Thanks to Dutch giving me a wireless keyboard and mouse that he wasn’t using, I decided to start using the HDMI out to hook it up to my TV. It worked out pretty well:

I’ve been thoroughly enjoying this setup, so far. It’s even really nice for writing code. I think the most awesome part about the whole thing is that it can do full 1080p. My previous HDMI-enabled machine could only do 720p. Since the video card is pretty beefy (for a laptop), I’ve been playing a few games in this setup. It’s nice. Just as good, if not better, than sitting in the recliner and playing on a normal console.

Now, I need to get a gamepad that’ll work with it wirelessly …

For those unfamiliar with the game, one of the game modes is the “Tower of Souls” which features a 60 floor tower that you can ascend or descend. Ascending takes it 1 – 4 floors at a time with pauses in between to select different characters for the next set of floors and gives you information on the treasures available and whatnot. Descending is a non-stop run from the top to the bottom and you only get to select two characters for the entire run. So far, we’ve made it to the last two sets of floors for the ascent and have  gone 25 consecutive floors in the descent.

The tower is technically supposed to be a single-player game mode, but in the areas where we’re allowed to select multiple characters we’ve been selecting one for me and one for him and when it comes time to switch character’s we’ll quickly pass the controller over to the other person. It’s actually been quite fun and helpful, because we’re both proficient in different styles of play, so when one thing isn’t working we can pass it over to one another and see if they have better luck.

Maybe we’ll get through the last two sets of floors soon. It’s probably a long way off before we can even hope to manage to accomplish the descent. Unless we do it the cheap way and find a character who we can successfully spam the same attacks over and over again or something.

At the beginning of October, I got a chance to go visit Ruzena again. As always, we had a really good time. I was in Houghton for Homecoming and got to be there for all of the festivities, including the Homecoming Banquet and Dance. I think the food was better last year, but it was still good. The dance didn’t quite go “as planned.” The first half was kind of lame, so we ended up migrating to the basement where a group of us had our own little mini-dance, which was far more entertaining. Ruzena and I got to watch our first fireworks show together and became “siamese twins” because we were huddled so closely together because of how cold it was outside.

Omega Vortex has been feeling the situation with the economy with potential clients bailing, citing economic problems. I’ve taken this as an opportunity to look for another job, and I believe things are looking good on that front. I’ve received extremely positive responses, but a few details are still being worked out, so I won’t say more than that for fear of jinxing things. Omega Vortex isn’t closing, we’re just going to be cutting back like any other company does, during a recession. We’re closing extraneous divisions in an effort to concentrate more on our core business. Because of this, we’ve closed the website temporarily because it was only up to facilitate some of the divisions we’re closing. This is giving us an opportunity to go through with our redesign plan and get a new look in place for the re-launch. We’ll have more news on that front sometime soon.

I’ve been doing a lot more gaming again, lately. I’ve given some thought to cross-posting some game reviews on this blog and the blog at Anfiniti. I’m not exactly up-to-date with the latest games and would also be doing some retro-reviews, so my current hitlist consists of Call of Duty 4, Call of Duty: World at War, Assassin’s Creed, Mirror’s Edge, and a few other things. In case I’ve never mentioned it before, I’m always interested in playing games with new people. You can find me on Xbox Live, Xfire, and Steam. For Xbox Live: Atrophius, for Xfire: atrophius, and for Steam: siguel. Maybe I’ll have a PSN name or a Wii Friend Code to share, sometime in the not too distant future.

Things have been extraordinarily dull, lately. I should be moving to Phoenix soon, so I think I’ll start taking opportunities to get out more and explore. I think I’m missing out on a world of inspiration because I rarely leave my desk. Maybe hanging out with Dutch again will get me back on my feet and moving forward. After almost two years of living with or around people that actually do what I do and are willing and capable of having ideas and such bounced off of them, I think my creativity started to die off when I lost that immediate access to people like me. Programming and all of the processes surrounding programming and software development is exciting to me, except when it’s not. When I don’t have people that I can talk to about it pretty frequently, I usually end up resorting to more reading than coding to try and make up for that lack of interaction. Hopefully, being in a new work environment will help.

That’s about all, for now. If I stop letting myself be lazy or distracted, I’ll blog more. Maybe even about interesting things. We’ll just have to see …

For the uninformed, Portal is basically a puzzle-shooter. The basic premise to the game is that you can place two portals on certain surfaces. You go in one portal and come out the other. You keep your motion and velocity when you come out of the opposite portal, so you have to keep that in mind when solving a bunch of the puzzles.

It’s very much a game you have to think about. I got stuck a couple of times and had to get some help from other people in the room that could take a fresh look at what was going on around me. The ending is pretty cool and there’s a lot of humor throughout the game.

