Cav's Place

There’s a fair bit more to say about the tooth issues, after going to the dentist twice this week and having three of them give an opinion, but things are obviously quite nasty and I just don’t want to deal with that anymore, so I’ll leave it for later. Probably won’t go again next week, so I guess there’s time to do that then without really having more stuff to add, while now I can just throw something else here quickly enough to avoid a Sunday update yet again.

One thing I really want to post now is that I ran yesterday, and went for ten kilometers again, not that I actually planned to at first. I just came from the dentist, went to the toilet, changed and went back out to take advantage of the almost complete lack of wind and sunny day with a temperature around 10°C, so a bit too chilly but otherwise good conditions, and likely better than I’ll find again before spring. And I did rather mean to try to run away from the panic I was experiencing about the situation with the tooth, so I just started running and wondering whether I’ll stick to the usual seven kilometers or try this, only really deciding to go for ten when I started sector three of lap two.
That was because I only meant to do this if I’ll manage to get under 50 minutes for the first time and at that point I knew I could do it, and I did, the final time being 49:28, with sector times of 4:33, 5:16, 5:55, 4:29, 5:08, 6:02, 4:40, 5:20, 6:13 and 1:52, making for lap times of 15:44, 15:39 and 16:13. Making a note of that second lap, since it’s the second fastest second lap and the sixth fastest lap overall, and yet I could keep going just fine after it, and had a little more left at the end. Not sure if giving it everything would have gained me those 29 seconds needed to get under 49 minutes as things were, but on a clearer track even that should have been possible.

Otherwise, Tuesday went to a debate about Trump’s victory, why it happened, what it may mean for us here and for Europe as a whole and what can be done, and discovered an interesting place, since the location was some sort of mix between a bar and a library, as there are a fair number of books available for clients, plus board and card games.

And then today I went to the march organized as a reaction to the initiative to change the Constitution to clearly specify that marriage can only be between a man and a woman and support the “traditional family”, signed by nearly three million people and waved through the following stages up to the point that there were serious talks of organizing the referendum at the same time as next month’s Parliamentary elections. That didn’t happen, but there now seem to be signed agreements with nearly all parties to hold it in April, and nearly all parties also explicitly support this initiative. Mind you, neither same-sex marriage nor civil partnerships of any kind are currently allowed in Romania, so this initiative is meant to strengthen an existing ban and pretty much ensure things won’t change for the better in the foreseeable future.
But enough about the issue itself for now, since this is a personal post. If you’re interested in more, there was an article that was shared for those looking for some more information in English, and there are also the pictures I took and what I said in the album description about the actual march. I just want to ask how to allow people who aren’t my friends to tag either themselves or their friends in those pictures though, since somebody asked and I think my settings are about as public as they can be, so if it’s still possible to do that and you know how, care to share?

There was also a discussion scheduled after the march and I did sort of intend to go there as well out of curiosity, but after the run and having to wake up at noon both today and yesterday, which obviously means I didn’t get enough sleep since I normally fall asleep around 6 AM and these days it may have been even later, I was feeling quite sleepy and I just came right back. Was also sort of thinking of going to buy a few things, but gave up on that even earlier, so I guess the current plan is to go Monday, even if I will run out of a couple of things now. Will make do, I guess, and then I’ll see whether I can actually use those vouchers I won, because otherwise I hardly have anything on me and the odds of that changing are slim. And considering the coming dental expenses, any purchases other than necessary daily stuff seem quite out of the question for a long time to come… Not that I haven’t been putting almost everything off since spring due to lack of funds anyway.

Edit: Forgot to say that yes, the review means I played Gone Home. It was free on itch.io last weekend and announced on the “Temporary game giveaways” thread on the MobyGames forums, so I decided to grab it, started it Sunday and finished it Monday. And while I can’t call it a game and also can’t call what I did with Akalabeth having played it, if you just look at the list there are five different titles I finished this year, six if you count the Tropico 4 DLC pack, or even just Modern Times, as a separate game. And that’s good enough.

This is a difficult one to review. Or maybe I should more exactly say it’s a difficult one to review as a game, because I find it rather hard to call it one, and in fact it is listed in the Notgames group on MobyGames, even though I don’t see it in the releases list on the Notgames site. Still, it is a way to use the medium and definitely interactive, in fact containing no cinematics and, according to the developer commentary, one single scripted event, so can’t call it a movie in software form either.

