Back Archives: January - June 2007 | July - December 2007
I've decided to archive this stuff for my own use in tracking the general progress of the site. Consider it my own little notes page. I've further decided to make it public for anyone who cares enough to do the same. If you're looking for something in particular, you can search the page with CTRL+F.
12-10-07: HAAAALP!!! (Yes, three exclamation points. This is a dire S.O.S.) And here I thought last week was bad. This week's update is going to be short and sweet on the home page because I frankly haven't had the time to do anything of relevance to you guys, it's just been the long road down to final exams, which all hit home during this week, so until they're all over things are going to remain just as hectic as they've ever been. As a result, I'm going to issue a warning that I very well might have to cut down to a single post for one week just so I don't use up my entire backlog of comics before I can go home for break and actually catch up. I apologize in advance if this is the case, but hopefully things ought to clear up. As for the comic itself, this week introduces the direction of the next bit of the comic through Croatoan and also adds a bit of fun from Tobes. Enjoy!
12-03-07: Holy crap, this week has been hell on earth. I've been running around in circles trying to prepare for finals and final projects. I managed to get one of the long-term assignments out of the way, but it's barely a dent in the overall pile. I literally haven't been able to work on the comic at all this week, which essentially never happens ever. Luckily I have a few comics backlogged for times like this so you guys still get your updates. Hopefully I'll be able to hold up with enough comics to carry me through until winter break so that I will be able to catch up once I'm at home. Once there, my only responsibility will be the comic, so as long as we don't spend too much time visiting people I ought to be able to get back to normal, as well as a little bit ahead to pre-emptively prepare for the next semester.
I need another break.
One of the things that has been distracting me from comic work is actually really awesome, though. I've begun serious work on my Vayne Solidor cosplay for Tekkoshocon. I know that a project like that is sort of a monster, but it's really coming along. I have the base jacket created already, as well as that little colored assflap (that thing was my BANE for like 2 weeks) and the bracers. I have boots purchased and a lot of other materials for his goofy peripheral bits, but it's the scale-mail vest that will probably do me in. That project is going to be an absolute beast. I'll have my hands full between that project and the comic over winter break. This year I will probably be missing an update again over the Tekkoshocon weekend, so when I post con-filler I'll be sure to post a picture of the completed costume, and you guys can be the judge of how well it turned out. Hopefully my geekiness will come through and it will be super-awesome.
As for this week's update, we return to the usual story arc and finally learn what the fate of New Nibelheim is! Thanks to Lee, we have absolutely no idea what's going to happen yet again. Way to go, buddy. Unfortunately, this opens up a whole new can of worms which we'll be introduced to next week, so be sure to check back!
11-26-07: Hey there, people. I hope everyone had an awesome Thanksgiving holiday. Things were fairly quiet over my break, as I'd hoped they would be. I needed some time off from just about everything. We're on the last stretch before the ending set of exams right before finals, which means projects, papers, and tests all over the place. It's been nuts, and it's not looking any better. Break was very welcome.
Not a lot of news, really. I took that time off I was looking for in commemoration of the 100th page but now it's back to the daily grind. This week I threw in a bit of a switch-up since the normal progression was already broken by the page 100 tribute. No storyline progression, just good old-fashioned gamer goodies. I especially felt the need to tag Super Mario Galaxy after I saw some of the crazy crap they're having Mario do nowadays. I have to admit, I sort of lost my interest in the series shortly following Mario 64. All their Mario platformers seemed either too gimmicky or a lot of rehash, they needed to find a peaceful medium, so seeing Galaxy just sort of made my head spin. If Mario's your think, though, it looks like a really smoothly put together game that could be a lot of fun. This one falls to preference.
On the other hand, Assassin's Creed is right up my alley. Being a poor little sap, I don't have my own copy, but I watched it being played for a while and combining the stunning visuals, the extremely fluid animations, and the simplistic yet thorough combat system make it a really nice addition to the library of anyone who had the dough to shell out for a PS3. It has that gritty feel to it that I really like, plus the open-ness of the cities you run around in is really nice. It has its quirks, but overall it looks really fun. I'd reccommend it if I'd actually played enough of it to have a more reliable opinion, but as of right now this is mostly a first impressions sort of reaction. Either way, I like what I see.
Other games to look for include Rock Band, which is bound to be a lot of fun if its predecessors are any indication. That will be another game I'll be mooching off friends for. Hooray for being a poor college student!
11-19-07: Did anyone else notice I put last week's year as 2005? Wow, I do some dumb things sometimes. Oh well, that's all in the past. Fixed!