If you haven’t tried it yet, you can pick it up for $20 by itself or for $40 with The Orange Box. With the Orange Box, you also get Half-Life 2, HL 2: Episode One, HL 2: Episode Two, HL 2: Lost Coast, Peggle Extreme, and Team Fortress 2. Not a bad buy for all that, but I just bought Portal separately because the others would probably just take up space and I’d never play them.

Give the game a shot. It’s pretty fun and funny at the same time.

So, if you’re interested in the Oblivion Tales, read on. This is my account of a rather random attempt at assassinating the Countess of Anvil …

It’s getting late. The sun is slowly drifting down behind the mountains on the horizon as I step outside the Northern Gate of Bruma. Nightfall rapidly approaches and I have quite a long journey ahead of me. The walk to Anvil is sure to be long and weary. Most definitely not a walk I would like to take, so I begin my ascent up the mountain before me. My first destination: Cloud Ruler Temple.

As I continue up the path to the Blades’ fortress, it’s steadily getting colder. The increasing altitude is showing its signs, with the glistening white snow that now covers the road and the surrounding area. I can see the fortress ahead of me and I catch a snowflake out of the corner of my eye. As the snow starts to get heavier, I pull open Cloud Ruler Temple’s massive gates and walk inside, closing them back behind me. I will be able to find warmth within the fortress walls, until the impending blizzard has passed. Jauffre notices my entering the main hall and beckons for me to join him by the fire. He passes me a pint and he begins to reminisce on days of old and how the fortress gives him an uplifting spirit by just being here again. Of course, he doesn’t fail to remind me that we must recover the Amulet of Kings. Weary from my ascent up the mountain, I decide to spend the night here.

When I awaken, the sun is just barely peeking over the crests of the mountains, and the snow has reduced to a light, pleasant flurry. Unfortunately, the fortress did not have what I came here for. There are no horses to be found. I guess I’m going to have to acquire one by “other” means. My profession is that of an assassin, and being a Dunmer, I’m absolutely not lacking in my ability to acquire things in stealthy … or shady means.

During my descent back down the mountain, I notice something moving in the distance. There’s also smoke wafting in the soft breeze. A campfire. Two Nords have taken up camp about two-hundred yards from Bruma’s West Gate. I need to go down the road past them, but it doesn’t look like they’re friendly. As I slowly get closer, my hand instinctively drops to the hilt of my blade. A twig snaps beneath my boot. The female noticed me. She walks around from behind the boulder they’re behind and draws an axe. I know the garments; they’re both very much traveling bandits.

She closes the distance quickly, for a Nord, and it’s become apparent quickly that I’m going to have to return blows, else face the sharp end of that axe. In a swift, fluid movement, my sword is out of its scabbard and has collided with her axe, sending her back in recoil. She’s gathering her wits about herself as I lunge forward with my first strike. It’s a deep wound, but not fatal, and she takes the opportunity to counterattack. I quickly raise my shield and push off her attack, launching a second one of my own. Another solid hit, but I’ve managed to leave myself open for her to sink her axe into my abdomen. Nords are known for their strength, and this one is no different. The pain sears through my body as I back away to recuperate for a brief moment. After that blow, I know that I need to be more on the defensive, so my shield is up and at the ready. She sinks her axe hard into the shield and I push forward, causing her to recoil again, and leaving her wide open for the mortal blow.

As she slumps down in front of me, the male part of the pair rounds the boulder in a raging sprint. He’s out to cut me down for slaying his companion, but I’m not quite ready to fall. I take a brief pause to cast a low-level healing spell and sheathe my sword. My bow slides smoothly off my shoulder and into my hands, and I quickly reach over the opposite shoulder to pull an arrow from my quiver. If the female was that strong, I don’t even want the male to get close to me. I let the arrow fly and there’s a resounding thunk from the arrow seating itself firmly in the Nord’s shoulder. He staggers back a few steps, obviously in pain, but quickly shakes it off and resumes his sprint. Smart ones, those Nords … Bullseye!

With both of my foes in crumpled heaps on the ground, I take a moment to relieve them of their gold and any items that would go for good coin in a shop, and then continue on my path. Wawnet Inn is still a good distance away, but it will be my next stop.

The day is almost at an end as I top another hill to see Weye in the distance. Wawnet Inn is close by, and it looks like I will be renting a room for the night. As the sun sets behind the mountains once more, a torch-bearing Dunmer passes me on the road. He greets me and we exchange a brief word before he’s on his way again. That encounter allowed me to notice another campfire out in the woods. More bandits. I will use them to my advantage, come morning. Wawnet Inn’s beds are inviting, and I take the opportunity to get a good night’s rest. The next day will be a bit more exciting for this Dark Elf.

The birds chirping outside the window awaken me and I leave the warmth of my bed, slowly descending the stairs of the Inn. A slight nod is given to the owner of the Inn, before I step back outside. Short conversation is exchanged with the man outside, before I notice the Imperial Legion Guard coming across the bridge on horseback. Luck could not be any more on my side, this day. After saying my goodbyes to the man, I pull my shield and dart off into the woods.

