
Are we playing here and there just to fit in somewhere?
Are we playing for ourselves? To improve ourselves? To help others as we did ourselves?
These are the questions you should ask yourself before picking up the game. Are your reasons giving you more happiness or more frustration? If the latter, then you may want to sit back and revisit that happy moment in your life you were fascinated about it, and if possible, discuss it with a friend who will listen. You may feel better being reassured that someone understands why you love the game... perhaps enough to get you back in the arena.
To those who took the time to read this blog and found it helpful to any extent, thank you, and take care of yourselves.
"Why am I taking in all this information?"
"What good will it do me in an actual match?"
"If I go to tournaments and still get owned despite what I know, what's the point in even playing?"
"What if I never get famous or popular by getting good at a fighting game?"
"What if I share what I know to teach others, but it backfires because I'm still learning more myself?"
There are many questions that lead to many possibilities of mindsets that drive us to play DOA competitively. Some healthy, some not-so-healthy. From a more general perspective, we'll go over some common reasons people play and want to win or do well:
(NOTE: The following are general, common examples. Some may have a combination of reasons and/or may not reflect everyone.)
1) The Fun Guy. One who plays for fun and just want to support its scene.
2) The Approval-Seeker. One who plays to prove themselves to others.
3) The Self-Sufficient Player. One who plays to prove something to themselves.
4) The Starchaser. One who plays for recognition and fame.
5) The Loyalist. One who plays because of a genuine connection to a fictional character they chose to play.
Each of these are valid reasons to get into a game, don't get me wrong. However, each mindset has a double-edged sword... pros and cons, if you will.
The "Fun Guy" Mentality
Pros: These people are quite the carefree bunch, and quite frankly have nothing to lose as they learn more about the game they wish to get better in. In other words, they just want to have fun. At the end of the day, it's not about winning or losing for them, but about what they can do to spread the fun factor to others about the game they love. The Fun Guy is the front-runner you want to promote your game to the offline scene and make it compelling to tournament organizers. They also seem to draw in people to have a good time with the game they play and not always make it about business.
Cons: When the Fun Guy mentality is not applied in moderation, it's often distorted to a mindset that refuses to learn something new and adapt to situations they can't get out of or avoid. As a scapegoat, the Fun Guy can become unsettling for the more competitive gamers who dislike being bound by atrocious, ridiculous rules such as "No Pros", "No Juggling", "No Teabagging"... all for the sake of "fun". At this point, the person with this mentality isn't truly having "fun", especially when the player refuses to learn said strategy which could improve the player's playstyle.
Exercise caution when playing for fun. It is one thing to have fun learning how to play the game better, but it's another when it's at the expense of others due to your own limitations.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The "Approval-Seeker" Mentality
Pros: These people have the noblest of intentions when playing the game to get better. They may wish to help others, they may wish to support others... anything which will help strengthen the community they're trying to build. The Approval Seekers are selfless at heart, and have a means of being very humble, preferring others to acknowledge their works and accolades rather than mention it to oneself, believing they'd be tooting their own horn if they do.
Cons: While the Approval Seekers are indeed not selfish in their ways, when not applied in moderation, it too can be twisted into something dangerous. They may also incur serious emotional feelings of inferiority when it appears their contributions and accomplishments are inadequate to help and support others. They may even obsess over perfectionism to make ends meet, often resorting to unreasonable extremes. Worse, they could go for prolonged periods of self-loathing if their "imperfections" persist.
However, it doesn't have to be this way for one who plays for others. By acknowledging that perfection is an intangible accomplishment, and is merely an illusion based on a perception by others, they may be able to find perfection in their imperfections and still help others. Why? Because they learned to love themselves. Their strengths, their weaknesses, everything. As long as they have that, they can learn to love others. There are some who will take advantage of you and use that sentiment against you often to toy with your own self-worth. As someone who has gone through this, I beg you, don't listen to those people.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The "Self-Sufficient" Mentality
Pros: These people have a heart of gold. They won't be shaken by opinions nor statistics, and they believe in making the impossible possible. Self-Sufficient people have a tendency to play for themselves are true go-getters. They'll rush into any challenge, believing something good will come out of it. As long as they have that experience, they can't be dissuaded. They dare to tread where others wouldn't, sure of their own abilities and what they must do to overcome the unknown. Those who play and learn the game for themselves are naturally born with the heart of a champion.
Cons: When not applied in moderation, this can easily turn into recklessness. Facing a challenge head-on without a sense of direction or purpose often leads this type of player into an endless maze of repeated mistakes. They can try all day, every day, but are they truly learning as they go? Do they stop and think of a strategy? Or do they numb their own pain in the most unhealthy way possible, obsessed only with beating the opponent in front of them?
Playing the game and getting better for yourself is perfectly healthy. For some, it's a means of spiritual growth and exploring your own potential and limits as a gamer. But the best results often come from the right guidance and having a good plan to improve. Take the time to look back on your mistakes; don't rush into a fight every time. And remember that if you are given the right guidance, be sure to pass it on to others so that they can be a strong player and supporter of the community.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The "Starchaser" Mentality
Pros: The Starchasers - or those who seek fame and recognition - have a motivation to make it big in the game they enjoy playing, particularly because they have most likely seen someone else become famous for their contributions. The Starchaser player loves their game, but also prefers to find some form of success around it, particularly with money. The Starchaser may have good intentions, such as using their success to give back to its community in a big way, or to write another chapter in their life to pursue future endeavors for something greater. Sometimes, Starchasers don't even have that big of a dream. They probably just want to be noticed as an excellent player by everyone in order to find their own personal satisfaction as a gamer. And sometimes, they want to be known as the top insert-character-here player to really stand out and make their mark in the community they support, so to speak.
Cons: The downside to a Starchaser - when not applied in moderation - is that fame can turn into an obsession for relevancy and recognition. Much like the mentality of those who play for others, they are susceptible to the fear of failure, and what may have began as a feat of good intentions to give back to the community they wanted to support turns into a toxic competition, or rather, a popularity contest. An ego trip. A power struggle. When a Starchaser becomes corrupted, it becomes a big problem, especially when it is the face of the community being represented.
The Starchaser should never get caught up in one's fame that their ego and lust for power overtake their good intentions as they move up the social ladder. One never knows when they could be replaced. At the same time, they should never forget the priceless value of the friends that helped bring them to that height of responsibility.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The "Loyalist" Mentality
Pros: Loyalists - or more specifically, character loyalists - are far from a dying breed in the fighting game community. Many who have been drawn in to playing a fighting game always had that special character that just clicked with them... whether it was the style of the character, the personality, the fighting style, or just because they found the character easy to win with. Many would go so far as to form a special bond with the character just to bring the fire back into dedicating themselves to one character. With this mentality, it becomes easier for players to understand a wide variety of characters in said fighting game, should the experienced player be willing to share what they know.
Cons: Some character loyalists however do miss the point of what it means to truly dedicate yourself to using a character in a fighting game. It's not to say it's a bad thing to have a mutual attraction to a character you like, but when it turns into an unhealthy obsession and it doesn't turn into a means of actively improving, that's when the character loyalty begins to become misplaced.
If you're a character loyalist that still adopts a scrub mentality while having an unhealthy "relationship" with a fictional character on a serious level, this will do nothing but hinder your progress, especially when the character is considered bottom-tier simply for being underused. You could've been that person to make the difference. Never neglect your potential. Don't take your dedication to a character you like in a fighting game for granted. Use any free time you have to learn something new, whether it's an uncommon matchup, or an underused move you never thought was useful. There's always time to admire the awesomeness of the character you like, but never forget, a character isn't as awesome without the player guiding his/her path to victory.
Whether you share one or two of these mentality traits, there is no right or wrong way to get into a game you love. But consider the downsides as well as the positives and be careful not to let despair get the better of you, should you fall below your expectations. Don't get me wrong, we all want to play to win... to succeed and be recognized for our contributions, but sometimes getting caught up in that can be harmful to yourself and to others. I should know, 'cause I'm guilty of that. And that, my friends, is when we should go back and ask ourselves why we picked up the game in the first place, and how different our objectives are now as opposed to then.
Are we truly playing because we love the game as we did when we first picked it up?
Have our desires turned to a lust for fame and fortune?
Do we still enjoy playing the character we like all the same, despite patches putting them to shame?
Are we playing here and there just to fit in somewhere?
Are we playing for ourselves? To improve ourselves? To help others as we did ourselves?
These are the questions you should ask yourself before picking up the game. Are your reasons giving you more happiness or more frustration? If the latter, then you may want to sit back and revisit that happy moment in your life you were fascinated about it, and if possible, discuss it with a friend who will listen. You may feel better being reassured that someone understands why you love the game... perhaps enough to get you back in the arena.
To those who took the time to read this blog and found it helpful to any extent, thank you, and take care of yourselves.
Saturday, November 15, 2014
Sailor Moon Crystal Impressions (November 15, 2014) WARNING - SPOILER ALERT!
SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT. IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED, DON'T SCROLL DOWN!
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Well, we're finally here... the Final Four of the first story arc. And the turning point is big. Our heroes head to the moon to find out who they are, Sailor Venus pulls out the Holy Moon Sword, and - as I predicted - not only did a battle royale between the Sailors and the four Kings happen in the frozen battlefield that is Tokyo, but we get a glimpse of the Kings' past lives as knights who swore to protect Prince Endymion, who represented the royalty of the entire planet Earth.
But nothing prepared me for the major change from the manga that played on a theory long speculated by fans for decades: The theory that the Inner Sailors and the Kings were once in love with each other in their former lives during the Silver Millennium. During the big fight, Venus recalls their memories clearly confirming their romance. At that moment, the Kings manage to escape when Sailor Moon uses Moon Healing Escalation to melt the ice of the frozen Tokyo.
Shortly after - as in the manga - Queen Beryl uses Endymion to bait Sailor Moon into getting the Silver Crystal in the next episode. However, unlike the manga, the original Endymion is not killed and replaced with an empty husk, but rather spared and brainwashed.
I'm perfectly okay with the way this episode was executed, though they may improve some visuals in the finalized Blu-Ray release anyway. That said, there's only 3 episodes to go until the Black Moon arc. Here's hoping they deliver!
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Well, we're finally here... the Final Four of the first story arc. And the turning point is big. Our heroes head to the moon to find out who they are, Sailor Venus pulls out the Holy Moon Sword, and - as I predicted - not only did a battle royale between the Sailors and the four Kings happen in the frozen battlefield that is Tokyo, but we get a glimpse of the Kings' past lives as knights who swore to protect Prince Endymion, who represented the royalty of the entire planet Earth.
But nothing prepared me for the major change from the manga that played on a theory long speculated by fans for decades: The theory that the Inner Sailors and the Kings were once in love with each other in their former lives during the Silver Millennium. During the big fight, Venus recalls their memories clearly confirming their romance. At that moment, the Kings manage to escape when Sailor Moon uses Moon Healing Escalation to melt the ice of the frozen Tokyo.
Shortly after - as in the manga - Queen Beryl uses Endymion to bait Sailor Moon into getting the Silver Crystal in the next episode. However, unlike the manga, the original Endymion is not killed and replaced with an empty husk, but rather spared and brainwashed.
I'm perfectly okay with the way this episode was executed, though they may improve some visuals in the finalized Blu-Ray release anyway. That said, there's only 3 episodes to go until the Black Moon arc. Here's hoping they deliver!
Saturday, November 1, 2014
Anime Blog #13: Sailor Moon Crystal Impressions (November 1, 2014)
It's been 19 weeks since Sailor Moon Crystal has aired exclusively on stream. And now, we're finally at the meat of the Dark Kingdom arc. The revelations of the Moon Princess and her past go full circle in this week's Act 9.
After Tuxedo Mask takes a mortal blow for Sailor Moon during an airborne battle at Tokyo Tower with Kunzite, a grief-stricken Sailor Moon recalls the memories of her ancient past completely, forming the Silver Crystal from within her tears. The crystal's light transferred into Endymion's body, and much to the heroes' chagrin, is taken by Queen Beryl just as quickly.
