Club Admiralty Blog
Introducing Pen Point (1991)
Friday, Nov 24 2023, 12:12 PDA, pen computing, PenPoint, Retro, TechnologyIn my older mobile device retrospective series, I guess I totally forgot about PenPoint! Since I was just reminded about its existence again, I thought I'd look it up and see what it looked like (last time I thought about this OS, MacOS 9 was still a thing...).
PenPoint was a product of GO Corporation and it was one of the earliest operating systems written specifically for personal digital assistants and tablet computing. It ran on AT&T Corporation's EO Personal Communicator as well as a number of Intel x86 powered tablet PCs including IBM's ThinkPad 700T. It would surprise no one that it was never widely adopted. While looking this up, I was also reminded of Amstrad's PenPad (which doesn't run PenPoint). Pens seemed to be all the rage back then, and the trend seems to be returning these days with current tablets.
Assassin's Creed Valhalla | Done
Friday, Nov 17 2023, 07:30 Assassins Creed, Entertainment, RPG, ubisoft, video games, VideoGames, XBOX
You know... I don't remember when I completed this game (or at the very least I said "OK I am done") - Based on when the achievements I unlocked were timestamped, it must have been April 2023.
Summary from Wikipedia:
In 2020, the unexplained strengthening of Earth's magnetic field negatively affects the planet. Layla Hassan, Shaun Hastings, and Rebecca Crane receive a signal with coordinates in New England, where they exhume a Viking raider's remains. Layla, struggling with the Staff of Hermes' influence, enters the Animus to view the raider's memories.
In 855 CE in Norway, a young Eivor Varinsdottir witnesses warlord Kjotve the Cruel sacking her hometown and killing her parents before she is rescued by Sigurd, son of King Styrbjorn of the Raven Clan. Seventeen years later, Eivor has been adopted by Styrbjorn, and pursues vengeance against Kjotve. Her latest attempt fails, but she recovers her father's axe. Touching it, Eivor experiences a vision of Odin, leading her to consult the local seeress, Valka. Valka induces another vision of Sigurd losing an arm before being consumed by a giant wolf.
Sigurd returns from an expedition with foreigners Basim and Hytham, members of the Hidden Ones, who came to Norway to assassinate Kjotve, a member of the opposing Order of the Ancients. Defying Styrbjorn's orders, the siblings enlist King Harald's help to eliminate Kjotve. Following their victory, Harald declares his intention to unite Norway under his rule. Styrbjorn pledges fealty to Harald, angering Sigurd, who expected to inherit the crown. He and Eivor take loyalists in the clan on an exodus to England, establishing the settlement of Ravensthorpe. Eivor then secures alliances with neighboring Saxon kingdoms and Viking clans led by Ivar, Halfdan, Ubba Ragnarsson, Guthrum, and Ceolwulf of Mercia, and helps Hytham assassinate local Order members, following tip-offs from a "Poor Fellow-Soldier of Christ."
Eivor's visions continue. Valka gives her an elixir that makes her dream of Asgard from Odin's perspective. Hoping to avert his own fated death during Ragnarök, Odin imprisons Loki's son Fenrir, who is foretold to kill him, and travels to Jotunheim to retrieve a magical mead that will ensure his and the other Aesir's souls will be reincarnated. Layla realizes these are actually visions of the Isu shortly before the Great Catastrophe, and that Loki, who was forbidden to reincarnate himself after betraying Odin, found another way to ensure his survival.
Sigurd and Basim discover an Isu relic, and Sigurd, with Basim's encouragement, comes to believe himself a god. Fulke, an Order agent and servant of King Aelfred of Wessex, captures Sigurd, believing him to be an Isu or descendant thereof, and tortures him, removing his right arm. Eivor and Basim kill Fulke and rescue a traumatized Sigurd. Eivor and Sigurd later travel to Norway, where they uncover an Isu temple with an advanced tree-shaped computer system. The siblings connect to it and are seemingly transported to Valhalla, where they enjoy endless battles, until Eivor realizes Valhalla is a dream-world and escapes with Sigurd after resisting Odin's influence. Outside, they are confronted by Basim, who reveals himself, Eivor, and Sigurd to be reincarnations of Loki, Odin, and Tyr, respectively. Basim, having been overtaken by Loki's personality, attacks Eivor, seeking revenge on Odin, but she and Sigurd trap him in the computer.
Sigurd abdicates leadership of the clan to Eivor. In England, Eivor and her allies join Guthrum's assault on Wessex, defeating Aelfred's forces at the Battle of Chippenham. Eivor later tracks down Aelfred, and learns that he is the Grand Master of the Order of the Ancients and the "Poor Fellow-Soldier of Christ". Disgusted by the Order's heresy against Christianity, Aelfred sought to replace it with a new God-fearing order. Eivor spares Aelfred and returns to Ravensthorpe to a hero's welcome.
