Renovated

General Info

So you may have noticed many things have changed around here. I'm giving the blog a face-lift, and many more changes are still on the way, but this is a good start for now. First off, one of the more obvious changes is the new header (aka "picture at the top") which is much sexier than the previous one, and denotes the four main things I'll be posting: updates, reviews, videos, and maps. This site is also now serving as my online portfolio, a place where I can gather all of my work that may showcase talents relevant to careers I'm interested in. So now when I'm writing reviews, articles and what not, I'm doing them to show that I'm capable of professional writing, as well as building my experience in that field. Whether any of it gets views or not is irrelevant. Anyways, now you can expect to get updates here on a consistent basis. Here's some of the things you'll likely see:
-Halo: Reach review
-Regular reviews of TV's The Office
-Regular reviews of TV's South Park
-Halo: Reach content, such as games and maps

And that's just to start. Speaking of Halo: Reach, let's get some info about what exactly I'm doing on it, shall we?

Halo: Reach

So Bungie released Halo Reach on September 14th, and the world hasn't been the same since. Okay, well it kinda has, but my personal one hasn't. I first burned through the campaign, and then hit up matchmaking, loving every bit of it, except for the fact that Bungie clearly needs to tone down the grenades, or have players only start with one. But that is neither here nor there, and so I'll begin on my plans for the game.

Right now I'm working on the first puzzle map of a new series I'm doing. No more "Mind" maps, I've now incorporated a large backstory into the maps, hoping to make it feel more like an actual campaign this time around. The stories a bit too intricate to sum up here, but basically it revolves around Greek Mythology. The first map will be called "Poseidon's Lair" and will be primarily water-based (get it?). This time around I'm focusing much more on the gameplay factor. I want the map to be fun, and possible for beginners to puzzles to do. I'm providing a clear sense of direction throughout the entire map, so that you always know where you need to go, and just need to use the tools available to get there. There will be no hidden items either, so you don't need to worry about hidden fusion coils, or random turrets and what not. Also, my primary focus with this new map was the layout. I wanted to make one that would feel epic and satisfying. Level-design is a huge part of what makes maps fun to play, and it's often under-valued, so I'm really trying to take advantage of that. It's currently about 80% done and should be out within a week or two.

In the meantime, if you still need those pesky firefight achievements on Reach, then you can use this handy gametype I've crafted for it:
Fastest FireFight Achievments
I did some testing around with some friends, and this gametype carefully set up to be your ticket to the fastest possible way of grabbing all that gamerscore.

Now back to my plans for Reach. Shifting our attention from maps to the video department, I'm actually planning to do a large amount of Reach machinimas. Right now I'm looking into buying some supplies to make capturing easier (thankfully they're dirt-cheap), and may also get some new sound-recording equipment as my current collection is pretty lousy. I've already got lots of ideas, and will be doing a variety of different videos. I have a new series planned, some random stand-alone videos (which I'll probably be doing on a regular basis), and then videos that will showcase any maps I make. This is currently one of the easiest ways to get recognized in today's society, and while I see a lot of people attempting this, I rarely find any truly dedicated efforts that capitilize on the potential of starting a career that way.

Anyways, that's about all I wanted to talk about for now. Keep an eye out for those reviews, which will be coming soon, and maybe even a preview of Poseidon's Lair.
Thanks,
-Mander