As Queen Beryl attempts to extract the crystal's light from Tuxedo Mask, the four Heavenly Kings memories seem to surge vaguely. Meanwhile, Sailor Moon ultimately makes her decision to travel to the moon to have a full understanding of her destiny.
This episode, though heavily riddled with dialogue, had enough tension to act as a prelude to what will be an onslaught of exciting episodes henceforth. Act 10 may very well end up being a battle royale between the Sailor Senshi and the Four Kings, the likes of which we've never seen before. I look forward to seeing the action unfold in 2 weeks.
After Tuxedo Mask takes a mortal blow for Sailor Moon during an airborne battle at Tokyo Tower with Kunzite, a grief-stricken Sailor Moon recalls the memories of her ancient past completely, forming the Silver Crystal from within her tears. The crystal's light transferred into Endymion's body, and much to the heroes' chagrin, is taken by Queen Beryl just as quickly.
As Queen Beryl attempts to extract the crystal's light from Tuxedo Mask, the four Heavenly Kings memories seem to surge vaguely. Meanwhile, Sailor Moon ultimately makes her decision to travel to the moon to have a full understanding of her destiny.
This episode, though heavily riddled with dialogue, had enough tension to act as a prelude to what will be an onslaught of exciting episodes henceforth. Act 10 may very well end up being a battle royale between the Sailor Senshi and the Four Kings, the likes of which we've never seen before. I look forward to seeing the action unfold in 2 weeks.
Friday, October 17, 2014
Spotlight Blog #1: AutoAim / Vortex Miaotua
What I'm about to write here is different from my usual blogs about DOA, anime, and things of that nature. This series of blogs will be dedicated to longtime friends who have made an impact on me in some way or form in the past several years, driving me to do the things I enjoy doing. As such, the first of these spotlight blogs is dedicated to possibly the oldest online friend I made specifically on Xbox Live as far as 2006 that I still keep in touch with to this day.
Yes, I know what you're about to ask... who the heck is AutoAim? To simply put, he's a competitive gamer from Arizona whose actual name is Anthony Desiata. He's not a well-known player, but is nonetheless a very important friend to me. Before he got into DOA at the time, he was into and had a knack for shooters, as his Gamertag's namesake would imply (Halo 2, obviously). Additionally, he's a Pokemon buff. When I met the guy in a public session on DOA4, something about him stood out among the other public lobby players.
While others would send hatemail for (a lack of a better word) "running the lobby", Auto had a tenacity I've never seen. At the time, he was torn between using Ayane and Hayate, but eventually leaned toward Hayate. He later told me that he really wanted to learn how to use Spartan-458. Luckily there were a few things I learned from that matchup just watching Escapingjail play (and later get my ass kicked). He was the only character with a 5-frame command grab, whereas typically, only neutral 5 frame throws were escapable in DOA4. Obviously, I wasn't fit to teach him about the characters he played, but over time I watched him improve, particularly with Spartan and Hayate.
Additionally, he was one of the few people I was actually able to talk to over the mic. For the most part, we've been inseparable. We had a clique together, we trolled in certain clans together, hell, we even reminisced on the golden age of Toonami. (he was particularly a fan of Zoids). And soon our interests would expand a little beyond DOA. When Soul Calibur 4 dropped, I found out he had some remote interest in moe types of fictional characters... but I never expected Tira. I really got to see his primary gaming prowess to an extent when GTA4 dropped with online multiplayer. While it wasn't exactly competitively viable, this guy knew what he was doing regardless. I could honestly say that I had fun, even though I was losing. Unfortunately, those times were short-lived, as I had to go back into DOA4 to help someone for CGS.
Eventually I'd get Facebook, and we talked about all kinds of interesting stuff... though there are a few things I will not discuss here out of respect for him. DOA5 dropped around 2012, and he was eager to play Mila. But he never quite adjusted to the mechanical changes the way he wanted to, and decided the best way he could learn it is to wait for a character that played like Spartan. In DOA5U, Rachel was that answer. Unfortunately, around the time this happened, he came to a crossroads in his life, making a decision that cost him to part ways with his Xbox. My times in DOA have felt quite empty ever since... but one day, he'll be back to play.
All in all, I can safely say this guy's been there for me both in my happy and sad times. In times of confidence and lack thereof. He even gave Queen's Blade a chance, while he kept me posted on HunterXHunter. His never-say-die attitude in the face of competition - though I never say it much - is inspiring to me, no matter how down in the dumps I get. I may have confidence issues time to time, but he's among the few who serves as a reminder that I must never quit what I enjoy deep down, and I thank him for that.
So AutoAim, aka Anthony Desiata... here's to you. May we meet again in DOA on Xbox, just like the good ol' days.
Lastly... Death in a box. That is all.
Yes, I know what you're about to ask... who the heck is AutoAim? To simply put, he's a competitive gamer from Arizona whose actual name is Anthony Desiata. He's not a well-known player, but is nonetheless a very important friend to me. Before he got into DOA at the time, he was into and had a knack for shooters, as his Gamertag's namesake would imply (Halo 2, obviously). Additionally, he's a Pokemon buff. When I met the guy in a public session on DOA4, something about him stood out among the other public lobby players.
While others would send hatemail for (a lack of a better word) "running the lobby", Auto had a tenacity I've never seen. At the time, he was torn between using Ayane and Hayate, but eventually leaned toward Hayate. He later told me that he really wanted to learn how to use Spartan-458. Luckily there were a few things I learned from that matchup just watching Escapingjail play (and later get my ass kicked). He was the only character with a 5-frame command grab, whereas typically, only neutral 5 frame throws were escapable in DOA4. Obviously, I wasn't fit to teach him about the characters he played, but over time I watched him improve, particularly with Spartan and Hayate.
Additionally, he was one of the few people I was actually able to talk to over the mic. For the most part, we've been inseparable. We had a clique together, we trolled in certain clans together, hell, we even reminisced on the golden age of Toonami. (he was particularly a fan of Zoids). And soon our interests would expand a little beyond DOA. When Soul Calibur 4 dropped, I found out he had some remote interest in moe types of fictional characters... but I never expected Tira. I really got to see his primary gaming prowess to an extent when GTA4 dropped with online multiplayer. While it wasn't exactly competitively viable, this guy knew what he was doing regardless. I could honestly say that I had fun, even though I was losing. Unfortunately, those times were short-lived, as I had to go back into DOA4 to help someone for CGS.
Eventually I'd get Facebook, and we talked about all kinds of interesting stuff... though there are a few things I will not discuss here out of respect for him. DOA5 dropped around 2012, and he was eager to play Mila. But he never quite adjusted to the mechanical changes the way he wanted to, and decided the best way he could learn it is to wait for a character that played like Spartan. In DOA5U, Rachel was that answer. Unfortunately, around the time this happened, he came to a crossroads in his life, making a decision that cost him to part ways with his Xbox. My times in DOA have felt quite empty ever since... but one day, he'll be back to play.
All in all, I can safely say this guy's been there for me both in my happy and sad times. In times of confidence and lack thereof. He even gave Queen's Blade a chance, while he kept me posted on HunterXHunter. His never-say-die attitude in the face of competition - though I never say it much - is inspiring to me, no matter how down in the dumps I get. I may have confidence issues time to time, but he's among the few who serves as a reminder that I must never quit what I enjoy deep down, and I thank him for that.
So AutoAim, aka Anthony Desiata... here's to you. May we meet again in DOA on Xbox, just like the good ol' days.
Lastly... Death in a box. That is all.
Monday, October 13, 2014
DOA Community Blog #9: My Personal TFC Experience
DISCLAIMER: What I'm about to post doesn't reflect the views and opinions of the DOA community. They are based on my personal feelings, and my actions from here on out are of my own accord.
NOTE: Based on past experience after tournies - and because people online are stupid and always find a way to get to you - I will try to stay away from playing online or browsing FSD for a while, since I know there are a lot of people who don't like me and will try to give me hell. For those that know they're cool with me who want to keep tabs, do so on Skype or Facebook, but as of right now, I'm just not ready to get online and play for a while until this shittalk subsides among the stupid people online. I've seen a taste of it on PSN a while before posting this blog, and I don't feel like dealing with that now. I hope you'll understand.
That being said... let's move on to the experience itself.
Taking away all the keyboard commandos, trash talkers, and other nonsense which almost convinced me not to go to TFC in the first place, I ultimately ended up going to the event. But the process of going wasn't easy, as I had a certain individual promising to make good on their threat to make sure a "washed-up scrub like me" has a miserable weekend at TFC. Now I dunno if this person was planning to torture me mentally or physically, and the name of this person sure as hell isn't important now (since he never showed up), but I had to take this person seriously if he's making his beef with me THAT personal.
After this incident, my plan to "not go to TFC" was immediately set in motion. I figured that if I pretended not to go and convince other people in the community, that maybe - just maybe - I won't have to deal with this person until the day of the tourney, because who would make a fool of themselves in a tourney by picking a fistfight in the venue, knowing the ground rules result in suspension from competing in that event or other related ones? For those I may have tricked into believing I wasn't going, I am truly sorry. But I don't fuck around when crazy people make threats. I take 'em seriously and try my best to avoid conflict if possible.
Fast-forward to Thursday, October 9. Immediately following work, I got ready to head over to Fred Campbell (Blitzkreig/Toothless)'s house. As usual, he was as dependable as ever. I had a place to rest, and we had a plan set in motion to pick up Justin (aka JDE, aka "Just Dad-Gummed Early") from the airport. On the way back we were faced with interesting traffic... but none that stood out as much as this one car that kept crashing into the left boundary over and over. My guess was that either the car was stolen and the driver didn't know how to handle it, the driver was drunk, the driver was texting, or the driver passed out. Either way, we kept a couple hundred yards away from it.
After safely making it back to Fred's house, we began packing our things in Fred's new car and putting mine in the garage for safekeeping. My car was in no condition for long-distance travel, and I couldn't afford to get new tires at the time. Before we took the long trip back, we headed to the Golden Corral to eat what we could at the buffet. But after we finished eating, Fred realized he had forgotten an important item. After doubling it back to his house, we were ready to head out to the freeway.
Immediately heading into South Carolina, we stopped by an auto shop that Fred's uncle worked at, getting all the necessary tune-ups for the car to ensure there will be no problems outside our driving skill. We had some interesting conversations along the way, including this one story about how Fred and Dallaz got pulled over by the cops for suspicion of driving drunk, but somehow got let go despite evidence. Eventually we made another stop, and I insisted on driving as soon as I realized Fred was going to get some Mountain Dew mixed with vodka. Despite Fred saying that the steering was a little different, I managed to handle the car quite well throughout most of the trip in North Carolina. But I was unfamiliar with how to get the beams on at night.
I eventually got tired and let Fred deal with the home stretch. When we finally got to the actual venue, I started feeling uneasy again and having uneasy thoughts:
What if said player is actually here and really does make good on his threat?
What will other people think of me if I play casuals and lose too much?
What if I never get a chance to meet the people I know I'm actually cool with?
What if everyone hates me now because I haven't done well in tourneys, despite supporting the offline scene?
That Friday night at the Skybox bar in the Hilton hotel was not easy to go through. I felt that if I did anything... that if I went and tried to play the DOA5 Last Round demo, I'd be laughed out of the bar and possibly draw attention to the guy who threatened me, assuming he was around. So I kept my distance and watched instead. I wasn't ready to interact with or face anyone. To be honest, things would've been a lot easier for me if Punishere and Auto were there... but alas, they were not. So afterward, I headed outside and walked for a while, figuring out some good places to eat closeby so I can be ready for tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Fred negotiated with Chosen1 on getting me and Justin to lodge with his folks for two nights. By the time I got back I wandered around for a bit and found the room RhytmikDesigns was in, then at the room Justin visited where most of the high-level crowd was in. Feeling out of place, I eventually left both, but not without a tip from Justin that Adon (aka Earlee, aka Shadow) was looking for me. So I fired up my laptop in the lobby in the hopes of contacting him, but they were already calling it a night. By the time I went back to Chosen1's room, nobody was there, and nobody answered.
NOTE: It was eventually brought to my attention the next morning that Chosen1 got in a car accident that night with his car totaled, which explained the situation altogether. Upon hearing this, I was going to talk with Fred on having him and his party ride with us back to Georgia.