Moments later, I’ve arrived at the bandit camp, where the Khajiit pair is putting out their campfire. Startled by my arrival, they draw their blades, but not before I sink my sword cleanly into one of their arms. Clearly angered, they return blows, which I push off with my shield as I back peddle quickly toward Weye. By this time, the Guard has rounded the turn in the road and we meet him in our scuffle. Fearing that a traveler may be in danger, the Guard dismounts and draws his own blade, fiercely laying into the bandits and causing them to flee back into the woods. Not satisfied with just scaring them away, the Guard gives chase. All is going according to plan.

As soon as the Guard gets out of sight range, I mount his horse and take off to the southwest. Anvil is no longer an unreasonable journey, and the Guard’s horse is swift enough to allow me to arrive there, before nightfall. My only obstacle now is time, and I know I don’t have much of it.

I’m stabling the horse outside the city as the sun is about halfway set behind the mountains. Getting into the castle is going to be the easy part. The people here have a hospitality about them that is very dangerous to them, which they will see tonight. Once inside, I need to find the private quarters and see what it will take to get inside. I need to alleviate any suspicion by changing my attire. I’ll have to see what I can find, once I’m inside.

I close the gates to the courtyard behind me and stop for a moment to marvel at the castle. It’s a magnificent structure. I almost feel bad about the blood that will be shed within its walls, tonight. Almost. The castle doors close behind me and I’m greeted with warm smiles. The people of Anvil are courteous to all guests, apparently even suspicious Dunmer, like myself.

I allow myself to wander the halls for a while, making it seem like I’m an ordinary traveler who’s just visiting. A door opens on my left and I notice that it’s a closet, a perfect place to shed my traveling garb and acquire a more subtle outfit, for the purpose of this evening. Unable to find anything too outstanding, I just settle for an exquisite robe to cover my leather attire.

A bit more wandering leads me to the throne room. Above the throne, at the top of a staircase is a door. I’ve found my destination, but there has to be another way to get inside. This entrance has a guard posted right next to the door, and there’s no way I’m getting by without causing a scene or being noticed. After some pondering, I cut through the royal dining room and round a corner. The hallway leads around to a locked door. Peeking through the keyhole reveals a lone guard standing in the middle of the hallway. This has to be it.

Other “sources” have told me that the Countess has a late dinner with her aides. I check the time. It’s almost half-past the tenth hour. Footsteps. Not having a place to hide myself, I remember the hospitality of the people here. I seat myself on a bench in the middle of the hallway and just wait for the people to pass by. It’s the Countess and her aides departing the private quarters for their dinner. They all give me warm greetings as they pass by and down the hall toward the dining room. Now’s my chance.

I do a quick check of the surrounding hallways to make sure there’s no one nearby, and then set to pick the lock on the door leading into the private quarters. I fumble the first two picks, breaking them in the attempt, but the click that pops the lock loose happens a lot faster than I expected. I slowly pull the door open and immediately sleek into the shadows, planting my eyes on the lone guard who’s situated himself in front of the main door into the quarters, watching it very carefully. On the other side of him, I can see stairs leading down and the hallway that leads to the Royal Chamber.

He’s left enough room for me to get behind him, so I slowly sneak across the hallway, passing behind him with ease. When I reach the stairs, I carefully begin my descent only to be tapped on the shoulder. “You’re trespassing,” the guard states. The lack of anger in his voice is more startling than the fact that he just noticed me. I stand up and quickly apologize before returning to the outside hallway. I suppose this is going to be a bit more complicated than I thought.

I pull the door back open and drop into a crouch, watching him return to his post. What did I do wrong? How did he notice me? I start to slowly slip across the hallway in my second attempt, passing behind him again with no problem. I reach the stairs and carefully take my first step. Thud. The guard is onto me, again. I get it now. My boots are causing a very soft, but audible thud when they drop down onto the stairs. He escorts me back into the outside hallway, and I think about how to get past him. The only option I have is removing my boots and trying it barefoot.

Back in the private quarters, I drop back into a crouch and begin my third attempt. Getting past the guard is as easy as before, and it’s now time for the stairs. My foot lightly drops down to the first stair. No noise. I start my descent down, only to hear a more booming voice behind me, “You should not be here! Leave at once!” I quickly turn around to see the Countess and her aides have returned from dinner. I’m out of time.

I walk out the main door and back into the throne room. I wasted too much time figuring out that problem with my boots. After slipping them back on, I walk out into the courtyard and looked up at the star-studded sky. Three failed attempts and her personal bodyguard caught me on the last one. They’re far too suspicious, now. I open the courtyard gates and walk back into the main city. I’ll stay the night at the inn in town. The assassination attempt failed, and I have more pressing matters to deal with in the Imperial City, tomorrow …