James

By Pentadact


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Let Tom Francis tell you all what it's like, being male, middle-class and white.
 

 

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"I actually benched him for practical reasons before I realised he was also annoying. He seemed to die in every fight - a product of having zero Combat skill without being good..."

Pentadact on 2008 In Games That Were Better Than Other Games
 

 

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For when Deus Ex runs at double-speed on your dual-core processor, Assassin's Creed adds compulsory black bars to your 4:3 monitor, Crysis locks off options you know your graphics card can handle, or your newly installed Mass Effect refuses to run because your broadband is down, bookmark this image. Come back here, watch it a few more times, and feel the flappy-limbed catharsis. I know I will.
 

 

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The Invincibles
Idea for a deathless superhero game that sparked a great discussion.
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The saga of my race of impolitic space-rabbits in a twenty-day game against eleven genius artificial intelligence races.
 

 

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Field Studies 6: The PC Gamer Sporecast

 
 

Update: I’m a complete fucking idiot. The image that was the whole freaking point of this post was still set to Private on my Flickr account, so I’m guessing no-one saw it. Here goes:

sporecast2-shrunk

The PC Gamer Sporecast

If you’re playing Spore this weekend, I made a thing you can subscribe to to get awesome stuff showing up in your game. Sporecasts are hand-picked collections of content, and they’ll take priority over random stuff when Spore is populating the galaxy.

I don’t really gain anything from people subscribing to this - if it were fame, love and comments I were after, I’ve already got those by making a pathetic toaster as my first ever building.

Sporecasts are just a way for uncreatives like me to feel like they’re contributing to the Spore community. Unfortunately the tool for making them is terrible right now, and flat-out refuses to acknowledge the existence of most buildings, vehicles and spacecraft, so I’ll have to add some of my favourites of those later. This is also why the vast majority of Sporecasts out there are just three or four shit monsters.


Not in the PC Gamer Sporecast, or any Sporecast, because Spore’s Sporecaster sucks.

ZomBuster’s behatted Antlion is in there, and I ran into him at the Space stage yesterday. I struck up a trade route with their race, but then one of my allies - the moustache bananas - started invading Antlion worlds. Naturally, their whole race had to die. I roped an Antlion ship into helping me - they’re nasty black Piranhas in my game - and went on a rapid bombing run to systematically exterminate every city on every planet in their empire. They surrendered pretty early on - I’m playing as the Stompwings, who achieved Galactic God status long ago - but I kept on bombing. I’m not sure if I mentioned, but I really like bombing.

Tip: get the Shield module for your ship as early as possible. It’s not some shitty 20% defense for 10 seconds, it renders you completely invulnerable for several minutes, enough to lay waste to an entire planet.

Comment
 
 
Lack_26: Sounds awesome, getting it soon. Also, I quite like that toaster.

Little Green Man: Yeah I've ordered it from Play, along with an Eee 1000h and a mouse. Can't play Spore on the Eee, but apparently i can create creatures on it. Probably start playing on my desktop by Friday.

spuzman00: I'm becoming more and more convinced that I need this game.

Chijts: I agree, any game that let's you team up with sophisticated antlions to wipe out a race of moustache-wielding bananas gets my money.

Tux: That C18th antlion is perhaps the best thing I've ever seen on the internet.

Lack_26: We should do a sporecast of the people who post here's, creatures, that would be interesting.

James: Congrats on securing the name for the spore cast ahead of the PCG US guys, they yet again have to put up with "the REAL PCG sporecast", and it the way it should be considering that the uk version is the realer and thicker version of the 2. (and if you ask to me define "real", I will just shrug my shoulders)

Dante: Pentadact, would it be easier to share stuff if you created a PC Gamer account and had people add it as a buddy?

Slamhound: @Lack: Interesting proposal. Would top hats be mandatory on all creatures?

Pentadact: The only drawback to that plan is that I would have to manually make all the most ingenious and meticulous creations on Sporepedia myself. It would be like Be Kind, Rewind for zombies, dragons and 1950's robots.