In the present, the Assassins deduce the strengthening magnetic field is a result of Desmond Miles's activation of the Isu towers in 2012. To stabilize the field, Layla travels to the Norway temple and enters the simulation. She meets Basim, who reveals that he led the Assassins to Eivor, and tells her how to stabilize the magnetic field. She does so, but this releases Basim and traps Layla in the simulation. Layla encounters a being called "the Reader," and decides to work with him in the computer to prevent future disasters, allowing her mortal body to die. Meanwhile, Basim escapes the temple with the Staff of Hermes—containing the consciousness of Loki's lover, Aletheia—and meets Shaun and Rebecca. After they leave to bring William Miles, Basim enters the Animus to track down Loki's missing children.
Wrath of the Druids
In 879, Eivor receives a letter from her maternal cousin Bárid mac Ímair, now King of Dublin, requesting her assistance in Ireland. Eivor agrees to help Bárid secure an alliance with Flann Sinna, who is to be crowned High King of Ireland. After uncovering and foiling a plot to assassinate Flann ahead of his coronation, he requests Eivor's help to gather allies and strengthen his rule. Upon taking the castle of Cashelore, Eivor discovers that Flann's army has been poisoned and seeks an antidote with Flann's advisor, Ciara ingen Medba. Eivor learns that the Children of Danu, a cult of druids who seek to oust the Norse and Christian faiths from Ireland, are responsible, and begins hunting down their members. Eivor also discovers that Ciara is a former cult member, having left upon learning of their extremist ways.
In 881, Eivor uncovers the identity of the cult's leader: Eogan mac Cartaigh, the Abbot of Armagh, who feigned Christian faith. While informing Flann and Bárid, Eogan has his forces besiege Clogher. Bárid is killed in the attack, prompting Eivor to exact revenge and kill Eogan. In the aftermath, the Kings of Ireland decide to eradicate the druidic faith entirely, and Flann reluctantly agrees to launch an inquisition against the druids. Enraged upon learning of this, Ciara goes to the Lia Fáil to use its power to prevent her culture from being eradicated. She tries to take control of Flann and his men, but Eivor defeats her and the Lia Fáil is destroyed. Flann reflects on his decision and promises to be a good king for all the people of Ireland, cancelling the inquisition. Meanwhile, Eivor meets with Sichfrith, Bárid's son, who succeeded him as King of Dublin. The two reflect on Bárid's dreams, and bond as family.
The Siege of Paris
In 885, Eivor is recruited by Toka Sinricsdottir, a Viking raider from Francia, to partake in a planned raid on the city of Paris. In Melun, Eivor meets Sigfred, Toka's uncle and jarl, who seeks vengeance against the Franks for the death of his brother Sincric (Toka's father). After pushing back an attack by the Frankish bishop Engelwin—the man responsible for Sincric's death—Eivor and Sigfred follow him back to Paris, where the former assassinates Engelwin, discovering his affiliation with a secretive, zealous sect of the Church called the Bellatores Dei (God's Warriors). Afterwards, hoping to avert war, Eivor seeks an audience with the Frankish emperor Charles the Fat, who agrees in exchange for the return of his missing wife Richardis. Eivor finds her being held captive by another Bellatores Dei member, a nun known as "Little Mother", whom she kills before rescuing Richardis. The two then head to Lisieux, where Eivor meets Bernard, Charles' illegitimate but only male heir. Eivor realizes that Charles actually seeks Bernard, and that Richardis is protecting him, to prevent him from being corrupted by his father.
After meeting with and being betrayed by Charles, Eivor returns to Sigfred, just as the Viking army prepares for the siege of Paris. Still hoping for a peaceful resolution, Eivor seeks out Count Odo, Paris' military leader, but he rejects her offer of peace. As the Vikings raid the city, Eivor becomes dejected after witnessing Sigfred's bloodlust, and infiltrates Odo's palace to force him to surrender. Sigfred agrees to end the siege in exchange for a hefty sum of silver and is made protector of Normandy, abdicating leadership of the clan in favor of Toka. Later, Odo contacts Eivor, asking her to find Richardis and Bernard, who have gone missing. Eivor rescues Richardis from an ordeal by fire she was put through by an increasingly mad Charles, before confronting and potentially killing Charles. Regardless of the outcome, Odo steps in to fill the void left by Charles' absence, and Eivor returns to England knowing she has a new friend and ally in Toka.
