Game On! report

Hi all, MrPigeon here. Ferris has kindly let me return to his blog because I wanted to point out a wonderful exhibition I recently visited at the Brisbane State Library called Game On!

Hailing originally from London and now in its first showing in Australia, the exhibit is a gloriously detailed history of videogames, from the very first games developed on machines bigger than Yo Momma, to the latest masterpieces on consoles like the XBox 360 and Playstation 3. No stone is left unturned.. even the humble game-and-watch gets its moment in the sun, and consoles which never even saw the light of day in Australia (such as the PC Engine) are on display.

Arriving at the first floor of the exhibition is a jaw-dropping sight. Legendary arcade titles (think Pacman, Donkey Kong, Gradius, Space Invaders, Centipede..) are all present, in their original cabinets, with controls and artwork intact. Even more recent arcade games, such as Virtua Fighter and the Neo Geo multi-game systems, are all present. There's an entire table full of every handheld you can think of, from the earliest game-and-watch titles to the Nintendo DS and PSP. And every console is also on display, each with one of the bigger titles loaded up. I almost fainted when I saw an Atari Jaguar running Tempest 2000, one of my favorite games ever.

The best part is.. everything's on free-play. You can wander up to any of the arcade games or consoles and have a bash. Every game featured that has a two-player mode even has two controllers set up. I became quite proud when I saw that my Ms Pacman high score remained unbeaten when I checked again laqter in the day.

Then you head upstairs, and it's time to prepare for another jaw-dropping moment. The upper floor is absolutely enormous, chock-full of free-to-play TV consoles featuring all the legendary and most influential titles throughout gaming history. There had to have been at least 70 or more wall terminals with games. An Amiga running Monkey Island, a PC running the old Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy text adventure (complete with old-school early-90s keyboard.. no Windows key here!).. a Dreamcast running Rez, a Playstation running the Japanese Katamari Damacy.. an Atari 2600 running Adventure, a Wii running Wii Sports. Ferris would be in heaven, because there was even a wall dedicated to the heroes of the Commodore 64 music scene, with headphones that allowed you to listen to classics by Ben Daglish and Anthony Lees, amongst others.

It wasn't all just playable games, though.. there were exhibits that described the development of some of the more influential titles. My personal favourite was the display of the actual design documents, play flow diagrams and internal emails regarding the development of the nightclub level in Max Payne. Even the clothes that were digitized to become Max's costume were on display. A similar design display for GTA3 was also very impressive.

I spent the whole day at the exhibit, and could've easily spent several more. If you are anywhere remotely near Brisbane between now and February 15.. GO VISIT. This is absolute gamer nirvana and probably the best thing I've ever spent $18 on. Wonderful!

Taiwanese-style Chicken Stir-fry Recipe (台式家常雞柳)

Hello everyone, it's Mrs Ferris here with another recipe! This time it is one of my all-time favorite Taiwanese dishes: chicken stir-fry (台式家常雞柳 in Chinese). I still make it all the time now because Ferris and I both love it so much! Traditionally, Taiwanese would just use a single vegetable in this dish (eg. bok choy), but I have modified the recipe to include a mix of different veges. Hope you enjoy this delicious and aromatic meal!

Ingredients (serves 6):

- 650g Chicken breasts, trimmed and sliced into 8cm strips
- 5 Garlic cloves, sliced
- 100g Baby corn, sliced in half lengthways
- 2 Broccoli florets, chopped
- 3 Bunches Bok Choy, chopped
- 100g Green beans (optional), trimmed and chopped
- 1 Carrot, thinly sliced
- 8 Tablespoons Salt-reduced soy sauce
- 4 Heaped tablespoons Corn flour
- 6 Tablespoons Maggi oyster sauce
- 6 Tablespoons Olive oil
- 100ml Water
- 1/2 Teaspoon Chili powder (optional)
- Cooked Jasmine rice, to serve

Directions:
1. Combine chicken, soy sauce and chili powder well in a large bowl. Add corn flour and use hands to combine chicken with corn flour. Ensure all chicken strips are evenly coated with corn flour and that there are no clumps of flour.