I guess I’ll simply use the name instead of trying to categorize it, so I’ll say Gone Home takes place entirely in one house, but at least the house in question is a sizable mansion with secrets of its own to discover. Also, you can’t deny the attention to detail, including in some little ways which other games pretty much ignore as a rule, though there are of course other things that are implemented in ways which can’t be called as realistic, or even some that are completely missing. You probably won’t notice those though, being used to the approach other games take.
You’ll also be able to interact with just about everything you expect and also plenty of things you wouldn’t typically expect to be able to interact with, even if most of the time it’s merely a matter of being able to pick up items and examine them on all sides. At the very least, that means many objects created well enough to stand such scrutiny even if they don’t actually serve any other purpose than making the house seem like an actual home that people live in, or used to until shortly before your return. Plus, a little bonus point for the “put back” mechanic allowing you to set things back the way they were instead of leaving the place as if a tornado came in your wake.
As for the actual point of Gone Home, the story you uncover, it is an interesting one, albeit at a very mundane level, and the same may go for the largely optional side stories about the other family members. Now, I aim for escapism and fantasy worlds and events, so I wouldn’t normally have too good of an opinion about something which is very realistic and certain to have happened, in various variants and to a lesser or greater extent, many, many times all over the world, yet… This was all right. More than all right, I’d say, and it will definitely move some people deeply. Sure, will also annoy plenty and leave many entirely cold, but it is what it is.

I also want to make a note about the developer commentary, which you can turn on and then access in relevant spots throughout the game. That’s what I did and I definitely recommend it, since I feel that it really adds to the experience. After all, this is not exactly a game, and having that small team of developers behind it explain what you’re seeing and why they chose to do things that way, and perhaps pointing out things you may have missed, adds a more direct method of communication between them and you and, if anything, I’d say that makes the experience even more immersive.

Still, they could have made it more immersive in itself by allowing you to actually do more while interacting with all the objects that may be interacted with. Maybe writing or doodling a little with one of the many writing implements, maybe playing at painting for a moment with the brush, maybe washing hands in a sink, maybe taking a tissue out of one of the many boxes, possibly to wipe something, maybe opening some book or magazine, even if only to a title or dedication page or something of the sort, maybe trying to make a call, even if nobody’d have answered… Sure, that’d have added to the development time and costs, but it doesn’t stop me from saying it would have been a noticeable improvement for something that relies on realism and attention to mundane details.
Also on this note, they could have had a little more content on the TV and more songs on the few tapes you can find and play, especially since they either worked with the artists or used public domain works, so it may have simply been a matter of adding some more sound files and maybe an option to change sides or fast forward or rewind, which would simply result in playing the file from a certain different point. Again, not something one’d typically notice in a game, but it would have made a difference here… Plus, there is something called Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines released almost a decade earlier which I’d say still sets some standards with the included radio and TV broadcasts.
Otherwise, I may have appreciated more if finding the pieces that form the stories wouldn’t be so optional, or at least if you’d be told you missed something and given a chance to go back to find it after reaching the end. As it is, it simply ends, with no other information or chance to go back. Sure, I guess it’s another bit that says this isn’t exactly a game, but it makes for an uncomfortable feeling and I’d think that if the entire point is to uncover the story, or all the stories, the developers should have done more to increase the odds that you actually will.

In the end… It’s very short even with the developer commentary, there are no choices, no actual rewards and no loss states, and the few keys, combinations and secret places to find, some of which not even being mandatory, can’t make this a game. So maybe I could call Gone Home something like independent theater in software form, where the audience doesn’t get to actually influence the play but may leave and come back whenever they want and may pay closer attention or tune out at any moment, and where the actors may explain what they’re doing and why.
Again, there’s a lot of attention to realistic detail and the story is quite all right and some will deeply relate to it, or in some cases to the more general ideas presented. It also definitely makes points that unfortunately still desperately need to be made in this rotten society of ours. Overall, it is a way to use the medium which I’d actually encourage as an alternative for those interested. At the same time, it’s not something I’d personally pay for, so good thing I grabbed it while it was offered for free. You may entirely disagree with this, however… In either direction.

Was thinking that this week’s second post will be another one in the “New Finds” series, since Stonelight had actually caught my attention and they just released their album yesterday, so I meant to start with that. However, after going through the other recent finds this evening I found that I just couldn’t get myself to put any of them in such a post, whether because they didn’t sound interesting enough at another quick listen now, because the genre is somewhat different and suitable for a certain mood I’m not in at the moment, or because they only have two or even a single song posted, either giving me no choice or making it impossible to do what I usually do and link to two songs per band. Not that I didn’t include bands with very little material in such posts before, but didn’t feel like doing it now, and then also quickly gave up on the attempt to go through older additions to the list and see if I could find something else I’d care to write about now. What’s more, I then also actually listened to Stonelight’s album and found nothing interesting other than what had already caught my attention out of what they had put up earlier and rather lost interest in one of those as well.

That leaves me trying to quickly post something here before midnight to have a second post this week and also avoid a Sunday update, though I had hoped I’ll do without a personal update this week and in fact there’s not that much to say. The one thing I may mention may be that I noticed that the left side of my headphones is coming apart again and meant to glue it back together today but didn’t, so hoping it won’t fall apart completely before I actually will get around to it. Also hoping I’ll manage to fix them well enough again, since there’s likely no way for me to get anything for quite some time to come, having to give up even on the hope for another order of books by the end of the year and now discarding the idea of even getting another cheap game during the current GOG.com sale.
Other than that, this time when the month’s Windows updates came I manually installed the security-only bundle, no longer risking the full one available through Windows Update as I did last month, and things seem fine even if I saw audit failures logged for two of the files when they were unpacked, though the fact that there were no other such notifications when they were actually installed leads me to believe it for some reason rushed to check them before registering the new information and therefore checked the new versions against the old ones. May also mention that Thursday Emsisoft decided to update the delayed branch, which I’m on, but that it didn’t require a reboot even if it was a major update and I’m not noticing any new problems, though the logging issues haven’t been fixed either.