But moving on to important matters . . . HOLY FREAKING HELL!!! I MADE 100 COMICS!!! Yay! (Damn, those are a lot of exclamation points, but hey, I have a right to be excited.) I remember how much I flipped out when I posted my 50th comic and this is at least five times as exciting right now. I've decided to do a little something differently this week because of the occasion. In commemoration of the event, which even if it's not such a big deal for you guys, is super important for me, I've decided to make a special full-color page featuring Live-Action Pilgrim Century! That's right, you get to see what all of the crazy jackasses who inspired this comic look like in real life, and all in one place! There are also a few extra treats for you to peruse at your leisure, including a live-action re-enactment of the time Lee smacked me upside the head with a lobster (Comic #20, originally. Wow, that was long ago! And christ, it took at least four shampoos to make me stop smelling of the sea after getting beaned by a crustacean), a shot taken at the Monroeville Ren-fest featuring Lee and Kelly in the stocks (as they appear in Comic #92), and a hilarious shot of the unstoppable "Tobes" hamming it up (as seen in . . . well, every comic featuring Tobes, really). Maybe seeing the real deal will put the zany antics that go on within the panel walls in a clearer perspective.
Maybe I'll take a day and just enjoy myself to celebrate. Don't worry, though. Next week I'll be done patting myself on the back and will be back to the normal schedule, so don't you go anywhere!
One last order of business though - there's going to be a bit of rearranging of server space and whatnot, so Friday (the 30th) is going to involve some site downtime. Pilgrim Century may be unavailable for a few hours. I'm not terribly sure what times, but if we aren't around for a bit, don't fret. We'll be back.
11-12-07: It's nearing break time at school, but that just means everyone is throwing their exams, papers, and projects at me at one time. I'm overwhelmed by work at the moment, and have sort of been forcing time to keep up with the comic. This is the first time I've really been in a situation where I'm losing ground not because I feel like I'm behind, but because I genuinely am. It's not terribly pleasant. I've been so caught up in the rush that I hadn't even noticed that I'd been creeping up on my 100th comic!!! I was so gung-ho about it a few weeks ago when it was just over the horizon, so now I can be super excited. Maybe I'll take a day off and just enjoy myself to celebrate or something. This is seriously excellent.
Gaming has taken a turn for the worst this week. I've barely been able to play anything, and the one night I did get to spend gaming was taken up entirely by finishing off Half-Life 2. Now I just need to play through Episode One and Two and I'll have worked my way through the Orange Box. Then it'll be a bunch of fun in Half-Life 2: Deathmatch and Team Fortress 2, which just don't get old.
This week demonstrates a few small hitches in the electoral process (it wouldn't be an election without a bunch of complicating bullshit going on on the sidelines, now would it?) involving Whitney and Lee. Next week I have some special surprises in store for everyone to commemorate having reached comic #100, so you guys will have to sit in suspense to see what Lee did with those ballots! Bwahahahaha!
11-05-07: Another week, another update. Remember how I said that last week was bound to be a tough one? Well, apparently all of my exams that weren't pushed back were also pushed back, meaning that they fall on the same day at the beginning of this week instead. This week ought to be fuuuun. HAving said that, however, last week I got quite a bit done regarding non-academic projects, little things I've been working on by myself, and moving into my new building. It's been a blast in the new place and I'm already infinitely happier here. I will be getting an international roommate soon for a temporary housing assignment, but Lee will be coming to room with me next semester so it will sort of straighten itself out in the end. I've had some time for gaming, but not a whole hell of a lot. I've been playing Half-Life 2 some more, and since I have episode after episode to get through I had ought to be playing that one for some time. Other than that, it's been mostly old stuff. Since it's apparently "sequels week" for me, I'm still looking for a copy of Phoenix Wright 2 to play since I don't have a DS of my own. Hopefully the opportunity will come up soon.
This week's update is fun. The electoral process finally gets up and running as we kick off the voting, and hey, it's just in time for the real elections! What luck! Check back to see in whose hands the fate of New Nibelheim will ultimately lie.
10-29-07: This week has been a lot of fun. I found out that some of my exams have been pushed back for a bit so last week ended up being a walk in the park. This week, on the other hand, is out to be a punch to the sternum. No matter, I've fully braced myself for impact. Hopefully all my exams will work out all right. Furthermore, I found a possible room to switch into in order to escape my crappy housing situation that I've been dealing with all school year thus far. It would put me in the same building as everyone I typically hang with (most of the cast of PC, that is) and really close to my classroom buildings as opposed to having to live off in the East Sahara with an epic trek to Physics class in the morning. I'm crossing my fingers in hopes that this will pull together and work out.
In terms of gaming, I've been on fire this past week. The Orange Box continues to impress, as I've been enjoying the challenge maps of Portal, hours of Team Fortress 2 multiplayer, and Half-Life 2 has been bringing back fond memories of Head Crabs and Combines. In addition to the usual five games, through a promotional deal I got my hands on Half-Life 2: Lost Coast and Half-Life 2: Deathmatch as well. It will be some time before I get aroudn to them, considering that I have to get through all the other titles first, but I at least have something to look forward to. I've also been messing around with my old PS2 games, Drakkengard to be specific, which isn't altogether bad but it's a little repetitive. It's fun to just fly around zapping knights, though, and a wonderful stress buster.