2. Heat 2.5 tablespoons oil in a wok over high heat until hot. Add half the garlic and stir for 5 seconds, then add half the chicken. Stir and toss frequently to make sure chicken strips do not stick together. When chicken (and garlic) are cooked through, transfer to a bowl. Reheat the wok with 2.5 tablespoons oil and repeat with remaining chicken and garlic.

3. Add 1 tablespoon oil to hot wok. Add broccoli and baby corn and stir fry for 1 minute. Add green beans, bok choy and carrot. Add water and oyster sauce. Stir until sauce is well combined with the vegetables.

4. Return chicken and garlic to wok and stir to combine chicken and vegetables. Cook until vegetables are just tender.

5. Taste and add salt if desired. Serve warm with cooked rice.

Tips:
1. Coat chicken with corn flour just before cooking. If the chicken is coated with corn flour too long before cooking, the chicken will taste floury.

2. Drain chicken strips from water before marinating them with soy sauce, so that when they are added to the heated wok, the hot oil won't spit too much.

3. To ensure vegetables stay crunchy, after you add the vegetables to the hot wok, work quickly when adding other ingredients to the wok. Maggi Oyster Sauce is a bit hard to pour out of the bottle, so it might be a good idea to measure and pour it into a cup before cooking.

4. This recipe also works well with other types of Asian greens.

Ingredients all ready to go

Stir-frying the chicken

With vegetables added it should look something like this!

Far Cry 2: Malaria and Mike's Bar

I've just bought a copy of Far Cry 2 and have played it for perhaps an hour.  First impressions?  Graphics are incredible: everything looks extremely realistic, and it's nice to see details like bushes and grass moving in the wind, and accurate shadows everywhere.  The framerate is high, with no noticeable slowdown yet.  Controls are pretty good... not quite up to Call of Duty 4 standard, but perfectly adequate.  Negatives?  Well, one so far- getting stuck very early on in the game where I needed to get to Mike's Bar to obtain pills to keep my malaria in check.  A cut scene tells you to proceed to the bar quickly to get the pills... fair enough I thought, drop everything and let's go. But to my frustration halfway to the bar I would have a malarial attack, pass out, and be returned to sit through the entire cut scene again.  Each time I would set out and try a different route, visit a safe house first etc, but nothing made any difference and I would pass out each time.  After cursing the game for half an hour I thought "stuff Mike's Bar and my malaria - I'm just going to go and look for some hidden diamonds".  Lo and behold once I'd found some diamonds my way was clear to drive to Mike's Bar... I got there with no problems at all.  It all seemed a bit illogical to me, and contrary to my expectation of Far Cry 2 being a non-linear game.  I suppose this was all part of the structured 'training' section of the game, but all it has managed to do is make me think this whole Far Cry 2 "malaria" thing might ruin what looks to be a great game...

Building my first arcade cabinet: Part X

A few more photos, now that I have added some instruction cards for old-school authenticity :)

Building my first arcade cabinet: Part IX

The marquee is complete!  I purchased some perspex (cut to size) from Eddie Walewicz Glass in Fyshwick, and spent an hour or so cutting out the speaker holes and drilling holes for screws.  Another hour or so was spent trimming the three separate print outs and making sure they lined up with the perspex and the front of the cabinet when assembled.  I think the end result is pretty good... it's not perfect (like the rest of the cabinet :), but I managed to achieve the look and quality of finish I was aiming for.  Note that my marquee isn't backlit, although the photos give that impression due to the camera flash. One thing that's a bit hard to see from the photos is the piece of tinted perspex I have placed over the monitor.  It makes a huge difference to the look of the cabinet... it certainly looks more professional and authentic now.  So, just one thing left to do, which is to source some black rubber edging... and then I will be completely finished! :)

Building my first arcade cabinet: Part VIII

Just a quick update today. I've finally finished (and printed) my marquee design!  The image above is a low-res version, with the black circles representing the location of the speaker covers. Using Inkscape (a cool open source vector art package) and borrowing some images from Arcade Art, I think I've managed to produce something that looks presentable.  I exported the completed vector image as three separate bitmaps (around 5Mb each), and printed them onto three pages of Canon glossy paper.  The print quality from our Canon MX300 printer is pretty amazing... I just hope I can somehow join the separate pages together so that it looks seamless.  Now all I have to do is track down some clear plastic sheets and work out a way to affix it to my cabinet...

