WOOHOO!

[r00]

that's awesome, man!  Good luck and have fun!

[Aaron]

Thanks r00! I really think I'm more excited about it then anything else. Also afterword we (group of friends and I) are going to get food and hang out for awhile. And I will be getting word to start my resume. WOO!



It's the coldest it's been here since I moved here. And this weekend it's supposed to be colder...

[Aaron]

About to leave to go to the comp. WOOOHOOOOO Can't wait. This is gona be soooo awesome. Meeting other nerds like me, and not being the nerdyist one of the room. This is gona rule!

[r00]

haha  That's exactly how I felt when I would go and play in M:TG tournaments.  I was never the nerdiest (nor the stinkiest) person in the place.  It would reek of B.O. and Mountain Dew.  8-p

[Aaron]

hahah. ya. The place the comp was held was a really cool game shop. Like board games, M:TG Warhammer errr Warmachine (Not really sure what game it is. But the one with miniatures and dice rolling and tape measures.  Which looks cool as shit to me. Like I would really like to see people that know what they are doing play. But I looked at some of the prices for the miniatures and they aren't cheap. Like 20 bucks for one of them. And the people playing had 15-20ish on the table, never mind all the ones they left at home... Also lots of people playing M:TG which was cool. I have never played it, but thought the art work was/is amazing on most the cards.

This is kinda TL:DR so to sum it up. I had an amazing time. It was great seeing that many other people that can solve cubes and people not being blown away by it. While I didn't break any world records or even get a new personal best I did good for my self (since I went into it hoping for just that, to do good by my own times.) I'd say I did good. I did get 9th on 7x7 out of like 15 or so people. I do know that there was more then 10 people total. I did ok on 3x3 (I had some great solves and some shit solves.) 5x5 I did ok, a bit slower then normal, but not bad.

As far as the comp goes. There was a lot of people. I was one of the oldest people there, there was a dude in his 50's or there abouts solving them. Other wise there was a few dudes my age ish. and then a lot of younger kids. (Like pre puberty age...) That being said there was a lot of AZN people there. And a few teenagers.   I did 7x7 3x3 and 5x5 (they did them in that order, well of the ones I did they did them in that order.) I did good for 7x7. Or at lest I was below my average, I didn't get a new best time or anything. I was really nerves at the start. But I kinda expected that to happen. (I was in fact nerves every time I started a new event.) ANYHOO there was like 15 or so people doing 7x7. I got 9th, I didn't know they had cash prizes for events but first got 100 then 50 then 20 then 10 and then a dollar. I didn't get anything, but I was impressed that they had prizes (and a lot of prize money at that...) My 3x3 times I had a few really good (for me) solves and a few shit solves... But eh. I have never been really consistent (which is something I want to work on.) when they started 5x5 they had to implement a 3 min cut off. Since they had a second heat of 3x3 with 30 people. (which I was in.) I have only started doing 5x5 again for like a month or two. And so my times were shit, my best time is 3:30. So the cut off was 2 solves if both were over 3 min no more solves. I got 4 minutes for both solves. I had a pop on one solve, but it didn't take a minute to fix. But all in all I had a fucking blast. I really can't wait for next years. I also hope to be a hell of a lot better by then as well. I know what I can work on and what to do to improve. Just need to do it.

[r00]

hey finishing in the top 50% for your first tournament sounds good to me!   

[Aaron]

Thanks! And ya. I'm already looking into learning stuff to be faster... (mostly meth.) I am really happy with it though...

[Static]

hahah. ya. The place the comp was held was a really cool game shop. Like board games, M:TG Warhammer errr Warmachine (Not really sure what game it is. But the one with miniatures and dice rolling and tape measures.  Which looks cool as shit to me. Like I would really like to see people that know what they are doing play. But I looked at some of the prices for the miniatures and they aren't cheap. Like 20 bucks for one of them. And the people playing had 15-20ish on the table, never mind all the ones they left at home... Also lots of people playing M:TG which was cool. I have never played it, but thought the art work was/is amazing on most the cards.