A Fated Encounter
In 887, Eivor travels to the Isle of Skye after being informed by Valka's seeress friend Edyt that the locals having been suffering from intense nightmares. While searching for the source of the nightmares, Eivor runs into Kassandra, who has come to retrieve an artifact that has been affecting the locals' minds, turning many of them insane and violent. Realizing they share a common goal, the two agree to work together to find the artifact, although Eivor becomes distrustful of Kassandra due to the latter's secretive nature, and eventually abandons her after it is revealed that Kassandra's presence on the island is what activated the artifact. Upon finding the artifact—an Apple of Eden—Eivor is attacked by deranged warriors, but is saved by Kassandra, who then helps her de-power the Apple, saving the island. Deciding to celebrate their victory, Eivor invites Kassandra to attend a wedding, where the latter reveals that she has been traveling alone for a long time and has trouble socializing. Nevertheless, after partying together, Kassandra learns to open up to people more and she and Eivor part on good terms, with the former continuing her journey across the globe while the latter returns to England.
Dawn of Ragnarök
After Odin and Frigg's son Baldr is kidnapped by the Muspelheim warlord Surtr, the two travel to Svartalfheim amid the Muspel's invasion to rescue him. Odin fights Surtr, but is defeated, and Frigg is killed by Surtr's wife Sinmara. Left for dead, Odin is saved by the dwarves who have taken shelter from the invasion. Seeking a way to defeat Surtr, Odin rescues the dwarf leader Ivaldi from Surtr's son Glod and kills the latter in combat. Odin later fights Surtr's daughter Eysa, hoping to use her to bargain for Baldr's life. Although she escapes, Odin learns of a powerful relic called Salakar that Surtr seeks for himself. Odin retrieves the Salakar before Surtr can and obtains Eysa's allegiance.
Sinmara agrees to trade Baldr for the Salakar. However, at the exchange, Baldr is revealed to be a jötunn in disguise. Odin pursues Sinmara and finds the real Baldr, already dead. Sinmara kills Eysa for her betrayal before being slain by a grieving Odin. Odin then goes after Surtr and manages to defeat him using the Salakar, avenging his son. He returns to Ivaldi to inform him of his victory, but is greeted by Hyrrokin, who warns him that Surtr's death has started the Ragnarök. Odin vows to survive it, even if not in his current body.
The Last Chapter
Years after resisting Odin's influence, Eivor realizes she can not suppress her other half forever and, feeling she has done everything she could for the Raven Clan, decides to travel to far away lands to better understand her connection with Odin. She bids farewell to all her friends and allies, kindly rejecting offers from Hytham and Aelfred to join the Hidden Ones and the Templars, respectively, in the process, and sets off for Vinland. There, Eivor spends her final years talking with Odin, who tells her about the Great Catastrophe that wiped out most of the Isu, and how he and his kind came to reincarnate themselves throughout the ages.
In the present, these memories are being watched by Basim, who realizes Eivor's connection with Odin is different from his own connection with Loki. After completing Eivor's memories, Basim is met in the Animus by William Miles, who stipulates that if they are going to work together, he will first need a sample of Basim’s genetic material, allowing the Assassins to access Basim’s genetic memories.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gamerscore: 940/2110
Achievements: 46
Total Power Level: 506
Total Kills: 6,627
Distance Traveled: 1,209,776
Time Played: 8 days, 12 hours, 7 minutes (204 hours, 7 minutes)
✅ The Siege of Paris
✅ Dawn of Ragnarök
✅ Wrath of the Druids
✅ Tombs of the Fallen
❌ Forgotten Saga
Jedi Fallen Order | Done
Friday, Nov 10 2023, 04:30 electronicArts, Entertainment, Sci-Fi, SciFi, star Wars, video games, VideoGames, XBOX
Another fun game that I finished a little less than a year ago on 11/30
I got this game on sale when an acquaintance from our dog park recommended it. Star Wars is fine as a franchise, but I don't geek out over space druids (LOL, I am sure that might have triggered some folks). But, the recent resurgence of content from Disney, with three TV series currently on, and a few animated ones that have crossed my path, it seems like there's a good time to on-board and try something new. I am glad I did, because this was a fun game and I really like the protagonist.
I played on Jedi Knight (normal) difficulty until mid-game where I met the Ninth Sister. At that point, I dropped it down to Story Mode (easy) to get through the story. The Ninth Sister was just frustrating AF and I think I probably sunk three hours of my gameplay time just trying to get past her before giving up and changing gaming difficulty level. If the game didn't allow me to change gears and go into storymode, I would have stopped playing right then and there - and I can only recall 2 other games I've stopped playing because of this (MGS: Portable Ops, and Bayonetta)
As you get more skills and get more adept at the game, the game is replayable so you can go back to older areas as skills increase to get different types of loot. I didn't do this, and I didn't fill out my entire skill tree either. I played the story, enjoyed the story, end of story.
Story (from Wikipedia) - SPOILERS:
Five years after the Great Jedi Purge and the Galactic Republic's conversion into the Galactic Empire, former Jedi Padawan Cal Kestis is hiding on the planet Bracca, where he works as a scrapper salvaging ships from the Clone Wars. After Cal is recorded by an Imperial Probe droid using the Force to save his friend Prauf, two Inquisitors known as the Second Sister and the Ninth Sister are sent to investigate. After the Second Sister kills Prauf for speaking up against the Empire, Cal makes his escape. He briefly engaging in a duel with the Second Sister before he is rescued by former Jedi Knight Cere Junda and her partner, pilot Greez Dritus, on their ship, the Stinger Mantis.