So I spent that night sleeping somewhere in the lobby. When that didn't work, I just killed time watching movies on my laptop.
The next morning I went back to Chosen1's room and got spruced up for the tourney. I was feeling slightly better and less insecure this time around, and greeted most people formally, as opposed to last night when I was feeling distant. Either way, it felt good knowing I survived that Friday night, and I could confirm that whether or not the guy who threatened me showed up, he wouldn't try anything funny inside the venue as long as the tourney was active. Thankfully, this person never showed his face, so I could act normal. Everyone was friendly enough (especially ElectrifiedMann), but I was really happy to see some of my friends I regularly talked with on Skype when they arrived-- Adon, Gruff757, HajinShinobi, Madian. Hell, even Blackmoonrising and his buddy Knightzero arrived on the scene as promised. I even got to meet some old friends like BlackberryChaos, Enforcer, and Brightgamer, newer guys like Hoodless and Sly Bass, and even the two overseas players from the Netherlands, Glyx (Gehaktbal) and his girlfriend Tjiger. At this point, no matter how I did at the tourney, I had the pleasure of meeting them all.
So the tourney started, and it ran smoothly enough. I didn't have to deal with the pressure of playing on stream in the first match, nor any other recurring matches. I lost my second match against Rikuto, and realized too late that I never bothered to check my sidestep settings during the button check, which explained my difficulty for dodging certain attacks. But what's done is done. There was little shame in losing to him anyway. D.J. McAteer then told me something very important afterward. Something bad happened to Fred, and he was being hospitalized. He also told me Master was already with him, and I didn't know how long he was going to be out of commission. I then realized that even if I made it far in the tourney, I'd eventually have to forfeit. So I was again eliminated by Elecman (ElectrifiedMann), who was using Helena at this point.
Immediately after that I rushed to the hospital, getting Master's number from Allan Paris to get the location of the hospital. By the time I called him I realized the hospital was in plain sight across the street... and there they were outside of the emergency office, waiting on a shuttle to carry Fred back to the hotel. I then realized he had a case of the shakes from withdrawing from alcohol for too long, which caused him to pass out in the first place. Rather than wait for the shuttle, Fred decided to give me the keys to his car and Master and I escorted him back to the hotel, or more specifically, the Skybox, where he had to get some drinks and some food. I stayed there for a while, and eventually went back to the ballroom to check on how everyone's doing.
After the matches leading to top 8 were complete, I got together with Hajin's crew as well as Justin, Blackmoonrising, and Knightzero to eat at this Japanese restaurant near Hajin's venue. Without a doubt, things looked a lot brighter from here. Fred was doing okay, I got to meet some of the people I really wanted to meet, and we had some fun conversations. We had so much fun in fact, that I lost track of time and didn't realize Fred was calling me on another matter, which was finding out about what BlackberryChaos intends to do after TFC. According to him, he said he needed a ride to Georgia in order to get to Connecticut, but I eventually found out that was a misinformation. After talking to BlackberryChaos briefly, I went back to the Skybox to check on Justin, who was with Devon (BlankOctober) at the time. I had my initial suspicions with Devon after previous skirmishes with him on Skype, but ultimately he turned out to be a cool guy. I ordered a ceasar salad and some fries, and the three of us ended up talking about girls, fighting games, and laughing at weird jokes. It was at this point that I wished Devon and Hajin would get along at this point, but I realized only they could make it work for them. Once again I went back with Hajin's crew and got some casuals in with Hajin, at last. The guy is good at spacing, as I expected. Though he wished he could've performed better at the tourney, I knew how he played when he was at his best.
That being said, this gave rise to another concern that was again mentioned by Chosen1 and Justin the next morning-- the stream monitors. People were convinced that compared to the off-stream monitors, there was considerable lag, which he soon addressed to the host of TFC, Eric Small, aka Big E. While I didn't directly involve myself in the conversation too much, I do plan to mention this in a future blog, since it does appear to be something of a concern. (UPDATE: It has been brought to my attention that it was an issue of the controller converters that have caused the input delay.)
I didn't stick around too long for top 8, as it was getting predictable at this point, with either Kwiggle's Christie or his brother SonicFox taking 1st or 2nd. Immediately after the grand finals - much to my chagrin - my crew had to leave, which means Justin, Fred, and I had to miss out on a huge dinner celebration. And if that wasn't a kick in the nuts, I had no clue that Force of Nature was even here until Fred told me Chosen1's crew was getting a ride with him. I felt so bad after that. But I'm sure by the time he reads this blog, he'll forgive me. So to Force of Nature, I formally apologize for not noticing you right away, and I really am sorry for not getting the chance to hang with you when I could.
Getting back home was relatively easier, and we had a few cases of "The Fred and Awesmic Show" here and there (inside joke), but the important thing is that we got back to Georgia safely. I had a few casuals with Justin, and drove myself back home, which brings us to this long-winded blog post I'm making now.
Yes, I didn't do well in the tourney. And given the circumstances during the tourney, my situation was unfortunate. But Fred's well-being was more important, and he's been nothing short of a very good friend to me as well as a strong supporter of the DOA community. Without him, I dunno what I could've done. There will be plenty of tournaments, but there is only one Fred Campbell. And looking back at it at the time I made this blog, I honestly don't have any regrets. But assholes will be assholes online. They'll only see the surface and measure your worth as a person - a person - by how well you play. If only they knew there was more to tournaments than just trying to win. I see that clearly now myself. I honestly had more fun just hanging with the friends I always wanted to hang with than worrying about how well I did at the tourney in the hopes of being liked by everyone depending on how well I do. After carefully reviewing my surroundings, I've come to the conclusion that Justin was right... a person's worth isn't synonymous with a person's skill as a player. It's only barely scratching the surface of what the community is really about.
Right now I feel like I've relieved myself of a huge weight on my shoulders. But in order to make sure it stays that way, I've got to mentally challenge myself. And the first sacrifice I must make is to stay away from playing online for a while. It seems to be the source of all my problems and I've been feeding too much on the negativity of some players, and gradually blurring the line between those who genuinely care about me, and those who don't. Instead, I'll spend my time slowly trying to be more sociable on Facebook and Skype with folks in the DOA community until I am more mentally secure to play casuals without worrying so much about impressing people... it seems to be all I ever do, and I have to stop. It's become an addiction, it's been hurting my friendships, and it's almost killed whatever fun I used to have playing the game.
So from here on out I vow to become a better me... not just a better Christie player than before, but a better me. The going won't be easy, but I need the self-discipline to make it work, even if it means not visiting FSD or playing online for a while. TFC was exactly what I needed, and the community interaction exceeded my expectations... but I've been shutting myself away in my own fear. To all I have talked with, I thank you for helping me see the light more clearly.
To everyone who took the time to read this blog, thanks for reading, thanks for understanding, and take care of yourselves. Come Final Round next year, I promise to be the Awesmic you once knew and loved... only more sociable, hopefully.
NOTE: Based on past experience after tournies - and because people online are stupid and always find a way to get to you - I will try to stay away from playing online or browsing FSD for a while, since I know there are a lot of people who don't like me and will try to give me hell. For those that know they're cool with me who want to keep tabs, do so on Skype or Facebook, but as of right now, I'm just not ready to get online and play for a while until this shittalk subsides among the stupid people online. I've seen a taste of it on PSN a while before posting this blog, and I don't feel like dealing with that now. I hope you'll understand.
That being said... let's move on to the experience itself.
Taking away all the keyboard commandos, trash talkers, and other nonsense which almost convinced me not to go to TFC in the first place, I ultimately ended up going to the event. But the process of going wasn't easy, as I had a certain individual promising to make good on their threat to make sure a "washed-up scrub like me" has a miserable weekend at TFC. Now I dunno if this person was planning to torture me mentally or physically, and the name of this person sure as hell isn't important now (since he never showed up), but I had to take this person seriously if he's making his beef with me THAT personal.
After this incident, my plan to "not go to TFC" was immediately set in motion. I figured that if I pretended not to go and convince other people in the community, that maybe - just maybe - I won't have to deal with this person until the day of the tourney, because who would make a fool of themselves in a tourney by picking a fistfight in the venue, knowing the ground rules result in suspension from competing in that event or other related ones? For those I may have tricked into believing I wasn't going, I am truly sorry. But I don't fuck around when crazy people make threats. I take 'em seriously and try my best to avoid conflict if possible.
Fast-forward to Thursday, October 9. Immediately following work, I got ready to head over to Fred Campbell (Blitzkreig/Toothless)'s house. As usual, he was as dependable as ever. I had a place to rest, and we had a plan set in motion to pick up Justin (aka JDE, aka "Just Dad-Gummed Early") from the airport. On the way back we were faced with interesting traffic... but none that stood out as much as this one car that kept crashing into the left boundary over and over. My guess was that either the car was stolen and the driver didn't know how to handle it, the driver was drunk, the driver was texting, or the driver passed out. Either way, we kept a couple hundred yards away from it.
After safely making it back to Fred's house, we began packing our things in Fred's new car and putting mine in the garage for safekeeping. My car was in no condition for long-distance travel, and I couldn't afford to get new tires at the time. Before we took the long trip back, we headed to the Golden Corral to eat what we could at the buffet. But after we finished eating, Fred realized he had forgotten an important item. After doubling it back to his house, we were ready to head out to the freeway.
Immediately heading into South Carolina, we stopped by an auto shop that Fred's uncle worked at, getting all the necessary tune-ups for the car to ensure there will be no problems outside our driving skill. We had some interesting conversations along the way, including this one story about how Fred and Dallaz got pulled over by the cops for suspicion of driving drunk, but somehow got let go despite evidence. Eventually we made another stop, and I insisted on driving as soon as I realized Fred was going to get some Mountain Dew mixed with vodka. Despite Fred saying that the steering was a little different, I managed to handle the car quite well throughout most of the trip in North Carolina. But I was unfamiliar with how to get the beams on at night.
I eventually got tired and let Fred deal with the home stretch. When we finally got to the actual venue, I started feeling uneasy again and having uneasy thoughts:
What if said player is actually here and really does make good on his threat?
What will other people think of me if I play casuals and lose too much?
What if I never get a chance to meet the people I know I'm actually cool with?
What if everyone hates me now because I haven't done well in tourneys, despite supporting the offline scene?
That Friday night at the Skybox bar in the Hilton hotel was not easy to go through. I felt that if I did anything... that if I went and tried to play the DOA5 Last Round demo, I'd be laughed out of the bar and possibly draw attention to the guy who threatened me, assuming he was around. So I kept my distance and watched instead. I wasn't ready to interact with or face anyone. To be honest, things would've been a lot easier for me if Punishere and Auto were there... but alas, they were not. So afterward, I headed outside and walked for a while, figuring out some good places to eat closeby so I can be ready for tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Fred negotiated with Chosen1 on getting me and Justin to lodge with his folks for two nights. By the time I got back I wandered around for a bit and found the room RhytmikDesigns was in, then at the room Justin visited where most of the high-level crowd was in. Feeling out of place, I eventually left both, but not without a tip from Justin that Adon (aka Earlee, aka Shadow) was looking for me. So I fired up my laptop in the lobby in the hopes of contacting him, but they were already calling it a night. By the time I went back to Chosen1's room, nobody was there, and nobody answered.
NOTE: It was eventually brought to my attention the next morning that Chosen1 got in a car accident that night with his car totaled, which explained the situation altogether. Upon hearing this, I was going to talk with Fred on having him and his party ride with us back to Georgia.
So I spent that night sleeping somewhere in the lobby. When that didn't work, I just killed time watching movies on my laptop.
The next morning I went back to Chosen1's room and got spruced up for the tourney. I was feeling slightly better and less insecure this time around, and greeted most people formally, as opposed to last night when I was feeling distant. Either way, it felt good knowing I survived that Friday night, and I could confirm that whether or not the guy who threatened me showed up, he wouldn't try anything funny inside the venue as long as the tourney was active. Thankfully, this person never showed his face, so I could act normal. Everyone was friendly enough (especially ElectrifiedMann), but I was really happy to see some of my friends I regularly talked with on Skype when they arrived-- Adon, Gruff757, HajinShinobi, Madian. Hell, even Blackmoonrising and his buddy Knightzero arrived on the scene as promised. I even got to meet some old friends like BlackberryChaos, Enforcer, and Brightgamer, newer guys like Hoodless and Sly Bass, and even the two overseas players from the Netherlands, Glyx (Gehaktbal) and his girlfriend Tjiger. At this point, no matter how I did at the tourney, I had the pleasure of meeting them all.