I'm also excited for a few of the brand-new releases out on the market, namely Guitar Hero III and Clive Barker's Jericho. I've already gotten around to playing Guiter Hero III and based on my experience I can already say its impact is comparable to the way 2 hit the market. It has all that we know and love about the old Guiter Hero installments, plus tons of new features and little tidbits that makes it completely outshine its predecessors. The old ones are still fun, the new one is just . . . well . . . funner. Couple a bang-up soundtrack with excellent selections of guitar-heavy songs and more songs done by the original artists to get a fantastic gameplay experience. Even the rhythm and bass sections are better, much less repetitive than the selections in GHII. All in all, I'm very impressed. As for Jericho, I've only been able to play the demo but if that's any indication of the game itself, it looks super fun. It has God-of-War syndrome, with the pushbutton cinematic minigame bits and such, but it is integrated very well into the overall gameplay experience and looks very dynamic and super enjoyable. plus, the enemies look very smooth as compared to a lot of other titles in the genre, and while the demo isn't quite enough to judge overall AI, they at least look like they're smoothly moving about their environment as opposed to noticeably advertising the fact that they are sprites over a walkmesh. I may or may not pick this one up, I already have a boatload of horror shooter fun ahead of me with the half-life titles, but it's definitely worht a look in the future (when I have more dollars, that is).
Concerning this week's update, we focus in on the political debacle known as the New Nibelheim Mayoral Campaign, as Gunther the Goblin introduces the two candidates formally and allows us to learn more about their views and goals.
10-22-07: Well, I took my very first break from updating the site, and while I'm sorry if I disappointed any of you regulars, I really needed this. Besides, logistically I couldn't have updated anyway unless I copied all my files over to my home PC and did it from there, but it would have been a headache and wouldn't have given me the time I need to catch up on...well, let's face it, just about everything. Luckily, since I've had a little extra time on my hands I managed to get way ahead on all kinds of stuff, including academics. I had some time to catch up with comic work, though as always I feel ridiculously behind as compared to where I fell I should be. I had some time to think while I was helping my dad with landscaping work, so that generated some fun new ideas for future comics. Look forward to a few goofy changes of pace over the next several months!
I managed to scrounge up some money from the aforementioned landscaping work and I can put that toward finally playing some current games as opposed to constantly feeding money into the resale shop in town. Hooray for dated but classic PS2 titles! My main targets now that I have dollars are Bioshock, which from what I've seen so far classifies as excellent, and The Orange Box. I've already bought the box, but since I absolutely hate my living arrangements on campus I never feel like being in my room long enough to play it very much. I already know the Half Life games on it are excellent, so even before I spent the money I knew that my dollars were going to a solid investment. Portal has been on everyone's horizons for ages. Portal sort of worries me, though. There are literally only two hours of gameplay for people who excel at puzzle games and FPSes. TWO HOURS! That's it! That's barely acceptable even given its hyped-up and rather impressive new physics engine. I mean really, I sort of gasp when I find a game ends after five hours of gameplay, let alone two. Short duration aside, level design and the new engine are fantastic, there's just not enough game to really enjoy. A lot of people have been talking about it more as a fancy and witty tech-demo than as a game in and of itself, which I find to be more accurate. Half of the already too-short game is taken up by a lengthy tutorial sequence to get you used to the gun. I think its saving grace will be the editor, letting the community make and trade their own puzzles. They ought to be fun down the line. Also, Valve is a wonderful software producer that really listens to customer feedback and never lets a good thing peter out into oblivion, so I'm sure Portal 2.0 or some such will be in the works in no time. Portal was too fun to leave alone. The final word? Portal is great, super fun, and fine as a game that comes packaged with four others, but it just doesn't have the stamina to completely satisfy. Once the mod community kicks in, then we'll really be talking.
As for Team Fortress 2, it really isn't anything new as far as shooters go, but that doesn't mean it's a boatload of fun to play. This is extraordinary considering that I'm not usually all that into shooters. The classes are all very different and suit a wide variety of gameplay styles. I've already found that I naturally excel at certain classes and get utterly stomped when playing others. Furthermore, every class has their uses. There really aren't any specific classes that are truly superior on face value than the others, it's all situational and job-specific. That said, when every player does their job and does it well, you can find yourself in a really solid team, and the community dynamic in this game is really very strong. I find myself able to work extremely well with completely random people I never play with, but at the same time I don't feel railroaded into a set job by my class. Lots of options, not a lot of pressure. It's a solid shooter and I highly recommend it. In fact, I recommend it so much I invite you to play with me whenever you see me online. My Steam name is MiscreantInBlack. Drop me a line and we'll blast some Small Soldiers.