Put like that, of course, it's not a bad idea.

ZomBuster: My antlions finally got to the center (with a bazzilion grox after them) and found *censored*.

Now time to find Earth and forfill our destiny.

Kill freeman!

http://www.spore.com/sporepedi.....0003550632

Pentadact: Oh good God, that's the best, worst Spore creation I've ever seen. Definitely warrants an embed:



I'm idly searching for Earth, too. Keep meaning to look up on Wikipedia wherabouts we are in the galaxy and see if that helps. Just unlocked the ultimate interstellar drive, so I can go anywhere it's theoretically possible to go now.

Pentadact: Yay, I think I've figured out how to make an updated post re-appear in the RSS feed. If this annoys you: oh well.

Dante: Ah right, I assumed it'd share anything dropped in your 'my creations' folder.

Zeno Cosini: Man, Spore and month-old babies are mighty hard to reconcile. I'm trying my best, though. My loyalties are divided between my squealing realword progeny and my tribe of hooved scorpions.

Mr. Brit: Dear God! That picture! I now /b/need/b/ Spore!!

Mr. Brit: Yeah, I should have realised my /b/ wouldn't work....

Man Raised By Puffins: @ Zombuster: You'll need to deal with his crowbar first.

ZomBuster: That image worked fine for me

J-man: Off topic; saw 'In Bruges' on a plane back to Heathrow form JFK. Fuckin' excellent.

Plan B was fantastic as well, I'm gonna go buy GalCiv.

audiman: Off topic: are there any differences between Gal Civ 2 on Stardock's website and the Gal Civ 2 Endless Universe release.

Pentadact: Endless Universe includes the two expansions, which are strongly recommended.

DiscountNinja: I must say Mr. Francis, both articles on Gal Civ 2 have actually motivated me into first (many moons ago, when your Spectres of Agony were crushing the universe under their lucky feet) downloading a demo.

No sooner had I read up to day 4 of Plan B I had purchased and downloaded Gal Civ 2 and both the expansions from Stardock :D

So thank you :D

Pentadact: Hurrah! Plan B: selling far more copies of GalCiv than of PC Gamer.

The_B: So when will you be upping sticks and becoming Stardock's PR guy?

Ludo: Nyoooo, don't do that! Think of the children! And the James readers! And the PCG readers! And that kid who wrote the letter you read out on the PCG podcast!

I can see Tom joining Valve, then two months later the next TF2 update would come out and the Spy would be two hundred feet tall shooting lazers out of his eyes. Fun times.

J-Man: You have it all wrong, Ludo. The Spy will just be able to shoot while invisible, facestab, he'll get a silenced scattergun instead of the pistol and engies won't be able to knock off his sappers. Duh.

Ludo: Of course! Facestabbing in the face: a devastating strategy. I also forgot the part where the spy would get sappers he could put on other players which SAPS THEIR SOULS

J-Man: And if he saps 3 or more players in one life, he feeds off their souls to make himself invincible for the rest of the round.

Ludo: Then Meet the Spy will come out, which will be a live action drama in which Tom Francis plays the spy, it'd be shot in grainy monotone, with film noir stylings and Miles Davis on the soundtrack. At the end the spy would remove his mask to reveal that HE IS THE G-MAN!

J-Man: And the G-Man is played by Ralph Fiennes from In Bruges! GENIUS!

And of course, the pyro will lose his flamethrower, the taunt for that being replaced by kneeling on the floor, begging for mercy from the spy.

I wonder if Tom reads this.

Valve: Ludo and J-man,

If by some freak event we have hired you, you are now fired. If we have not, then please do not apply for any positions, we know who you are and we know where you live.

The Valve is always watching.

Over and out.

Ludo: I regret nothing!

Pentadact: You two have gone wrong.

Ledundead: Spy's sappin' mah will to live!

Anyway, Day 13 of Plan B isn't up yet for me. What's up with that?

J-Man: You just can't handle the truth, Tom!