So the tourney started, and it ran smoothly enough. I didn't have to deal with the pressure of playing on stream in the first match, nor any other recurring matches. I lost my second match against Rikuto, and realized too late that I never bothered to check my sidestep settings during the button check, which explained my difficulty for dodging certain attacks. But what's done is done. There was little shame in losing to him anyway. D.J. McAteer then told me something very important afterward. Something bad happened to Fred, and he was being hospitalized. He also told me Master was already with him, and I didn't know how long he was going to be out of commission. I then realized that even if I made it far in the tourney, I'd eventually have to forfeit. So I was again eliminated by Elecman (ElectrifiedMann), who was using Helena at this point.
Immediately after that I rushed to the hospital, getting Master's number from Allan Paris to get the location of the hospital. By the time I called him I realized the hospital was in plain sight across the street... and there they were outside of the emergency office, waiting on a shuttle to carry Fred back to the hotel. I then realized he had a case of the shakes from withdrawing from alcohol for too long, which caused him to pass out in the first place. Rather than wait for the shuttle, Fred decided to give me the keys to his car and Master and I escorted him back to the hotel, or more specifically, the Skybox, where he had to get some drinks and some food. I stayed there for a while, and eventually went back to the ballroom to check on how everyone's doing.
After the matches leading to top 8 were complete, I got together with Hajin's crew as well as Justin, Blackmoonrising, and Knightzero to eat at this Japanese restaurant near Hajin's venue. Without a doubt, things looked a lot brighter from here. Fred was doing okay, I got to meet some of the people I really wanted to meet, and we had some fun conversations. We had so much fun in fact, that I lost track of time and didn't realize Fred was calling me on another matter, which was finding out about what BlackberryChaos intends to do after TFC. According to him, he said he needed a ride to Georgia in order to get to Connecticut, but I eventually found out that was a misinformation. After talking to BlackberryChaos briefly, I went back to the Skybox to check on Justin, who was with Devon (BlankOctober) at the time. I had my initial suspicions with Devon after previous skirmishes with him on Skype, but ultimately he turned out to be a cool guy. I ordered a ceasar salad and some fries, and the three of us ended up talking about girls, fighting games, and laughing at weird jokes. It was at this point that I wished Devon and Hajin would get along at this point, but I realized only they could make it work for them. Once again I went back with Hajin's crew and got some casuals in with Hajin, at last. The guy is good at spacing, as I expected. Though he wished he could've performed better at the tourney, I knew how he played when he was at his best.
That being said, this gave rise to another concern that was again mentioned by Chosen1 and Justin the next morning-- the stream monitors. People were convinced that compared to the off-stream monitors, there was considerable lag, which he soon addressed to the host of TFC, Eric Small, aka Big E. While I didn't directly involve myself in the conversation too much, I do plan to mention this in a future blog, since it does appear to be something of a concern. (UPDATE: It has been brought to my attention that it was an issue of the controller converters that have caused the input delay.)
I didn't stick around too long for top 8, as it was getting predictable at this point, with either Kwiggle's Christie or his brother SonicFox taking 1st or 2nd. Immediately after the grand finals - much to my chagrin - my crew had to leave, which means Justin, Fred, and I had to miss out on a huge dinner celebration. And if that wasn't a kick in the nuts, I had no clue that Force of Nature was even here until Fred told me Chosen1's crew was getting a ride with him. I felt so bad after that. But I'm sure by the time he reads this blog, he'll forgive me. So to Force of Nature, I formally apologize for not noticing you right away, and I really am sorry for not getting the chance to hang with you when I could.
Getting back home was relatively easier, and we had a few cases of "The Fred and Awesmic Show" here and there (inside joke), but the important thing is that we got back to Georgia safely. I had a few casuals with Justin, and drove myself back home, which brings us to this long-winded blog post I'm making now.
Yes, I didn't do well in the tourney. And given the circumstances during the tourney, my situation was unfortunate. But Fred's well-being was more important, and he's been nothing short of a very good friend to me as well as a strong supporter of the DOA community. Without him, I dunno what I could've done. There will be plenty of tournaments, but there is only one Fred Campbell. And looking back at it at the time I made this blog, I honestly don't have any regrets. But assholes will be assholes online. They'll only see the surface and measure your worth as a person - a person - by how well you play. If only they knew there was more to tournaments than just trying to win. I see that clearly now myself. I honestly had more fun just hanging with the friends I always wanted to hang with than worrying about how well I did at the tourney in the hopes of being liked by everyone depending on how well I do. After carefully reviewing my surroundings, I've come to the conclusion that Justin was right... a person's worth isn't synonymous with a person's skill as a player. It's only barely scratching the surface of what the community is really about.
Right now I feel like I've relieved myself of a huge weight on my shoulders. But in order to make sure it stays that way, I've got to mentally challenge myself. And the first sacrifice I must make is to stay away from playing online for a while. It seems to be the source of all my problems and I've been feeding too much on the negativity of some players, and gradually blurring the line between those who genuinely care about me, and those who don't. Instead, I'll spend my time slowly trying to be more sociable on Facebook and Skype with folks in the DOA community until I am more mentally secure to play casuals without worrying so much about impressing people... it seems to be all I ever do, and I have to stop. It's become an addiction, it's been hurting my friendships, and it's almost killed whatever fun I used to have playing the game.
So from here on out I vow to become a better me... not just a better Christie player than before, but a better me. The going won't be easy, but I need the self-discipline to make it work, even if it means not visiting FSD or playing online for a while. TFC was exactly what I needed, and the community interaction exceeded my expectations... but I've been shutting myself away in my own fear. To all I have talked with, I thank you for helping me see the light more clearly.
To everyone who took the time to read this blog, thanks for reading, thanks for understanding, and take care of yourselves. Come Final Round next year, I promise to be the Awesmic you once knew and loved... only more sociable, hopefully.
Saturday, October 4, 2014
Anime Blog #12: Sailor Moon Crystal Impressions (October 4, 2014)
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD BECAUSE I COULDN'T HELP MYSELF. If you haven't watched the episode, do that now.
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OK... now this series is starting to get interesting. Act 7 was a lot better than I thought it was gonna be. As usual, it follows the manga closely. We're introduced to Queen Metallia as expected. Zoisite comes back for Round 2, and Usagi is reluctant to tell her friends more about Tuxedo Mask because she has already fallen for him. Lastly, Sailor Venus is teased throughout the episode.
But what really made this episode stand out were three things...
1) Umino's brainwashing making him unleash his inner creepy otaku.
2) That moment Tuxedo Mask first called Sailor Moon "Usako".
And my personal favorite...
3) Tuxedo Mask having a "Catch a Fade" moment. Wasn't expecting this to happen... at all. Respect.
This was an excellent episode, and due to the nature of the manga, it can only get better from here. Come Act 10, my expectations will be very, very high, as I expect from this minor deviation of keeping the four Heavenly Kings alive an all-out battle royale between the Inner Senshi and the four Heavenly Kings. But for now, I must bask in the current hype...
V-Chan. In simulcast streams everywhere October 18.
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OK... now this series is starting to get interesting. Act 7 was a lot better than I thought it was gonna be. As usual, it follows the manga closely. We're introduced to Queen Metallia as expected. Zoisite comes back for Round 2, and Usagi is reluctant to tell her friends more about Tuxedo Mask because she has already fallen for him. Lastly, Sailor Venus is teased throughout the episode.
But what really made this episode stand out were three things...
1) Umino's brainwashing making him unleash his inner creepy otaku.
2) That moment Tuxedo Mask first called Sailor Moon "Usako".
And my personal favorite...
3) Tuxedo Mask having a "Catch a Fade" moment. Wasn't expecting this to happen... at all. Respect.
This was an excellent episode, and due to the nature of the manga, it can only get better from here. Come Act 10, my expectations will be very, very high, as I expect from this minor deviation of keeping the four Heavenly Kings alive an all-out battle royale between the Inner Senshi and the four Heavenly Kings. But for now, I must bask in the current hype...
V-Chan. In simulcast streams everywhere October 18.
Sunday, September 28, 2014
Anime Blog #11: Sailor Moon Crystal Impressions (September 20, 2014)
Today's Sailor Moon Crystal was yet another (semi) faithful adaptation of Act 6 in the manga series, this time focusing on Tuxedo Mask's ambition to obtain the Silver Crystal, even at the cost of masquerading as a criminal and making himself known to the public. However, his plan backfires, as the third of the Heavenly Kings - Zoicite - has plans of his own to speed up the plan Tuxedo Mask had in motion. Disguising himself as a woman, Zoicite infiltrates a TV network station, transmitting hypnotic energy through the satellite in order to brainwash every civilian in Tokyo to search for the Silver Crystal.
Catching on quickly to the plan, Luna summons the Sailor Senshi to the "basement" of the Crown arcade, growing en more suspicious of Tuxedo Mask's actions. Sailor Moon objects to the possibility and runs away, leaving the other Sailors to fight Zoicite at the rooftop of the network station. During the battle, Queen Beryl makes a personal appearance before the heroes, and easily immobilizes them.
Meanwhile, Sailor Moon wanders the streets in anxiety, torn between her duty as a leader and wanting to trust Tuxedo Mask. At that moment, Tuxedo Mask appears before him, fully aware she and Usagi Tsukino are one and the same person and encouraging her to help her friends fight Queen Beryl. Tuxedo Mask's words were more than enough to give her the strength to fight, causing her to do amazing physical feats such as vaulting to the roof of the building. At that moment, she unleashed the power of Luna's Moon Stick and used Moon Healing Escalation to defeat Zoicite and restore the people of Tokyo back to sanity.
However, using the technique exhausted Sailor Moon, and the next thing she knew, she woke up in the residence of Mamoru Chiba, who willingly reveals himself to be Tuxedo Mask.
Catching on quickly to the plan, Luna summons the Sailor Senshi to the "basement" of the Crown arcade, growing en more suspicious of Tuxedo Mask's actions. Sailor Moon objects to the possibility and runs away, leaving the other Sailors to fight Zoicite at the rooftop of the network station. During the battle, Queen Beryl makes a personal appearance before the heroes, and easily immobilizes them.
Meanwhile, Sailor Moon wanders the streets in anxiety, torn between her duty as a leader and wanting to trust Tuxedo Mask. At that moment, Tuxedo Mask appears before him, fully aware she and Usagi Tsukino are one and the same person and encouraging her to help her friends fight Queen Beryl. Tuxedo Mask's words were more than enough to give her the strength to fight, causing her to do amazing physical feats such as vaulting to the roof of the building. At that moment, she unleashed the power of Luna's Moon Stick and used Moon Healing Escalation to defeat Zoicite and restore the people of Tokyo back to sanity.
However, using the technique exhausted Sailor Moon, and the next thing she knew, she woke up in the residence of Mamoru Chiba, who willingly reveals himself to be Tuxedo Mask.
Friday, September 26, 2014
Personal Blog #4: Making Extended Custom Loops for Your Favorite Music
This is more or less an informal guide for a recent hobby and pastime I have embraced since taking on a project as my way of contributing to the Dead or Alive community not too long ago: Making customized loops of existing music.
How do I do this, you ask? It's easy. All you have to do is download a freeware sound editor called Audacity online, and you are well-equipped for the task. But you've only been shown the door and walked through it. The question is, how do you make yourself at home with this intimidating program?
The first thing you'll want to do when opening the program is to select an mp3 file of your choosing to edit using Audacity. Upon selecting it, the following image will give you a basic rundown of what the Audacity app should look like upon running the program:
And now comes the fun part... tampering with your audio file and extending it further. But first, you'll want to familiarize yourself with the basic controls, or rather, the ones you'll be using often.