As for running, ran twice this week. Monday I managed 34:56, with sector times of 4:34, 5:22, 6:00, 4:39, 5:18, 6:10 and 2:53, making for lap times of 15:56 and 16:07. Yesterday was slightly better, 34:44, with sector times of 4:32, 5:16, 6:07, 4:37, 5:08, 6:07 and 2:57, making for lap times of 15:55 and 15:52. Like how times under 35 minutes are normal now, and also found it interesting that Monday’s run was the third out of what at the time were the last seven with the exact same time, but that may not last as the conditions will worsen, my concern about that also being the reason why I wanted to add to the buffer now, which should be at three at the moment unless I forgot something. There will be weeks when I won’t run over the winter, so I need to be able to “afford” it.

I’ll just say it right away: Great book, constantly growing alongside its protagonist and narrator, who’s quite a character himself and whose “voice” and style fit almost perfectly and significantly add to the experience. The perhaps simple and humble beginnings are followed by ever more captivating and impactful stages, each relevant, each with a purpose, each leading into the next until the reader may find it difficult to contain the effects of what they see and experience. I know I did, at least, and you may think you know what I mean once you reach the Night of Dragonsong & Fire… But you may wish to take that as a warning to prepare for what’s to come, because it merely marks the beginning of a series of truly powerful scenes.
I once again find myself wishing for half-star ratings, because I may have wanted to add one here. Then again, considering the very end, maybe not, as it didn’t need to go where it did and shouldn’t have done so. Other than that, it may need a little more editing, as there are a handful of things that slipped through, perhaps including the fact that the hundred keeps being added to and yet remains a hundred. Much more notably, the world of sticks and the few sticks that appear as characters may be said to be more of a sketch, or stick figures if you will, but the fact that it’s all presented from the point of view of a dragon helps with that, as it’s understandable that he neither knows nor cares much about such matters unless they directly affect him and it’d be quite out of character if he did. The fact that this also applies to the notable other dragons is somewhat more troubling, however.

Rating: 4/5

I was saying I was still sort of considering going to a second concert as well, but at that time I hadn’t yet realized it’s scheduled at the same time as the national team’s match against Poland. Terrible choice for the band, I’d say, but at least it makes things simple for me. Also means I’m left with those 10 RON as available cash, on top of the 0.51 RON I had otherwise on top of the vouchers I won and hadn’t yet used for anything, so I won’t need to calculate any purchases so exactly and there will be no need to ask dad even for loose change until next month.
If he will leave me anything without me asking, though, I’m thinking I’ll at least order one book after all, if only to use the small discount I have available without using those codes I had gathered, and which would otherwise expire in either February or March, by which time I’m really hoping I’ll be able to make a bigger order and actually use one of those vouchers and you can’t have two discounts applied this way at once. On the other hand, if he’ll leave something just these days I may end up getting another Paysafecard code and see if there’s something to grab on the current GOG.com sale. Then again, if it’s calculated in such a way that you’ll be able to get Expeditions: Conquistador without purchasing anything, I most probably won’t do that.

Speaking of games, was just thinking these days that I should consider Might and Magic I as abandoned, since the fact that you can only save at inns makes me doubt I’ll get back to it and actually somehow struggle through all the way to the end only to be able to import the characters in the second. Not that I know that I’ll give that one much of a chance either, my interest in them being mainly the result of being curious about what a good RPG meant in the late ’80s, without seriously meaning to play through those older than World of Xeen at first. That rather changed when I found good maps, but after poking around a little I was too afraid to go far from an inn again and I see the save file was last modified in March last year, and even that was probably just after wandering around a little.

As for books, had decided some time ago that I’ll delay getting to The Riftwar Saga for yet another year, since I did buy books three and four back in the spring of 2014 but the first two are from those I took when I got thrown back here and hadn’t read before Andra went back to England after getting married, so still really don’t want to “use them up” by reading them. If I want to stick at least to this crappy average of one book per month, I’ll need to do that at some point, maybe even next year, but for the rest of this year I’ll stick to free ebooks, even if it sucks to read books on the computer. Grabbed a few more of those recently, at least, including one that actually seems quite interesting just before starting to write this post, and I plan to read it next week.

Otherwise, at least the cold wasn’t too bad and I seem to be getting over it. As soon as I woke up yesterday I realized I was in “stage three” of it, which pretty much means I need to be careful to keep blowing and spitting all the crap out so it won’t end up gathering in my chest, but it’s clearing and the other symptoms are rather going away, so it should be fine soon enough, I hope.