Building my first arcade cabinet: Part VII

I couldn't resist uploading a few more photos! Last night I added a metal kickplate and decorative strip on the front of the control panel. I think they make a huge difference to the visual appeal of the cabinet. Tonight I attached the rear panel, after first mounting the external power switch to it.  At least the cats can't get inside the cabinet now!  These latest photos show the illuminated buttons on the front panel, which I have configured to select, pause, and exit games.  Very handy indeed, and they look pretty cool as well :)Not much left to do now to complete the cabinet- I need to track down some rubber edging, order some glass/plexi/lexan (not sure which one) to cover the screen, and create and print some artwork for the top panel.  I'll give myself plenty of time to organise these finishing touches, as I'm not sure I can keep going at the pace I had set myself!  Besides, the cabinet is now fully functional, and I'm keen to get some game time in... :)

Building my first arcade cabinet: Part VI

Almost done!  I moved the cabinet into the house (with some help - thanks Anthony!), and then  finished off the wiring and assembly.  I had to overcome a few last minute issues, mainly caused by not allowing enough room under the control panel for the buttons and microswitches etc, but at the end I managed to get everything together.  I now have a button connected to the PC's power switch, and with everything plugged into a power board it is only two button-presses to start the arcade cabinet...  turn the power on at the wall, then press the button connected to the PC's power switch.  I can get this down to one button press if I buy a smart power board, such as this one from Jaycar. 

The ugly bare wood you can see on the front of the control panel will be covered by some nice metal sheeting, which I will also use for a kick plate.

Oh, and for those that were wondering, the first game I played on the cabinet was Galaxian :)

Building my first arcade cabinet: Part V

Everything is progressing well... spent many hours today building the control panel.  It all took much longer than I expected, which is pretty much par for the course when building an arcade cabinet!  Attaching the vinyl overlay was a painful experience, and something I'm not keen to repeat in a hurry.  Wiring was fun though, and everything went according to plan.  I'm now at the stage where I can attach the control panel, front panel, and rear panel to the main cabinet... just need to haul the cabinet in from the garage!  Then it's just a few finishing things: installing an external power button (connected to my PC's power button), adding a metal kick-plate, and sourcing some rubber for the edging.

Control panel (well, the beginnings of one anyway...)

Microswitches and spare joystick top

Buttons and Joysticks installed

Front panel with coin button

Control panel all wired up to I-PAC controller.  Everything worked first time!

Finished control panel with vinyl overlay

My Version of KFC Fried Chicken Recipe

G'Day Everyone!
Hello - this is Ferris' wife here... Just thought I'd share a recipe that I used today to make KFC fried chicken. I love KFC fried chicken but it is pretty greasy and fatty. In order to create a healthier version of the chicken, I've browsed the internet for ideas and made up this recipe. Ferris said it tasted great - just like the fried chicken from KFC!
Happy cooking! :)

Ingredients:
- 1.7 kilograms Chicken Pieces
- 1 large Egg, beaten
- 1/2 cup Milk (full-cream)
- 1 1/2 cups Plain Flour
- 6 tablespoons Chicken Stock Powder
- 6 teaspoons Garlic Salt
- 4 teaspoons Italian Herbs Mix (from the spice section of the supermarket)
- 1 teaspoon Black Pepper (ground)
- 2 teaspoons Paprika (ground mild)
- 1/4 teaspoon Baking Powder

Directions:
1. Combine beaten egg and milk in a bowl.
2. Mix all dry ingredients well in a large container or bowl to
make the KFC seasoning mix.
3. Trim fat from chicken pieces. If you want to make it extra healthy, remove the skin too.
4. Dip chicken pieces one by one into egg and milk mixture, shake to remove excess liquid, then coat the pieces one by one with dry flour mixture. Shake well to remove excess flour, otherwise the crust will be floury.
5. Put a baking paper on an oven tray and spray it with extra virgin olive oil spray. Put chicken onto the tray and ensure the pieces do not overlay. Generously spray chicken pieces with olive oil spray. Bake chicken at 180 degrees for 40 minutes or until fully cooked. Turn chicken around once during baking to ensure each piece browns evenly. Check the oven regularly during cooking to ensure chicken does not burn.

