I want to play.

I still remember the first time I played the very first Resident Evil. That part where the player first encounters the zombie? I quit at least 3 times before I was able to get pass that part, just because it was so scary. And being a person who rarely plays scary games or see scary movies, pushing myself to finish Resident Evil games is actually quite an accomplishment.

It’s just so much fun…being scared, in a  way.

But I like the new RE5. No more around the corner camera that prevents players from seeing if there are monsters within the vicinity, which is a big plus for me. And the aiming is better suited for mouse, just like FPS games. Good deal. So coming from someone whose last experience with RE series was RE3, on PC, RE5 becomes a game that not only extends the original story line, but provides a much better PC gaming experience over all (from viewing a few game-play videos).

Can’t wait.

But, when taking breaks, I have been trying to get Gears of War to work on my network. Noting that there is a WDS point on the network, it might cause some problem. And it did.

Basically the two PC on hardware to router #1 can connect just fine, but if the connection is between a hardwired PC and a WDS-router-connected PC, the “connection to the host” will be lost. Why? I don’t know. I tried to figure out the problem by looking at wireshark caps, but both ends see the packets just fine. Yes, client PC can see the hosting PC’s game just fine, but it won’t connect.

Weird, isn’t it?

So then I look into the routers’ configurations. Nothing.

Then I turn to Hamachi. This, I should’ve done a long time ago, but it turns out to require very little “hack” to finally get the two PCs work together in GOW. So I am extremely happy that, while I wanted to solve the real problem, I decided that it’s not worth a headache over, and Hamachi works just fine for my cause.

Go, Hamachi!

Why?

Because I want to create Violette from Velvet Assassin in Fallout 3.

So far I have only found the female officer uniform (look-alike), but have yet to find other accessories including the hat, the boots, or the Luger P08. I can either request experienced modder to create these items, or I can create them myself.

I am going with the later.

Note: Since I am talking about 3D modeling here, it’s quite fitting to mention Thomas Suurland. I stumbled upon his website a while back, and was since awed by his modeling skills.

PL is creepy to me because of the newly introduced monsters, swampfolks. They are basically humans, but largely deformed due to inbreeding. While they cannot match the creepiness of feral ghouls, I still find them creepier than other monsters one can encounter in Fallout 3 universe.

MZ is quite an interesting approach. When I learned about MZ, I had a sudden eager to see the rest of the world become accessible (yeah…I can wish), but knowing how MZ being a DLC, I know this is probably not going to happen, albeit the fact that once you own a spaceship, you should be able to go anywhere in the world once you get the control down…

Nevertheless, these last two official DLC for Fallout 3 added more adventures and extended the fun to Fallout 3, because I was starting to get bored with it, not because I have explored everywhere, but because there is nothing new and fresh that really attracts me. But now that I finished all DLC main quests (I don’t really care about non-listed side quests), perhaps I can go explore buildings I have never set foot in.

In picture: Winterized armor (from Op. Anchorage & All Anchorage armors usable mod) + G36c (Frederyck’s Tactical Weapons mod) in action. Pretty difficult to get this screenshot for the cameras don’t really pan to this view very often, but I got it nonetheless.

Modding & playing Fallout 3 is quite a good job searching stress reliever.

Sure, occasionally I play games on consoles like Wii, but otherwise I am a strict PC gamer. Why? I just like it better. But some concrete reasons:

1. Flexible. I like to install the games and run them without needing original discs and stuff like that. While not approved by game developers, no-CD cracks turn out to be my way of achieving this goal. In the end, I get to play the game by simply launching it. No extra action needed.
2. Mod. I don’t know about consoles, but many PC games provide an environment for 3rd party mods. This, is absolutely awesome. I cannot imagine Fallout 3 without the huge mod community behind it. With the help of the mod community, games essentially extend their playability by a long long shot.
3. Mouse & Keyboard. I just like this control better. For FPS, I can quickly look around and aim precisely. I am not so sure about this if I use a controller. And while mice & keyboards are the main controllers, there are also game pads, steering wheels, and other peripherals gamers can hook onto their computers and play the games away like their console counterparts. This level of flexibility is undoubtedly unmatchable by consoles.

So those are my 3 points. Want to become a PC gamer yet?

Highly recommended.

So why do I choose a female character? Well, people have all sorts of reason, but the main one for me is female characters are just easier on the eyes. Not that male characters are bad, just I enjoy looking at female characters more is all.

FYI, in picture: Warhammer 40k armor & mini gun.