As for this week's update (I know you've all been waiting patiently), we find ourselves immersed in yet another onslaught of exposition! Hooray! The story is moving ahead! Croatoan and Jeff are pitting themselves against each other politcally now as Jeff finds his job threatened for the first time. Will the crackpot mayor be able to hold on to his seat or will he be ousted by the ancient assailant from the glory days of Planet Earth? Keep checking back to find out!10-09-07: I felt like I really copped out on the update yesterday due to my illness and my exhaustion when I actually posted, so I thought I would recap some of the things I wanted to discuss during the week but didn't get to.
The first order of business requires a general understanding that I am a huge fan of White Wolf role-playing products. I love the new World of Darkness role-playing system and am actually trying to assemble a campus chronicle right now with some friends. Imagine my excitement, then, when I heard that White Wolf was merging their electronics division with the Icelandic CCP, famous for their creation of Eve Online. I've loved all the old White-Wolf games and find them a lot of fun and really different from a lot of the clone-like repeat titles that just seem to be the same old thing over and over. The result of this merger is the eventual launch of a World of Darkness MMORPG. Now I've sworn myself off of MMOs ever since my EverQuest days, and since then I've only played the occasional bit of City of Heroes/Villains, but never enough to have any real attachment to or advancement in the game. I've sort of developed a prejudice against the genre and have constantly argued against them in terms of how they consistently fail in meeting their initial purpose and ultimately degreade down to a virtual economy rather than an actual game. I have a feeling, however, that this MMO will be the first to yank me out of that presupposition and I will finally return to the Massively-Multiplayer-Online Gaming Base. This assumes they do a good job with the game of course, but believe me, I'll be following them closely.
The other main thing I wanted to address was logistic in nature. I have to apologize in advance but I will be leaving campus for fall break and have to leave my compy behind (It's a huge desktop and it's not practical to be bringing it home). The tools I need to work on or update the comic won't be available at home, so I will not be able to update this Sunday. Since I will not be able to return until the middle of next week, it ends up being a scramble for me to do an early or late update and I have a TON of schoolwork to take care of before break hits, so this upcoming weekend will have to be the first I'll miss since opening the site. Don't worry though, I'll be back in the swing of things the weekend after, once everything has been sorted out and I can return to my compy. Besides, with almost 100 comics down, I think it's about time for a break, don't you?
10-08-07: This week has been more or less a gaming wasteland since I really didn't get to play anything new. This owns slightly to the fact that I've been catching up on schoolwork and also to the fact that I'm currently fighting off an illness that's been nagging at me for a few days now. That said, comic work is falling more than a little behind, but not so much that you'd notice on here. I still have plenty to keep consistent with the two updates a week.
This week we see Croatoan as he continues his rampage throughout the town and wrangles up what remains of the New Nibelheim populace. I'd say more, but like I said, illness beckons me to bed. I'm already up far too late as it is...
10-01-07: I wish I had more to say for this week considering the degree to which it drove me crazy. It was an unbelievably hectic week for me, what with all the science classes at my school deciding to schedule their exams during the same three-day stretch. I'm serious about this, across the board, they ALL DO THIS. That said, I began to fall behind on a lot of things, the comic being the least of my worries at this point as I'm scrambling a bit to try to regain footing in some of my classes. That and a few other hitches totally unrelated to academics, and you could safely say that this week was one of those weeks where only a giant gob of chocolate chip cookie dough could make it all better.
I wants me some cookie dough!
In terms of gaming, I've been dipping back a lot. Drakengard is nothing spectacular, but it helps to while away the hours (consorting with the flowers, consulting with the raaaaain...). I've also been sharing a save file with some friends in Tecmo's old-school classic, Monster Rancher for the PS1 (If I only had a braaaaain...). Talk about vintage. I finally got a look at some of the newer releases and hopefully there will be something wonderful to get my paws on come this holiday gaming release season. Until then, I'll be keeping my eyes peeled. No specifics yet.
In terms of anime, I'm just finishing up the Claymore series, (No spoilers here, mostly a technical review) and while it started out with gusto and a healthy heap of promise, I have to say I've been more than a little disappointed with its progression. Apparently "Claymore" is a code word for "Super powered sorority chick with chronic PMS and an ass whose sole purpose is to house a giant stick as well as her hyperinflated head which could only expand more if their last names were Trump." Seriously, stop talking about how powerful you are and show it! And the Zwee-fighting? Holy Dragonball Z, Batman! The series starts with some wonderfully rendered combat scenes only to deteriorate to the "draw a blur and some lines and just imagine things are actually happening" resulting in the ultimate death of random ugly foe #4. I think it says something when there's only one character in an entire series - which, mind you, has something around 20+ Claymores in its repertoire to sample - that actually strikes me as credible and believable as a character and not a walking readout of a Power-Meter. It's over 9000!!! One thing I really have to credit the series for, however, is its art. Very few anime series' anymore take the art to the level of fine detail this series goes into. Perhaps the simplicity of the action scenes, reanimation, and Zoom-Lines-Mean-Pwnt action scenes are a trade-off for the overall ambient detail this series boasts. If you're into sheer badassery in tall, thin, blonde form? Go for it. If you're looking for really solid characterization, this might not be your series. At least it's super-pretty!