6. Season chicken with ground black pepper, and serve it warm with oven-baked potato chips (in Australia I use McCain crunchy beer-battered steak fries) and salad.

Notes & Tips:

Please ensure that you use no more than half a cup of milk, otherwise the egg and milk mixture becomes watery, and the batter won't stay on the chicken. If you would like to make only half the quantity of the chicken, just reduce the quantity of all the ingredients by half (the cooking time will need to be adjusted accordingly). I made up this recipe with reference to this recipe and another one from my colleague Sarah.

Building my first arcade cabinet: Part IV

Time for priming and painting!  After filling in screw holes and sanding, I made a trip to the hardware store and bought some spray-on primer and paint.  I have been deliberating the merits of spray paint vs a tin of paint and roller, but in the end I went the spray route.  I must say that particleboard soaks up a lot of primer and paint!  I'm not exactly sure how many cans of primer and paint I went through (maybe 9 in total!), but hopefully the end result will justify the higher-than-anticipated expenditure!  Here are some progress photos for your enjoyment :)

Building my first arcade cabinet: Part III

It may not look much different from my previous post, but I've put in (quite!) a few hours on my arcade cabinet since then.  The most obvious additions are the speakers and the top panels, although I have done other work including counter-sinking screws etc.  The top panels and bezel were a bit fiddly, especially when I was trying to measure while using a pencil and holding several bits of wood together.  It was during moments like these that I wished I owned a wider range of clamps :)  Cutting the speaker holes was pretty straightforward- I used a drill to make some holes, then cut them out with a jigsaw.  While I successfully got the job done, I'm glad the speaker covers hide my "craftsmanship" :)  The last photo shows my Capcom Street Fighter 2 template, which will come in handy when I receive my buttons and joysticks.  Next jobs will be using filler to hide screw holes and sanding ready for painting.

Building my first arcade cabinet: Part II

I'm pleased to say I'm making progress, as these photos hopefully demonstrate.  Cutting the monitor bezel was tough, and I wasn't entirely sure of my measurements, but it all seemed to work out ok.  The control panel board and large board at the front of the cabinet are not yet fixed in place, but even like this it gives a pretty good idea of how the cabinet will look when finished.  Of course the control panel will be covered with an overlay and the edges will be hidden by some kind of molding to help prevent chipping. Lots of work still to do, but it seems to be going OK so far! :)

Building my first arcade cabinet: Part I

I'm building an arcade cabinet!  I'm not sure what tipped me over the edge on this one- it was a steady progression I think. One minute I'm playing a few old games in MAME, the next I'm reading blogs and websites detailing people's hand-build arcade cabinets.  Before I knew what was happening I was making plans and pricing up my own DIY cabinet :) 

Over the past few weeks I've bought a 2nd hand PC and 21" CRT monitor, as well as a cheap 2nd hand cabinet from an ex-govt. furniture shop.  I've been visiting a lot of sites on the Internet (some good ones here, here, here, and here) and bought some plans from a helpful guy named Bob. I used the plans as a guide and designed my own template, taking in to account my monitor dimensions etc. After making a strong base to support the heavy monitor, I picked up a jigsaw (for the first time in my life!) and attacked the particle board. After a bit of hand sanding I bolted the panels to the cabinet.  Here are the results of my efforts...

Progress to-date

Monitor mount/support

Side panel

Cardboard template

Lots still left to do, but I'm happy with my progress so far. While I can't wait to have it finished, I'm thoroughly enjoying the process of building my first arcade cabinet!

Mass Effect: An RPG for the Masses?

Unless you've been hiding under a rock for over six months, you've probably heard of a little game called Mass Effect. The game has recently been released for the PC after an XBox360 exclusive period much like their previous titles Knights of the Old Republic and Jade Empire, which had a XBox release for quite a while before their PC counterparts were released. While the release of Mass Effect has been comparatively quicker than those two titles, the game itself has had more than its fair share of controversy. The initial attacks on the game due to its "adult content" included a ridiculous report by Fox News that was so far skewed against the game that it couldn't be classed as anything but an abject failure of "journalism." More recently, the Digital Rights Management (DRM) features of the PC version has suffered a large amount of bad press due to the measures and limitations it places upon the installation of the game in order to attempt to prevent piracy. And attempt is the correct word, for even despite these efforts, unfortunately pirated versions of the game do exist. I won't buy into the DRM argument here, for that would be an entire article in itself.