If you're going with the intention of looping your track seamlessly for a set amount of minutes, be sure to listen and listen well to the song while paying attention to the marker. It's up to you and your good ear to judge where you wish to start the loop point and end it. When you found the points you wish to loop, click the timeline of the project, click the end of the loop point, and drag to the starting loop point of the timeline. The highlighted loop point of the track should be a transparent gray, looking like this:
Now comes the most painstaking part of the project... making the loop sound as seamless as possible. If you don't get it right the first couple of times, that's absolutely fine. God knows when I first took on my batch of tracks for Ronin Warriors, I was hella frustrated when the loops didn't sound right.
NOTE: Remember that EVERY TIME you wish to use the editing tools, make sure you press "Stop" on the track, otherwise the editing tools will not work.
Step 1: To be on the safe side, edit the loop so that it repeats once. To execute this editing technique, make sure you pressed "Stop" first to activate the editing tools. After you do this, click on "Effect" from the top menu, then select "Repeat". You will be prompted to type in how many times you wish to repeat the loop. Set the number of times to "1" for a quick test run.
Step 1A: If the newly edited loop point still doesn't sound right, do not panic. Simply go to "Edit" on the top menu and select "Undo Repeat". The points where you selected the loop points previously should remain intact. And now this is where the "Zoom" options come into play.
Step 1B: To get better accuracy on your looping points, click the "Zoom In" icon to get a better fix on the beat in which you wish to edit, then using the cursor, click on each end of the highlighted area and drag it to the more accurate looping points. When you're finished, go to "Effect", select Repeat, set the number of times to "1", and listen to the looping point again. Please note that it may take a couple of tries and more zooming for some songs you may wish to edit, so be patient and don't get frustrated.
Step 2: Once you're satisfied with how the looping point sounds, go to "Edit", select "Undo Repeat" once more, Click "Effect", go to the "Repeat" option, and set the number of times to whatever closely caps the number of minutes you wish the looped track to be.
Step 3: Now you're ready to create a new customized, extended loop of your favorite music track. To complete the process and convert your work into an MP3 format, select "File", then go to "Export". From there, all you have to do is confirm the conversion, and the new MP3 will appear in the "Audacity" folder under "Program Files".
Now this is just making the MP3 alone. What if you wish to share your project on Youtube for others to listen to? Depending on your computer and available software, it may take a while to convert, or it could take a matter of minutes. I'm not exactly using a high-end computer, so I used the basic Windows Movie Maker. Some of you use Sony Vegas, so if that works for you, by all means, use that.
Making the video isn't that hard by comparison. Simply insert the MP3 to your video editing project, and insert the image file you feel is appropriate for the track.
*For Windows Movie Maker, all you have to do is make sure you drag the image file to the equal length of the track itself in order for the video to be saved.*
Once the video has been converted, go to YouTube. It is highly recommended you sign up for a YT account, because it's the only way you can upload your videos on your account (duh!). The uploading shouldn't take too long by comparison, maybe 2-3 minutes tops. From there, you can put in the title, description, and all that jazz. And if you have a playlist in mind, add that uploaded video to the playlists you have (or are about to create as you upload).
One final note: Some videos you upload may be under license from another company. Acknowledge the third party content and file a dispute. Usually, I'd select "I'm not selling the video nor making any money from it", which at the end of the day is the truth. You're doing this for fun, and it should be just for fun. Besides, I usually have custom video game music in mind when making these anyway... and the more variety I have, the better.
Well, I hope this tutorial helps. Hope to see some of you guys try out something with your favorite tracks that haven't got any love on YouTube soon. Have fun, and remember, take care of yourselves.
How do I do this, you ask? It's easy. All you have to do is download a freeware sound editor called Audacity online, and you are well-equipped for the task. But you've only been shown the door and walked through it. The question is, how do you make yourself at home with this intimidating program?
The first thing you'll want to do when opening the program is to select an mp3 file of your choosing to edit using Audacity. Upon selecting it, the following image will give you a basic rundown of what the Audacity app should look like upon running the program:
And now comes the fun part... tampering with your audio file and extending it further. But first, you'll want to familiarize yourself with the basic controls, or rather, the ones you'll be using often.
If you're going with the intention of looping your track seamlessly for a set amount of minutes, be sure to listen and listen well to the song while paying attention to the marker. It's up to you and your good ear to judge where you wish to start the loop point and end it. When you found the points you wish to loop, click the timeline of the project, click the end of the loop point, and drag to the starting loop point of the timeline. The highlighted loop point of the track should be a transparent gray, looking like this:
Now comes the most painstaking part of the project... making the loop sound as seamless as possible. If you don't get it right the first couple of times, that's absolutely fine. God knows when I first took on my batch of tracks for Ronin Warriors, I was hella frustrated when the loops didn't sound right.
NOTE: Remember that EVERY TIME you wish to use the editing tools, make sure you press "Stop" on the track, otherwise the editing tools will not work.
Step 1: To be on the safe side, edit the loop so that it repeats once. To execute this editing technique, make sure you pressed "Stop" first to activate the editing tools. After you do this, click on "Effect" from the top menu, then select "Repeat". You will be prompted to type in how many times you wish to repeat the loop. Set the number of times to "1" for a quick test run.
Step 1A: If the newly edited loop point still doesn't sound right, do not panic. Simply go to "Edit" on the top menu and select "Undo Repeat". The points where you selected the loop points previously should remain intact. And now this is where the "Zoom" options come into play.
Step 1B: To get better accuracy on your looping points, click the "Zoom In" icon to get a better fix on the beat in which you wish to edit, then using the cursor, click on each end of the highlighted area and drag it to the more accurate looping points. When you're finished, go to "Effect", select Repeat, set the number of times to "1", and listen to the looping point again. Please note that it may take a couple of tries and more zooming for some songs you may wish to edit, so be patient and don't get frustrated.
Step 2: Once you're satisfied with how the looping point sounds, go to "Edit", select "Undo Repeat" once more, Click "Effect", go to the "Repeat" option, and set the number of times to whatever closely caps the number of minutes you wish the looped track to be.
Step 3: Now you're ready to create a new customized, extended loop of your favorite music track. To complete the process and convert your work into an MP3 format, select "File", then go to "Export". From there, all you have to do is confirm the conversion, and the new MP3 will appear in the "Audacity" folder under "Program Files".
Now this is just making the MP3 alone. What if you wish to share your project on Youtube for others to listen to? Depending on your computer and available software, it may take a while to convert, or it could take a matter of minutes. I'm not exactly using a high-end computer, so I used the basic Windows Movie Maker. Some of you use Sony Vegas, so if that works for you, by all means, use that.
Making the video isn't that hard by comparison. Simply insert the MP3 to your video editing project, and insert the image file you feel is appropriate for the track.
*For Windows Movie Maker, all you have to do is make sure you drag the image file to the equal length of the track itself in order for the video to be saved.*
Once the video has been converted, go to YouTube. It is highly recommended you sign up for a YT account, because it's the only way you can upload your videos on your account (duh!). The uploading shouldn't take too long by comparison, maybe 2-3 minutes tops. From there, you can put in the title, description, and all that jazz. And if you have a playlist in mind, add that uploaded video to the playlists you have (or are about to create as you upload).
One final note: Some videos you upload may be under license from another company. Acknowledge the third party content and file a dispute. Usually, I'd select "I'm not selling the video nor making any money from it", which at the end of the day is the truth. You're doing this for fun, and it should be just for fun. Besides, I usually have custom video game music in mind when making these anyway... and the more variety I have, the better.
Well, I hope this tutorial helps. Hope to see some of you guys try out something with your favorite tracks that haven't got any love on YouTube soon. Have fun, and remember, take care of yourselves.
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
DOA Community Blog #8: CCC2: Mass Misconstrued Marketing
As the title suggests, this is the (unexpected) "sequel" to a blog topic I had discussed a while back called "Chaotic Costume Controversy", which generally explained the nonsensical reasons people don't give certain fighting games a chance solely because of costume choices, when sex appeal has been quite prevalent in many fighting games of the past, and well-accepted by the masses, at that.
However, today's blog topic "sequel" is gonna take a different perspective. Not toward the mentality of the consumer, but Team Ninja's marketing direction and how it's slowly taking away the momentum of its original slogan following the resurrection of their flagship fighting game series "Dead or Alive" back in 2011...
At this point, the fans had every reason to be concerned about the direction they're going in promoting the game. Some pondered whether Team Ninja was following the money so much that they forgot they were making a fighting game. Granted, it made them money and secured a huge pot prize for an upcoming major tournament event in two weeks following this blog, but it's gotten to a point that they're overselling certain costumes with certain characters a bit too much. In the process, it almost seems that they had forgotten the "I'm a Fighter" slogan which put them on the map once again with the fighting game community to begin with. One such fan, Ronnie Hall, had addressed this concern on the Dead or Alive Game Facebook page yesterday:
However, today's blog topic "sequel" is gonna take a different perspective. Not toward the mentality of the consumer, but Team Ninja's marketing direction and how it's slowly taking away the momentum of its original slogan following the resurrection of their flagship fighting game series "Dead or Alive" back in 2011...
Not too long ago earlier this month, Team Ninja has graced us with yet another major (and admittingly unexpected) update:
Many DOA fans were ecstatic, while some others had their concerns that Team Ninja was following Capcom's self-destructive route a little too closely. Either way, Yosuke Hayashi - the new head of Team Ninja and Tomonobu Itagaki's successor - went on the record saying that this will, in fact, be the last major update for the successful sequel. That being said, there are many expectations to be had. Team Ninja was expected to pull out all the stops in presenting the game well.
The first of these attempts? Announcing that this particular update will not only be on the previous generation consoles Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, but also the current generation consoles Xbox One and Playstation 4. Both are assumed to be essentially the same game, but in order to differentiate both generations of consoles, Team Ninja suggests that the current gen consoles will include a "Soft Engine". A texture-enriching tool that allows more realistic skin tones and - more profoundly - better breast movement for the females in particular.
With Tokyo Game Show not too far off, you would think that's not the only thing they have up their sleeve when showing off the game... that they would at least have some of the best players in Japan repping some decent level of play ( if not necessarily the best) like some other fighting games were, such as Ultra Street Fighter 4. Unfortunately, this didn't happen. Too much of the focus went toward the current gen's Soft Engine, whereas gameplay discussion seemed to be a mere afterthought. However, it wasn't all bad news. Reportedly, there will not only be a new unannounced female character, but apparently a "resurrected" male character that "many fans will be happy with". Many speculate it will be the original Tengu or Raidou. What's more, as far as stages go, it was confirmed that not only will the Crimson stage from Dead or Alive 2 be returning...
But a reimagining of the classic Dead or Alive 1 stage, with explosive floors on the outer rim of the ring like in the days of old...
Even so, the Tokyo Game Show showcase stream wasn't all that exciting for most fans looking to eagerly anticipate it, even less so for competitive gamers who were expecting a demonstration for gameplay changes.
And if that wasn't a nail in the coffin for some fans, immediately after the showing, another DLC set was announced in the typical fetishistic fashion. And once again, Rachel, Christie, Lisa, and all the male characters were once again denied a new costume for their respective fans to be excited for once again.At this point, the fans had every reason to be concerned about the direction they're going in promoting the game. Some pondered whether Team Ninja was following the money so much that they forgot they were making a fighting game. Granted, it made them money and secured a huge pot prize for an upcoming major tournament event in two weeks following this blog, but it's gotten to a point that they're overselling certain costumes with certain characters a bit too much. In the process, it almost seems that they had forgotten the "I'm a Fighter" slogan which put them on the map once again with the fighting game community to begin with. One such fan, Ronnie Hall, had addressed this concern on the Dead or Alive Game Facebook page yesterday:
To Team Ninja--
A serious question: is your "I'm a Fighter" slogan meant to be ironic? I've seen a translation of the interview that producer Yousuke Hayashi did with Famitsu and it was...rather embarrassing to read. That coupled with the fact that another set of what I can only describe as "fetish" bunny DLC for only female characters (not even all of them, showing repeated neglect of a few) is really starting to make me question it.