Rants aside, this week's update is all about two HUGE fans of the aforementioned series, New Nibelheim's favorite (and only) same-sex couple. See what happens when young lesbians meet old sorcerors unawares. Hooray antics!
09-24-07: Another long week gone by, and though I know just about everything was driving me crazy all week it seemed to have gone by super-quickly. It was almost like far too much was crammed into far too little time and it just made my head spin. This upcoming week is riddled with exams, so I'm not particularly looking forward to it. On the plus side, the new season of Heroes starts this week! Who's excited? Come on, who's excited!? I know I am.
On the gaming front, I finally re-picked up Indigo Prophecy. I borrowed it from a friend a while back and got about halfway through it. I just finished it this weekend. Lots of fun. Not a terribly in-depth game system. You basically watch the game happen and press an occasional button to make the story keep playing, almost as if you had a DVD that you had to press play at every chapter beginning to make the film continue. The plot is fun, albeit a little haywire toward the end, but I liked it. If anything, I'm impressed with the animation. It's rare to see such natural character motion in games anymore. Most character animations seem a bit contrived.
I also bought Drakengard for a bit of classic dragonbound mayhem. I'll eventually sample LAIR from Garrett, our token PS3 owner, but until then, this game will have to do.
Regarding this week's update, we continue to focus on me and Tobes as we struggle to break our bonds. Yeah, yeah, I know last week I said we'd see more of the rest of the town but...well I lied. That's next week though, this time I promise!
09-17-07: Holy hell, this month has been such a circus. The hits just keep on coming and I keep on batting them back, so it's only fair that this weekend I took a little time for myself. I decided to tag along with Lee and Kelly to a Rennaissance Festival that they hold near their hometowns. It was a great way to get me away from campus and let me lighten up for a few days. Luckily I managed to get almost everything straightened out work-wise so that I wouldn't have to worry about anything (academically or comic-related) while I was there. It ended up being a whole lot of fun. Lee was actually working there, so he was some sort of pirate bard who walked around selling pretzels to fair-goers. He made a killing at the jousts. I was hanging out with Nora, Kelly, and Tobes most of the time, which was sort of awkward because everyone kept automatically assuming we were on some sort of double-date. It would have taken to long to explain to the costumed fair-folk that one of them likes girls and the other is dating the pretzel-monger. Tobes ended up buying a badass musketeer's rapier and I kept going back and forth over whether I should ask the hot flower girl for the flower she was carrying around in her cleavage as a birthday token (that was Saturday, by the way). A vendor approached me at one point and demonstrated just how naturally shady I look by pointing out "just the thing for me," a crystal which is meant to steer you clear of trouble with the cops. Gee, thanks, old crystal vendor. Apparently my visage speaks the word "criminal" at never-before-heard decibel levels. Que cera cera.
As for this week's update, this is more or less when the proverbial scat hitteth thine rotating wind machine. (Curse you, Ren-fest!!!) Croatoan's efforts, having hit more roadblocks that he'd anticipated, begins his campaign against the citizens of New Nibelheim in his effort to restore his waning youth and achieve immortality once again. More Gunther, more Tifa statue, and more "in-yo-face-biotch" attitude from me, and the fun doesn't stop there, either. Check back next week for a peek at what happens to the rest of the town!
09-10-07: Plenty of wacky events going on this week to keep me busy. Unfortunately, they all seem to be of the same vein as last week, meaning I've been battling off all sorts of obstacles and headaches that really shouldn't even be a priority or an issue. The comic has been totally unaffected by my ridiculous academic and social life, however, as I've still set aside enough time to spend on the requisite amount of pages. I've been finding it a lot harder to put aside the required time this semester especially, but I think that's mostly lent to the fact that I'm living in a dorm where I don't want to be so I'm never in my room with all my supplies and my compy.
One day at a time, Jeff. One day at a time.
As for this week's update, we explore yet another reason why my character is a terrible human being with a heart as black as his wardrobe. Then, Tobes indulges his curiosity as he gets to know everyone's favorite goblin minion, Gunther (See? I told you I'd try to throw more Gunther in there!). In terms of the progression of the comic, I don't think I can adequately convey how excited I am whenever anyone asks the question "What are you doing for your 100th comic?" It's a huge milestone as far as I'm concerned and I'm super-pumped. I know in real-time I won't be there for quite some time, but I'm creeping closer and closer every week. It's only a matter of time at this point.