I have to confess upfront that I'm a BioWare fan-boy, having loved pretty much everything that they've produced, but even taking that self-admitted bias out of the equation, Mass Effect is an excellent game, and worth just about every accolade that is thrown its way. The story, characterisation and universe created have a great depth, which is likely due to the fact that they spent an entire year just with writers creating all those aspects as the initial phase of creating the game. This is the sort of thing that can quite easily go unnoticed by many gamers when it's there, but if this aspect is lacking in an RPG, it'll often stick out like a car in the background of a fantasy/medieval movie. There's nothing that ruins the immersion of an RPG like a proverbial hit over the head with a plot inconsistency or non-sequitur. Mass Effect is a polished and well-rounded piece of work, and even though there are a few failings in terms of glitches, they typically don't cause too much aggravation such that it makes you want to blow away one of your own teammates.


But I didn't intend this post to turn into gratuitous praise for Mass Effect, because I'd like to consider what effect it might have on the gaming industry in terms of the development of future RPGs. Why do I think this one game could have such a profound effect? Because Mass Effect has the potential to garner a wider audience than most RPGs that have come before, and prove that the increased development time of RPG titles over the comparatively rapid production of a first person shooter is worth the effort.

Firstly, Mass Effect is that it's not a standard RPG. Why do I say that? It's not set in a medieval/fantasy environment. By and large, that is the realm of RPGs, and many people simply cannot stomach that, disliking the whole swords, magic, dragons, and everything that comes with the Dungeons and Dragons or its related ilk. Yes, I can some of you screaming that it's not the first such work, and will point to titles like Fallout or Knights of the Old Republic, but the only thing that is potentially considered more geeky than Dungeons and Dragons is a unbounded love for Star Wars. Yes, Mass Effect is still sci-fi, so there is still a certain element of geek, but seeing as it doesn't belong to any of pre-established sci-fi franchises, it gets off a little more lightly. The fact that the eye candy is nice doesn't hurt at all either.


The combat of the game is also more like an action game or a first person shooter. This is a big win because of the way that many RPGs feature dice-roll based combat that is very much in your face, resulting in your clicking on your target once, and then waiting until the dice roll in your favour and your character manages to hit and kill your opponent. Yes, there are some elements of control you have to modify your character's attacks, but the frustration of gamers screaming at their computer "Stop rolling ones dammit!!!" as a fight turns from a pushover to a defeat due to sheer misfortune is an undeniable failing of the mechanic. Sure, your shots still can go wide in Mass Effect, but there's an element of direct control that is absent in most other RPGs.


The game is also completely voiced. Any interaction between the player's character (Commander Shepard) and anyone he or she meets along the way is heard, and not read, as it usual for most RPGs. This is a big thing for gaining a new audience for RPGs. Another big turn off for non-RPG players is reading through reams of lengthy dialogue simply to get a quest to kill more monsters. It's not necessary to know someone's entire life story before they say "Go kill some orcs for me please", though failings of that ilk are not unheard of. The dialogue is snappy by necessity, and keeps the game pushing along, and even the dialogue choices that the player gets to choose are a few words that are merely a representation of the words Shepard will say.


All of these things feed into the overall cinematic feel of the game, which is the big winner for Mass Effect. After going through the process of customising their character's appearance, there's a nice introduction sequence which sets the tone for the entire game, even if the title and brief textual blurb is a little cheesy. The first hour of the game is interspersed with a health grab-bag of cut-scenes, such that the player can almost feel like they are playing a movie. The tempo and the stakes are high, the gameplay and controls are easy to pick up and understand. This cinematic feel is probably the most likely place that gamers will be converted to the genre, for the feeling of control in a movie-like experience is an appeal that is broad across a very large percentage of the gaming community. This was evidenced through the unprecedented acclaim for the single player experience of a first person shooter in the form of Call of Duty 4.

I must note that Mass Effect is by no means a perfect game, and while I've sung it praises, it does suffer from a few negatives. The AI has shortcomings at times, the main quest does suffer from being a little on the short side for an RPG, and the decryption mini-game can become a moderate annoyance, just to name a couple.