Cere takes Cal to the planet Bogano in the hopes that he can access an ancient vault. On the way to the vault, Cal befriends a small droid named BD-1, who shows him a message from former Jedi Master Eno Cordova, revealing that the vault was built by an ancient civilization called the Zeffo and that a Jedi Holocron containing a list of Force-sensitive children has been hidden inside by Cordova. Cere believes the list could help rebuild the Jedi Order, but the only way to access the vault is by following Cordova's path. Cal heads to the Zeffo homeworld and explores an ancient temple, finding a clue pointing to Cordova's friend, the Wookiee chieftain Tarfful. On the Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk, Cal encounters notorious insurgent Saw Gerrera, whom he helps free several Wookiees enslaved by the Empire.
Unable to find Tarfful, Cal returns to Zeffo to find more clues regarding the vault but is ambushed by the Second Sister, who reveals herself as Trilla Suduri, Cere's former Padawan. She explains that she was captured by the Empire after Cere betrayed her hidden location under torture and warns Cal that Cere will inevitably betray him once they find the Holocron. Eventually, Cal learns he requires a Zeffo artifact called an Astrium to unlock the vault, before being captured by a Haxion Brood bounty hunter and forced to fight in a gladiatorial arena owned by Haxion boss Sorc Tormo. After Cere and Greez rescue him, Cal returns to Kashyyyk to meet with Tarfful, who instructs him to investigate the top of the Origin Tree. At the top of the tree, he finds another recording of Cordova saying that an Astrium can be found in a Zeffo tomb on Dathomir before being attacked by the Ninth Sister, whom he defeats.
On Dathomir, Cal's progress is impeded by Nightsister Merrin, who blames the Jedi for the massacre of her people during the Clone Wars and attempts to keep him away using an army of revenants. After experiencing a flashback of his former master, Jaro Tapal, sacrificing himself to protect him during Order 66, the kyber crystal of Cal's lightsaber is destroyed. He meets former Jedi Taron Malicos, who crash-landed on Dathomir during the Purge and has been seeking to learn the magic of the Nightsisters, over time going insane and succumbing to the dark side of the Force. Cal refuses Malicos' offer to teach him this dark power and flees after Merrin attacks them both. Aboard the Stinger Mantis, Cere admits she cut her connection to the Force after briefly falling to the dark side upon learning Trilla became an Inquisitor. After traveling to Ilum to rebuild his lightsaber, Cal returns to Dathomir, where he retrieves the Astrium and overcomes his guilt for his part in Jaro's death. He defeats Malicos with the unexpected aid of Merrin, who agrees to join the Stinger Mantis crew.
Back on Bogano, Cal unlocks the vault, experiencing a vision of Force-sensitive children being attacked by the Empire while he becomes an Inquisitor himself. After escaping the vision, Trilla attacks him and steals the Holocron. Cere reassumes her role as a Jedi and knights Cal before revealing she knows where Trilla is going. The pair infiltrate the Fortress Inquisitorius on Mustafar's oceanic moon Nur, battling their way through legions of stormtroopers before finally reaching Trilla. Cal defeats Trilla and retrieves the Holocron. Cere then reconciles with Trilla, with the latter returning to the light for a brief moment before Darth Vader appears and kills her. Unable to defeat Vader, Cal and Cere barely escape from his grasp and are saved from drowning by Merrin. Back on the Stinger Mantis, the crew celebrates having accomplished their mission before coming to the realization that the children listed on the Holocron may well spend the rest of their lives in danger should they become Jedi and should be left alone to decide their own destinies. Cal unceremoniously destroys the Holocron with his lightsaber and asks where they will go next.
Game Stats
Gamerscore: 420/1000
Achievements: 20/39
Percentage done: 42%
Playtime: 1 day, 0 hours, 26 minutes
My score: 9/10. I'd definitely play the sequel.
Watchdogs Legion | Done
Friday, Nov 3 2023, 04:00 RPG, ubisoft, video games, VideoGames, watchdogs, XBOX
What can I say about this game? Well, it's another game that gets A LOT of hate because of the glitches that existed early on in its lifecycle, but have since been addressed (one glitch, if I remember correctly, didn't allow you to save!) Still, this is a game I absolutely loved and whose soundtrack still plays in my head - especially Light Up The Sky which plays during one of the missions near the end.
There are lots of things that I loved about this game: I loved the London setting. It's fun to be able to visit locations that you've never been to in real life. It's like traveling without getting on a plane. I also loved that it was set a bit in the future. This allowed for a bit more of a dramatic license for the story, especially when it comes to those punk/cyberpunk elements and the enemies that seem a bit too out there. The Assassin's Creed crossover was bleeping brilliantly done, and I wish we had more of these in the future. The bringing together of characters from Watchdogs and Watchdogs 2... **chef's kiss**
I don't know if I can give this game a 10/10, but I can certainly give it a 9/10!
