tekHedd – the blog

As I promised earlier, (and I was joking really, but…) I’m going to try to explain why Hardcore mode makes Hellgate London good. This won’t be difficult; we’ve all played Diablo II[*] And, what makes Diablo II really great? Come on, I know what you’re thinking! I’ll bet you’re thinking: “STFU that game sucks”, aren’t you? I knew it! But, the real answer has two parts: 1) rare drops, and 2) Hardcore mode.

As anybody who’s played WoW knows, rare drops are addictive, fun, and, well, pretty soon they’re addictive and not really very fun at all. But definitely addictive. And the joy of experimenting with different weapons/attacks/spells can keep you entertained for quite a long time, especially if you’re very tired or drunk. Even so, it gets old. About the time you’ve finished the game and are cruising along at a higher difficulty level, you notice that rare drops aren’t really that exciting any more. And here’s where you try Hardcore. And you die. A lot. This is when you realize that you’ve been dying multiple times on every boss. This is where the game changes. Let’s say I’m just cruising around casually whacking helpless demonic beings, and I see that flash of beige that indicates a rare creature, and the blue flash that indicates that it has a posse. In normal mode, you think “hooray, I can harvest more good stuff”. In hardcore mode, however, you think “Aaaaugh run away run away oh shit I’m gonna die“. Probably not verbatim, but nevertheless. Surviving an encounter becomes a major deal, and this turns “not being dead” into a huge rush. Huge! Surviving to level 14 and not dead suddenly takes on a whole new… what? Huh? Sorry?

Um, Ratchet & Clank has, apparently, shipped, and I didn’t notice. Got to run, I have to go buy a PS3.

[updated]
I have two more pointless observations about hardcore mode:

1. It adds a new choice to the game: boredom or death. Finding the balance point is tricky. You want to advance faster and fight tougher enemies, but death comes swiftly. This is especially painful if you’re trying to save skill points for later.
2. You’re continuously on the lookout for situations that could take you straight back to level 1, but at the same time, you’re forced to stay in slightly easier areas than you otherwise would, slaughtering seriously weak, helpless MOBs.

So, what, am I a total HGL fanboy here? Not really. The zones are beautifully detailed, but there’s a lot of grey, I mean a lot, and they get repetitive. The point here is that I don’t think it’s a great game, I just think it’s fun to play. :)

* — What, you haven’t played Diablo II? Sheesh. OK, well it’s exactly like Hellgate: London, but without the eye candy and with slightly more “staying power”.

I’m just sitting here on friday afternoon, watching software compile.

There’s another piece of software that I wrote that does all the work during this part. I don’t have to do anything at all. I’m just sitting here staring at a scrolling wall of text and watching the CPU meter go up and down. This could possibly be the best part of my job. Oh, the other parts are nice, but watching a machine do most of the work is very pleasing.

I said that it is dull; this is a good thing. If you write software for a living, and your job is not boring, you’re doing it wrong. Probably you should read some books on programming. My job is very boring indeed. I wonder if this means I’m very good. (I don’t think it works both ways.)

In years past, I would be playing NetHack during compilation. I still play it sometimes, but these days I don’t play games during compiles. Is this because compiles happen faster, or just because I’d hate to lose that “bored” sensation? Or maybe this is because programming itself is the game, and compilation is like the pre-rendered cut sequence between zones. Sadly, this is probably true. Oh well, my build is finished. Tune in next week, when I talk about why I think Hellgate London’s “Hardcore” mode makes up for any other flaws it might have, and about how much I despise MySpace.

Fear is a strong motivator. Fear of terrorism, fear of death… The lengths people will go to in order to avoid facing fear amazes me. Is unquestioning loyalty easier than facing fear? How do fear and desperation become unshakeable faith? How do fear and laziness cause unquestioning internalization of whatever is on The News today? How do fear and stupidity lead to an unshakeable one-sided view of events? Is your hateful job better than dealing with your fear of change? Are your monthly car payments easier than admitting you’ve been manipulated by flashy ads during the super bowl? And those anonymous strangers and shallow friends who judge you by what year your Land Rover is, are you afraid you’ll lose their respect?

What lies will you accept to avoid facing your fear? A $500 kickback from the president? The illusion of security? The promise that your country is better than any other country in the world, and always will be as long as you give up a little freedom? How little privacy is too little? An NSA camera in your kitchen? Bedroom? What if I told you it’s for the safety of your children? What if I told you it was to protect everyone from terrorism, and you risk being investigated if you don’t participate in this completely voluntary program? What if it came with free broadband?

How easy is it to buy the cooperation of US citizens? Is it really this easy to expand federal powers, with a little media spin, a tax credit, and a rah rah rah? Do we really value our freedom so little? If not, do we really deserve it?

This isn’t the America I grew up in. I feel like the citizens of this country have let me down by being easily manipulated, lazy cowards.

I’m easily manipulated–and I vote!