However, my aim with this article was to point out the areas in which Mass Effect has more wide ranging appeal than many other RPGs, rather than to provide a full and critical analysis of the game. (As there's already hundreds of other reviews on the web that do just that!) As an avid RPG fan, I can only hope that Mass Effect gains a comparative level of fame, and that it results in an increased RPG fan base which will raise the willingness of game companies to engage in the challenging development process that is required to produce quality games of this genre.

(Images courtesy of dignews.com)

DIY: building an (inexpensive) GTI mount for TomTom One satnav, plus hardwiring to the fuse box

I thought I'd write a quick guide describing the way I created a mount and hardwired my Tomtom One satnav to the fusebox. It's pretty basic stuff really, and no doubt there are much more elegant ways to do this. Having said that, it all cost me next to nothing, and so far the mount has been very stable and the Tomtom charges and works perfectly. I figure it beats spending a lot of money on a proclip...

All I used/bought was:

• A cigarette lighter adaptor: female cigarette lighter socket on one end, two wires/alligator clips on the other end (from Jaycar)
• A 3 Amp fuse (small size)
• Some black cable ties (various sizes)
• An old stubbie holder (black!)
• A small rubber ball, flattened on one side (not shown!)
• Little plastic bracket thingys (x 2) - as shown in photo!
• Some velcro
• Some black electrical tape

The mount:
I took the Tomtom windscreen mount apart, and placed the small rubber ball into the hole where the windscreen mount normally connects (with the flat side of the rubber ball facing out). I cut up the plastic bracket thingys to make them smaller, and attached them to the Tomtom's mount using the screws provided. I then cut up the stubbie holder, and wrapped a piece around the GTI's console (I figured it would protect the plastic from getting scratched). I then threaded cable ties through the holes in the plastic bracket thingys and wrapped them around the stubbie-holder-protected console. The cable ties work really well, fastening the mount solidly to the console. I then took another piece of stubbie holder and wrapped it (horizontally?) under the mount to hide the main cable ties, although of course I used some more cable ties to fasten the additional bit of stubbie holder! But overall it looked much neater this way. Of course, as I went along I trimmed the plastic ties once I had fastened them. Now you might think it all looks a bit dodgy (especially in one of the photos), but everything is hidden nicely behind the Tomtom mount... that is unless you want to get down in the footwell with a torch :)



The hard-wiring:
The female cigarette lighter attachment I bought from Jaycar had two wires attached ending in alligator clips. I removed the alligator clips and stripped some insulation from the wires. I then connected the earth wire to a screw (as shown), and I wound the power wire around the leg of a 3 Amp fuse and pushed it into an empty spot in the fusebox. You can see in one of the photos- it's the pink fuse in the top row. I had previously tested this empty fuse spot with a test light to make sure it was only powered when the ignition was turned on. Of course, make sure that you plug the fuse the right way around, otherwise you will end up powering the Tomtom bypassing the fuse entirely :)
Next I plugged the Tomtom's car charger into the female cigarette adapter I had just wired in. I ran the cable from the fusebox up behind the dash and behind the interior plastic trim until it emerged between the driver's seat and centre console. I fastened the cable in place at various points along the way using some electrical tape. Oh, and I decided to use some velcro to hold the cigarette lighter adaptor firmly in place in the fusebox, so that it wouldn't add yet another vibration/rattle to the GTI's dash :)

Changing the Tomtom's welcome screen:
I couldn't resist creating a custom VW welcome/splash screen for the Tomtom. It's really simple- just follow these instructions.

I think the most expensive item was the female cigarette lighter adapter- I can't remember its exact price, but definitely < $20. Everything can be removed if necessary, and I haven't damaged the original Tomtom mount or power cable (or my GTI!) in the process. Mounting the Tomtom down low works well for me... it doesn't get in the way of anything, and I can still clearly see it when driving (for the most part I just follow the voice instructions). I think the mount is less obvious down low, which is better for security. And if I'm parked in a dodgy area I can easily throw something over the mount to cover it up :)

I hope that this guide can assist those not-so-technical people like me out there :) Oh, and of course, you follow these instructions at your own risk... I am not responsible if you break your Tomtom, fusebox or GTI :)