In 2029, The London branch of DedSec, led by Sabine Brandt and her newly crafted AI, Bagley, detect armed intruders planting explosives in the Houses of Parliament. DedSec operative Dalton Wolfe goes to defuse the bombs and discovers the intruders are members of a rogue hacker group called "Zero Day". Although Dalton manages to prevent Parliament's destruction, he is gunned down by drones commanded by Zero Day's leader, who detonates additional explosives around London and orders an attack on DedSec's main hideout, forcing Sabine to shut down Bagley and go into hiding. In the wake of the bombings, the British government contract Albion with restoring order to London and hunting down DedSec, who are held responsible for the chaos, effectively causing social and political unrest amongst the city's inhabitants.
Months later, Albion enforces the law without political oversight, transforming London into a surveillance state with the aid of its ctOS network and SIRS ─ a collation of Britain's intelligence agencies. As a result, citizens have their personal liberties severely restricted and their lives constantly monitored,[6] while those who question Albion's methods are either convicted or deported to Continental Europe. Organised crime is also on the rise, despite Albion's presence, with Clan Kelley, an East London gang, rising to particular prominence. Although most DedSec members have been arrested or killed by Albion, Sabine resurfaces when she finds a new recruit through ctOS, who is sent to reactivate the group's safehouse and Bagley. DedSec slowly rebuild their strength as they find more recruits who, under Sabine's co-ordination and with Bagley's help, liberate London's boroughs by encouraging citizens to rise up in defiance of their oppressors.
After rebuilding their forces, DedSec investigate the bombings and discover that both Albion's CEO Nigel Cass and Clan Kelley were involved, and are taking advantage of London's current situation for their own ends; Clan Kelley is using people from Albion's deportation centers for their human and organ trafficking operations, while Cass plans to enforce peace across London with an automated drone army named Project Themis that can identify and neutralize threats before they occur. During this time, DedSec also investigate Broca Tech's CEO Skye Larsen and discover that her advanced AI projects, including Bagley, are the result of neural-mapping, which traps humans in cyberspace with no memories of their past life. DedSec eventually deal with Larsen (either by shutting down her life support or allowing her to upload herself to cyberspace). Concurrently, a SIRS whistleblower named Richard Malik enlists DedSec's help in proving SIRS leader Emma Child was behind the Zero Day bombings, only to turn on them once it is revealed he was trying to infiltrate the group to supply their identites to Albion. Malik frames DedSec for another bombing that kills Child and allows him to take over SIRS, but DedSec capture him and prove their innocence.
Eventually, DedSec infiltrate a slave auction hosted by Clan Kelley's leader, Mary Kelley, and discover she helped Zero Day smuggle their explosives into the country. After gathering enough evidence to get Kelley convicted, DedSec and Metropolitan Police Service Detective Kaitlyn Lau attempt to capture her, but after they realize that she will still get away with her crimes, they leave her to be killed by her former slaves. DedSec then sabotage Cass's drone project and expose his crimes to the public, prompting him to take refuge at Albion's HQ in the Tower of London. Fearing Cass will attempt to retaliate against his enemies, DedSec storm the Tower and kill Cass.
As DedSec celebrate their actions, Zero Day hacks the group, stealing the tech they had acquired. Tracing the hack, they discover that Sabine was behind the bombings and Zero Day, and that Cass helped her until double-crossing her for control of data gathering technology. In response, Sabine restarted DedSec simply to get revenge on Cass, recover what he had stolen, and seek out other components she needed. DedSec discover Sabine intends to use the stolen technology to create a patch for Bagley and take control of Britain's ctOS infrastructure, plunging the country into chaos in hopes it will force society to forgo technology and restart. To prevent this, Bagley agrees to be shut down. Avoiding the chaos caused by Sabine, a DedSec operative goes to hack Blume's radio tower, to prevent the patch from being spread. Sabine confronts them, but the operative lowers the tower's fins and sends her falling to her apparent death. Meanwhile, another operative shuts down Bagley's primary server at Broca Tech, ending the crisis.
While the British government reviews its contract with Albion and local law enforcement begins work to resume operations, DedSec finally clear their names and are praised for exposing considerable crimes and corruption across London. In an epilogue scene, they manage to restore Bagley to his original state, and continue to rely on him to help them finish off loose ends around London.