I'm glad that you all seem to be supporting the tournament scene, but it doesn't look like you're treating many of your own characters with the dignity that they perhaps deserve. Your main draw for the Tokyo Game Show appeared to be nothing but displaying how nice the females' breasts look on next-gen hardware via your "soft engine". You claim that you want the public to view this as a serious fighting game, but I don't think you realize how detrimental coverage like what was seen at the Tokyo Game Show may be to that goal. There was even a snippet in a recent Game Informer magazine making fun of your current business practices.
It appears that you are alienating many fans of the game with your DLC practices, e.g. perhaps fans who have a male character as their favorite, in addition to many that would like to see more unique costumes and less themed, shared costumes. Do you ever plan on releasing DLC not "sexy" or "naughty" and more inline with the Casual or Legacy DLCs? Or are those simply not worth the time and cost investment?
Many people have been asking for such for a long time now, only to be repeatedly sidelined in favor of more and more "sexy" outfits and even gravure videos. Have you forgotten that your male characters exist? Do you realize how ridiculous the gap in the number of costumes between male characters and female characters has become, for instance? As long as you have the characters in the game at all, I feel like you should be treating them a little more fairly than you have been. Not only do they not receive costumes, they are modeled more poorly, and not promoted nearly as much in advertising for the game. Various other fighting games seem to do a better job in these areas.
Does it even concern you what people think of the male characters? If not, then why are they in the game in the first place? I don't think you are giving them to chance to become more popular.
I'm trying to write this as evenhandedly as possible so it won't be taken as just an angry rant. But, I'm worried. I think that you may be in danger of losing a decent portion of fans when it may not have to be that way. I think that there are a number of things to be enjoyed about the Dead or Alive series. But, if you are only concerned with promoting and exploiting how sexy the female characters are, anything else good about the series may be obscured. I don't think the sex appeal should be outright removed. But, I don't think that everything should proceed in this exact manner.
We are coming upon the dawn of an even further version of Dead or Alive 5. I hope that you will somewhat consider the ways that you have been handling some of your affairs moving forward. I'm not even sure that I can defend or support this series in any way for much longer and I've been following the series for 16+ years now.
Sincerely,
A Fan
A Fan
Please understand, this blog is not intended to bash Team Ninja, but rather to make folks aware that if this is gonna be their last major update for DOA5, they're gonna have to dig deeper than just sex appeal to market their game as a more respectable fighting game, because as of late, at least in my opinion, they've lost focus. First, they'll have to focus on gameplay. What's new to the fighting engine? What tweaks have been made? Will they attempt to make tag more competitively viable in most players' eyes?
Second, they'll have to focus on even the male characters more for a change. They've always been getting the short end of the stick, almost to the point where they've been ignored almost entirely for more awesome costumes. Given the capabilities of the current gen consoles that should give them incentive to put more effort into them as they already do the females. Yes, I'm aware that the females are the show-stoppers and they sell the game, but going that extra mile will draw more respect from fans and convince more people this is in fact a fighter that puts equal care into both genders of the roster like some other games do.
Heck, personally I want them to give this game an actual Attract Mode following the title screen like most other fighters. When I leave the game idle, I want a reason to be attracted to it when I walk into a local... a kick-ass cinematic, a gameplay demo, anything! It would also be nice if they added all the music from every version of DOA1. They already have "Superstar", so they may as well finish what they started.
All things considered, I really hope Team Ninja's aware of the outcry of some fans and are convinced they need to do something different pertaining to the aforementioned. If not, then I'm afraid the outcry is going to get worse, and I'll likely end up doing a blog trilogy...
Friday, September 19, 2014
DOA Community Blog #7: Contribution is Power, Enriched by the Heart
NOTE: The following blog is meant not only for those who feel inadequate when wanting to contribute more to the DOA community. This blog is meant for gamers in all walks of life, no matter what genre they compete in. So feel free to share if you feel this is helpful to them.
What we're gonna talk about in this blog is contributing knowledge to your community in general. Now you're probably thinking, "This topic sounds generic, everybody knows anybody who's willing to do so should do so, it helps the community grow!" Sometimes, I wish it were that easy for some. In this era we live in full of bloated competitive egos, reckless keyboard warriors, and shady gaming journalists, it's oftentimes very hard to make a contribution to your own community without someone throwing shade in your face accusing you of being all kinds of things like a "sellout", a "leech", a "money grubber", or my personal favorite, a "fake OG who talks like he won big tournaments", all accusations that are especially targeted toward significantly popular Youtube users who get a lot of views and likes. But this topic isn't just about the ones that do throw the shade, but learning and knowing how to illuminate that shade on your own while doing what you know in your heart is the right thing.
Now let's focus on you, the willing contributor. And for the sake of being down-to-earth, let's assume you're just an ordinary guy posting in your community forum that plays your game and striving to get better. No accolades, no consistent top placings in local and major tournaments, no tight-knit connections to high-level or top players, none of that stuff. But despite this, you feel deep down inside that you're decent enough to share what you know.
Despite having limited knowledge of playing the game like some comparatively famous high level / top players do, you also happen to have networking and communication skills to an extent. What's more, you have some experience making videos, you're not incredibly shy on the camera, you're pretty humble, you're willing to do what you can without any trace of desire for compensation, and you're very welcoming to the newcomers and viewers who want a different outlet of learning besides the forum community they feel is too abrasive. What could possibly go wrong?
You make your first set of videos, and the first batch of comments you get are along the lines of "Who are you?", "Stop sucking *said company*'s dick", "*Famous player*'s stuff shits all over yours", and "Stop talking like you're some big shot OG from back in the day". And you're here thinking, "What did I do to deserve this?" All you wanted to do was help people. You weren't selling yourself. You weren't promoting yourself. You were bringing awareness to your game and the wonders it can offer to the player, should they choose to study it. So where did you go wrong? The truth is this.. your heart was in the right place. However, there are ways you can convince your audience and let them see you on the same page:
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1) Whatever format of contribution you create for your community, DO NOT make it about you.
Remember, when making a contribution to help other players, this isn't about you. It's about helping them to someday help others, provided your contribution was sufficient enough to get them to that point. With humility comes selflessness. While the temptation for a quick buck may be strong for some gamers, let's be real here. You should not want to contribute for profit or personal gain, much less focus on that as your ONLY source of income. A mistake that unfortunately is being made by some gamers in recent memory which I will not name. If you bring yourself into the equation that isn't relatable, chances are the detractors can use this against you, and perhaps even twist your words around to the point where you seem like another attention whore, when you know that isn't the case.
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2) If you want to go above and beyond your current knowledge, do your research. And don't be afraid to ask for help.
Another common mistake aspiring contributors make that some detractors LOVE to nitpick about. It's one thing to want to share what you currently know, but it's another when you want to dig deeper, only to discover there were holes - or in this case, opinions - in your fact sheet. If you are able, do the research on your own to ensure the information you're providing is correct. But sometimes going alone won't be enough. You'll likely need a second hand, and there is absolutely no shame in asking for help to contribute to a greater cause. Just make sure you give credit to those willing to help you along the way... it's good manners, after all.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3) DO NOT measure your success or your relevancy on likes, comments or views.
So many people make the mistake of determining their own personal self-worth based on statistics... and that includes me, I'm guilty of it too. Make no mistake about it... you are a human being with a heart and soul first. You're worth more than just packets of data on a grid. And if you don't think you are, take a moment to think about this.
There was once two martial artists who trained under their master. One was just and truthful, wanting only to take the path the master instructed him, having faith in his knowledge and getting the results when the time is right. The other believed that cutting corners by any means necessary to get results was more important. The latter student was eager to learn the ultimate technique of his style, and wasn't afraid to challenge the authority of his master to do so.
The master expressly forbade either to study this style until they were of sound body and mind. And wouldn't you know it, the latter rushed in and successfully learned this ultimate technique... or so he believed. He gained power and glory, of course, and his body was sufficient enough to withstand the demand of this ultimate technique. But he gained it in a dishonest way, and unbeknownst to him, it cost him his soul, for his mind was not ready. Sound familiar? It should if you played enough fighting games...
But don't misunderstand the moral of this story. I am not saying that gaining fame through the natural result of honest hard work is a bad thing. I am saying that fame should not be your sole motive - let alone a primary factor - to want to help your community, especially if it's small. If fame and popularity is meant for you, it will come. But it should not come at the cost of the good qualities that define you as a person. It's better for you to have an impact on a few people who will successfully carry on your good influence than a myriad of people taking the fast lane, only to crash and burn when they least expect it.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
4) Last, but not least, be honest with yourself.
There are some contributors who mislead those in the community into thinking they're pro-gamers, former pro-gamers, high/top level players, or former high/top level players. If you know for a fact you haven't achieved such accolades, make a disclaimer that you are by no means anything under this category. Yes, you may have gone to some locals - and probably majors - and participated to compete. Heck, you could be an online player who hasn't had the privilege of taking part in any offline local activity given your personal circumstances. But even so, leave it at that. If you do this, I promise you, no one in the right mind will hold this against you unless they're just desperately looking for drama.
So yeah, it is what it is, ladies and gentlemen. Contribution is power. Power enriched by the heart. If your heart wishes to do something to help, do it. Just don't do it for selfish reasons, and most importantly, be honest with yourself. You never know who you'll relate to, much less inspire.
There are a number of people I wanna dedicate this particular blog to, but to keep this short, I'll leave it to a quick "They know who they are" so no one will feel singled out. And if you don't know, I'll let you know.
To those who read this in full, thank you for taking the time to read, and take care of yourselves.
What we're gonna talk about in this blog is contributing knowledge to your community in general. Now you're probably thinking, "This topic sounds generic, everybody knows anybody who's willing to do so should do so, it helps the community grow!" Sometimes, I wish it were that easy for some. In this era we live in full of bloated competitive egos, reckless keyboard warriors, and shady gaming journalists, it's oftentimes very hard to make a contribution to your own community without someone throwing shade in your face accusing you of being all kinds of things like a "sellout", a "leech", a "money grubber", or my personal favorite, a "fake OG who talks like he won big tournaments", all accusations that are especially targeted toward significantly popular Youtube users who get a lot of views and likes. But this topic isn't just about the ones that do throw the shade, but learning and knowing how to illuminate that shade on your own while doing what you know in your heart is the right thing.
Now let's focus on you, the willing contributor. And for the sake of being down-to-earth, let's assume you're just an ordinary guy posting in your community forum that plays your game and striving to get better. No accolades, no consistent top placings in local and major tournaments, no tight-knit connections to high-level or top players, none of that stuff. But despite this, you feel deep down inside that you're decent enough to share what you know.
Despite having limited knowledge of playing the game like some comparatively famous high level / top players do, you also happen to have networking and communication skills to an extent. What's more, you have some experience making videos, you're not incredibly shy on the camera, you're pretty humble, you're willing to do what you can without any trace of desire for compensation, and you're very welcoming to the newcomers and viewers who want a different outlet of learning besides the forum community they feel is too abrasive. What could possibly go wrong?
You make your first set of videos, and the first batch of comments you get are along the lines of "Who are you?", "Stop sucking *said company*'s dick", "*Famous player*'s stuff shits all over yours", and "Stop talking like you're some big shot OG from back in the day". And you're here thinking, "What did I do to deserve this?" All you wanted to do was help people. You weren't selling yourself. You weren't promoting yourself. You were bringing awareness to your game and the wonders it can offer to the player, should they choose to study it. So where did you go wrong? The truth is this.. your heart was in the right place. However, there are ways you can convince your audience and let them see you on the same page:
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1) Whatever format of contribution you create for your community, DO NOT make it about you.
Remember, when making a contribution to help other players, this isn't about you. It's about helping them to someday help others, provided your contribution was sufficient enough to get them to that point. With humility comes selflessness. While the temptation for a quick buck may be strong for some gamers, let's be real here. You should not want to contribute for profit or personal gain, much less focus on that as your ONLY source of income. A mistake that unfortunately is being made by some gamers in recent memory which I will not name. If you bring yourself into the equation that isn't relatable, chances are the detractors can use this against you, and perhaps even twist your words around to the point where you seem like another attention whore, when you know that isn't the case.
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2) If you want to go above and beyond your current knowledge, do your research. And don't be afraid to ask for help.