Heh, I used to work for Games Workshop.  I have no idea what the last couple of editions were like becuase I haven't played in years, but both Warhammer and Warhammer 40k used to be extremelly tactical games and could take several hours to play, I gave up because it started to become very watered down with more emphasis based on making games as fast as possible rather than deep and complex game mechanics (one main example is turning everything into D6 and simplifying all of the weapons involved to be more accessible to kids, the problem with this is that certain weapons were redundant and what were once good vehicle killers were just completely useless).

A few ex co-workers and I ended up buying a set of the original rulebooks for 40k (called Rogue Trader back then) because we enjoyed a lengthy complex game, not to mention how some of the older rules made certain troop types as monsterous as they should be - a troupe of Eldar Harlequins making a mockery out of Genestealers as they should be, rather than the melee cannon fodder that they are now (or were last time I played).  Vehicles also came with blueprints to be able to target any area you could think possible rather than simply front back or side.  Oh and Orks!  Orks used to be absolutely hilarious with half of their shit blowing up during the course of the game (which is also why I liked old rules Skaven in Warhammer - your warp weapons could explode with hilarious consequences!).

in second edition 40k I think it was (or maybe third), Tyranids used to have a really nastry chart they would roll off at the start of the game for infestation effects on the opposing army, they would make a roll for every squad, unit and vehicle in the opposing force for the chance to have some adverse effect - for example, your unit of Devestator marines suddenly exploding from the inside from a barbed stranger, or some kind of creature tearing apart your Land Raider from the inside.  I can understand why this (and Virus grenades) were removed, because you could potentially take out the bulk of your opposing force before the game even started.

We used to have some great games though and really got into our own armies, painting and converting everything we possibly could (I went overboard with my Space Wolves in that no two marines or vehicles looked the same, I loved heavily converting everything and sculpting with 'green stuff' just to make things a little more unique.  Oh and Necrons, second edition Necrons used to be awesome, I actually won a tournament with them.

[Aaron]

That sounds both amazing, and a huge pain in the ass. And it sounds like they did the same thing to it as they did to WOW nerf it hella and make it as noob friendly as possible. Which I can understand some of, but not to the extent they did. (for wow that is.) But that does sound awesome how much detail they put into the game. Even more so now with the fact that video games don't have that much put into some of them... All that said, it really does make me want to see a game played.

[sin]

I'm going to be an uncle in a few months.  My brother and his wife are thinking "Lincoln Albert" for a name.  Albert is my grandfathers name; don't know where Lincoln comes from, but I'm sort of looking forward to being a crazy drunk uncle...

[r00]

I bought a new TV today (it wont be here for a week though).  60" Samsung LED 3D TV.  They just dramatically dropped the price on them.  w00t!

[luna]

sweet! Do you need stupid glasses to watch the 3D? Ours does and we barely use it because it gives me a  headache

[Goose]

Nice.  I also got a new TV for Xmas (had a bunch of family members agree to give me and the missus just cash so we could pool it all).  Scored a 42" LG LED TV for $449 on a boxing week sale. 

I still don't give a shit about 3D TV at home.  Mostly because of the need for really expensive powered glasses.  Get me one that works with cheap glasses I can keep a dozen pairs lying around easily enough, then I might start to consider it.  Get it to me at 48fps and under a four-digit price and you might tempt me further.

[luna]

yeah we weren't out to get a 3D, it was just an awesome boxing day deal a few years ago and the non 3Dness of the tv is excellent anyways

[r00]

The active shutter glasses are actually down to $20 a pair now and the TV I got comes with 4 pairs, so it's a nice bonus.  The 240Hz refresh is supposed to help a bit with it too.  The demo was just as good as theater 3D and the price comparison wasn't too bad, so I went for it.  My mindset is that this will be the last (primary) TV I buy for a long time, so I wanted to go bigger and better than I normally would.  It has built in Netflix, browser, DLNA (will stream mkv!) and other apps too, so that means freeing up the PS3 to be in my office where I can actually play the damn thing.  8-p