Bloodline
Some time after the Zero Day bombings, but prior to DedSec's resurgence in London, former vigilante Aiden Pearce accepts a contract from his fixer partner, Jordi Chin, in London, believing it will allow him to reunite with his estranged nephew Jackson, who is attending college there. Aiden's assignment is to infiltrate Broca Tech's Deep Labs and acquire photographic evidence of a new robot design project headed by Thomas Rempart, as well as retrieve a device called the "BrocaBridge". However, his attempt is foiled by Reginald "Wrench" Blechman, a former member of DedSec San Francisco, who also wants the BrocaBridge for his own ends. A struggle ensues between the two, which results in Wrench escaping with the BrocaBridge and Aiden being captured by Rempart's men. Aiden later escapes with Wrench's help and makes contact with Jackson. Despite not wanting to get involved, Jackson guides Aiden toward a DedSec contact, Connie Robinson, who helps him get set up in exchange for helping out with several tasks. Rempart also contacts Aiden, demanding him to retrieve the BrocaBridge while threatening to harm Jackson.
With Jackson's help, Aiden tracks down Wrench at his hideout and confronts him. Wrench reveals that he was hired by Rempart to design the robots for his project, but was ultimately betrayed, so he took revenge by stealing the BrocaBridge, which Rempart needs for the next phase of his project. Meanwhile, Rempart finds and captures Jackson to ransom him for the BrocaBridge. After obtaining the device from Wrench, Aiden delivers it to Rempart, unaware that it is an explosive fake created by Wrench. The explosion disfigures Rempart's face and allows Aiden and Jackson to escape, though Aiden is shot in the process and falls into a coma. Wrench allows Aiden and Jackson to stay at his hideout and obtains medical supplies to help Aiden recover. During this time, he also becomes acquainted with Jordi and agrees to carry out several fixer contracts for him in Aiden's place.
Later, Wrench is contacted by Skye Larsen, who offers to help with Aiden's recovery in exchange for retaking control of her facilities from Rempart. Upon doing so, Larsen proposes an experimental trial on Jackson using the BrocaBridge to link his mind with Aiden's, which he agrees to do in spite of Wrench's protest. Jackson enters Aiden's mind with the BrocaBridge and, after revisiting several memories from his past, helps him overcome his guilt for his role in the death of Jackson's sister Lena seventeen years ago. Deciding to leave his vigilante persona behind, Aiden awakens from the coma and makes amends with Jackson. With Aiden saved, Wrench works with him and Jackson to defeat Rempart, who is attempting to escape London on his personal barge. Wrench boards the barge and destroys Rempart's robot army before handing him over to Albion authorities to be arrested.
Some time later, Connie informs Aiden and Wrench that one of her DedSec contacts found an operative who survived the London attacks, and asks them to establish a communication link with her, leading into the events of the main campaign.
Assassin's Creed expansion
This non-canonical crossover with the Assassin's Creed franchise focuses on DedSec helping Darcy Clarkson, a member of the Assassin Brotherhood and a descendant of renowned 19th century assassins Jacob and Evie Frye.[11] After intercepting a conversation between Darcy and a Templar, Graham Westerly, DedSec learn about the secret war between the Assassins and Templars, and that the former have been forced to leave London after being hunted to near-extinction. They also discover that Darcy returned to London to rescue her brother Lucas, who was captured while trying to reduce the Templars' control over the city. After tracking down Darcy, DedSec agree to help her rescue Lucas, who is being tortured by Graham to learn the location of a hidden Assassin tomb in London; however, Graham murders Lucas after obtaining the information he wanted.
After finding the Assassin tomb on the Buckingham Palace grounds, DedSec help Darcy get inside to investigate. She discovers statues of several Assassins, including Jacob, Evie, and Edward Kenway, and a vault containing an Assassin outfit, which she dons. Graham arrives moments later accompanied by Albion soldiers, but Darcy manages to kill them all; before dying, Graham claims that the Templars will remain in control for as long as the Assassins are too afraid to fight back. After leaving the tomb, Darcy decides to stay in London to continue fighting the Templars, and accepts DedSec's invite to join them.
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Integer in ultricies mi. Curabitur molestie dolor quis molestie luctus. Nunc imperdiet urna ipsum, fringilla placerat ante placerat et. Nam eleifend arcu eget pellentesque sollicitudin. Praesent et volutpat felis, ut volutpat nisl. Aenean id massa dictum, lobortis turpis a, porta nunc. Aenean in egestas augue. Aenean efficitur libero sodales eleifend rutrum. Praesent egestas purus ut purus feugiat interdum. Donec consequat massa ut ante auctor aliquam. Aliquam id est tortor. Pellentesque molestie porta sapien ut elementum. Proin rhoncus a mi quis tempus. Ut congue egestas ex quis sodales. Donec vel lorem volutpat, placerat lacus in, volutpat velit.
