Cats are on the upgrade / Upgrade?

[roadrunnertwice]

HERE IS THE UPDATE.

• I went with my parents and brother to see Ian Anderson last night! And it was amazing. I can't really name Jethro Tull as my favorite band or anything, but they've kind of always been there as a constant presence in my life, and it was truly wonderful to finally see someone I... well, basically grew up with.
• I went alone to go see The Mountain Goats on Wednesday night (again, I'm trying to get back into my old live music groove). Totally bitchin' show, and my first time to the Wonder Ballroom. (Which is in walking distance of my apartment, as it turns out!) I also ended up running into Steve and Sara after the show, which was lovely.
• Work is work. It's taking up a lot of my energy, and I've been thinking various thoughts about how to wall it off a little better.

• I upgraded my OS, finally. (After hearing a couple of horror stories, I decided to wait until 10.6.2 dropped before braving it. Worked like a charm.) My favorite Snow Leopard feature so far:

  

  'Nuff said. It's basically the same damn thing, but I do like what they did with Exposé and a couple other things.

• When I'm not working or sleeping or eating or writing or learning Cocoa or reading the internet, I've been playing Final Fantasy XII. Yes, I am behind the times. I'm not very far in it, but I'm liking it a LOT. Also, I realize the battle system was meant as a way to integrate developments from the Massively Multiplayer side of the RPG family tree into the divergent JRPG branch, but honestly, what the experience of it reminds me most of is Secret of Mana. And hurray for that.
• You guys are reading Homestuck, right? You had better be reading Homestuck.

Comments

[gyladia.livejournal.com]

That thing scared me when it moved.

[nightswatch.livejournal.com]

Oh man, it's totally like Secret of Mana, except without the moronic pathing issues.

[roadrunnertwice]

I am kind of super surprised I never heard that comparison before playing it! Because it totally is, it has that thing where you're a band of three or four motherfuckers wandering around and hitting stuff, and I haven't had that for SO LONG. I just kind of wish you could get some multiplayer going on, but it's pretty grand as is.

(I'm slowly starting to get the hang of gambits, and I think I picked up some Quickenings before I was supposed to. And peeps are playing somewhat believable politics, which, THAT's exciting to see done competently. Larsa's an impulsive little brat, but he has decorum and poise in a way you don't see in, oh... Marle, for example. Or Garnet. Or basically any bratty royal ever.)

[nightswatch.livejournal.com]

They never went anywhere with it, but I really enjoyed how after Vayne first addressed Rabanstre, Vaan was flabbergasted at how blithely everybody went along with it. That youthful idealism clashing with the more typical resignation of a populace at large seemed very realistic, and much more interesting, than the typical "Fight the empire!" fare. Of course, then we went off to fight the empire.

I think there are a lot of takes on Gambits. I have a friend who played exclusively with them, on active time, and felt that he should never have to open a menu. I, on the other hand, was opening those menus and pausing combat all the time. So there's a continuum.