09-03-07: The first week back has been quite a chore. Very little has gone as expected and things seemed to be taking a serious nosedive for a while. I was actually worried about being able to update this week because there was a citywide outage of our school's internet provider, rendering us network-less for most of the weekend. There was some sort of bridge fallout and cables got burned or some such. Lots of drama downtown, but the end result was an ISP reboot which gave us back our service. This means more comic for you, and more ability to connect with the outside world for me.
Academically I'm already being taxed, but my problem this year doesn't seem to stem from any sort of difficulty with the material but rather with time management. I have the additional wrinkle of being placed in a housing situation far from campus with numerous distractions, so avoiding that dorm and still finding places and time to get my work done is an additional challenge I hadn't really expected or prepared for before moving in this year. Luckily all of my friends here (including the Pilgrim Century cast members) have been unbelievably supportive since I moved in and have been doing all in their power to ensure I don't go completely gonzo before the semester lets out. They deserve a giant thank-you.
On a much more enjoyable note, the egos continue to clash as we pit mayor versus mage on the streets of New Nibelheim. I have been receiving almost unanimous acclaim about Gunther from everyone who I've talked to and he seems to have grown to be an instant favorite among the local reader base. I'll try and include him more often in the comic. Another fun aside: Kelly mentioned that Gunther would sound absolutely hilarious if he was voiced by the guy who did the bat from Anastasia. After youtubing a scene, I had to wholeheartedly agree. The funny twist to this is that that voice bears the same goofy accent as the coal mining descendant "valley folk" from the area in Pennsylvania I'm from, so it has a huge personal amount of hilarity for me. Read some of Gunther's lines with that voice in mind. It's super fantastic, take Kelly's word for it.
08-27-07: Well, it's time again for another year back at college. I'm moved in and situated for my first day of my last year of classes tomorrow. It would be an understatement to say that moving in was a bit rocky and I was met with more than a few disappointments along the road. There was a gross housing mixup that got me placed in the "party dorm," the sort of environment I try to generally avoid on campus. My books ended up costing nearly double what I was expecting due to changed in editions and course text changes from previous years. Couple that with a few other class-related problems still to come and I've got a really rough start to this year. Hopefully things will pan out.
Gaming has sort of ceased for me during the move-in process. As a matter of fact, nearly everything has. I haven't done very much art-wise this past week and I feel liek I'm falling behind as a result. Of course I'm still not actually behind, it just feels that way because I'm frigging neurotic. Luckily though, this won't impede this week's update, which finally draws our two factions together. What sort of calamity will ensue when the centuries-old Croatoan butts heads with the bull-headed mayor of New Nibelheim?
08-20-07: Summer, she's a-goin', goin', GONE! It's a little sad that this may very well be the last week of my last real summer as opposed to just "work during the warm season." I go back to school next weekend to begin my Senior Year and who the hell knows what's in store after that. I'd say I'm not too worried about it but that would make me a sorry, no-good liar. Anyway, this upcoming week is set up to be a LOT of packing, moving stuff around, and general semantics regarding the whole back-to-school transition so hopefully I'll still have the time to spend on all you wonderful people who come to read my comic.
This week, on the other hand, has been just the opposite. I've been realizing very strongly how little spare time I'll be having soon so I've been using up what I do have left to the fullest. I've been playing FFXII again (I know, I know, I'm an addict to the series), this time for item completion, bestiary completion, optional sidequests, etc. I usually like to play RPGs first for the story alone without worrying too much about the fact that it is indeed a game I'm playing. I don't try to max out stats or get the best equipment, blah blah blah. The second time around I enjoy the game aspect of it more, having already been familiarized with the story, so as far as characters and storyline go it's like a nice revisitation of old friends to do some new things.
I've also begun to sample Medieval II: Total War. After playing through Rome, I noticed that most of what the Total War series is the same game with a new skin on it under different names. There are slight alterations, but ultimately you've got the same title remarketed, which is a genius marketing strategy but sorta iffy on the player end. I don't mind so much because I personally like Medieval Europe a lot better than Roman Imperial times, so this game should be more tailored to my tastes than Rome was, although that game was excellent. I also keep noticing that the Total War series has an uncanny ability to consume hours of my life like some sort of starving animal. I'll have to watch that...
As for this week's update, we finally return to the citizenry of New Nibelheim (Mapleford) who we've all come to know and love, and Floyd emerges to take charge of a sketchy situation. We're looking at the usual doubles for a while, mostly because of the transition back to school, but also because I've got some side work I need to attend to as well as the impending schoolwork which is about to fall on my lap. If my wildest dreams come true and this lab-laden year doesn't end up being as work-heavy as I think it's going to be, perhaps I can throw you a few extras here and there. Oh well, we'll see!