Rob: I bought Spore and I wish I could play it - well I have, upto a bit of Tribal - but the trouble is that anti-aliasing is completely broken on (most if not all) ATI graphics cards. It makes the terrain go funky.

I want to like the game, but a game that doesn't have native anti-aliasing and won't let me force it is plain rubbish, really.

EA are doing nothing about this as you would expect :(

Rob: edit: meant to add relevant link:
http://forums.electronicarts.c.....ost5705771

Oh, and thanks for the sporecasts anyway, those creatures have been popping up now and again, and also annoying people on another forum because silly creatures are ruling their universes :)

Pentadact: Heh, which forum?

I play without anti-aliasing, by the way. Never looked into turning it on, it doesn't bother me.

It does bother me a little that even if you play full-screen, you can't set Spore to a res higher than your desktop one.

Rob: Yeah I should really just play without AA but I'm a pedant like that.

The forum'd be the Something Awful forums. I can't find the link but someone posted a few times that he'd added the Sporecast and then a few hours later 'these bastards have taken over my galaxy!' With all his colonies getting constantly attacked.

ZomBuster: I saw you got the Spore fan achievement. Haven't got it yet but it won't be long lookng at the crazy amount of time Spore consumes.

23:00 : annoying empire annoys me, time to die.

1:00 : just the homeplanet left..

2:20 : Finally!

Pentadact: The sad thing is, this is the second time I've got it.

The_B: Your Stompwings are causing me endless grief. Damn you and your competent God like powers.

Thomas Lawrence: Finally caved and bought the game, as my reservations about it's qualities as a actual game were overcome by my desire to see deformed sniper rifles battle giant chairs.

Thomas Lawrence: Is it really, truly the case that the only way to get the Spore patch is to install the EA downloader-majig? Because I used that program once before, and it was filled with pain and torment.

Pentadact: Nope - they do claim that, but even on their official patch page there's a link at the bottom to just download the freaking file and skip the freaking middleware.

Thomas Lawrence: Oh thank Bob for that. The thought of installing EA's download manager made me want to gouge my eyes out with a rusty spoon.

Thomas Lawrence: Woe! The patch complains I have insufficient disk space, when in fact I have ample disk space!

 
 

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    Previously, On James...

     
     