Achievements: 40/48
Gamepoints: 1015/1195
Percentage of achievements done: 84%
Playtime: 3 days, 1 hour, 25 minutes
Mass Effect: Andromeda | Done
Friday, Oct 27 2023, 04:00 Entertainment, Mass Effect, RPG, video games, VideoGames, XBOX
I know that this game seems to get a ton of hate. I don't really get the hate because it was, legitimately, a fun game. Now, I did buy this game on sale (so not on full retain price), and I did wait until a number of things were patches and updated. I know that a lot of early adopters end up stuck with things that I probably didn't have to deal with - but I think this is an unfair ding for this game. Anyway... I still experienced some visual glitches but it was OK, there was nothing game-breaking IMO. Andromeda, although large and not always populated, was a fun galaxy to be in. There were a lot of hints and connections to the original trilogy, and there seemed to be tentative connections being made for future games in this series.
I did miss having the Quarians around. They had their own "arc" starship that would bring them to the new galaxy, but we never got to see them arrive (or just be there). I got the sense that more games were planned but didn't materialize - at least based on the number of loose threads that exist in the game.
I played as Sarah Ryder, which I thought seemed like a better character, and because this is Mass Effect I decided to romance someone, and that someone was Peebee. I was a bit surprised by the nudity when you reached that endpoint of the game.
The only enemy I hated was The Progenitor which was a pain in the butt to beat (remnant tiller) regular weapons seemed to do NOTHING. I headed to Aya, bought 22 Cobra RPGs (yes...overkill much?), only used 1 of them (plus my shotgun) to take the darned thing out. I wish that I knew about the Cobra RPG earlier (at lever 40) so that I would not have spent so much darned time on that Progenitor.
Story Synopsis from Wikipedia:
In 2819, following a 634-year journey aboard the Ark Hyperion, Ryder awakens in the Heleus Cluster of the Andromeda Galaxy. Hyperion strikes a dark energy cloud called the Scourge, temporarily knocking out its power and sending Ryder's sibling into a coma. Pathfinder Alec Ryder, Ryder's father, informs Ryder and Cora Harper that the planet they were sent to scout may no longer be viable for colonization. Alec, Ryder, Cora, and Liam Kosta head down to the planet, coming into contact with a hostile alien race, the kett, as well as strange structures from a synthetic alien race, the Remnant. Ryder and Alec find a terminal inside an alien monolith, which Alec activates in an attempt to stabilize the lightning storm-stricken planet. A large blast throws the two off the elevated platform, damaging Ryder's helmet and exposing Ryder to the toxic atmosphere. Alec saves Ryder by giving Ryder his helmet, sacrificing his own life. Ryder is later revived and merged with the artificial intelligence SAM, learning that Alec has made Ryder the new Pathfinder.
Hyperion reaches the Nexus, finding it incomplete and with no other Ark in sight. The crew learn from Nexus leadership that all of the worlds in Andromeda have become inhospitable, and that the Initiative has been stranded upon arrival, suffering from civil unrest and a supply shortage. As humanity's new Pathfinder, Ryder is tasked with finding a suitable world to colonize, as well as uncovering the fates of the other Arks. Ryder is also assigned a spaceship, the Tempest, piloted by Kallo Jath and accompanied by Vetra Nyx.
Ryder's first stop on the search is Eos, a desert planet plagued by radiation, where Nakmor Drack and Peebee join the crew. With SAM's help, Ryder unlocks a Remnant vault, which houses a terraforming system that rapidly repairs the planet's ecosystem to more hospitable levels. The planet's newly-improved viability allows Ryder to establish Andromeda's first successful outpost. Ryder also discovers a star chart pinpointing the location of other worlds that might hold similar structures. It is deduced that these worlds could sustain the Initiative.
On the way to another system, the Tempest runs into the kett fleet, and is forced to escape through the Scourge, suffering significant damage. The ship lands on the planet Aya, coming into contact with a new alien species, the angara, who are mounting a resistance against the kett. Ryder proves the Initiative's good intentions by aiding the angara on two other planets, in addition to recruiting a member of their species, Jaal Ama Darav, to the Tempest's crew. Ryder also rescues high-ranking angara Moshae Sjefa from a kett facility, discovering in the process that the kett have been turning the angara into more kett through a genetic modification process known as "exaltation". The Moshae takes Ryder to Aya's vault, learning that the kett leader, the Archon, is chasing an object called Meridian, which can control all vaults and, by extension, the worlds that they are connected to. Ryder, anxious to stop the kett, tracks down their flagship and discovers that the kett have captured the Salarian Ark and have been experimenting with various Initiative species. Ryder frees the ark and learns the location of Meridian.
Ryder then proceeds to the presumed location of Meridian, which is revealed to be an ancient Remnant city. Ryder discovers that Meridian, a Dyson sphere-like construct, was taken away from the city, disconnecting the vaults and rendering the planets uninhabitable.[46] The Archon launches an attack on Hyperion, severing SAM from Ryder, while also capturing Ryder's sibling, whose SAM implant he intends to use in order to take over Meridian. Ryder manages to activate the Remnant fleet and, together with other allied forces, makes an assault on the kett fleet guarding Meridian. The Ryder twins work to defeat the kett, eventually disconnecting the Archon from Meridian's system and killing him in the process. Ryder is hailed as a hero, having activated Meridian and made the cluster more suitable for settlement. Hyperion, after crash-landing onto Meridian, settles on the planet as humanity's new home.