08-13-07: This is going to be a really short update blurb because frankly I didn't do a whole hell of a lot this week and I'm half asleep as I type this. Wheeee! I haven't had any new games or anime to keep me occupied so it's been sort of a slow week. Instead, to keep myself busy, I've been making boatloads of little chocolate goodies because seeing both of the remakes of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Chocolat within three days of each other has given me one knockout craving. Curse you, Johnny Depp! But oh, hooray for brownies, truffles, and cake. Delicious, delicious cake.
In the mixed-up town that is New Nibelheim, this week further lets us get to know our outspoken sorceror friend and his instantly adorable little companion. Gunther's reception has been favorable thus far, which makes me extremely happy. I love that little guy to pieces. More to come next week as the dilemma further unfolds.
08-06-07: This week is a double-post again, due to a combination of a really hectic home this past week as well as my preoccupation with several side projects that I have been putting off for some time. This is a very special week regarding the comic and its storyline (I still can't get used to saying that, heh) due to the introduction of Two NEW CHARACTERS!!! Introducing Croatoan (who, believe me, will be introducing himself more than enough so I don't have to get into it at all) and Gunther, his hapless goblin minion. They'll be around for some time, causing all sorts of ruckus in town for New Nibelheim to deal with. I hope you like them and the chaos they're bound to bring in their wake.
Since I've been focusing so much on storyline I have to confess I've been falling behind the game market a little bit since I'm (A) very poor and (B) don't own the console/haven't been much interested in many of the new titles that have been releasing recently. I finally checked out the trailer and features teasers for the Star Wars: Force Unleashed game in the works for Spring 2008. This game, and I'll say this in italics because I can't stress this enough, looks completely and utterly hyper-badass to the MAX!!! (See that? Three exclamation points. Now you know I'm serious.) Not too much is leaked out about it yet other than its setting between episodes 3 and 4 while Darth Vader goes tearing around through the galazy wrecking Jedi. There's a secret appretice who helps him in his task. The story setting reminds me so much of Shadows of the Empire it's uncanny, which is exceptional news because I loved that game. To date I still consider it one of the best Star Wars games ever made. Other than that, the game looks graphically impressive and a lot of the animated in-game footage looks really detailed and variable from what they've shown. Lucas is being very hush-hush about the game though until later on so the storyline will hit with a bang. I'm looking forward to this one, but it looks liek it will be a long wait.
I have another final treat for everyone this week. My buddy Alex from school has started up his own webcomic. It's a three-paneller featuring his original characters as well as spoofed game situations, and so far it's been a blast. He doesn't have his own hosting plan yet so right now he's using a new DeviantART account to generate a fanbase and get his work out there. The comic is called "M for Mature" and you can check it out here. If you like it, feel free to let him know. I'm sure he'd love feedback from fans as much as I would.
07-30-07: This week has been extraordinarily uneventful in terms of the comic but exactly the opposite regarding just about everything else. It's sort of been a clean-up week all around, getting things done around the house and tending to pets that require cage/tank cleaning all at once, not to mention the total system format of both my computer and my family's home laptop. That all told took like a day and a half to back everything up, reinstall the 50 billion programs we all need, and get everything back just the way I like it on the two systems. Luckily, they're both running wonderfully now and I have plenty of time left over on the weekend to tend to Transformers - The Game.
I've not yet by any means exhausted the game, but my first impressions are that the game is, in and of itself, a fun romp through town blowing the ever-loving bajesus out of everything. Not particularly deep or involved, but hey, it's Transformers. They're giant transforming robots with missiles and guns. We're not talking emmy material here. The fun factor is significantly decreased, however, by really really clunky controls that aren't particularly intuitive. It also strikes me as particularly strange that in a game where you spend a substantial amount of time playing as either some sort of car or aircraft, the controls for vehicles aren't at all smooth. The concept of traction has managed to completely escape this one. I think if it were a lot smoother when actually playing it, the game would be a lot closer to its overall potential of being super-fun. If the game is lying around at someone's house, go ahead and pick it up. you're bound to have fun playing it, I just don't know how worth it this game is to actually go out and spend money on. This might be one to wait on until it's down to $12.99 on the E.B.Games used shelf.
As for this week's update, since I've been very busy away from the drawing board I'm back to the usual double-update this week. Ironically enough, this takes us almost, but not quite, to the new characters I promised, so this week I get to leave you all hanging in suspense because next week you get to meet two entirely new characters!!!
07-23-07: In keeping with my "Stop being an overachieving jackass" kick, I'm going to post yet another triple-update this week! The comic continues down its usual path toward a continuous storyline as a few question previously hanging in the air are finally addressed instead of just flat-out ignored and assumed to be part of the usual randomness of web comics. This week is all about Kelly and Lee and their pursuit of some real answers.