    2008 In Games That Were Better Than Other Games     GTA IV Shorts: Cut Off     PC Gamer Podcast: The Future’s Dim     Thoughts On The Team Fortress 2 Christmas Changes     Dear Sir     Extra Mirror’s Edge Levels Blocky, Unrealistic     Dead Space: The Right-Hand Side Of A Good Game     So My Vesper Became Your Chariot     Fallout Girl: The Road To Tenpenny Towers     Revenge Of The Psycho Graverobber     I’m Not Making The Plan Next Time     HERO CLOSET     The Gold Ribbon Goldberg Device     Fallout Girl: Anywhere But Megaton     Bethesda Ruin America     Fallout Girl     Left 4 De-     The American Public Announce That Tom Francis Is Right     Right To Live     Far Cry 2: What I Do Like     Far Cry 2: What I’d Like     Far Cry 2: Impersonation Of A Buddy     New PC Gamer Podcast: Eau De Toilette Radioactifs     Far Cry 2 Released, Forest Fires Up 8000%     !     Deadly Toads Of Death     World Of Goo Is Coming To Steam, Gentlepersons     Trust Me With Your Ears: Volume Three     Plan B Is Complete     The Fate Of The Nation And, More Importantly, My £5     Multiwinia Mathematics     A Stab At Meet The Spy     Clear Screen     Trust Me With Your Ears: Volume Two     Retro Team Fortress 2     Sounds Like The Spy Update Is Next     Status Report     Field Studies 6: The PC Gamer Sporecast     I No Longer Feel I Have To Be James Dean     Plan B Chapter One Is Complete     Field Studies 5: My Spore Review     I Read A Thirty-Eight Page Comic About Google’s Browser     Heroes Of Medicine     Red Versus White     Soviet Power     Plan B Is Live     Trust Me With Your Ears: Volume One     He Looks Truly Mortified     Lumber Yard Wallpapers     Heavy Update Thoughts So Far     Relic Announce That Tom Francis Is Right     Team Fortress 2 Goes To The Rockies     Steel Yourself     Vote Tom Francis In The Games Media Awards     Heavy Update: Sandwiches And Fresh Green Grass     Chris Livingston Stops Considering A TF2 Comic     Seriously, Buy Braid     Braid Is Out On Filthy Consoles     Film Catch-Up     Tweak Fortress     Field Studies 4: Vu To A Thorough Game Demonstration     The Middleman     What’s Happening In Kansas     Mirror’s Edge     Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog     Weltpolizei     The Prop Cigarettes You Smoke, They Show Who You Are     Cutting Verses Down To Size     The Sun Is Shining But We Stay Inside     Mrs D Mrs I Mrs F-F-I, Mrs C Mrs U-L-T     I Propose A Less Serious Vote     Valve Completely Out Of Weapon Ideas, Beg For Help     I Know The Commander Because He’s My Pal     Blizzard Announce That Tom Francis Is Right     Regarding Matt’s Location     Oh My God What The Fuck Barbecue     Cube In Memoriam     Pyro Flare Pistol Thingy Shown In Meet The Sniper     Field Studies 3: My Pretties     Field Studies 2: I Will Save You From The Wangs     Field Studies 1: Sporegasm     Muxed Feelings     You Don’t Have To Be An Engy To Work Here But You Do     Someone Already Made An Ubersaw     Team Fortress 2 Unlockable Ideas     A Riposte To Valve’s Defense Of PC Gaming     Randy Smith Has The Worst Game Design Ideas Ever     Sire, My Regard For You Is This Big     Crysis Suit Modes Revisited     Fractal Hasselhoff And Football Management     What A Shame     The City That Rarely Enters Sleep Mode     The Most Needlessly Complex Terror Plots In Film History     No-One Drove In New York, There Was Too Much Traffic     In One Thousand Two Hundred And Ten New York Minutes     That Band You Like Has A New Thing Coming Out     A Slice Of Fried Gold Rush     Achievement Unlocked: Typed Achievement_Unlock     Bracing Oneself     It’s A Democratic Gaming Landscape, Bitches     Non-Problems Of The Obscenely Over-Privileged     Wanking ‘Not Inappropriate’ To Government Commerce     Dispensing Justice     Getting Owned     This Just In: Frogs Aren’t Morons     Der Uberdoktor     Jon Stewart On Presidential Elitism     I Actually Can’t Stop The Music     Offlyin’     The Life And Inevitable Death Of Bloopi     PC Gamer Blog: Five Years Of Foolishness     Anne Diamond Reviews Games     Fail Dogs     Review: Soulstorm (Fire Indeed Hot)     There Will Be Country For Old Men In Real Life, Baby     The Far Cry 2 Team     PC Gamer Tells Greg Costikyan To Shut The Fuck Up     Valve Decided Against The Overhealer     Austin Translation     Preview: World of Goo     ‘Meet The Scout’ Imminent     PC Gamer Blog: Greatest Videogame Weapon of All Time     Bill Hicks: Another Dead Hero     Vortessence Hangover     Nick Montfort On Portal Vs The Passage     I Eat What I Slaughter     Jonathan Blow On Making Enough Money For Food     Audiosurfing The Shipping News     Team Fortress 2 Badlands Exploit Patched     Lost, Season Four, Spoilers, Obviously     Badlands     James 2.5 Explained     PC Gamer Podcast: March     Chris Livingston Considering A TF2 Comic     Come In     Actors Out Of Context     Murder Incorporated     Books That Make You Dumb     Powered Down For Redesign     New TF2 Maps And Medic Change In Two Months     Molecular Gastronomy Blog     Team Fortress 2 Update Reactions     Things Round Here Have Changed     My Goatee     Things I Forgot To Talk About Round-Up     GalCiv2: Still Genius     Analysing Team Fortress 2     Gamespot Finally Do The Logical Thing     Deus Fucking Ex Fucking 3     Crysis Week: The Endingening     Episode Two Death Maps     Masq     SO… MUCH… CAKE…     On Rock     Review: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare     I’m Not Allowed To Do This     I Played Through The Crysis Demo Holding A Surprised Korean Guy     The Greatest Spy In Team Fortress 2     FEAR: Perseus Mandate Is The Best Game Ever     Hellgate London Thoughts     Beautiful Piano Rendition Of The Portal Song     I Played Through Episode Two Holding A Goddamn Gnome     Pushing Daisies Continues To Be Incredible     Ten Minutes To Go     The Best Three Things On TV     Life Complete     This Just In: The Scout Is A Dick     Not Being A Spy     SO… MUCH… BLOOD…     Weirdly, You’ve Been Tanned - Suspicious For The Winter     Structurally Superfluous     Top of GameTab: Wikipedia Edits From Sony IP     Heroes Season Two     My Favourite Disaster     Quick BioShock Warning     Rock, Paper, Shotgun     British Airwaves     BioShock Review Review     Gollum Beat Box Like You Never Seen     The Machine Of Death Winners     System Failure     The Order of the Phoenix     The Completist: Tribes: Vengeance     Quickly     Boston and Bioshock     Cloak And Tagger     Gamespot Finally Do The Logical Thing     The Completist: Far Cry     This Month In Terrible, Part 2: London Olympics Logo     This Month In Terrible, Part 1: Anti-DRM T-Shirts     The Finale Post     Not The Finale Post     Aaaaaaaaaaaaaa-     Starcraft 2     Grrraaahahahahaa!     Mystery Trip     Access Denied     Invasion of the Body Snatchers     New-Album Deathmatch     Can I Just Say (3)     Back!     ‘Iv’     Desktop Tower Defense     Whoa     Noble Jedis     I Don’t Know About You Folks     Infinitely More Exciting Than Anything     Exploded     A Couple Of Things!     This Is Taking Ages     Best Interview Ever     Let Them Eat Facts     He’s Gone Too Far     Highlight Of 2006 (3/3)     Highlight Of 2006 (2/3): Snowboarding To Safety     Highlight Of 2006 (1/3): Previewing Oblivion     Yeah, Me Too     Somerfield     24     iPwn     2006     First Screenshots Of Introversion’s Next Game     Dexter: Series One     Woo     Dexter Again     Primer     Just ‘Cause     Spoiler Test     Heroes     Not Everything You Find On Flickr Makes A Lot Of Sense Right Away     Posts About Games Writing Suck So I’m Writing A Post About Posts About Games Writing     Supreme Commander     A Weak Russian Sunset     Event-Inspired Idea: Cellphone Breathalizer     I Am About To Play One Of These Games     Dexter     Bad News     24: Drink When…     Blood Money And Sex     Veronica Mars     Too Zune     Something I Didn’t Understand But Still Feels Right     James 1.0     Dangerous Animals Found Dangerous, Term Remains 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First Night, Second Life     Disappointing Results     Maths Cop!     NaNoWriMo     Google Oozes Connectivity     Lost Season 2     Serenity     Oh Screw It, I’ll Mention The Revolution     Flying     Introducing: Brain Storm     Concerned     This Month In Awesome     Rain     SWAT 4: The Movie     On Bringing It     State Of Things     Quest Ideas     Quest Que C’est?     WordPress Wizard     Reasons To Freeze To Death     Phew     Futurama     The West Wing     Firefly     Lost     The Great     The Fantastic     The Top Few     Mulholland Drive     Adaptation     Grosse Pointe Blank     Memento     LA Confidential     Diablo 2     Battlefield 2     Half-Life 2: Deathmatch     Deus Ex 2     N     Morrowind     Half-Life 2     Deus Ex     Charles Darwin     Friedrich Nietzsche     Ludwig Wittgenstein     Tom Francis