Another common mistake aspiring contributors make that some detractors LOVE to nitpick about. It's one thing to want to share what you currently know, but it's another when you want to dig deeper, only to discover there were holes - or in this case, opinions - in your fact sheet. If you are able, do the research on your own to ensure the information you're providing is correct. But sometimes going alone won't be enough. You'll likely need a second hand, and there is absolutely no shame in asking for help to contribute to a greater cause. Just make sure you give credit to those willing to help you along the way... it's good manners, after all.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3) DO NOT measure your success or your relevancy on likes, comments or views.
So many people make the mistake of determining their own personal self-worth based on statistics... and that includes me, I'm guilty of it too. Make no mistake about it... you are a human being with a heart and soul first. You're worth more than just packets of data on a grid. And if you don't think you are, take a moment to think about this.
There was once two martial artists who trained under their master. One was just and truthful, wanting only to take the path the master instructed him, having faith in his knowledge and getting the results when the time is right. The other believed that cutting corners by any means necessary to get results was more important. The latter student was eager to learn the ultimate technique of his style, and wasn't afraid to challenge the authority of his master to do so.
The master expressly forbade either to study this style until they were of sound body and mind. And wouldn't you know it, the latter rushed in and successfully learned this ultimate technique... or so he believed. He gained power and glory, of course, and his body was sufficient enough to withstand the demand of this ultimate technique. But he gained it in a dishonest way, and unbeknownst to him, it cost him his soul, for his mind was not ready. Sound familiar? It should if you played enough fighting games...
But don't misunderstand the moral of this story. I am not saying that gaining fame through the natural result of honest hard work is a bad thing. I am saying that fame should not be your sole motive - let alone a primary factor - to want to help your community, especially if it's small. If fame and popularity is meant for you, it will come. But it should not come at the cost of the good qualities that define you as a person. It's better for you to have an impact on a few people who will successfully carry on your good influence than a myriad of people taking the fast lane, only to crash and burn when they least expect it.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
4) Last, but not least, be honest with yourself.
There are some contributors who mislead those in the community into thinking they're pro-gamers, former pro-gamers, high/top level players, or former high/top level players. If you know for a fact you haven't achieved such accolades, make a disclaimer that you are by no means anything under this category. Yes, you may have gone to some locals - and probably majors - and participated to compete. Heck, you could be an online player who hasn't had the privilege of taking part in any offline local activity given your personal circumstances. But even so, leave it at that. If you do this, I promise you, no one in the right mind will hold this against you unless they're just desperately looking for drama.
So yeah, it is what it is, ladies and gentlemen. Contribution is power. Power enriched by the heart. If your heart wishes to do something to help, do it. Just don't do it for selfish reasons, and most importantly, be honest with yourself. You never know who you'll relate to, much less inspire.
There are a number of people I wanna dedicate this particular blog to, but to keep this short, I'll leave it to a quick "They know who they are" so no one will feel singled out. And if you don't know, I'll let you know.
To those who read this in full, thank you for taking the time to read, and take care of yourselves.
Sunday, September 14, 2014
DOA Community Blog #6: Why Am I Going to TFC, Much Less Competing?
In the near-past 2 years since Final Round back in 2013, I've given a majority of people in the DOA community more reasons to hate me than like me. I've lost tournaments (some more poorly than others), I've lost confidence, many give the impression that I'm not good enough to socialize with them, and I've been called a fraud every so often by others to the point where I believed it myself. With the Road to TFC events in motion, there is expected to be a lot of people showing up to this major in North Carolina, many of whom don't see eye-to-eye with me or have ridiculed me in the past. I may have a handful of friends here and there, but at the end of the day, the detractors outweigh the devotees.
That being said, why am I going to TFC despite the expected vitirol? Sure, I may be going for experience and supporting the community, but it doesn't necessarily mean it will be a good experience, or whether my "support" will be little more than just being another number to keep the interest of the game going and getting free pizza for everyone, which looks like my only purpose for being there to compete. I'm not exactly wanted there for the right reasons.
I'm taking quite a risk here. I may not even survive the weekend if I'm not careful. It's gotten to the point that unless I pull some miracle and do well in this tournament, I will not only decrease the chances of regaining lost friendships, but won't hear the end of this fraud talk. Or worse, I may end up being invisible to most people.
But DOA needs that support more than ever. It's a sacrifice I have to make in order for its competitive community to keep thriving. And the more I and others support it, the more likely majors will exist... which means there will be more opportunities to prove myself as a player - no, a human being - to the entire community. So if it means enduring more ridicule because I didn't do well enough, then so be it. At least the few friends I still have will still support me, as I will support them. Whatever the outcome, TFC's gonna be a huge DOA tourney, and one that may go down in history. I may as well make the most of it, face my fears, put up with the vitirol, and look at the big picture.
To the remaining friends I do have in the community, see you around. I will be going to TFC, and not to spectate, but to compete. I don't know how far I'll make it, but it's better than not trying at all. If by the slim chance I place high enough to get a sum of the prize money, I'll give it to someone else. I never go to tournaments for money, but rather something as immaterial as acceptance. As much as I fear rejection, being accepted and liked by everyone in the community is far more valuable to me than you know.
Anyway, there's my vent. I'm going to get it over with, compete in TFC, and that's that.
That being said, why am I going to TFC despite the expected vitirol? Sure, I may be going for experience and supporting the community, but it doesn't necessarily mean it will be a good experience, or whether my "support" will be little more than just being another number to keep the interest of the game going and getting free pizza for everyone, which looks like my only purpose for being there to compete. I'm not exactly wanted there for the right reasons.
I'm taking quite a risk here. I may not even survive the weekend if I'm not careful. It's gotten to the point that unless I pull some miracle and do well in this tournament, I will not only decrease the chances of regaining lost friendships, but won't hear the end of this fraud talk. Or worse, I may end up being invisible to most people.
But DOA needs that support more than ever. It's a sacrifice I have to make in order for its competitive community to keep thriving. And the more I and others support it, the more likely majors will exist... which means there will be more opportunities to prove myself as a player - no, a human being - to the entire community. So if it means enduring more ridicule because I didn't do well enough, then so be it. At least the few friends I still have will still support me, as I will support them. Whatever the outcome, TFC's gonna be a huge DOA tourney, and one that may go down in history. I may as well make the most of it, face my fears, put up with the vitirol, and look at the big picture.
To the remaining friends I do have in the community, see you around. I will be going to TFC, and not to spectate, but to compete. I don't know how far I'll make it, but it's better than not trying at all. If by the slim chance I place high enough to get a sum of the prize money, I'll give it to someone else. I never go to tournaments for money, but rather something as immaterial as acceptance. As much as I fear rejection, being accepted and liked by everyone in the community is far more valuable to me than you know.
Anyway, there's my vent. I'm going to get it over with, compete in TFC, and that's that.
Saturday, September 6, 2014
Anime Blog #10: Sailor Moon Crystal Impressions (September 6, 2014)
"Mako-chan, where were you on the night of September 6?"
"I was summoned by my guardian Jupiter to give Nephrite a Code Red..."
OK, all jokes aside, this episode was considerably well done for an episode we had to wait not two, but 3 weeks to be shown. Because, you know, not all months operate the same way. For the most part, this episode - as always - tries its best to stay true to the manga's roots, with only one deviation (the four Heavenly Kings being left alive) as the only thing being different.
Usagi's wandering the streets of Juuban and is saved by Makoto Kino, a transfer student who was supposedly expelled for fighting. She lives by herself, as both her parents died in a plane crash. She also had a love interest with an unnamed senior, who then revealed he already had a girlfriend. Upon meeting with Usagi at the Crown arcade, the manager Motoki Furuhata immediately reminds her of that very senior.
Meanwhile Nephrite infiltrates a bridal store in order to gather more energy and draw out the Silver Crystal, which is again foiled by the Sailor Senshi, and in the process causes Makoto to awaken as Sailor Jupiter after being subjugated by a possessed Motoki. For the first time, we're treated to seeing Jupiter's Flower Hurricane in motion, as up until now it was just a manga-only technique. Oddly enough, her lightning-based technique is called Jupiter Thunderbolt instead of Supreme Thunder.
The next episode will be focusing on Tuxedo Mask and his backstory.
"I was summoned by my guardian Jupiter to give Nephrite a Code Red..."
OK, all jokes aside, this episode was considerably well done for an episode we had to wait not two, but 3 weeks to be shown. Because, you know, not all months operate the same way. For the most part, this episode - as always - tries its best to stay true to the manga's roots, with only one deviation (the four Heavenly Kings being left alive) as the only thing being different.
Usagi's wandering the streets of Juuban and is saved by Makoto Kino, a transfer student who was supposedly expelled for fighting. She lives by herself, as both her parents died in a plane crash. She also had a love interest with an unnamed senior, who then revealed he already had a girlfriend. Upon meeting with Usagi at the Crown arcade, the manager Motoki Furuhata immediately reminds her of that very senior.
Meanwhile Nephrite infiltrates a bridal store in order to gather more energy and draw out the Silver Crystal, which is again foiled by the Sailor Senshi, and in the process causes Makoto to awaken as Sailor Jupiter after being subjugated by a possessed Motoki. For the first time, we're treated to seeing Jupiter's Flower Hurricane in motion, as up until now it was just a manga-only technique. Oddly enough, her lightning-based technique is called Jupiter Thunderbolt instead of Supreme Thunder.
The next episode will be focusing on Tuxedo Mask and his backstory.
Anime Blog #9: Ronin Warriors Re-Released on DVD! Thank You Based Discotek!
All right, before I go into my usual impressions with the latest Sailor Moon Crystal episode, I gotta talk about the retro awesomeness that is the North American media distribution company, Discotek Media.
For those not in the know about this company, it has become something of a haven for resurrecting anime and Asian cinema spanning the 70s, 80s, and 90s. The company was responsible for bringing many great classics to the states on DVD, such as Mazinger Z, Samurai Pizza Cats, the Saint Seiya movies, and even a DVD release of the long sought after Galaxy Express 999 movies that was canceled by Viz Media, leaving fans only with the soon-obsoleted VHS releases.
And just recently, Discotek Media has announced a re-release of my favorite anime of all-time, Ronin Warriors (Yoroiden: Samurai Troopers in Japan) in a convenient box set collection.
http://www.fandompost.com/2014/09/05/samurai-troopers-anime-gets-license-rescue/
However, unlike the original North American release date from way back in April 2002, they will not only be exclusively released as a box set, the DVD format in which they will be released will have a bit of a separation anxiety.
The original stateside DVD release contained both the original Japanese version as well as the English dubbed Ronin Warriors in a rare DVD-10 format, which essentially is a double-sided DVD. Some fans have often complained about this format because it meant that the DVDs had to be handled a lot more carefully in order to prevent scratches. Furthermore, it also meant that the video quality in some instances had to be compressed, which led to Bandai having to cut certain footage to make ends meet (mainly the commercial bumpers and episode previews).
When Sony released the Region 2 (Japanese DVD) format on a single-sided dual layer DVD, the differences became more apparent, particularly with the original Japanese version. Some episodes lacked the sharp clarity of picture, and all of the footage - including both commercial bumpers each episode as well as the episode previews - remained intact. Which leads me to believe that Discotek Media will be releasing the series in this format as a response to previous feedback regarding the differences from back in the day. For die-hard fans, purists, and completionists like myself, this is quite a big deal.
Which begs the question: If the box set release is for the original Japanese version only, what of the English dubbed release? Discotek has gone on the record saying they're going through legal talks with Bandai on the Ocean dubbed release right now, and if they managed to get the Ocean dubs for other older anime licensed, this will likely get released sometime soon as well.
But yeah. On February 2015, the original Japanese version of Ronin Warriors will be released on DVD in a deluxe box set, based on the superior Region 2 masters complete with all commercial bumpers and episode previews intact. Big news for a big fan. When I read about this, my respect for the company just skyrocketed. And what's even more mind-blowing about this announcement is that it was made on the wake of the resurgence of Sailor Moon and it's re-release of the classic series on BD/DVD this November, which back in the day sparked lots of talks about potentially making crossovers between the two because the parallels are so good. Although realistically most of us knew this wouldn't happen, it didn't stop folks from dreaming, much less make fanfiction. But that's a story for another day. Time to talk up a storm about Sailor Jupiter in my next anime blog.