In a post-credit scene, the Archon's second-in command, Primus, is seen observing Meridian, hinting at a possible future threat.
Gamerscore: 600/1000
Achievements: 31/55
Total enemies killed: 2,039
Total experience gained: 1,565,676
Total headshots: 273
Number of materials collected: 27,889
Number of items crafted: 29
No idea how many hours - wasn't tracked for some reason
Overall: 8/10 for me
One more on the vintage tech!
Friday, Oct 20 2023, 12:59 CDMA, HP, ipaq, media player, Microsoft, palm, PDA, smartphone, Sony, Telephony, Windows, Zune |
| Pocket Surfer 2 |
OK, I sort of felt like I should have an honorable mention category for all the things I was going to post, and that I had drafts started back in my drafts blogs in 2019, but ultimately I ended up deleting, due mostly to a change of interests. Still, here's a list of devices that didn't make the cut in my technology retrospective:
- 1996-2013 Windows Handheld PCs (Wikipedia, YouTube)
- 2000 - VTech Helio PDA (Linux Devices)
- 2000 - Cybiko (Wikipedia, Gadgeteer)
- 2002-2010 - Danger HipTop (Wikipedia, YouTube)
- 2003ish - OpenQNX (Installation guide)
- 2003 - Sony NZ90 (Wikipedia, Wikipedia Clie, YouTube review of NR70, same series)
- 2003 - Tapwave Zodiac (LGR YouTube, Wikipedia)
- 2004 - Sharp Zaurus series of Linux PDAs (Wikipedia, Gadgeteer)
- 2005 - iPaq Windows Mobile PDA (LGR YouTube, Wikipedia)
- 2005 - Gizmondo (Wikipedia, LGR YouTube)
- 2005-2009 - Nokia Internet Tablets (Wikipedia, YouTube)
- 2006-2010 - Sony MyLO or my life online. (Wikipedia, CNET, YouTube)
- 2006-2010 - Microsoft Zune (Wikipedia, YouTube)
- 2007 - Helio Ocean (Wikipedia, CNET, YouTube)
- 2007 - Palm Foleo (Wikipedia, YouTube)
- 2008 - Pocket Surfer 2 (CNET, YouTube)
- 2009-2011 - Palm Pre (Wikipedia, YouTube)
- 2010 - Microsoft Kin (Wikipedia, YouTube)
- 2011 - Blackberry Playbook (Wikipedia, YouTube)
Vintage Tech - OQO PC
Friday, Oct 13 2023, 22:30 Computing, mobile, OQO, PC, ultraPortable, Windows |
| OQO Model e2 |
Notable on-screen appearances for this device: 24 with Keifer Sutherland!
Vintage Tech - Ogo
Friday, Oct 6 2023, 16:18 communicator, Internet, ixi, mobile, ogo, tablet, Telephony |
| Original Ogo |
 |
| Ogo version 2 |
Vintage Tech - Ericsson R380
Friday, Sep 29 2023, 18:00 Ericsson, R380, smartphone
Here's another one from 2019 lol :-)
Vintage Tech: Nokia N-Gage
Friday, Sep 22 2023, 23:00 gaming, mobile, Nokia, smartphone, Telephony |
| Original N-Gage |
Here's another one from the "drafts" pile from 2019 that I wanted to do a little write-up about, but...well it got lost in the blogging shuffle 😂. My original intent with this series of looking back at older tech was to talk a bit about the specs and the general reception, but since there are enough blogs, wikis, and YouTubers who already do that, why add to the chorus? So, I decided that I'll just give my two cents on these devices.
Thi particular walk down memory lane is courtesy of Nokia's N-Gage duo. The original N-Gage was a neat idea at the time (2003). The only way you could play portable games at the time were on a PSP or a Nindendo DS (or older portable gaming consoles), but who wants multiple devices in their pockets?! The device ran the Series60 Symbian operating system, which meant that they could also run other PDA-style applications that were available on Nokia S60 phones. The device was really half-baked though. The microphone and speaker were on the side of the device, which made it awkward to use, and in order to play games on cartridge (how they sold them back then, before appstores and quick downloads over wifi/wireless carrier), was to remove the battery and reset the device. 🤦♂️ Having to reboot your phone to change a game is a major failure. The QD (second generation N-Gage), did fix things, but I think that mobile gaming of this sort wasn't ready for prime time. Furthermore, other S60 devices could play the N-Gage games, seeing as their ran the same OS, so all you had to do was get a copy of the SIS file and play it on your N95 or other S60 phone. Cool attempt, but poor execution IMO.
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| N-Gage QD |
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