On a site note, I decided to start to split up the news archive into 6 month chunks, so I've begun putting the newer updates on a second page. They're all navigable within the news archive section. I put links to the different dates sections on the top. Maybe one day I'll get around to organizing it further. It depends on how much extra time I end up having and just how ambitious I feel at the time.
And what about little ol' me? Well, the week alone was a lot of fun. I got a surprising amount done around the house and managed to go through an reorganize a lot of stuff, doing the whole "Do I REALLY Need This?" bit. I've also been keeping with my streak of playing really old games just because I don't have the money or the interest in much that's new. Summer's really lulling in the gaming world, or at least in terms of games that would pique my interest. After Overlord I've been dipping back a bit and playing Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines, rekindling my interest in the World of Darkness role-playing system. It has also reminded me that I had every intent to throw some tabletop humor into the comic as well. Once I've weedled my way through this story arc, perhaps I'll give that concept more consideration. Yay for fun things to come!
07-16-07: It's taken long enough, but someone needs to smack me the next time I decide that being "not ahead enough" means falling behind. This week marks my return home after a generally unsuccessful job hunt in the area of my school halfway across the state. There was one offer, but the hours were extremely low and it was too late in the summer to deal with something like that. Besides, since my family is vacationing in Vermont, I have the house to myself now. WHOOHOO! Since my return I've been super busy. I finished both Gungrave: Overdose as well as Overlord and have gotten through yet another anime series as well as the Highlander DVDs that I've been working my way through forever. I;ve also been working far ahead on the comic, so there's no reason for me NOT to be giving you guys a triple post this week. Yep, you heard me, three pages for the price of one this time around.
This week's update focuses mainly on the town trying to get a foothold on their recent problems with the energy crisis. Tobes settles even further into his position as Minister of Defense, and I prove just what it looks like to exist minus one human soul. Fun and hijinx are had by all. Did I mention we have some new characters coming soon? Oh yeah, we have new characters coming soon! Check back next week for the first installment in the saga that finally explains why the hell Mapleford was empty to begin with!!
07-09-07: Holy friggin' WHOAH! It's update time already? Wow, something about this week made it absolutely fly. It doesn't seem like it should be monday yet. Parhaps it has something to do with the ridiculous binge of Spider-Man comics and gaming. I just passed the #100 mark in Amazing Spider-Man and caught up with the annual editions as well (Most of those were just reprints....blargh). Meanwhile I've been playing through Gungrave: Overdose which strikes me as the final version of the game that the first Gungrave was a beta for. It just feels so much more complete, rather than a 4 hour "Press Square-Fest." I still feel kind of akin to the first one though since I loved the anime so much and that was the same storyline. Overdose stands alone, so it sort of makes sense for it to be more developed. I've also been playing evil pikmin, also known as Overlord. I am having an absolute BALL with this. It's a very easy to use interface and I've only had problems with the controls when trying to make minions cross narrow bridges near water. Their AI seems to want to lead them not-where-I-told-them. Other than that, it's a riot. My only real complaint is the same as everyone else's. It's a game about evil, but it's such a cartoony goofball evil that it just seems liek good with a mask on. The first series of quests involves you helping out a small farming community. That doesn't sound any different than a "good guy" game. It has the same feel to it that Fable does, given the setting and environment in general. If you played an evil character with heavy armor in Fable, you'll feel right at home in the Overlord world.
In terms of the comic, let's get some damn POWER already! Jeff's still working through his town's little issues and the plot is gradually thickening...well not quite yet, but it's getting there. I'm having some fun and trying some different things on the pages I'm working on at the moment, so the next few updates ought to be a lot of fun for everyone. At least that's the goal. As always, enjoy
07-02-07: It's sort of awesome that I've been keeping this up for a full six months now. That makes me smile inside. Not quite in the same way as seeing Live Free or Die Hard, but it's awesome nevertheless. It's a totally different type of awesome. As for LFODH, I was more than pleased. It more or less delivered everything it promised. Lots of fast action, Bruce Willis as the same old crazy hardass he always was, a tight storyline that didn't fall secondarily to the action sequences, and just the right amount of over-the-top-ness to keep your mouth dropped without making you tip over into the "Oh come ON!" territory. All in all, a great summer movie and a fun afternoon that I highly reccommend.
Wow, I'm all about summer movies this year. It's sort of uncharacteristic of me, but maybe it's because I've never been living this close to a theater. Whatever the reason, it's nice to get out more.
As for the comic, this week furthers the storyline that's been developing and also demonstrates what happens when summer hits and the artist gets SUPER freaking lazy when generating his pages. Power outage? Convenient. Lots of black panels, WHOOHOO! Cop-out? Perhaps, but it's still relevant to the setup of the story at this point and it still gives me time to figure out what the hell I want to do with the future plot-arc.
Teehee.
Pilgrim Century Webcomic & Website v1.2 - Design & Artwork by Jeff McGoldrick. Optimized for 1024x768 resolutions.