Again, thank you based Discotek for being consistently awesome!
For those not in the know about this company, it has become something of a haven for resurrecting anime and Asian cinema spanning the 70s, 80s, and 90s. The company was responsible for bringing many great classics to the states on DVD, such as Mazinger Z, Samurai Pizza Cats, the Saint Seiya movies, and even a DVD release of the long sought after Galaxy Express 999 movies that was canceled by Viz Media, leaving fans only with the soon-obsoleted VHS releases.
And just recently, Discotek Media has announced a re-release of my favorite anime of all-time, Ronin Warriors (Yoroiden: Samurai Troopers in Japan) in a convenient box set collection.
http://www.fandompost.com/2014/09/05/samurai-troopers-anime-gets-license-rescue/
However, unlike the original North American release date from way back in April 2002, they will not only be exclusively released as a box set, the DVD format in which they will be released will have a bit of a separation anxiety.
The original stateside DVD release contained both the original Japanese version as well as the English dubbed Ronin Warriors in a rare DVD-10 format, which essentially is a double-sided DVD. Some fans have often complained about this format because it meant that the DVDs had to be handled a lot more carefully in order to prevent scratches. Furthermore, it also meant that the video quality in some instances had to be compressed, which led to Bandai having to cut certain footage to make ends meet (mainly the commercial bumpers and episode previews).
When Sony released the Region 2 (Japanese DVD) format on a single-sided dual layer DVD, the differences became more apparent, particularly with the original Japanese version. Some episodes lacked the sharp clarity of picture, and all of the footage - including both commercial bumpers each episode as well as the episode previews - remained intact. Which leads me to believe that Discotek Media will be releasing the series in this format as a response to previous feedback regarding the differences from back in the day. For die-hard fans, purists, and completionists like myself, this is quite a big deal.
Which begs the question: If the box set release is for the original Japanese version only, what of the English dubbed release? Discotek has gone on the record saying they're going through legal talks with Bandai on the Ocean dubbed release right now, and if they managed to get the Ocean dubs for other older anime licensed, this will likely get released sometime soon as well.
But yeah. On February 2015, the original Japanese version of Ronin Warriors will be released on DVD in a deluxe box set, based on the superior Region 2 masters complete with all commercial bumpers and episode previews intact. Big news for a big fan. When I read about this, my respect for the company just skyrocketed. And what's even more mind-blowing about this announcement is that it was made on the wake of the resurgence of Sailor Moon and it's re-release of the classic series on BD/DVD this November, which back in the day sparked lots of talks about potentially making crossovers between the two because the parallels are so good. Although realistically most of us knew this wouldn't happen, it didn't stop folks from dreaming, much less make fanfiction. But that's a story for another day. Time to talk up a storm about Sailor Jupiter in my next anime blog.
Again, thank you based Discotek for being consistently awesome!
Sunday, August 24, 2014
DOA Community Blog #5: Hatemail is a Fool's Bragging Rights
I have to get this off my chest, because it's disturbed me for quite some time. I only chose to remain silent because back then, I was afraid of getting bashed for this unpopular opinion among those who do take pride in hatemail (particularly known, popular players). But now that I'm seeing this from people that are bragging about getting hatemail just for the sake of it, I gotta take a stand and speak my mind, 'cause this shit right here is getting out of hand for some people. It's like every scrub under the sun wants "street cred" for being that guy taking candy from a whining baby.
Yes, I said it, and this subject title blatantly implies it... if you taking pride in receiving hatemail online, you're playing a fool's game fishing for bragging rights. Hatemail is not something to be proud of, much less show off for all the internet to see. If anything, it only makes the FGC more toxic than it already is. But before we go into that, I wanna make an explanation of what hatemail is:
Hatemail is a term used for when the opposing player (typically a bad sport or someone who's just plain asinine) sends you a message over the internet complaining about either how you won, how you play, or if they're on the winning end, add insult to injury on your loss by insulting you even more.
The type of hatemail I'll be talking about on this subject is when you - the person winning - receives hatemail from that person.
So why is this foolish? I'm sure you'll hear from many people that receiving hatemail is a good thing and that you should embrace them like war scars or medals to show off to your friends in public, but that's a major distortion of the truth. Nowadays people miss the actual point of what kind of hatemail should be exposed to the public, and others that aren't truly important. Keep in mind that when you're in a community and trying to build it, the one thing you don't want to do is vehemently demonize and alienate that random player you played online to people in your community that got upset with your loss, especially when there were no personal threats involved.
Remember when you were that aspiring player that thought you understood your game, but got your ass handed to you in real competition over what you thought were "basic" tactics, "non-skill" tactics, or heaven-forbid, "cheap" tactics because you didn't know how to defend, counter, or even avoid them altogether? If not, then you, sir and ma'am, are a liar and then some. Anybody who's anybody has gone through that phase of thought at least once in their lives as casual players aspiring to be more competitive, so you're doing a disservice to your own community by taking the first step in denial.
Even I thought I knew what it took to be a solid player in DOA. But on that fateful day online in DOA2 Ultimate in late 2005, just a month before DOA4 hit the shelves, I got the beating of a lifetime by a former member of the now-defunct DOA Central by the Gamertag of The Iron Ninja. I formally met him on the site first, and at the time I was bent on using Helena, who much to my chagrin, was the weakest character in the game on terms of tiers. She just didn't have many strong options compared to others in the cast, and after playing a set against Iron Ninja's Hayabusa, I was thoroughly devastated, even to the point where even I had the temptation to "pass the salt" or in fighting game terms, share my frustration. However, this never happened. But my point is that the urge was still there. I felt in my mind that I knew it all, and had the urge to justify and make excuses about it.
Luckily he was able to understand how I felt without my even saying so, and encouraged me to keep playing folks on the site once DOA4 hits, turning my frustration to determination. Through this, I made a promise to myself that despite what others do or say, I will not pride myself in getting hatemail, but rather try to avoid responding to it (especially if I can't help with their problem), or better yet, not dignify the weight of its importance by exposing it on the internet. It's because of this mentality that I am indifferent to hatemail, though there are some cases more disturbing than others that should be addressed.
So at this point you're wondering what I'm trying to say. What I'm saying is that there is a right way to handle hatemail, and there is a wrong way.
What you shouldn't do: When you get hatemail for winning or whatever, don't show it off, especially when you weren't being personally threatened. It's trivial, childish, and metaphorically speaking, suggests that you want a cookie for making a baby cry, to be brutally honest. You can get that kind of excitement just fooling around at the mall, provided you don't get caught by the mall cops. Not to mention, it makes you look like a jerk among those less experienced just looking to have fun and not worrying about being a better player. It advocates more hatred among players and forms anti-player cliques, resulting in even further divisions within what's supposed to be a unified community supporting the same game.
What you should do: Play your best by all means, but be mature when you handle those who whine and complain. If you can't help the player overcome their trouble spots, the least you can do is offer to recommend someone who does. If that doesn't work, leave them be, block the player, and pretend the incident never happened. For all you know, the player could just be having a bad day, and just think how you would look if one day that player you were bad-mouthing about had a change of heart one day and saw what you did. I'm not saying this applies to everyone, but always, always give them that benefit of a doubt.
And lastly, if you're being personally threatened through hatemail - and by this, I mean real threatening, such as taking your life, bomb threats, gun threats, threatening family members, etc. - please make that known. In the crazy world we live in full of wack-jobs and people just plain not in the right mind, it would be in your best interest to take it seriously, regardless of whether they know where you live or not. If they act this way toward you - a total stranger probably kilometers away from you - then there's no telling how this person would act if there was a more local person around. Death threats, hell, threats in general, are serious business. DO NOT be afraid to call them out, even if they turn out to be just internet tough guys who can't really put in that work. That'll teach them a lesson, at least... a very hard one.
Yes, I said it, and this subject title blatantly implies it... if you taking pride in receiving hatemail online, you're playing a fool's game fishing for bragging rights. Hatemail is not something to be proud of, much less show off for all the internet to see. If anything, it only makes the FGC more toxic than it already is. But before we go into that, I wanna make an explanation of what hatemail is:
Hatemail is a term used for when the opposing player (typically a bad sport or someone who's just plain asinine) sends you a message over the internet complaining about either how you won, how you play, or if they're on the winning end, add insult to injury on your loss by insulting you even more.
The type of hatemail I'll be talking about on this subject is when you - the person winning - receives hatemail from that person.
So why is this foolish? I'm sure you'll hear from many people that receiving hatemail is a good thing and that you should embrace them like war scars or medals to show off to your friends in public, but that's a major distortion of the truth. Nowadays people miss the actual point of what kind of hatemail should be exposed to the public, and others that aren't truly important. Keep in mind that when you're in a community and trying to build it, the one thing you don't want to do is vehemently demonize and alienate that random player you played online to people in your community that got upset with your loss, especially when there were no personal threats involved.
Remember when you were that aspiring player that thought you understood your game, but got your ass handed to you in real competition over what you thought were "basic" tactics, "non-skill" tactics, or heaven-forbid, "cheap" tactics because you didn't know how to defend, counter, or even avoid them altogether? If not, then you, sir and ma'am, are a liar and then some. Anybody who's anybody has gone through that phase of thought at least once in their lives as casual players aspiring to be more competitive, so you're doing a disservice to your own community by taking the first step in denial.
Even I thought I knew what it took to be a solid player in DOA. But on that fateful day online in DOA2 Ultimate in late 2005, just a month before DOA4 hit the shelves, I got the beating of a lifetime by a former member of the now-defunct DOA Central by the Gamertag of The Iron Ninja. I formally met him on the site first, and at the time I was bent on using Helena, who much to my chagrin, was the weakest character in the game on terms of tiers. She just didn't have many strong options compared to others in the cast, and after playing a set against Iron Ninja's Hayabusa, I was thoroughly devastated, even to the point where even I had the temptation to "pass the salt" or in fighting game terms, share my frustration. However, this never happened. But my point is that the urge was still there. I felt in my mind that I knew it all, and had the urge to justify and make excuses about it.
Luckily he was able to understand how I felt without my even saying so, and encouraged me to keep playing folks on the site once DOA4 hits, turning my frustration to determination. Through this, I made a promise to myself that despite what others do or say, I will not pride myself in getting hatemail, but rather try to avoid responding to it (especially if I can't help with their problem), or better yet, not dignify the weight of its importance by exposing it on the internet. It's because of this mentality that I am indifferent to hatemail, though there are some cases more disturbing than others that should be addressed.
So at this point you're wondering what I'm trying to say. What I'm saying is that there is a right way to handle hatemail, and there is a wrong way.
What you shouldn't do: When you get hatemail for winning or whatever, don't show it off, especially when you weren't being personally threatened. It's trivial, childish, and metaphorically speaking, suggests that you want a cookie for making a baby cry, to be brutally honest. You can get that kind of excitement just fooling around at the mall, provided you don't get caught by the mall cops. Not to mention, it makes you look like a jerk among those less experienced just looking to have fun and not worrying about being a better player. It advocates more hatred among players and forms anti-player cliques, resulting in even further divisions within what's supposed to be a unified community supporting the same game.
What you should do: Play your best by all means, but be mature when you handle those who whine and complain. If you can't help the player overcome their trouble spots, the least you can do is offer to recommend someone who does. If that doesn't work, leave them be, block the player, and pretend the incident never happened. For all you know, the player could just be having a bad day, and just think how you would look if one day that player you were bad-mouthing about had a change of heart one day and saw what you did. I'm not saying this applies to everyone, but always, always give them that benefit of a doubt.
And lastly, if you're being personally threatened through hatemail - and by this, I mean real threatening, such as taking your life, bomb threats, gun threats, threatening family members, etc. - please make that known. In the crazy world we live in full of wack-jobs and people just plain not in the right mind, it would be in your best interest to take it seriously, regardless of whether they know where you live or not. If they act this way toward you - a total stranger probably kilometers away from you - then there's no telling how this person would act if there was a more local person around. Death threats, hell, threats in general, are serious business. DO NOT be afraid to call them out, even if they turn out to be just internet tough guys who can't really put in that work. That'll teach them a lesson, at least... a very hard one.
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